Julie ~ "Lucky" 2013 ~ Booklist

[Devi]

We have a christmas tree too, we put candy canes as well as christmas decorations on ours. We usually put ours up late november, or december 1st and keep it up till january 6th (we celebrate the italian christmas too).

 

It will be my partners and i first christmas living together, so we are thinking about buying a new tree. It has been awhile since we bought one so it might be time, that and the old one my mum took with her when she moved.

[willoyd]

Julie, just a thought: a couple of years ago, I found myself really struggling with my reading. The solution for me was to sweep away all the challenges TBR lists etc and just read what I fancied, when I fancied. I rediscovered the fun. Maybe a good plan is no plan?

[pontalba]

Julie, just a thought: a couple of years ago, I found myself really struggling with my reading. The solution for me was to sweep away all the challenges TBR lists etc and just read what I fancied, when I fancied. I rediscovered the fun. Maybe a good plan is no plan?

 

LOL  that has always worked for me!

[julie]

Will & Kate

 

Thanks for the suggestions. That may be the best idea so far . All the challenges I hear about sound like fun, then the Read a thon sounds like fun ,but I never do well when I HAVE to do something that should be for fun .

 

I've been looking through challenges ,trying to come up with something that would make the choosing of the books more fun ,but the fact is ,I have bought a truckload of Kindle books in the past few months,, so there is not shortage of good choices for me . Most of the ones I bought are current bestsellers, books I've been waiting to come out ,etc ,so they are all books I REALLY want to read .

 

So,thanks t both of you . I believe I'll go with your plan .

 

Let's chuck the TBR, Challenges, etc , all out the window .

 

I'll read a book, then when I finish it, I'll read another .

 

That sounds like a much simpler plan

[julie]

We have a christmas tree too, we put candy canes as well as christmas decorations on ours. We usually put ours up late november, or december 1st and keep it up till january 6th (we celebrate the italian christmas too).

 

It will be my partners and i first christmas living together, so we are thinking about buying a new tree. It has been awhile since we bought one so it might be time, that and the old one my mum took with her when she moved.

 

Devi

 You need one of the ornaments that says First Christmas Together . What an exciting time ! I remember our first Christmas we were married .We put the tree up long before Thanksgiving ,and invited both sets of parents and both sisters to our apartment . I cooked a dinner,which I'm surprised turned out well ,since I knew little to nothing about cooking ,but by Christmas, we had been married almost 7 months, so I had worked my way through my Betty Crocker Cookbook ,and had reached the end where it shows how to make a turkey dinner with all thre trimmings .

 

The only think I COULDN'T make was the gravy .

 

Well, I'll take that back. I DID make gravy .

 

Problem was, it wouldn't POUR onto anything .

 

It turned out more like a really thick PUDDING . I should have made several batches to use for wallpaper paste . 

Edited November 2, 2013 by julie

[Devi]

Thats so funny Julie! Thats how I imagine my first gravy will turn out. We were talking about doing next years christmas dinner the other day, my mum wants to do it this year at her new place. She is doing a full Italian feast. Yum!

[julie]

So Devi

Is your mom Italian ? And what type of items do they eat for their Christmas feast ?

[julie]

Asylum --Madeleine Roux   2/5

 

 

This book would possibly have been more entertaining if I were about 40 years younger . The plot reminded me of something such as the Hardy Boys type of story . The main characters were 3 kids who went to a summer program for gifted kids ,that was held in an old asylum .

There are strange pictures, mysterious notes and secret doors ,and a supposed bad guy who was sneaking the dark hallways , looking for his next victim .

The first 3/4 was tedious .... I kept thinking I should delete it and start something better, but stuck with it .It had a few exciting pages toward the end, but the ending was pretty lame in my opinion .

So at least I completed another book, but it's nothing to write home about .

 

Onward and upward !

[Devi]

So Devi

Is your mom Italian ? And what type of items do they eat for their Christmas feast ?

No, my dad is. They lived in Italy for a couple of years so my mum learnt from my dads family how to cook Italian. My mum is a pretty darn good cook, she was born at the end of the depression so knows how to make something out of almost nothing. She has taught me lots on how to cook decent meals on a low budget.

