The Traveling Life

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I am dubbing this month as the traveling month or maybe it should be the traveling year.  I've been lucky enough to go on 2 trips in May with a 3rd lined up for May 31. Yes! These three trips don't even count the three trips I've taken prior to May.  My life is good.  I'm a happy girl. I'm finally headed in the direction of my lifelong desire - consistent travel.

And....the sun is finally shining in my area of the country.  After being diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency, the sun is much appreciated as well as the megadose Vitamin D pills my doctor gave me.  What a mood lifter!  After only one week of treatment, I am sleeping through the night and no longer feel the need to sleep the day away.  I've also had painful problems with the muscles in my left foot and have been eating pain pills like candy, yesterday I worked a double shift with no pills.  I have no idea if the foot problem is compounded by the vitamin deficiency but a day without pain pills makes me think it is.  Thank you doctor!  I had no idea that a Vitamin D deficiency could cause so many problems.

On to book news - my reading life has improved as well.  I finished 2 wonderful books last week and started a review book this week which is an attention-grabber.  It is Adam Mitzner's A Case of Redemption.  I read his first book A Conflict of Interest and loved it as well. Click for review. His new book will be finished by tomorrow, I'm sure.

How have you been?

First Author Event

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Last week, I went to my first author event.  I attended a reading by Meg Wolitzer of her latest novel, The Interestings, at Women & Children First, an independent book store in Chicago.  So very interesting.  I've never read one of her books but knew she was well liked by bloggers I read.  After hearing her read a condensed version of the first chapter, I had to buy the book.  Again, not something I do because it was only available in hard cover at full price.  Egads, who pays full price nowadays?  Yikes, this girl did but I got a personalized signature.  Again, my first.  Woohoo to a day of firsts.

Books on my May Hit List

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Sometimes I pick out books to read for the week or month.  Sometimes I used to post them.  Sometimes I would actually read those books. lol

Here is my list for May:

1. How to Travel the World on $50 a Day by Matt Kepnes
2. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
3. John Adams by David McCullough
4. Ducks in a Row!!! by Walt F.J. Goodridge (review book - thank you :) )
5. A Case of Redemption by Adam Mitzner (review book - thank you :) )

Review - The House at the End of Hope Street - Menna Van Praag

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This review request was the first sign that I should get back into writing.  Thank you to the wonderful Leyane Jerejian from FSB Associates.  She always offers me the most interesting books. 

Menna Van Praag has a winner with this book.  I loved it. 

I really enjoy books that have a twist to them.  By twist, I mean an element of difference.  Books with this element have a storyline that appears "normal" like everyday life such as with The House at the End of Hope Street.  I wouldn't classify this book as supernatural but it has a house that is alive.  Maybe I should classify it that way but when I think of supernatural I think of far-out-there books.  My own weird way, I guess.

Anyways...Hope Street follows the lives of 4 women for a short period of time, only 90ish days.  The house helps them heal and deal with their present day troubles.  Alba, Greer and Carmen are guests of the house.  Peggy and her deceased relatives have been caretakers since the house was built.  Each woman discovers her strengths and weaknesses during her stay.  Pictures of previous guests adorn the walls.  These pictures have the ability to talk to the guests.  So between the house, the guests' pictures and Peggy, the women are guided to "find themselves" and move on with life.

Recommendation: definitely read it!  I want to find Ms. Van Praag's previous book.

Focus

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Where or where has my focus been this past year?  Definitely not with my writing or even reading.  Do you believe in signs?  Recently, well in the past 2 months, I've had several signs that its time to return to writing.  Several review requests have come through from some favorite publicists. I feel really honored. I have the time for writing but have lacked the focus. 

Time to Focus.

Time to get my shit together.  (not that I haven't been doing anything, just not everything I want to do)

Get it together, woman!

Today I'm spending the day updating the links, pictures, lists, and pages as well as writing this post.  Tomorrow I'll put up my first review in a year of an AMAZING book.  Wish me luck.

2013 List of Unreads and New Purchases

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Previously Owned Unreads
Non-Fiction

1. The Know-It-All - A.J. Jacobs
2. Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead But Gutsy Girls Do - Kate White
3. The Wine Club - Maureen Christian Petrosky
4. Literature Circles - Harvey Daniels
5. Become a Better You - Joel Osteen
6. Pen On Fire - Barbara DeMarco Barrett
7. Essential Visual History of World Mythology - National Geographic (purchased)
8. Winging It - Dispatches from an (Almost) Empty Nest - Catherine Goldhammer FINISHED 1/13
9. The Daily Writer - Fred White (Amazon)
10. A Writer's Book of Days - Judy Reeves (Amazon)
11. The Truth About Hillary - Edward Klein (purchased at Goodwill) FINISHED 3/13
12. The Secret of "The Secret" - Karen Kelly DID NOT FINISH 1/13
13. Call Me Crazy - Anne Heche - DID NOT FINISH 1/13
14. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer  - FINISHED 1/13
15. John Adams - David McCullough
16. The Way of the Traveler - Joseph Dispenza
17. Travel Writing - L. Peat O'Neil
18. A New History of the United States - William Miller
19. Paris to the Moon - Adam Gopnik
20. Don't Know Much About History - Kenneth C. Davis 
21. The Travel Detective Flight Crew Confidential - Peter Greenberg
22. Take Me With You - Brad Newsham
23. Storyville USA - Dale Peterson
24. England As You Like - Susan Allen Toth 
25. On The Road with Charles Kurant
26. Off The Map - Mark Jenkins DID NOT FINISH 3/13
27. Jesus Land - Julia Scheeres FINISHED 1/13
28. Rutka's Notebook FINISHED 1/13
29. The Secret - Rhonda Byrne FINISHED 1/13
30. Secrets of Six-Figure Women - Barbara Stanny DID NOT FINISH 1/13
31. Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do - Kate White DID NOT FINISH 1/13
32. Relentless Pursuit - Donna Foote FINISHED 3/13
33. A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson FINISHED 3/13

