Can't Wait to Dig Into This....Book Blogger Hop

This Meme is hosted by Jennifer from Crazy for Books on Fridays.  

RULES: 

Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews. 

1.  Before you add your link, you must post about the Hop on your blog and link directly back to THIS POST at Crazy for Books (not just my domain, but the direct post for the Hop).  

2. While you are creating your post, answer the following question (there’s a new prompt each week):

“Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the store, etc.) that you can’t wait to dig into!”

Last week I received some very good, enticing books so it was difficult to choose just one.  After a few seconds of hemming and hawwing, I would have to choose The Bridge Club by Patricia Sands.  I am in the mood for something just like this.  The story of a few women friends who get together to play bridge; at least that is how it began.  But years later, it has developed into so much more.  They have become the best of friends.  Always there for each other, through the good and the bad.  Think Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but older.  Lately I have been craving  just such a read.  Hmmm....what does that say, I wonder?

Of the books you received or borrowed this week, which one are you dying to dive into?  

Please Comment below with a link to your post for Book Blogger Hop.

If You Could Enjoy ....

The Book blogger hop is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Crazy for Books.  It's a wonderful opportunity to meet other book bloggers and talk books with others as fond of them as you are.

What’s the ONE GENRE that you wish you could get into, but just can’t?


I just can't get into fantasy literature.  I try, and with books like Harry Potter, I have found enjoyment, but for the most part it just doesn't appeal to me.


Is there a genre you just can't get into?  What is it?  Are there any exceptions?


Please, feel free to comment with your reply here and remember to link up with Jen at Crazy for Books.
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If You Could Meet One Author.....

It's Friday, folks!  Time to embrace the weekend and enjoy!  Are you reading a good book this weekend?


Book Blogger Hop is a weekly book hop hosted by Crazy for Books.  For this week her friend at Lori's Reading Corner is helping out by playing host.  You can catch the link here.  Be sure to visit other blogs on the list too and have fun!!

 “Who is the ONE author that you are DYING to meet?"

I am dismayed at having to choose only one author to meet.  There are so many whom I admire, like Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Michael Crichton, Danielle Steel (she's a writing machine, raised a lot of children, and wrote at night while they slept!), Marguerite Henry, Charlotte Bronte, and many more.  For some I would need a time travel machine to accomplish the task, so that's out of the question.  To narrow it down to one only, I'd have to say J.K. Rowling would be my pick. I have nothing but admiration and respect for this incredibly gifted author!  I love the rags to riches story, which makes her seem a little more down to earth.  I love that she is involved with charity, that she is open and friendly, and what a gift she has given this generation and generations to come!  Because of the Harry Potter series, many children have become avid readers, having discovered the magic within a book.  She weaves a spell-binding tale, within seven volumes, all of which I have read and re-read.  All her Harry Potter books have been made to film, the last of which will be released July 15th!  Are you standing in line for the midnight showing?  I plan to.  So there you have it.  The one author I would choose above all others, if given the opportunity to meet, J.K. Rowling.

This reminds me of the Harry Potter Marathon hosted by Giraffe Days  I need/want to get started on the first book....again. :)

Book Blogger Hop: book-to-movie adaptations

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.  This week's question comes from Britta who blogs at I Like These Books:

"What book-to-movie adaptations have you most liked? Which have you disliked?"

My favourite book-to-movie adaptation is Julie and Julia.  I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!  Sadly, the book fails in comparison.  This is my opinion, and one I have heard echoed, but I don't care for the character of Julie in the book, which is an autobiography.  She just seems really rough around the edges.  The movie Julie is endearing though her faults are there to be seen and we like her for them.  Amy Adams acts the role impeccably, while Meryl Streep defines Julia Child!!  As soon as I could purchase a copy of the DVD, I did and then when I found the book, I purchased it too.   You may read my book review of Julie & Julia and the comparison between the movie and the book.