 

As for the christmas feast, my mum and i are going to do a couple of roasts, antipasto plates, pasta dishes of varying sorts, and plenty of veggies. For dessert we are going to make a dessert using an italian cake called Panetonni - you cut the cake up and place it in a dish flat, layer custard over the top and bake. Delicious! We will also make tiramisu and Cannelloni too. I have been thinking about trying my hand at profiteroles.

 

Usually our feasts go from lunch to dinner, no one ever eats breakfast that morning and everyone gets to take a little of everything home, thats it there is ever anything left.

 

I think i might stop eating now for christmas...

Edited November 2, 2013 by Devi

[Little Pixie]

No, my dad is. They lived in Italy for a couple of years so my mum learnt from my dads family how to cook Italian. My mum is a pretty darn good cook, she was born at the end of the depression so knows how to make something out of almost nothing. She has taught me lots on how to cook decent meals on a low budget.

 

As for the christmas feast, my mum and i are going to do a couple of roasts, antipasto plates, pasta dishes of varying sorts, and plenty of veggies. For dessert we are going to make a dessert using an italian cake called Panetonni - you cut the cake up and place it in a dish flat, layer custard over the top and bake. Delicious! We will also make tiramisu and Cannelloni too. I have been thinking about trying my hand at profiteroles.

 

Usually our feasts go from lunch to dinner, no one ever eats breakfast that morning and everyone gets to take a little of everything home, thats it there is ever anything left.

 

I think i might stop eating now for christmas...

 

Ooh, I love panettone ( I think that`s how it`s spelt here   ) - I use it to make bread-and-butter pudding, it`s really yummy.

[Little Pixie]

Yes we have a tree! I might post a picture of it later this year, it'd be interesting to see what people's trees look like.

 

That would be nice.   I`m not sure about having a tree this year since Xiao-Xiao the cat is beyond adventurous and I wouldn`t want her to get hurt, but I have tree pics from previous years.

[julie]

 The Reading Promise : My Father and the Books We Shared  -----  Alice Ozma

 

 

 

 

We've all probably had a Reading SLUMP ,but how many of us have had a Reading STREAK ?

 

How about making yourself a promise to someone ,to read to them every night for 100 nights ?

 

How about 1000 nights ?

 

Alice is being raised mainly by a single dad ,who is somewhat of a quirky character ,but a wonderful father. He uses his love of books to help raise his daughter. When she is nine, her dad says he is going to read to Alice each night for 100 nights in a row, never missing it for any reason .

They accomplish that ,and to celebrate ,they decide to try it for 1000 nights.

They both enjoy the books and time spent together each night ,and the challenge ends up lasting from age 9 until Alice starts her first day at college at age 18 .

 

It's a beautiful book-lover's true story .Alice wrote the book to honor her dad and her love of books. It's become her life's mission to get as many other people to love books, and read to their children ,grandchildren, or anyone else in their lives. Or make a promise to yourself to read each night .

It's a really well written book, with a small piece of each book at the beginning of each chapter.

 

At the end, there is a list of all the books they read together , and also a "contract" that you can fill in with your name, and a promise to read to yourself or someone else each and every night .

 

For anyone who is a book lover or who has been in a reading slump ,pick this book up. It will restore your love of books !

 

Wonderful story !

 

[Marie H]

Hi Julie, that was a great review of Alice Ozma's book  . I've put that book on my public library wishlist, as it will be a book to read in times of book-doldrums.

[lauraloves]

Great review of The Reading Promise Am definitely going to be on the look out for this book

[julie]

Thanks Marie & Laura

 

I thought it was a wonderful book and such a great idea. I love books with the Dad as a major person in the story and the quirkier they are ,the better I like them . This just seemed such a neat way for a father that was a bit "challenged " when it came to talking to his daughter about serious issues in life. That's where the books played such a big part. They'd read books that would be talking about issues that were going on in the girl's life at the time, then it would open up some communication between them .

It was really cute how they sort of evolved over time ,and as she got older, the books also progressed ... When she went to shop for a prom dress, and especially the first day when her dad took her to college to drop her off. Such a touching ending to their days of reading ... they found a secluded place for him to read to her one last time at college that day .

They began and ended with one of the Wizard of Oz books ,and the wording coincided perfectly with the place she was in her life at both times .

