“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted here, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
My Waiting on Wednesday (WoW) is The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks.
While I could not find a synopsis of book- based on Little Gale Gumbo- I expect great things from The Mermaid Collector ( Oct 2012)
This is my first time to link to WoW- hosted be Breaking the Spine
Happy Reading!
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?
My answers:
What are you currently reading?
Currently reading Hitched by Carol Higgins Clark. Light mystery- enjoyable.
What did you recently finish reading?
Recently (over the weekend) I finished Buttercream Bumpoff, Death by the Dozen, and Red Velvet Revenge (all by Jenn McKinlay). In the past week- Wrecked and Cursed by Carol Higgins Clark, The Diary of Darcy J. Rhone by Emily Giffin, Sprinkle with Murder by Jenn McKinlay, and Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal.
What do you think you’ll read next?
Have way too many options- A Teeny Bit of Trouble by Michael Lee West, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, or The Meryl Streep Movie Club by Mia March are the top 3 I’m considering.
If you read my blog at all, it’s pretty documented that I adore Judy Blume. Simply adore her. While I have many favorite characters, Vix and Caitlin from Summer Sisters are the ones we’ll discuss today.
On the surface, they don’t really have many things in common. Different types of families, different up-bringings- but yet they became summer sisters. And for the most part- the bond remained un-broken.
On the other hand, 2 other characters I like from Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed are interesting characters in the best friend category- Rachel and Darcy.
Rachel and Vix and Caitlin and Darcy have more in common with each other than the best friend pairings. Vix and Rachel basically do what’s expected of them, both are smart, and both let the brighter part of the duo take center stage.
Caitlin and Darcy- both of them are “takers”, center-stage characters, selfish (but still have some loveable qualities).
Best friends are great characters to write about- usually so much history to explore- the book can be taken in a million different ways. I also think these type of books are great for book-club discussions. The allure of “best friends” s that usually you can see yourself in one of the characters- which makes for a more personal experience.
If you’ve read Something Borrowed and Summer Sisters, can you see the correlation between Caitlin and Darcy? Vix and Rachel? Which set of characters would you rather be in real life? Speaking of the betrayals in both books- which would be the one that is more real? If you could pick which betrayal to experience, which one would it be? And lastly, the endings in both books- which one was more satisfying? Believable?
If you haven’t read either of these books, both are highly recommended by me. Great summer reads!
I live in a itsy-bitsy town- basically a one-horse town. For years, I bought books- but due to space problems, I was having to slow down my buying. Then my brother gave me a Kindle- which helps. However, I decided to go really old-school and just borrow some books from the library.
Anyway, back in April my friend Keetha began talking about this book Ready Player One by Ernest Cline and telling me I needed to read it. So a couple of weeks later, I put in a request at the library since they did not have it to borrow from inter-library loan. Was told the book should arrive in a couple of weeks, and I’d get a call when it did. Weeks go by, I continue to check; but to no avail. Finally, the beginning of June and still no book. Come to find out the book was never requested officially. So with great restraint (and because I’m thinking mistakes happen) I simply request the book again AND add the book The Rook by Daniel O’Malley (another Keetha recommendation). Again, I’m told a couple of weeks and the books will be here.
Today is July 10. The books are still not here. At this point, I’m going to be stubborn and not buy the books; because I should be able to request books and have them arrive in a timely-fashion.
I’m not against libraries- I understand wait-lists, etc. I get that if I really wanted these books- I could go and buy them. I’m standing firm on this issue, though. I’m getting these books through the inter-library loan OR some kind soul is going to drop them off for me in a fit of kindness.
So, my title is a bit cheeky- you see people waving protest signs over many other things (well I don’t because I live in a one-horse town; but I see it on TV). So while I’m not really the protest-type person, I’m waving my invisible sign that says “Free The Books! Free The Books!”
I’m a huge fan of reading, but I have a confession: I’ve never read Jane Austen (or really any classics). I remember reading Tom Sawyer for school, which I enjoyed; but it was not an easy read at first. I also remember going home and telling my mom that the other kids in my class was getting the Cliff’s notes versions and why couldn’t I just do that because I had other books that were far more interesting to read than Tom Sawyer- which my mother told me that I’d do better on the test if I would just read the book (she was right- the questions were about more than the Cliff’s Notes version).