P.S. I Love You  is another good book that made a great movie.  There are so many more, that I could go on and on.  One that I did not enjoy so much as a movie but loved the book was Black Beauty.  I have seen different variations from cartoon to live actors, but none can compare to the depth the book offers.


What are your favourites and disappointments as books are adapted to movies?

Book Review: Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

from Amazon.ca

Minding Frankie
Author:  Maeve Binchy
Copyright:  2010
Publisher:  The Orion Publishing Group Ltd.
Genre:  popular fiction
ISBN 978-1-4091-1397-3
Pages:  424
Source:  borrowed from a friend

`Minding Frankie is a story about unconventional families, relationships which aren't quite what they seem, and the child at the heart of eveyone's lives...."

My thoughts (spoiler alert):
A study in human nature, Maeve Binchy`s novel Minding Frankie introduces us to a young unwed mother-to-be, Stella, who lies in a hospital bed with the due date drawing near. Stella is terminal and she is about to bring into the world a little daughter; but in doing so, she knows it will mean the end of her own life.  Desperate that her daughter, Frankie, will have a home and secure childhood (p.40), she contacts Noel to inform him that the one night they shared resulted in this pregnancy and that he is the father.  Would he raise this little girl?

Though full of self-doubt and fighting the disease of alcoholism, Noel determines he will do just that.  He changes his life, attends AA, goes back to school, moves out of his parents` home and takes little Frankie in to his life and his heart.  A myriad of characters, some from previous Binchy novels, are cast here as friends and family and caregivers for Frankie.  Little Frankie draws everyone together, like a close-knit family, as the neighborhood pitches in to help Noel care for her. 

Moira, who had a terrible childhood which created the proverbial block on her shoulder, is the social worker on the scene.  She is determined to undermine the situation, to find fault and proof that Noel is unfit as a father.  She can`t see the contributions of the community as a whole, nor accept Noel as a fit parent.

``It was all too bitty, Moira thought: a flimsy, daisy chain of people, like the cast of a musical.  If one link blew away, everything could crash to the ground....She was watching with very sharp eyes for anything to go out of step." (p. 138)

 The community sets out to prove her wrong and in doing so, finds each member thereof changed for the better. 

Noel returns to school, enlisting loved ones and friends to assist with minding Frankie.  In doing so, he knows he will better be able to create a good and stable life for him and Frankie.  At his graduation ceremony he toasts family and friends, ``I think that, as the President said earlier, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to our families and friends and that we three should raise a toast to you also.  Without you all, we wouldn't have been able to do this and have this great graduation day and feast.  To the families and friends."he said. (p.380)

This speech is in recognition not only of the support he had to continue his studies but a genuine thank you to all who made it possible by caring for the little girl for whom he sacrificed so much but gained exponentially.

This is a heartwarming and, at times, tearful story of love and unconventional families.  Binchy doesn't shy away from issues such as alcoholism nor does she make light of what it takes to raise a child.  We've heard it before and Minding Frankie reminds us, it takes a village to raise a child.

Rated 4/5

About the author:
Maeve Binchy was born in County Dublin and educated at the Holy Child convent in Killiney and at University College, Dublin.  After a spell as a teacher, she joined the Irish Times.  Her first novel, Light a Penny Candle, was published in 1982, and since then she has written many bestsellers.  Maeve Binchy was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the RNA in 2010.  She is married to the writer and broadcaster Gordon Snell.

I'm joining the Book Blogger Hop with href="http://www.crazy-for-books.com">Crazy for Books.  Come along to see who is participating this week.

Q: If you were given the chance to spend one day in a fictional world (from a book), which book would it be from and what would that place be?  I am having a difficult time thinking of a fictional world other than Narnia, from Chronicles of Narnia.  I think the charm of it is the talking animals and the union of the animals with the three children to fight for their world and freedom.  


