Thursday, March 15, 2012

A hodge-podge of miscellaneous including Fiona Fursday, Alex George and books

This is going to be a wildly disparate bunch of subject matter, but some of you are used to the occasional wacko post. First things first: I got to attend Alex George's signing of A Good American at Lemuria Books in Jackson (aka, "The Big City"), last night. Alex is an excellent speaker and every bit as charming in person as I've found him to be in our Twitter exchanges. I had a great time chatting with him and listening to his reading and discussion about the book.

Kiddo is officially on Spring Break, so this will be my last post for about 10 days. I'm planning to totally walk away from the internet. We'll see if that works. So, it's Fiona Fursday instead of Friday. Here is Fi in front of the shelf I call Grandpa's Shelf (because my grandfather built it):

I shared this photo -- one of my recent favorites -- on Facebook but I don't recall posting it here. It's one worth leaving up for a while. Every time I look at it, I can't help but grin.

And, one flower pic for the road. The wisteria is blooming all over town and it is breathtaking! I managed to spend some time in my church parking lot, beside which there is quite a lot of it growing.

My gerbera daisies are as big as saucers and about 90% of the trees are either budded or in full leaf. I still haven't planted a thing and I keep saying, "Soon, soon," but this may be another one of those years that I'm just too busy with the book purging (which is going very well) and spring cleaning (also plugging right along) to bother with the potted plants. I guess we'll see. I'm very happy with the improvements I've made in our living space, lately.

I've received quite a few books, this past 2 weeks, and I bought more than I should have (including a finished copy of A Good American, of course!) but I'll stick to just those that have arrived in the mail:

Each of the following were accepted for review by request from the author -- something I rarely do, but two of the authors are on my "Any time you ask," list:
  • A Whisper of Rosemary by Colleen Gleason
  • Akhmed and the Atomic Matzo Balls by Gary Buslik - (who managed to seduce me into reading his book by offering to share a photo of his cat, haha)
  • Kitty Cornered by Bob Tarte
From Shelf Awareness:
  • Next to Love by Ellen Feldman
  • Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms by Lissa Evans
  • The Reconstructionist by Nick Arvin
And, a bunch of children's books from 2 publishers. I'm considering hosting a Children's Week for these, although I usually just mix children's in with everything else:
  • Pobble's Way by Van Booy and Edelson
  • I Always, Always Get My Way by Krasnesky and Parkins
  • I Need My Monster by Noll and McWilliam
  • Zaira and the Dolphins by Pavon and Coco
  • The Word Collector by Sonja Wimmer
  • Drops of Life by Tiitinen and Tiitinen
The latter three are translations. I've received a few other titles I haven't mentioned but they went straight into my ARC piles, which are divided by release month, and they will be read so soon that I'm not going to go to the other room to haul them in here to list, although there aren't many. I'm reading one of them, The Land of Decoration by Grace McLeen (interesting book, so far). You can see why I have that note in my sidebar saying I'm not accepting books till further notice.

I wish you all a happy reading week! Again, I plan not to even get on the internet, so if it takes forever for me to approve a comment, don't fret. I'll be back in about 10 days and I always respond.

©2012 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

20 comments:

  1. I just pre ordered Kitty Cornered for my Kindle--comes out April 10th--you know I have to have this one!

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    1. Of course you do!! :)

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    2. Thanks, Melissa. I hope you like "Kitty Cornered." My ducks are a little put out that I'm not writing about them again.

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  2. I bet that Alex George event was loads of fun!

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    1. It was fantastic! Definitely go see him if he makes it your way, Kathy!

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  3. OH MY! That's a lot of books. You don't have to answer this but are you going to be home to receive all the cool things I'm mailing you or are you traveling again?
    :)

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    1. Yep, tons of books. But, I'm getting rid of a lot more than I've got coming in, so I'm very happy. :)

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  4. Lucky you to get to go to see Alex George! That's one of my favourite books so far this year!

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    1. I do feel lucky. It's a terrific read and Alex is a gentleman. :)

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  5. Ooooh, I didn't know Bob Tarte had a new book!! You turned me on to him with Enslaved by Ducks and I just absolutely loved it :D Still have fond memories of it!! I'll be on the lookout for it!! Glad you enjoyed your author signing and I hope you have a WONDERFUL few days with the kiddo!! And that wisteria is SO gorgeous!!! I LOVE the way wisteria looks so much, but sadly the smell gives me a headache :( I think it's just too heady for me.

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    1. I did? Cool! I absolutely adored Enslaved by Ducks. Glad to know you loved it, too. :)

      Thanks, Chris! We always have a great time. Yes, wisteria is very strongly perfumy. I liked the smell when I was standing under it but I can see how it could give you a headache. I get that from the jasmine.

      This will be my last reply. Honest. LOL

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    2. Chris, Thanks for the nice words about "Enslaved by Ducks." I hope you enjoy "Kitty Cornered," too.

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  6. Love the "Damn, I forgot to chain it shut" photo! I've members of the Triad climb out of drawers that were left half open.

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    1. That was a moment, Jenclair! Love the way kitties get into things (as long as they do it safely). Open drawers are always a temptation.

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  7. You totally made me laugh with the Fiona "Fursday." :) I hope you enjoy your break from the Internet and time with your kid!

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    1. Thanks, Alyce! We had fun with Kiddo and then took a little jaunt. Glad to be back home!

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  8. So much good stuff, Nancy! I love the kitty pics. Especially the one with the paw sticking out. Hilarious.

    I hope you enjoy your Internet break, and I'm sure the kiddo will enjoy Spring Break time off. :)

    Great books that have landed at your house! Enjoy!

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    1. Thanks, Andi! The kitties were hilarious playing with the bathroom cabinet. I'm used to hearing Fiona bang the door, but it was a surprise to find both of them playing.

      We all had a great break! Kiddo was a total goofball during his Spring Break, for the most part. He really needed the mental rest (although he did do some homework, don't get me wrong).

      Thanks! I've been enjoying my new books!!

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  9. I'm glad to see Bob Tarte has a new book out. I've always felt bad about my lack of love for Enslaved by Ducks (which Rod loved). I remember his humor in a comment on my review and have a feeling Kitty Cornered will be equally as funny. What a great titled!

    I hope you're enjoying your break. Spring has sprung around here. Lots of daffodils and tulips and pretty flowering trees. I'm hoping to get some pansies planted in pots this weekend. That is, if I'm not glued to the tv, watching Season 1 & 2 of Downton Abbey. I'm addicted!!

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    1. Les,

      I really enjoyed Kitty Cornered. I don't think you need to feel bad about not liking Enslaved by Ducks. No book is for everyone. Kitty Cornered is written in his trademark style and especially enjoyable for a cat lover. I do wish he'd keep his kitties indoors, but I used to think I was obligated to let mine play outside, too. Miss Spooky just had too many close calls, so the young'uns are indoors only. Such a relief not to have to worry about the possibility of cars hitting them or dogs chewing them up.

      Our break was wonderful! First, Spring Break with Kiddo and then a trip. The daffodils were blooming and we had perfect weather on our little vacation. It was great to get away from the pollen. We were having a pretty miserable spring, probably because it heated up so quickly that all the trees seemed to be pollinating at once. We were glad to miss a week of that (plus a tornado that hit hubby's workplace).

      Downton Abbey is definitely addictive!!!

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