Saturday, September 27, 2008

Geeking It - #19

You already know the rules for Weekly Geeks #19, right? If not, go here. I don't want to repeat the whole thing. It gets tiresome to look at, after a while, but the gist is . . . list your favorite titles published in 2008.

Unfortunately, I didn't begin logging copyright dates till mid-February, so this may not be all-inclusive, but whatever. Here are my faves, so far:

The Bleeding Dusk & When Twilight Burns - Colleen Gleason
Tarnished Beauty - Cecilia Samartin
The Sugar Queen - Sarah Addison Allen
Sway - Ori & Rom Brafman (not reviewed on this blog, sorry)
The Queen of Sleepy Eye - Patti Hill (not sure I reviewed this one, either)
Legerdemain - James J. Heaphey
Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella
Talk of the Town - Lisa Wingate
The Last Queen - C. W. Gortner
Blue Sky July - Nia Wyn
The Darcys & The Bingleys - Marsha Altman
Matrimony - Joshua Henkin

Quite a hodge-podge, really, and I already overlooked one -- oops, just updated to add Matrimony because it was copyrighted in 2007 but newly released in paperback. That counts, right? Usually, I don't go out of my way to read new releases, but like most bloggers I've been sent a few ARCs. Three of those titles were found on a cart full of FREE ARCs at my public library. I just love it when they hand out free books.

Good news of the day: Not dead, yet. Always a positive sign.

Just finished because of impending library due date (it's a quick one): An Inconvenient Truth adapted for a New Generation by Al Gore (the kids' version, in other words)

Still reading everything else in my sidebar, plus Awakening the Genie Within by Bettye Johnson

I can't stop without adding a pretty picture, so here are some spider lilies -- in bloom last week in Vicksburg (the center-spot feature is deliberate -- I was playing, one day):

29 comments:

  1. You know the only ones of these that I've read are the Gleason books! This is going to be a VERY dangerous weekly geeks, lol.

    Love the Spider Lily picture...that is such a beautiful flower!

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  2. Oh those spider lilies are cool looking!

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  3. I'm not even sure I read a book published this year! They re all from 2007 or before....I will have to try to remedy that before Oct 25!! I like your list.

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  4. Anonymous4:29 AM

    I have read Matrimony but I have notlisted it!

    Do check my short list

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  5. Great list. I have Matrimony and The Last Queen still to read. I didn't put The Sugar Queen on my list this year but I wish I could have added Garden Spells from last year.

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  6. It is difficult to decide and revealing to decide on favorite titles, isn't it?

    Love, love, love the spider lily!

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  7. LOL! It is always good to be alive for another day!

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  8. Love your list, and your picture! I have to start doing Weekly Geeks--I always love the questions :)

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  9. Chris,

    I was thinking the same thing. I've been reading other folks' #19 Geek posts and scratching down titles. Uh-oh. Danger.

    Thank you! I'd hoped to get out to take more spider lily photos, but then The Misery struck me down. I wish those lilies lasted longer!

    Ladytink,

    Aren't they pretty? I'd never seen a spider lily till I moved to Mississippi.

    Susan,

    I usually tend to read older books because I rebel against reading what everyone else is reading. Weird, I suppose, but anyway . . . ARCs have changed my habits a bit. I'll bet you're getting some great ideas from the geek posts, yes?

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  10. Guatami,

    I really enjoyed Matrimony, but I didn't think it "qualified" until I saw it on someone else's list. And, then, I thought "Paperback release!" Hahaha. It's kind of a sneaky way to add the book, but it works.

    I peeked at your list. I'm pretty sure Yellowknife is on my wish list, but I'll have to check. Wild that it took 6 months to get to you!!

    Chris,

    Thank you. :)

    Icedream,

    It took me a while to get into The Sugar Queen, but once I got going I really enjoyed it -- except for the overeating, which did kind of turn my stomach (probably why I didn't like the beginning). If I had to compare the two, I'd say I liked Garden Spells better because of the crazy apple tree, but I thought that the author's technical skills improved with her second release.

