Teaser Tuesday: Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb

Teaser Tuesday is newly hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “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 list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from page 65 of Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb:

"He's one who believes your origins, who and what you come from, matter. Even if it's a contrast to what you choose to make of yourself."

Musing Monday: Currently reading

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

I'm still reading Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb. I really like the book but it's taking me a while to get through it because I have been so busy this past week. With Halloween tomorrow and NaNoWriMo beginning on Wednesday this week will be as busy - if not busier - than last. I will get further along in the book but I'm not sure how much. Still, as I said, I am enjoying the book. 

National Novel Writing Month

Wednesday is November 1st - which also marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month - or NaNoWriMo as it's also known! The premise of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000 word first draft of a new novel. It's fun and doable challenge especially if you're able to get out and meet other participants taking part in NaNoWriMo. This will be my ninth year participating. I love it!

This year I have extra reason to love NaNoWriMo as my children will be taking part for the first time. They will be participating through the Young Writers Program. They don't have to write 50,000 words, though. They set their own goals and work daily to meet them by the end of November.

There's still time to sign up if you're interested in giving NaNoWriMo a try!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Since it's Halloween on Tuesday it seems fitting to me that we have a Halloween movie weekend. Of course I know that Charlie Brown is television episodes but still - my kids love this one. I'm certain we'll also watch Hocus Pocus this weekend. I'd also like to watch Gremlins which I know isn't technically a Halloween movie but it always seems like it should be one to me. Then of course, on Tuesday there will be dressing up in costumes and trick or treating. It's all so much fun! What are your plans for the next few days as we lead up to All Hallows' Eve?

Come Undone by Duran Duran

In honor of today being Simon le Bon's birthday I'm posting one of my favorite Duran Duran songs - and the video. 

The Pier

One of my favorite places!

Wordless Wednesday: Pacific Ocean and Seashells

Teaser Tuesday: Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb

Teaser Tuesday is newly hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “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 list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from page 28 of Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb:

"What were they talking about?"

Now he looked pained. "I'm not supposed to talk about what customers talk about."

"This time it's different. This time it's a murder investigation."

Musing Monday: Books to screen

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

This weeks random question:Are there any books you want to see made into a TV show or movie?

YES! I would LOVE to see the In Death series by J.D. Robb made into a series of movies. A television show could work too if it was done right. Speaking of this series, which happens to be my favorite - I am reading and loving the latest book Secrets in Death.

Readathon - Closing Survey

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Well, I fell asleep during hour 22 so I guess that one. :)

2. Tell us ALLLLL the books you read! I finished A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare. Then I read a nice chunk of Worlds Collide by Chris Colfer to my kids. I also read some of Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb. It was a nice amount of reading during a very busy day (other wonderful commitments) but only one book finished.

3. Which books would you recommend to other Read-a-thoners? Anything in the In Death series by J.D. Robb. 

4. What’s a really rad thing we could do during the next Read-a-thon that would make you smile? I love all of it as it is!

5. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? Highly likely! Would you be interested in volunteering to help organize and prep? Possibly - it will depend on other obligations at the time. 

The next Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon will take place on April 28, 2018.

Readathon Mid-Event survey

1. What are you reading right now? Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb

2. How many books have you read so far? One

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?Secrets in Death - the book I'm reading now.

4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I had prior commitments this afternoon that have kept me busy. They were wonderful commitments but I'm happy to be getting back to the readathon.

5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I'm surprised but happy that the readathon continues to be so wonderful and filled participants year after year. I'm SO GLAD that reading and the camaraderie that this readathon inspires continues to grow. 

10 Years in 10 Books

This is such a FUN challenge. The idea is to post 10 books - one for each year of the readathon - that I have read and recommend. Here are my choices:

1. 2007 The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett This is a lovely book about Queen Elizabeth and her love of books and reading.

2. 2008 - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows This book takes place on Guernsey Island in the English Channel during World War 2. The people on the island band together and deal with a Nazi invasion.

3. 2009 Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts I have to include something by my favorite author. :) This is the second book in her series about a group of friends who run a business creating lavish, romantic and memorable weddings for their clients.

4. 2010 Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson This is such a lovely book about a widower who learns to enjoy life again and has a second chance at love. I loved the English setting as well.

5. 2011 11/22/63 by Stephen King This tome of a book gave me many sleepless nights because I could not put it down! Mr. King delivers a fascinating alternate reality of the events that led up to - and the day of JFK's assassination.