Beyond fictional worlds, should I select a real life location to visit for a day (actually one day is certainly not enough) it would be Tuscany from Under the Tuscan Sun.  The piazza, Cortona, the sprawling fields of sunflowers and the towering cypress are all visually enticing to me but certainly don't minimize the draw of the food and the more laid back look at life in general.  This view is also mentioned in the book version of Letters to Juliet. These two books, which were made into movies, have given me a yearning for Italy and things Italiana.

Book Blogger Hop 5/6/11

The book blogger hops are great ways to meet other book lovers and make new friends! So, join in the fun :).

This week, Crazy For Books asks us: "Which book blogger would you most like to meet in real life?"

There are so many terrifically creative book bloggers out there and I'd like to meet you all.  But, I've been given one choice so I'd choose Sheila from   Book Journey.  I love her chatty posts, morning meanderings, and her book reviews.  She's upbeat and energetic and it comes across in her blog.   Cool note:  she is a writer too!

Which book blogger would you like to meet in real life?

Book Review: Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Secret Daughter

Author:  Shilpi Somaya Gowda

Copyright: 2010

Publisher:  William Morrow (an imprint of Harper Collins publishers)

Pages:  346, including a prologue and foreign terms glossary

Genre:  family relations/fiction

ISBN  978-0-06-197430-4

Source:  a gift from a friend

(from the cover) "On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl.  But in a culture that favours sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away.  It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son.

Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own.  When she and her husband, Krishnan, see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion.  Somer knows life will change with the adoption but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles.

Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds both of their destinies, Secret Daughter poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families - one Indian, one American -  and the child that indelibly connects them."

My Review:  

Shilpi Somaya Gowda weaves an extraordinary tale in Secret Daughter.  From page one, the reader is captivated.  Shilpi creates characters with incredible depth which allows the reader to develop a "relationship" and, totally immersed within the pages, the characters become real.  Based on her heritage of India, the author introduces the reader to culture, society, and individuals who will remain with you long after you've read the book.

I enjoyed the peak into the life of India, the culture, the difficulties, the slums, and the prosperous.  Combine this with a young couple; one of whom is American born, one India born; both doctors, who cannot have children of their own.  As their efforts prove in vain, they consider adoption.  Herein is their story, the story of their daughter from India, and the family in her home country who couldn't keep her.  At times drawing tears, this story is heartwarming and endearing.  A must read for mothers, daughters, and those who love them.  

The reader will leave this novel, Secret Daughter, understanding no sacrifice is too great when you love someone.

Rated 5/5!

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RULES:

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List in the main host page
2. Post about the Hop on your blog. In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!).
3. Visit other blogs in the Linky List!

"Summer is coming quickly - what 2011 summer release are you are most looking forward to?"

I am looking forward to the movie release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and The Help but as far as book releases go I am yearning for the release of the new Stephen King novel 11/22/63 which won't be released until November.  

What Inspired You to Start Writing? Where Do You Write? Follow My Book Blog Friday Blog Hop 4/1/11

The blog hop link code

Just copy the code in the box at the following link to get the snazzy image/link above and join the hopping fun!  http://somesharpwords.blogspot.com/

 

Liz Schulte from Bat Country with this week’s featured question:

Some people like to do it in the office. Others prefer it in bed. Some people like it on the dining room table. Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm asking where you like to write!
I can write just about anywhere if the mood hits.  I sometimes wake up at night with a thought and jot it down in the notebook I keep at my bedside.  Usually, though, I write while sitting on the couch, feet up, computer on my lap or a scribbler in hand.  I've written in the car too.  Not so effective with all the bumps and all.  Where do you like to write?

1) (Required) You must follow my blog
2) (Required) You must follow the guest poster featured in the blog hop post.
3) Go to Sharp Words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there
4) Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week’s question.
5) Answer the question
6) You must copy these rules, the hop link and the featured question with your answer on your own blog. This blog serves as a place for new followers to say hi.
7) Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite!
8) If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.
9) Comment here and introduce yourself and you just might find a new follower or two.

That's it! It's as simple as that!

Question of the week- I guess this is last week's question but, whatever, here's my answer to that too!

What inspired you to start writing?

