Time Flies When You're Having Fun ...

So stuff happened.  I got a job.  I quit the job after working it for two years.  Stayed home doing not much of anything for a year and then went job hunting again.  I have a new job now that I'm loving.

I am trying really hard to cut down on my book buying and I've done well this year.  So far I've only purchased three new books which will be arriving sometime in April.  On the other hand, I've picked up a colouring habit so the money I've saved has been going to colouring books and pencil crayons etc.

I'm still reading.  My latest finished books are in the sidebar via the goodreads widget.  I don't review things as much as I used to, but maybe that might change if I ever manage to get myself into a decent routine of actually keeping up with this blog.  We all can see how well that has gone in the past *ahem*.

I'm a Netflix addict now and have spent many hours binge watching a variety of series.  Got caught up on Supernatural.  Got hooked on The 100.  Chewed through Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt with the hubby; we both giggled our faces off over that one and are eagerly awaiting the second season.  Watched a whole bunch of movies and documentaries as well as a bunch of kid stuff.

That about covers things for now.

I have a new favorite website

I realize it has been ages since I made a post on here and for that I apologize.  I got married over the summer and it was a lot of work to get everything put together in the timeframe I had.

Anyhow, enough of that.  I'm back and hope to be posting more regularly, especially now that I am off the book buying ban!!!  To celebrate I splurged over at Bookcloseouts.ca and snapped up some books that I've been wanting to read for a while now.

Great prices and fast delivery have made this my new favorite book buying website.  I'm betting you'd rather just see what I got instead, so here we go:



Looking forward to getting into those. Now, over the summer I did read. I went through a bunch of my ebooks, but only managed to read a few of my physical books so I'd have to say the ban wasn't a major success in getting my huge piles of books read. It did make me realize just how many books I was buying in a year, so cutting back certainly won't hurt anything except my ego.

Update on Book Buying Ban

It has been 20 days since I put myself on a self-imposed book buying ban and dug out a stack of ten books to read.

I have to admit that, now that I have the stack staring me in the face, I'm really not inclined to actually read the books I picked out.  I suppose it is the whole 'being forced' feel to it and I should just shelf them all and pull them out one at a time in random order so they don't look so ... intimidating.

However, I have managed to read two of my ebooks and one from my stack of ten, so that's three books down and a billion more to go (or so it feels like anyway).

I was tempted to buy new books.  I went shopping with my mom and found a couple of books that I'd been thinking about reading and they were on sale for $3!!!  It was /so/ hard not to walk out of the store with them in my arms *sighs*.  But all is not lost!  I have a new book in the house; Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson.  I did not buy it!  I actually won it in a Twitter contest from Chapters/Indigo.  So, I suppose I'll make do with that, though I think it may get offended at how often I open the cover to smell that new book scent.

How're your summer reading plans going?

Self-imposed Book Buying Ban

I've been watching videos on YouTube lately (and making my own as well) and one fellow that I watch put himself on a book buying ban.  I thought about it for a little while and then decided it was actually a good idea.

So, I have put myself on a book buying ban for the summer.  I have over 50 books on my e-reader and a ton more on bookshelves and tables all over my house so it isn't like I am lacking in reading material around here.  I decided to set up a stack of ten books to try and read over the summer.  Normally I just grab something and read whatever I'm in the mood for so this is going to be an interesting experiment for me.

My stack of ten:

The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annier Barrows
Ghost Road Blues by Jonathan Maberry
The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Objects of Worship by Claude LaLumiere
People Live Still in Cashtown Corners by Tony Burgess
A Book of Tongues by Gemma Files
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

I'll come back and update this post as I finish them.  Here's hoping that I'll get them done this summer so I can go back to buying new books :D

Things I Got Today

I was going to make this one of those In My Mailbox posts, but realized that I'm not sure what day that is supposed to happen on, so instead just some things that I got today.

First, hand delivered by the UPS man, I give you the most exciting thing I've received in the mail this month:

Stick by Andrew Smith: Now, I knew this was coming in my mailbox. Andrew Smith is, in my opinion, an amazing person and a talented author. He was kind enough to send my eldest a signed copy of The Marbury Lens and, after hearing that said kid loved it, offered to put us on the short list for an ARC of Stick. I've already started reading it and I'm already in love with the way it is written and laid out on the page.


Despite my latest post decrying the library, I ended up with another set of library books in my house.  In my defense, however, it wasn't the usual six or seven.  I only brought home two this time.

Red Snow by Michael Slade: Another installment of the Special X stories. I started reading Slade waaaaay back in the beginning with Headhunter and then I fell off the wagon. I saw this on the library rack and went 'ooooooh, haven't read a Slade in a while' and snatched it up. Hopefully I'll be able to fall back into the world of the psycho hunters of the RCMP. Crossing my fingers that not too much has changed.