Anyhow , it was a beautiful book and quite a joy to read . 

[Athena]

Julie, just a thought: a couple of years ago, I found myself really struggling with my reading. The solution for me was to sweep away all the challenges TBR lists etc and just read what I fancied, when I fancied. I rediscovered the fun. Maybe a good plan is no plan?

x 

LOL  that has always worked for me!

x

Same here!

 

Julie, The Reading Promise sounds really interesting !

[Ruth]

 The Reading Promise : My Father and the Books We Shared  -----  Alice Ozma

 

 

 

 

We've all probably had a Reading SLUMP ,but how many of us have had a Reading STREAK ?

 

How about making yourself a promise to someone ,to read to them every night for 100 nights ?

 

How about 1000 nights ?

 

Alice is being raised mainly by a single dad ,who is somewhat of a quirky character ,but a wonderful father. He uses his love of books to help raise his daughter. When she is nine, her dad says he is going to read to Alice each night for 100 nights in a row, never missing it for any reason .

They accomplish that ,and to celebrate ,they decide to try it for 1000 nights.

They both enjoy the books and time spent together each night ,and the challenge ends up lasting from age 9 until Alice starts her first day at college at age 18 .

 

It's a beautiful book-lover's true story .Alice wrote the book to honor her dad and her love of books. It's become her life's mission to get as many other people to love books, and read to their children ,grandchildren, or anyone else in their lives. Or make a promise to yourself to read each night .

It's a really well written book, with a small piece of each book at the beginning of each chapter.

 

At the end, there is a list of all the books they read together , and also a "contract" that you can fill in with your name, and a promise to read to yourself or someone else each and every night .

 

For anyone who is a book lover or who has been in a reading slump ,pick this book up. It will restore your love of books !

 

Wonderful story !

 

Great review Julie.  I've seen this book and picked it up a few times in the bookshop, but your review has inspired me to buy it.  I remember my Dad teaching me to read when I was little - and he and my Mum both still love reading, which has rubbed off on me and both of my brothers, who he also taught to read when they were very young too.

[julie]

Thanks, Athena !

 

 

 

Hi Ruth

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the review and hope you like the book as much as I did .

That is so nice that your dad taught you to read . What good memories you must have !

 

Thank you for stopping by

[poppyshake]

Ooh! Great review Julie ..  I've got The Reading Promise so   

[julie]

Ooh! Great review Julie ..  I've got The Reading Promise so   

 

 

Thanks -- I'm glad you already have the book. I think you'll enjoy it .  

[julie]

Free Country : A Penniless Adventure the length of Britain -George Mahood  4/5

 

 

This is a book about 2 guys who decide to travel the length of Great Britain, from the most southern to most northern piece of land . They intend to take their entire adventure using no money whatsoever, and depending on strangers to help them along the way with food, clothing and bikes ,so they can bike the entire way . They begin their journey with nothing but their underpants . They hope to complete the trip in 3 weeks .

They have some very interesting stories to tell along their way . The book also has pictures ,mainly of the people who helped them . Parts of it are very funny  .

 

I've read a few books like this before, set in our country. A young guy named Peter Jenkins decided to do the same thing back in the late 70's (?) or early 80s  ,and wrote two books about it : A Walk Across America - and  .The Walk West: A Walk Across America 2 .

 

I also read another ,about a guy who I think (?) walked from West to East across our country ,called The Kindness of Strangers: Penniless Across America by McIntyre, Mike 

[Kidsmum]

Awww!!!  they're wearing matching underpants how sweet 

 

I remember watching a programme about a clergyman who decided to walk to somewhere in Britain ( i can't remember where ) but he did it without money relying totally on the kindness of strangers, it was heartwarming to see how many people helped him, giving him food & lodging for the night. 

[julie]

KM

 Yea, they started their journey wearing those matching underpants . I've always thought that most people are the "good guys " ,and the bad guys are outnumbered . I think most people would help out a stranger if they were hungry or needed help of some type .

[pontalba]

LOL  Where do they get the nerve?? Wowee!

[Athena]

Interesting book, Julie ! I'd never ever dare to do a thing like that, nor would I want to. Their courage is admirable, though.