6. 2012 The Witness by Nora Roberts This is a great romantic suspense tale about an extremely intelligent woman who witnessaed a murfer as a teenager and was put into witness protection only to have her protection brutally taken away. She goes on teh run and creates a completely new identity for herself. Of course, she isn't able to hide forever. Just when she's falling in love and learning to trust the past comes back to haunt her and threaten the life she's beginning to build.

7. 2013 The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith A story about the mysterious death of a super model who lived her life in the public eye and hounded by the paparazzi. This story is gritty, set in London and has a jaded Private Investigator with a slightly naive secretary as a helper. It is entertaining and the start to a series that improves with each book.

8. 2014 The Stories Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin An irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love. We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works. Sigh. That is borrowed straight from the GoodReads description of the book which I adore! Even though it made me cry.

9. 2015 Devoted In Death by J.D. Robb The 41st book in the popular In Death series finds Eve Dallas, her husband Roarke and her team of homicide detectives on the trail of a Bonnie and Clyde type pair of lovers turned serial killers. 

10. 2016 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by John Tiffany and J.K. Rowling It was a pure delight to visit Hogwarts and the future children (and their adventure) of Harry, Hermione and Ron.

11. 2017 The Alice Network by Kate Quinn A story that goes back and forth in time between World War 1 and after World War 2. Oh, and did I mention the network of female spies? This is an awesome book!

This was a seriously fun challenge! I had a great time revisiting books that I've loved over the past ten years. Thank goodness for GoodReads. Thank you for putting this challenge together!

Dewey's 24-hour readathon - Opening Survey

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Southern California, U.S.A.

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Secrets in Death by J.D. Robb. It came out in September and I've been saving it to read today - during the readathon.

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? At the moment I'm thinking breakfast which will definitely include coffee and fruit and possibly a cinnamon roll.

4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm a mom who is happy to say that my children love participating in the readathon with me. I'm also an author and a voracious reader - obviously. :)

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
I've been participating in the readathon for several years. For the first time ever I actually started on time. That's saying something because the start time here is 5:00 in the morning. If I need a nap,later I'm going to take and not feel bad about it. :)

Swinging on a Star - Bing Crosby

I am in love with this song and so is the rest of my family. He has such a wonderful voice that makes me smile every time I hear it. I do enjoy music from almost any era thanks to the influence of my grandma. I must say there is something extra special about music from the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's. I'm not sure why that is exactly but think it probably has something to do with listening to what my grandparents liked. THis song by Mr. Crosby was originally done in 1944. Enjoy!

Depeche Mode

My husband and I went on a date last night and saw Depeche Mode at the Hollywood Bowl. The traffic getting there was a nightmare so we missed the opening act and some of Depeche Mode but fortunately we did see most of their show and it was AWESOME! 

Wordless Wednesday: Weekend sunset

Teaser Tuesday: A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare

Teaser Tuesday is newly hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “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 list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare:

"The more I look at you, the more I feel like there's a puzzle I should be solving. But the pieces just won't come together in my mind. And if you won't volunteer any information then I have no choice but to bring out my most ruthless means of extorting it."

Musing Monday: Memoirs

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

This weeks random question: Do you like or dislike memoirs?

Generally speaking I like memoirs. However, I have to be interested in the person or people the memoir is about. 

30 Days of readathon - Time

I adore books about time travel. I'm not entirely sure why but I do. One of my favorite books with a time travel theme is Jude Deveraux's A Knight in Shining Armor. The only reason it's not pictured is because the book is in storage. I love these books, too. Although The Time Traveler's Wife made me cry more than once. 

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon

One week from now we will be immersed in books along with all the others participating in the Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon. I can't wait as it is always a really good day in my home. My kids participate with me so that makes it extra fun. We won't be able to participate for the entire event because we have a couple of other things we're committed to on the same day. However, we will read and do mini challenges as time allows. For us that will probably be through the evening and for me late into the night/ early morning. Still, as I said, we are very excited. My kids and I will go to the library on Friday October 20th and stock up on books to add to the ones we have a t home. We will also go to the grocery store and get snacks and something for dinner. If you're interested in a fun time where reading what you love is the point then it isn't too late to sign up.

Passion

I think this is true for any artistic endeavor but since my kids are passionate about tap dancing this works. :)

Grateful

I am so grateful for my family and friends and the fact that we get to experience this life together. It's so important to me not to ever take them for granted. Everything can change in an instant. I love them and I try to express that on a regular basis.