Fiction

1. One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson
2. With Red Hands - Stephen Woodworth
3. Anthem - Ayn Rand
4. Julie of the Wolves - Jean Craighead George
5. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger  DID NOT FINISH 3/13
6. The Healer - Dee Henderson
7. A Breath of Snow and Ashes - Diana Gabaldon
8. The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood (paperbackswap)
9. The Iliad - Homer (paperbackswap)
10. Party Princess - Meg Cabot (paperbackswap)
11. Princess on the Brink - Meg Cabot (paperbackswap)
12. Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips (paperbackswap) DID NOT FINISH 2/13
13. The Reader - Bernhard Schlink (Paperback Swap)
14. Birds and Other Plays - Aristophanes (Paperback Swap)
15. Vanished - Meg Cabot (Simon & Schuster purchase) 
16. Click Here - Denise Vega (received from friend - she raved about this YA novel)
17. The Traveler - John Twelve Hawks  DID NOT FINISH 1/13
18. Big Mouth & Ugly Girl - Joyce Carol Oates 
19. The Very Thought of You - Rosie Alison (from Atria Books)
20. The Lost Angel - Javier Sierra (from Atria Books) 
21. Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (Book 2) - Jenny Nimmo
22. Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy (Book 3) - Jenny Nimmo
23. Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors (Book 4) - Jenny Nimmo
24. Charlie Bone and the Hidden King (Book 5) - Jenny Nimmo
25. The Winters in Bloom - Lisa Tucker (from Atria Books) 
26. Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares  FINISHED 1/13
27. Girls Night In - Jennifer Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, Meg Cabot and more
28. The Scent of Jasmine - Jude Deveraux
29. Always - Jude Deveraux
30. The Summerhouse - Jude Deveraux
31. Eternity - Jude Deveraux
32. The Night Trilogy - Elie Wiesel 
33. Del Canto - Ann Patchett 
34. Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult FINISHED 1/13
35. Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult  DID NOT FINISH 1/13
36. The Bostonians - Henry James
37. The Space Between Us - Thrity Umrigar DID NOT FINISH 1/13
38. The Monster of Florence - Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi
39. Woman in Red - Eileen Goudge
40. Don't Breathe a Word - Jennifer McMahon
41. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky
42. 1984 - George Orwell DID NOT FINISH 2/13
43. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck FINISHED 3/13
44. Two for the Dough - Janet Evanovich FINISHED 4/13

2013 Purchases and Review Books

1. The Story of Stuff - Annie Leonard
2. What Alice Forgot - Laine Moriarty
3. This is Where We Live - Janelle Brown
4. The Borrower - Rebecca Makkai
5. House Arrest - Ellen Meeropol - FINISHED 2/13
6. Heartwishes - Jude Deveraux
7. Stranger in the Moonlight - Jude Deveraux
8. The Frugalista Files - Natalie P. McNeal - FINISHED 1/13
9. The House at the End of Hope Street - Menna van Praag FINISHED 4/13
10. How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
11. The Interesting - Meg Wolitzer

Books Read in 2013

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Goal - 5 books a month - minimum 50 books for the year, 4 classics, 12 non-fiction

Current Total - 16 read
Fiction - 7
Non-fiction - 9
Classic - 1

January

1. Room - Emma Donoghue - Fiction
2. Jesus Land - Julia Scheeres - Non-fiction
3. Rutka's Notebook - Non-fiction
4. Perfect Match - Jodi Picoult - Fiction
5. Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares - Fiction
6. The Secret - Rhonda Byrne - Non-Fiction
7. Winging It - Catherine Goldhammer - Non-fiction
8. The Frugalista Files - Natalie P. McNeal - Non-fiction
9. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer - Non-Fiction

February

1. House Arrest - Ellen Meeropol - fiction

March

1. Relentless Pursuit - Donna Foote - non-fiction
2. A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson - non-fiction
3. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck - classic fiction
4. The Truth About Hillary - Edward Klein - non-fiction

April

1. Two for the Dough - Janet Evanovich - fiction
2. The House at the End of Hope Street - Menna Van Praag - fiction

Did Not Finish

1. Call Me Crazy - Anne Heche
2. The Space Between Us - Thrity Umrigar
3. Keeping Faith - Jodi Picoult
4. The Traveler - John Twelve Hawks
5. Secrets of Six-Figure Women - Barbara Stanny
6. Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do - Kate White
7. The Secret of "The Secret" - Karen Kelly
8. 1984 - George Orwell
9. Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips
10. Off the Map - Mark Jenkins
11. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger