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Tag Archives: fiction

Link of the Day: Bizarre Family Photos

The Huffington Post: How to Take an Awkward Holiday Photo

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Tomorrow is the end of the world, and if you are a believer that it will actually happen, then today is a good day to spend time with family.  Whether we get along or have a strained relationship with our blood relatives, family is family and they will always be there for us.

The holidays are also a time for family, and those awkward, odd moments are likely to appear during this time.

Check out the slideshow of these awkward holiday family photos and you will surely have a laugh, and maybe even a memory of your own embarrassing family photo shoots!

Happy Thursday All!

:)

Link of the Day: Bizarre Christmas Stories

The Huffington Post: 15 Weird Christmas Books

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I loved Christmas books as a child, and I still do!  While some of my favorites were simple and cheery such as ‘Noel’ and ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’, I must say that some of these weird Christmas books could become my favorites as well!

With these bizarre titles, Christmas stories may never be the same again.

Happy Tuesday All!

:)

Link of the Day: Gifts for the Bookworm in Your Life

Gifts For Bookworms

The Huffington Post: Gifts for Bookworms: 10 Clever Ideas for Writers and Readers

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Christmas is coming, so why not splurge on a little bookworm gift ideas for your friends, family, or even yourself!

Some of these are pretty neat, and I’m already looking to get the ”642 Things To Write About” writing prompt book for myself (yes, for myself), so take a look to see what you can find!

Happy Wednesday All!

:)

Link of the Day: ‘The Casual Vacancy’ Becomes a TV Series

The Casual Vacancy Bbc

The Huffington Post: ‘The Casual Vacancy’: BBC Orders Series Based on J.K. Rowling Book

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Wow, Rowling is one lucky girl!  She is the only Brit to be on the US rich list, and she is the 2nd richest woman, after Oprah, with her billion-dollar fortune.  Now, her newest novel, ‘The Casual Vacancy’, is being turned into a TV series after only being released since September 27th, 2012.

I have not read it yet, but I may keep up with the TV show as the casting is throwing out some potential big names including Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, and Nicole Kidman.

Have any of you read J.K. Rowling’s newest book, ‘The Casual Vacancy’?  If yes, did you like it?  Would you watch the TV series?

Happy Monday All!

:)

Link of the Day: The Art of Short Stories

Short Stories

The Huffington Post: Short Stories: ‘The Paris Review’ Creates a Great New Compilation

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I love writing and reading short stories.  Check out the interview and new book about the art of writing a short story.

Top Ten Tuesday: Spring TBR Books

Top Ten by The Broke and the Bookish

Top 10 Spring TBR Books:

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It’s officially Spring, though Spain has not gotten the memo, since it’s FREEZING outside!  Oh well, that’s just better weather to curl up with a book, and perfect timing because today’s Top Ten is all about the books on my to-be-read list for this Spring!  Enjoy!  :)

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Soldier Dogs by Maria Goodavage - I will start with this one since it was featured in my Link of the Day today.  I’m very excited to read this book.  Soldiers willingly put themselves in danger when they go to war.  Human soldiers know what they are getting themselves into, while dog soldiers do not.  So it is so nice that their story, which they are unable to tell for themselves, is being told.

Soldier Dogs

Tell Me Where It Hurts by Nick Trout - My first dream profession was to be a veterinarian.  Now, it is to be a wildlife journalist, and while I will be helping animals by telling their stories, I won’t be helping them like vets do.  I am still very interested in the lives of veterinarians and all they go through, so I am extremely ready to read this book from the acclaimed vet and author, Dr. Nick Trout.

Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon

The Great Animal Orchestra by Bernie Krause - I have just finished When Elephants Weep (review coming soon), and one of the topics covered was about animals enjoying their own noises – birds enjoying their songs, elephants their trumpets, lions their roars, etc. – and I was truly intrigued by the idea.  Needless to say I was extremely intrigued by this book of how important each animal’s sound is vital to their existence.

The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places

Wildlife Heroes by Julie Scardina - This book was also featured in another of my Links of the Day, and I instantly added it to my TBR list.  I admire people like Jane Goodall, Louis Leaky, and Dian Fossey, and hope to some day do my own part to help animals, so I’m very interested in learning about other people who help out the animal kingdom!

Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals They Are Committed to Saving

Not So Funny When It Happened by Tim Cahill - After reading No Touch Monkey, I just needed more travel misadventure.  So when I found out about this book, I just had to add it to my TBR list!

Not So Funny When It Happened: The Best of Travel Humor and Misadventure

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin - I wanted to read this book since I first heard about it when I was in high school.  I think I’ll finally get to it this Spring and am excited to start it!