Baltimore (or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire) by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden: I thought this was a graphic novel when I first spotted it on Goodreads, so I put it on reserve at the library thinking it would be a quick read. Turns out it is actually a novel with some illustrations. Still, looks like a worthwhile read about vampires during WW1. I generally like Golden's work, so this should be quite the tale.

That sums up the things I got today.  Although we had an absolutely gorgeous day here so I got a sunburn too.

Ixnay on the Ibarylay

So, out of the last library haul I posted I am only going to finish one book.  I took the others back because, to be honest, I just wasn't in the mood to read them.  I find that I get into these reading slumps after I've powered through a bunch of books.  Once I finish the last library book I have here, Soulless by Christopher Golden, I'll probably put the library on hold and concentrate on working my way through the books I have here at home.

I do have another review coming, but I'm still working out how I want to say the things I want to say about the book.  Perhaps I'll try vloging it instead of writing about it.

In other news, Andrew Smith had a cover reveal for his new novel, Stick.  You can check it out on the blogs listed in his post here.  I think it looks pretty cool and I can't wait to read it.  I did pick up In the Path of Falling Objects for the kid to read, but if he doesn't start it soon I may end up getting into it before he does.

My Library Haul (3)

If you click on the covers you'll be taken to the goodreads page for each book.

I didn't take my own picture this time around simply because I'm feeling horribly lazy today.

  This library haul starts with The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari.  I put this one on hold because I read the summary on the library newsletter I get each week and it sounded like it would be an entertaining, funny read.  I also seem to enjoy the whole "God and the Devil have made a bet based on the soul of a single human being" type stories.

I'm working my way, albeit slowly, through the various works of Christoper Golden.  Soulless will be the third book I've read by him and caught my eye via the summary on Goodreads.  I'll note here, for the record that I won't be reading any of Golden's work that is based on television or films.  His graphic novels I'm currently on the fence about and will decide on those at a later date.

Another author first for me, I decided to read I, Lucifer after seeing it on that evil library newsletter. Again I was drawn in by the summary; really who doesn't want to read the story of Satan as told by himself while he's stuck in a human body for the summer? Okay maybe not everyone, but it sounded like something I could wrap my brain around for a while.

Gail Tusukiyama is another author that I throughly enjoy reading. I'm also trying to work my way through her body of work as well, so Dreaming Water was next on the list and I finally managed to get my hands on the library's copy. So far I haven't been horribly disappointed by her stories and I hope that trend continues with this book.

So there you have it, my latest haul from the library.

My Library Haul (2)

I love my local library, even though sometimes they never have what I want.  I adore being able to log into the system, find the books I'm after, putting them on hold and then just wandering over to pick them up when they arrive.  Sometimes I go in just to pick up my holds but then I end up roaming around and walk out with more than what I went in for.  Such was the case today.  I was only going to go pick up the last three books in The Walking Dead series, but I ended up with three other books on top of those.

Yep, the library is just as bad for feeding my addiction.  Fortunately it is a /lot/ cheaper than the bookstores. 
Crawlers by John Shirley - Almost finished this one, actually.  Pretty good little mix of creepy and science fiction.
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves, The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade, Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry, Matched by Ally Condie and, of course, books 3-5 of The Walking Dead graphic novel series.

I just finished reading Overwinter by David Wellington and will post a review soonish.  Right now I've got errands to run and books to read so, since it is a miserable day outside I'll be curling up with my books and my tea after I get back from picking people up and dropping people off.

Oh!  The kid finished The Marbury Lens.  He loved it.  Said it was the best book he's read in a long time.  He sent Andrew Smith an email telling him so.  Now I wait until Gramma is done reading it and then it'll be my turn.

to the author from socal

Sometime back in February there was a twitter post on my feed that lead to YouTube and this video in particular where author Andrew Smith discusses books for boys, about boys, by boys.  I watched the entire thing and even watched a few of the response videos and then I sat down and wrote an email to Mr. Smith.  All I wanted to do was thank him for expressing and honest opinion about the apparent lack of strong books for teenage boys and for the book suggestions he made in the video.  I have two teenage boys.  My eldest will be fifteen in a few months and is impossible to buy books for.

I got a really nice response from Andrew and he even reached out to my son and myself with a bit of a challenge.  Two titles were offered up and, after choosing one, Andrew said he would mail a copy out to Sean as long as the kid agreed to read and offer feedback when he was finished.  I was /very/ surprised by the offer, but put it to Sean and he ended up choosing The Marbury Lens.  Andrew also blogged about the whole thing on his blog, Ghost Medicine, right here.

So, Andrew, I just wanted to let you know that the book arrived today!  It sat on the kitchen table and stared at me all day.  When Sean got home I shoved the package at him and demanded that he open it.  Right. Now.  It really is a fantastic cover and I love the way you signed it for him.  Sean's comment when is slid out of the envelope was 'wow it is kind of big' and he wants to know what Mind the Gap means.  I told him it probably will be more clear after he reads the book.

I told him he'd best hurry up and read it too, because Grandma has already picked it up and started reading it.  She made it to chapter three before Sean caught her and informed her that she needed to wait her turn.