    Jenclair,

    It's very difficult. Usually, when I write those lists I change my mind, two days later. I'm not flipping through my calendar, again, because I don't want to change anything!

    Thanks. Aren't spider lilies gorgeous?

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  11. Samantha,

    Most definitely!

    Gentle Reader,

    Thank you! I only do Weekly Geeks posts occasionally -- just whatever resonates with me (and doesn't involve *too* much effort -- a few of them have intimidated me). They're awfully fun to read. You should just jump right in, this week!

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  12. I too enjoyed Remember Me, and gave it four stars, I think, when I reviewed it. So far, in reading other people's lists, I'm amazed at the diversity of books.

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  13. Some new titles for me on your list, and a couple I've been meaning to read...one day!

    The flower is nice, but I truly love your kitty and lizard pics.

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  14. Katherine,

    I can't help myself, I just love Sophie Kinsella. She does fluff just right.

    I'm loving the diversity, but I'm also discovering waaaay too many books to add to the wish list. It's not like I need more but . . . well, you know. Addiction and all that.

    Ali,

    Thank you. I'm rather partial to the kitty and lizard pics, too. The lizards are, oddly, much nicer about posing. :)

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  15. Great list! I have the first two Gleason books, and I really need to find time to read them soon :)

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  16. I'm glad you're still with us.

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  17. Book Zombie,

    I've been a fan of Colleen Gleason's books since I was a brand new baby blogger. I hope you love them as much as I do! :)

    Nikki,

    Thank you, babe. I'm glad that infection's over. It was a rough one. :)

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  18. Your photography is always so beautiful--I love the technique that you used for this flower. Have you taken classes or are you self-taught?

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  19. Trish,

    Thank you. I've taken a couple of photography classes a loooong time ago, but I'm mostly self-taught. The only really terrific class I've ever taken was a black-and-white/darkroom class that I took while we were living in Ann Arbor. Locally, I went to a workshop taught by Stephen Kirkpatrick (a Mississippi nature photographer who has quite a few published photography books). He's a terrific speaker, but it was just a sit-down workshop without any practical application, unfortunately.

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  20. Hubby and I are going to New England next week to *hopefully* see some of the fall folliage...want to come along and be our photographer?? :) I love my camera for many reasons but it doesn't take the world's best pictures...

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  21. Trish,

    I wish!!! I've always wanted to go to New England to see the fall foliage. Where in New England are you going?

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  22. ??? :) We have a plane ticket (in and out of Manchester) and a rental car. I'm thinking maybe Maine for a day and then down to Boston. We don't have fall here so I'm not sure how advanced the leaves will be...we may have to skip Maine??

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  23. Trish,

    I have a friend in New Hampshire who took photos that were quite colorful, a couple of weeks ago. But, I'm not sure if he was home at the time. Lotta help that is, right? LOL Maine is about as far north as you can get. I'd think you'd do well in Maine. Tell you what. I'll ask Bob (the friend, not the spider) what the colors are like in NH and come back to tell you when he responds. Hopefully, that tropical storm didn't blow all the leaves away (I know -- I'm so positive, LOL).

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  24. Lovely red spider lily! I posted a photo of one on my photo blog last week I think it was.
    I saw some white ones recently, which I hadn't seen before.

    BTW, glad you're feeling better.

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  25. Nat,

    I saw your white spider lilies. I probably didn't leave a comment, since this last couple of weeks have been kind of yucko, but they're beautiful. And, thank you. :)

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  26. Well... I never posted any pictures of the white ones, but they are lovely. :P

    Les said I should make sure you saw this pic that I took last year when I was in Canada. :)

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  27. Nat,

    You didn't post a photo of white spider lilies? I wonder where I saw them, then. I do get my blogs tangled up.

    Les was right. I love, love, love the peekaboo squirrel pic. That is so cute!!!! Thanks for the link. :)

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  28. Yay - Sugar Queen and Remember Me are on my list, too! :)

    Matrimony seems to be on lots of lists, I may have to check it out.

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