Black Like Me

Farm Sanctuary by Gene Baur - When I was 16 I became a vegetarian.  That lasted for 3 years until I craved meat too much (sad, I know) and quit, going back to being a carnivore.  Lately, I have been going through some inner-changes, and have decided to become a vegetarian again, and this time stick with it for the long run.  This book looks crucial to my success at being a lifelong vegetarian, and is definitely going to be read very soon.

Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food

Rickie and Henri by Jane Goodall Written by my hero, Jane Goodall, this is a story about the love and friendship between a dog and a rescued chimp.  It look like such a heartwarming story, and I would love to read it this Spring!

Rickie and Henri

Love, Life, and Elephants by Daphne Sheldrick - I first heard about Daphne Sheldrick’s orphan elephant sanctuary in an issue of National Geographic.  I became so obsessed with following her site and newsletters of how the orphaned elephants were doing, that my dad and step-mom gifted me with becoming a foster parent to two of the elephants at Daphne’s sanctuary.  So I am extremely excited to read her book, and learn more about the amazing work she has done to save and help some of the most beautiful and interesting creatures in the world.

Love, Life, and Elephants: An African Love Story

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - OK, OK, I’ll add a fiction novel to my list!  I’ve actually been wanting to read The Night Circus since it came out, and after continuing to read great reviews on it, I thought I would buckle down and read it this Spring.

The Night Circus

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I know there are TONS of animal books on my list, and only one fiction.  But animals are my passion, and non-fiction is my reading preference, so hopefully, even if you are more of a fiction reader, you still enjoy my list!

Hope all of you have a Happy Tuesday!

What are your Top 10 TBR books for Spring?

:)

Musing Monday: Good Description, Bad Cover

Musing Mondays by: Should Be Reading

Q:

Would you choose to review a book if its description sounded interesting but the cover was terrible?

A:

Of course!  Don’t get me wrong, a good cover is nice, and a lot of times I buy a book solely based on the cover, but I also own an e-reader, and when reading Ebooks you barely see the cover.  So I would definitely review a book if the cover was terrible.

For me, my imagination runs wild with the contents of the book, not just with the cover.  So if the book was worth my time and review, and if I truly enjoyed it, I would disregard the terrible cover and review it regardless.

But if the review was for an author I knew, and the cover was uninteresting or bad, I would probably tell them to spice that baby up a bit before it hit the shelves!

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What about you?  What is your answer to today’s Monday Musing?

Musing Monday: Reading Anywhere

Musing Mondays by: Should Be Reading

Q:

What book do you wish you were reading right now? Where would you take it to, if you could go anywhere to read for a while?

A:

I’m actually content with the book I’m reading at the moment: When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals.

However, I do wish I could read it in the Amazon or the African forest while I sit next to Jane Goodall!  I know it’s far-fetched, but hey, a girl can dream!

:)

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What about you?  What is your answer to today’s Monday Musing?

Musing Monday: Heading to the Bookstore

Musing Mondays by: Should Be Reading

Q:

When you walk into a bookstore — any bookstore — what’s the first section you head toward (what draws you)?

A:

Well, it really depends on what I’m looking for at the time.  Usually, I’m looking for non-fiction, whether it’s animal stories, memoirs, humor, etc.

I usually head straight for the “book deals” of the day like Borders Books (oh Borders, how I miss you) had.  I’m 100% for putting my money down for a book, but come on, who doesn’t love a good deal?!

After I check out the deals, and if I can’t find any, then I go to the section of whatever genre I’m interested in at the time.

I just LOVE going to bookstores.  The smell, the atmosphere, the like-minded people, everything.

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What about you?  What is your answer to today’s Monday Musing?

Booking Through Thursday: Falling in Love

Booking Through Thursday by Booking Through Thursday

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Q:

Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character? Who and what about them did you love?

A:

I love this question.  I thought I was a weirdo when I was reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower, one of my all-time favorite books, and I feel in love with the main character Charlie.

I loved everything about him.  His timid personality, his obsessive (but not obsessive stalkerish) personality, his intelligence, and I pictured him physically as my dream guy.

I always keep this book close to my heart.  Not only is the story amazing, but the author produced such a vivid and relateable protagonist that I did really end up falling for him, wishing the book would never end.

It’s odd how much you can connect with a fictional character; someone who will never actually exist.  But I did, and I love that this question was even brought up, because it means at least someone else has thought the same way.

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Has anyone else felt the same way?  Please let us know in the comment section below!


Happy Thursday All!

:)