Back to the classics, though- I guess for me I’ve always equated the classics with a reader who is quite intellectual (think Ivy League- intellectual) and I felt not quite to that level of reading-skill. I still have that view-point (to an extent), but I’m now more willing to explore some classics. I’m thinking Jane Austen will be a good place to start.
Now that I have about knocked the wind out of you from that confession- here’s another: I’ve never read The Great Gatsby (although seeing the previews for the movie has intrigued me). So I believe that I’ll be adding that to my list as well.
As you can tell from my 2 confessions, a book snob I am not. I don’t throw around the names of literary greats, I read what intrigues me because I want to read; not because of anything else. While I won’t call the books I read the equivalent of “reality- tv”, I’ll more liken them to great sitcoms, feel-good movies, and the like.
For me- reading is about good times and just letting the story go. I don’t usually try to figure out the bad person, I may make guesses as to where the story will head; but I’m not really trying- I just want to wrap myself in a cozy blanket and enjoy the characters.
Any literary confessions? Has everyone else read The Great Gatsby? Feel free to stop by with literary confessions- no judging on my blog!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
My Teasers:
I knew I liked her then, really liked her, this girl with an explanation for everything.
There’s something disturbing about recalling a warm memory and feeling utterly cold.
Gone Girl- maybe page 10- (I’m unsure as I read on my Kindle)
Reading challenges- do you vow to read a certain number of books a year? A month? A particular author?
I’ve never really completed a reading challenge- I just read as much as I can; but make no vows as to how much to read. I lean more toward the thought that a “reading challenge” could be misconstrued as to make people feel forced to read; but I think it’s also a good way to keep track of books that have been read.
For me, I try to update my Goodreads as much as possible to help keep track of books I’ve read and books I want to read.
Other readers- fans of reading challenges? Do you keep track of books you’ve read through Goodreads or something similar?
In hindsight, my first literary love was The Monster at the End of the Book. It’s such a cute kid’s book- Grover tries everything he can to keep you from turning the page to get to the end of the book- only to discover that he is the monster (albeit a loveable, furry monster).
I’d love to say that when reading this book- I was having all these thoughts like that the writer was pure genius, how groundbreaking the book was, and more thoughts like that- but the truth is: I was a kid. And no, I just loved the book. And loved having the book read to me. Full disclosure- this book still holds a prized place on my bookshelf- where real-estate is at a premium.
My next literary love is Ann M. Martin. Writing The Babysitter’s Club series- those books really solidified my love of reading. The girls of the BSC felt like best friends, the books were warm and comfortable- like a soft sweatshirt.
Judy Blume outranks Ann M. Martin, though in my total literary love. Her characters- Fudge, Peter, Sheila, Margaret, Vix, Caitlin, Allison, Rachel, and Stephanie (all from different books) were friends at various points in my life. And like old friends, I gladly welcome them back anytime.
Over the years, I’ve found many literary loves, lost some, replaced some. The author may change, but books are a pretty common staple in my life. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So what authors are your literary first loves? Did your tastes change with age? Have you loved an author and then not so much anymore?
Two authors talk about their literary loves- Marybeth Whalen and Kimberly Brock
Literary loves- an interesting thought. Does the first literary loves shape you as a reader? Or are they just the first brick in a yellow brick road that leads to untold riches as you embrace the love of reading?
FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).
So, come on — share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!
My Friday Finds:
1. Red Velvet Revenge Revenge_Cover-330.jpg (JPEG Image, 330 × 532 pixels).
I have been loving Jenn McKinlay’s new series!
It’s Friday- so cue the sounds of trumpets trumpeting, turn the music up and know we are just hours away from a weekend!
Deep South Magazine is devoting their Literary Friday to William Faulkner. Whether you love him or can’t get into his books- you gotta admit that Faulkner was something else. If you ever find yourself in Oxford, MS- I highly encourage you to take a tour of Rowan Oak. Even just being on the grounds is a bit magical.
My current #fridayreads is Buttercream Bump-Off by Jenn McKinlay. Having recently discovered this cozy series- I’m loving the story of Mel, Angie and their cupcake store. If looking for a quick read, check the series out.
Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus will be soon on my list. I’m ready to see what the buzz is all about!
Karen White (Sea Change) will be in Jackson, MS at Lemuria Books July 13.
Having had the opportunity to guest blog, I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ll be guest blogging for another blog in a few weeks- details to follow and links will be posted once complete.
If you have any book recommendations, please feel free to comment. With so many great books out there, it’s hard to keep track of them all.
Happy Reading!
Traveling With T 