So, two of us are waiting for Sean to finish so we can fight over the scraps, and you'll all get to read for yourselves what the kid thinks about the book when he finishes reading it.

My Recent Library Haul

My mom wanted to go to the library to look for some beginner Spanish tapes so we hopped into the van and off we went to the main branch since the one by the house doesn't have a lot in the way of audio media.

Of course, this proved to be a rather large mistake since I had a big list of books to check for while I was there. Mom managed to find a decent Spanish CD and I came home with seven books to add to the stack I already have. I really, really, really should be avoiding the library. It just feeds my book addiction without the pain to my pocketbook.

I've already finished Godmother by Carolyn Turgeon. I read it while I was curled up in bed feeling all achey and stuffy. I'm currently working my way through Wildwood Road by Christopher Golden (I love his adult stuff!). Then I have the next two Allie Beckstrom books, Magic on the Storm and Magic at the Gate, by Devon Monk, Overwinter by David Wellington, Night of Many Dreams by Gail Tsukiyama and The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens to read.

Also this week all the kids will be in school since the two that were home sick are feeling much better, so mom and I will be heading back to the library to play with the Ipads they just got in. I will have to exercise all my willpower to make sure that stack in the picture doesn't end up having a few more books dropped onto it.

Chizine Publications Announcement

Chizine Publications has announced on their blog that preorders are being taken for signed, limited edition hardcover editions of Gemma File’s A Rope of Thorns: Book Two of the Hexslinger Series over at Horror Mall.

I have the first book in the series, A Book of Tongues, sitting on my bookshelf in my "still need to get to" pile. I bought it from Chizine at a local horror convention along with People Still Live in Cashtown Corners by Tony Burgess (one of my guilty pleasures ever since reading Pontypool Changes Everything) and Objects of Worship by Claude Lalumière.

Chizine is one indie publisher I like to keep an eye on because they carry an interesting and varied selection of books that feed the spooky/horror fiend in me.

Canada Reads

The 10th anniversary of the Canada Reads program, hosted by CBC, is getting ready to start the debate portion of the program. This year the novels were picked by the public in a campaign that started back in October. The public vote determined the top 40 essential Canadian novels which were then put to public vote until the final five were chosen.

Feb. 7, 8, and 9th will be the air dates of the hour long debates to determine which of the five finalists will be this years Canada Reads selection. The debates will air on CBC Radio One and will be hosted by Jian Ghomeshi in front of a live audience.

This years final five are: (covers click through to nominee pages with info about authors and defenders for each novel)

The Best Laid Plans

by Terry Fallis

Defended by:
Ali Velshi

The Bone Cage

by Angie Abdou

Defended by:
Georges Laraque

The Birth House

by Ami McKay

Defended by:
Debbie Travis

Essex County

by Jeff Lemire

Defended by:
Sara Quin

Unless

by Carol Shields

Defended by:
Lorne Cardinal

You can listen to all the lead ups and the actual debates on CBC's website. Here's the direct link to the listen page: Watch/Listen at CBC

Postertext - Interesting gifts for booklovers

Not a review, really ... okay maybe it is.

I know Christmas has come and gone, but I'm sure there will be times in our lives when we're looking for the perfect gift for the booklover on our lists that isn't a book! I stumbled across this website while on one of my long, random link clicking trips through cyberspace and was immediately intrigued, then amazed and then I actually found something I had to buy (in the not book related section) for my other half for Christmas.

Postertext has some really cool posters based around books, and a few other written items, where the image is formed by using the entire text from the novel. The poster I ordered was actually made from the text found inside the Linux kernel and made a cute image of the Linux mascot, Tux the penguine; my boyfriend is a Linux administrator for a large telecom company so it was the perfect present for him. Ordering was simple, delivery was quick and the poster came packaged in a super sturdy tube so there was zero damage to the product. Best of all ... he /loved/ it and was amazed that he could actually read the Linux code straight from the poster.

So, there you go. If you want a bookish present that's not a book, feel free to check out this site.

And no, I have absolutely no affiliation with the place at all. Just was impressed with the entire ordering process and concept of the place.

Happy 2nd Blog Anniversary, Pam!

Pam at Bookalicio.us is having a two year blog anniversary. She is giving away tons of books and advance readers. The Grand Prize is a NookColor! Head on over to Bookalicio.us to enter.

Out with the old...

... and in with the new.

Welcome to my new book blog. Here is where I'll be posting reviews, discussing the books that I'm reading and just generally trying to keep up with my insane book addiction.

With Christmas over and done with my to-be-read shelf has had a few new additions and so I have come up with a single New Year resolution; no more new books until I have read at least half of my current collection. Hopefully this won't be too hard to keep and will help me chew through the crazy number of new books I own but have yet to read.

I've got three books on the go at the moment, two physical and one ebook, which I hope to put up as the first set of reviews in this new year.

Wish me luck and thanks for joining me on this journey.