Wordless Wednesday: Sunset through smoke

Teaser Tuesday: The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry

Teaser Tuesday is newly hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “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 list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry:

Hearse tours were big business in Salem; featured venues included everything from haunted houses to the apartment building over on Lafayette Street where the Boston Strangler had killed his only North Shore victim in the early sixties. Salem entrepreneurs would go to any length to frighten the tourists, especially on Halloween, though the ghostly Fright Tours logo hand-painted on the side of the hearse looked far more like Casper than Jacob Marley. 

Musing Monday: Currently reading

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

I am currently reading Divine Evil by Nora Roberts. It was originally published in 1992 but I've never read this particular book. It's really good. It's also quite creepy in places so it's been a great read for October. I'll probably finish it tonight and I highly recommend it if you're in the mood for something creepy this Halloween season. 

Here's a description of the book:

A decade ago, sculptor Clare Kimball fled Emmitsboro, Maryland, to take the art world by storm. Now she’s celebrated as the artist of her generation. But no amount of success can eclipse the nightmares that haunt her—or the memories of her father’s suicide. Just as her star is shining brighter than ever, Clare leaves it all behind to face her demons.

Emmitsboro sheriff Cameron Rafferty loved Clare from afar all through high school. Now that she’s back, they form a bond that grows stronger each day—fueled by an attraction that’s been simmering for years. But Clare’s past soon rises up with a vengeance, rocking the town with a sinister murder that is clearly linked to her return. As an investigation gets under way, Clare and Cameron will learn that evil can linger anywhere—even in those you love and trust the most. But it’s a discovery that may come too late to save them.

30 Days of readathon - Genre

Today's prompt for 30 days of readathon is genre. Romance is far and away my favorite genre to read. It's the same genre I write so I guess it makes sense that it's also my favorite to read. I can and have read almost all of the sub-genres but I like Contemporary and Historical Romance the best. Well, I suppose I'd have to add Romantic Suspense to that list of favorite sub-genres because a good romance mixed with a good mystery is also wonderful. I thank my mom for getting me into romance even though her original favorites aren't mine. I say original because now we do share a lot of the same favorite authors and books but the ones she read when was young aren't ones I enjoy. That's okay though because she still introduced me to the world of strong heroes and heroines, love and happily ever after. 

30 Days of readathon - Thin

It's only two weeks until the Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon! Yay! Toda's prompt for #30daysofreadathon is Thin. I find it interesting that all of my shoices are nonfiction. However, I utterly love all of these books! 

Billy Elliot - Tap

Here's another bit of tap dance that I am posting to show my kids. Honestly, I'd forgotten about Billy Elliot but now that I've been reminded I'm positive this is a show/movie that my kids will love. They'll enjoy the story but LOVE the dancing,

30 Days of Readathon - Green

Today's prompt for 30 days of readathon is green! It is my favorite color so I have been looking forward to this day. LOL Even the cover for my Nook is green. The readathon is on October 21st - so two weeks from this Saturday. Naturally, it is turning into a very busy day for my family. There are three other things happening that day. Which means I won't be able to read for the entire day but that's all right. I'll make the most of the time I do have to read that day.

Wordless Wednesday: Sunday Sunset

Teaser Tuesday: Divine Evil by Nora Roberts

Teaser Tuesday is newly hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read 

- Open to a random page 

- Share two “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 list if they like your teaser. 

My teaser this week is from Divine Evil by Nora Roberts:

His eyes stared at her, but he didn't see. She shook him, shouted, tried to drag him up. She pleaded and begged and promised, but he only stared at her. She could smell the blood, his blood, and the heavy scent of summer roses he loved.

Then she screamed. She kept screaming until the neighbors found them.

Musing Monday: Non-Keeper Books

 Musing Mondays is a weekly meme hosted by The Purple Booker that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK'S RANDOM QUESTION: What do you do with your non-keeper hard copy books?

This is a simple answer for me. I either give them to family or friends or donate them the library bookstore. 

October

I adore this quote! I also adore October! I always have and do even more so as a mom. Yes, it's the beginning of the busiest time of our year but it's also fun, beautiful, relaxing and just all around awesome! We go to the pumpkin patch (and I REALLY HOPE my kids still want to do so this year!), we decorate for Halloween, of course, and usually it starts getting cooler. I am ever so hopeful for cooler temperatures very soon. As I write this we're still hovering near 80 degrees. Still, it's October and I'm happy.