Books and my love, passion, addiction of them were the beginnings of my writing aspiration.  The library was the best thing in the world, aside from horses, when I was little.  School assignments brought high praise from the teachers and the desire was born.  I always wanted to be a writer, a little passion that remained hidden from most others, to be revealed only occasionally.  One year ago, approximately, I decided to start taking it seriously and got caught up in the addiction of blogging.  If Julie Powell could do it, why not me?  So I began.  From one blog about gardening, another of my passions, to a book review blog (this blog), to a family blog and a movie and about town review blog and lastly my writing blog, There Came a Dream,which has been rather neglected of late.  I love to write but there's that little fear, that doubt, that still holds me back a little .  Be a dear, read my one chapter, broken into two posts (I am going to fix that, I swear), and give me a little push, "literal" that is.  Thanks guys.  What inspired you to start writing?

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http://www.crazy-for-books.com/

"Since today is April Fool's Day in the USA and Canada, what is the best prank you have ever played on someone OR that someone has played on you?"

It isn't much of a trick, really.  When I was pregnant with our first child, I was a few days overdue.  The morning of April Fools, which was also Good Friday, my water broke and labour began.  I tried to wake my husband to let him know we needed to head to the hospital but he rolled over and went back to sleep believing it was an April Fool's joke.  The joke was on all of us, our eldest son was born that afternoon.  We did make it to the hospital on time because my husband finally believed me!  Happy April Fools Day!

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Welcome to Stalk Hop Friday where you can follow several different ways.  Just visit Novel Bloggers to get your badge, follow me and Novel Bloggers and we will follow back.  Please let me know you are a new follower.

Book Blogger Hop Friday! 3/18/11

This weekly bookish meme is hosted by The Crazy Bookworm. 

Question of the Week: "Do you read only one book at a time, or do you have several going at once?" 

This is a great question and one that I certainly wondered about.  I know some bloggers have several going at once and, honestly, I don't know how they can do it.  Perhaps if I were a student, I would and could because it would be necessary.

Before blogging, I didn't read more than one book at a time.  Now that I blog, I've gotten so I have two books going at once, rarely three.  I find it confusing otherwise.  I can read a non-fiction and a fiction book at the same time because there's often a great variance between them.  I feel that in order to do justice to the author and his/her work, I need to be focused and I can't if I have too much going on.  Maybe I'm just not that great of a multi-tasker.

How about you?  Do you read several books at once?  How do you keep the plots and characters separate and clear if you do?  Do you read a non-fiction and a fiction book at the same time?  Leave your answers here in the comments and remember to link up with The Crazy Bookworm too!

Have a great weekend!!

What Would You Buy? Book Blogger Hop 3/11/11

The Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy For Books. Each weekend a new question is posted for book bloggers to answer on their blogs.


This week's question: "If I gave you £50 (or $80) and sent you into a bookshop right now, what would be in your basket when you finally staggered to the till?"

1. Little Princes by Conner Grennan
2. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
3. The enitre Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
4. A Novel Bookstore by Lawrence Cosse
5. Promise Me by Harlen Coben
6. Leave it to PSmith by P.G.Wodehouse

I know, by now I've long run out of money but the list goes on and on and on.  How about a little more, I do so long for.......

What would you buy?  Won't you share with me what you would purchase if you could?  Not that I'm short on ideas, but you never know.  Be sure to link up at Crazy for Books too!

Who's Your All-time Favourite Book Villain?

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!  Jennifer hosts this meme over at Crazy For Books.

"Who's your all-time favourite book villain?"

This may seem odd, considering I am mother to five grown adults, but the only villain(ess) who pops into my mind is Cruella Deville!!  From her style, to her hair, to her mannerisms and that cruel laugh, she stands out as one of the greatest villains of all time.  As a dog lover, she is one antagonist I love to hate!

The Hundred and One Dalmatians, or the Great Dog Robbery, is a 1956 children's novel by Dodie Smith. A sequel, The Starlight Barking, continues from the end of the first novel. 

The Disney adaptation of the novel into an animated film was released to theaters on January 25, 1961 as One Hundred and One Dalmatians. It was the tenth highest grossing film of 1961.

Author: Dodie Smith
Illustrator: Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone
Cover artist: Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Genre(s): Children's novel
Publisher: Heinemann
Publication date: 1956
Media type Print: (Hardback & Paperback)
ISBN: N/A
Followed by: The Starlight Barking (1967)

Who's your favourite book villain?  Comment below and leave a link to your post and visit Crazy for Books to link up.

Book Blogger Hop!!! Yay!

Join me in the book blogger hop and pop around the WWW.  You'll discover some amazing book blogs out there.  So say hi and leave a link to your blog so I can return the favour.  If you like what you see, please follow.  I offer the option to follow by email, Stumble Upon, GFC, and networked blogs (facebook).  This blog hop is sponsored by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

This week's question:
"What book(s) would you like to see turned into a movie?"

Since The Help is already in film production, another book that I reviewed recently, Deed So, would make an excellent movie!!  Set in the same time period as The Help, Deed So takes place in Maryland, USA.  Amid the turbulence of the '60's, war in Vietnam, segregation, and feminism, young Haddie struggles to find her way through it all.  She can't wait to grow up and leave this little town.  She has bigger things in her future.  When she witnesses a murder her life turns upside down and the town is in uproar!  There's picketing, arson, fear and increased racial tension as the case goes to court and Haddie is called as a witness.  I think it has the makings of a blockbuster!  Read my book review and see if you agree.  Deed So can be purchased on Amazon.  (I am in no way compensated to provide a positive review.  This book is one of my favourites this year!)

Do swing by to visit our host too!

Welcome to Stalk Hop Friday and Blog Hop

Welcome to "Stalk Hop Friday"! It's hosted at: Mrs. Marine and the Tiny Troops, Novel Bloggers, Two Peas in a Pie, and Aspergian Tales! This one is a little different from the usual, instead of just following on Google Friend Connect (GFC), each week the "Follow Theme" will rotate to something different! There will be two linky's each week, one for the Theme and one for GFC!

So everyone has a chance to participate!

**The RULES**

**If you're a new follower be sure to leave a comment and I will follow you back (it may take me a day or two)

**Hop around the Links ("Stalk" each other) Follow others, Follow Back, have fun!

GFC Linky: Follow the Host Blogs

Mrs. Marine and the Tiny Troops


Novel Bloggers


Two Peas in a Pie


Aspergian Tales

Link directly to your Blog post about "Stalk Hop Friday" or Friday Follow below!

**Please grab the Badge to put in your post, help spread the word and make this hop big!!
Check out this post Sudden Moves.
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The Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!


The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!


"Tell us about one of your posts from this week and give us a link so we can read it (review or otherwise)!"

Yesterday I reviewed an amazing Young Adult novel, Sudden Moves, by Kelli Sue Landon. See my review here.  My author interview is posted here.

Book Blogger Hop 2/4-2/7

"What are you reading now and why are you reading it?

I am currently reading Sudden Moves (A Young Adult Mystery) by Kelli Sue Landon.  It's an interesting read with wide appeal for the young adult generation.  Actually, I am quite liking it too.  I am hosting a blog tour next week for this very title.  It'll be my first tour.  I am including a Q&A, a review and more.  Be sure to come back soon for info on this exciting up and coming author as I present her debut novel!!

Also on my bookshelf, well, actually on my coffee table, are other titles that I am currently reading including Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie and that is for this month's bookclub, The Help by Kathryn Stockett for pleasure and a review.  Sadly, I have had to set aside Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella to accomplish my other reading.  I have several more just waiting for me to open and devour!  Looking forward to it!

What are you reading this week and why?

Crazy For Books hosts this fun book blog hop to introduce book bloggers to eachother, to make new friends and followers,  talk about books and rave about authors.  Won't you join in the party?