The Lake of Dead Languages

The Lake of Dead Languages

Carol Goodman

Jane Hudson left Heart Lake School for Girls twenty years ago, after the suicide of her two best friends and the boy of her dreams. Now she is back teaching the subject they all loved. When signs from her past start to pop up she starts to worry that the real story of what happened her senior year will come to light. When these events start to repeat herself Jane realizes that she may be in more danger than she ever thought possible, and that the lies she told twenty years ago were the reason for tragedy's beyond her wildest nightmares. 

This isn't the first Carol Goodman novel I've read this year, and I partially blame reading The Lake of Dead Languages after Arcadia Falls for the mixed feelings I have about it. I really like boarding schools in literature, and  for some reason Heart Lake didn't live up to what I thought it was going to be. Other than that I really liked the story, I enjoyed the deep connections that run throughout, leaving the reader the ability to look back and see all the connections. That being said, I wasn't overly surprised by anything in this book. Not just because her style and story are replicated in Arcadia Falls, but just because as a reader, you know.

I didn't really enjoy Jane Hudson as a main character. She was so caught up in the past that she had a hard time seeing her present, and while that's what moves the story forward, it gets pretty irritating after a while. Plus she's a little immature. There are several times when I stopped and thought "yeah, teachers shouldn't do this". Even though I didn't particularly like her, I was able to relate to her in a bit.  That really did help. 

Even with it's predictable nature I really did enjoy The Lade of Dead Languages. I liked all of the minor characters. Goodman's has a knack for descriptions. Her characters are unique and I really do love that. She's also good at finding that 'can't put it down' quality. The one thing I've found with all of her books is at about the 30 page mark I get serious. I want to finish the novel immediately and speed through it like no tomorrow. 

All in all, I really did enjoy The Lake of Dead Languages. It's the kind of story that will stay with me for a while and I'm happy I finally got around to reading this. 

In case you're interested, I reviewed both Arcadia Falls and The Seduction of the Water earlier this year. 

Halloween Hop

Boo!
It's Friday, and that means it's another Book Blog Hop day. Again a huge thanks to Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books for hosting this weekly event which we all love so much!

Now with Halloween being this Sunday, I found that a lot of the meme's I participate in went for the spook factor this week and I sadly didn't have anything to say on the matter. To be honest, Halloween isn't my favorite holiday. No before you send the mob over, I'm just much more of a winter person. I like fall, but all of the weather changes and ends and starts and everything usually leave me pretty depressed by the end of October, so by the time Halloween gets here I am in no mood to be social. Perhaps the more important fact here is that I can't tolerate scary things. Really. Horror movies are not my friend. Even the more terrible of horror movies will keep me up for at least a night (example: the faculty. I didn't actually think the water alien was coming for be but still). Scary books are worse. Most of the time suspenseful books are enough to keep me on edge, and if you introduce anything remotely scary and I'll just put it down. The scariest thing I've read is House of Leaves, and I was one of the few people who didn't find it as scary as the internet would have would-be  readers expecting.
So I'll be happy when this weekend is over, all the kids are at home with their candy and I'm able to start listening to Christmas music and planning Thanksgiving dinner.

Alright, I promise to never go on a Holiday rant again. Back to book related things -

The question Jennifer chose for us this week is:
"What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?"


I've always dreamed of having a library in my home, with a few overstuffed chairs and lots and lots of windows. Really big windows. Failing that I'd settle for a Kindle right now. I just spent 7 hours on a train, for what was supposed to be a 5 hour trip and would have loved to have more books with me then I was able to carry.

I'd also like to thank my readers for sticking around for the past few weeks, I know I haven't been updating and reviewing as much as a good blogger should. I think I've finally pulled myself out of my slump and should have a new review up tomorrow.


For everyone that's over from the Hop, thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Tweeting while Fictional

"The threat 'over my dead body' would be more effective if phrased 'over the dead body of the last idiot who didn't do what I wanted'."

One of my favorite things on twitter are the fake accounts for fictional characters. My favorite of which are God_Damn_Batman and Lord_Voldmort7. So while I was watching Voldy tweet about his ever growing hate of  Justin Beiber this evening I started thinking - who else would be remarkably funny on twitter? Now I haven't actually gone looking for any of these people, but here is what I would like to see:

Mrs Bennett - She'd be absolutely hilarious - ranting about Mr. Bennett, trying to marry off Kitty and Mary and generally ranting about celebrities and silly things.

Dumbledore -  I'm picturing the opposite of Voldmorts account, with whimsical musings and confusing advise. Oh, and some angry, butt kicking moments.

Holden Caulfield -  "Everyone on twitter is a bunch of phonys." I'd be amazing.

Bridgett Jones - I'd love to see her babbling about her life. "alcohol units consumed - 5  - must do wash."

Robert Langdon - How much better would everything be if instead of having to read The Lost Symbol we just had someone behind a Tom Hanks picture offering up false, but interesting facts?

Dorian Gray's Portrait - "Hey D - please stop ruining everyones lives, you left the mirror on the other side of the room uncovered and I'm making myself sick."

Are there any character's you'd like to see on twitter?

Blog Hopping!

Hi everyone! If you're over from Jennifer's Book Blog Hop welcome and thanks for stopping by.

This weeks hop question is:
Where is your favorite place to read?

I don't really have a favorite place to read. All the furnature in my apartment is pretty crappy. I guess if I had to pick a place it would have to be on my bed, but not laying normal ways. If I am reading or watching TV on my bed I lay with my head at the end of my bed. I don't know why. Change of scenery I guess?

Now for an update into my bookish life:
This week has been pretty dull as far as reading goes. I read A Streetcar Named Desire for one of my classes, but didn't manage to finish anything else. I feel like I've been reading the same book for weeks now and having recently rediscovered crocheting and just started watching Doctor Who, so reading has kind of fallen to the side this week.

I'm currently reading Great Houses, and while I'm enjoying it I'm having a hard time finishing it. I love Nicole Krauss, and this isn't an exception, but I am not enjoying being defeated by a 280 page novel. I'm waiting for a copy of The Unbearable Lightness of Being to make its way back to the CPL. I'm hoping that some familiar words will get me back into the swing of things.

I feel like I've seen a lot of other bloggers in similar slumps lately. What about you?

Booking Through Thursday

I don't normally participate in the Booking Through Thursday meme. Actually I'm really bad at keeping up with any meme's. I try, I just get busy and distracted and then poof, my meme posts are no more! Anyways, It was this weeks Booking Through Thursday question that got me: Name a book (or books) from a country other than your own that you love. Or aren’t there any?


I'm an American, and while I would add more than a few home grown writers to my favorites list, I just generally gravitate to foreign writers. Typically I end up reading Europeans. It's not a purposeful thing, but it just sort of happens. 


My favorite foreign discovery of the last few years would have to be Milan Kundera. He's a Czech writer currently living in France. His Unbearable Lightness of Being is my favorite book. I'm actually waiting for the copy I put on hold at the library to get in. I'm hoping his familiar words can get me out of this reading rut I've been in these past two weeks. 


What about you? Do you find yourself reading works by people in far away places or sticking closer to home?

Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because they are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. they'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists.

This weeks list deals with Top Ten Fictional Crushes

So lets get started!

1.Fitzwilliam Darcy - Pride and Prejudice - He's a bit brooding, but really, who isn't absolutely in love with Mr Darcy? It also doesn't help that I went on a bit of a Pride and Prejudice movie marathon this weekend, which ended with a failed attempt to get a copy of pride and prejudice to read and a desire to dress like a regency girl .

2.Harry Potter - The Harry Potter Series - I grew up with Harry, and while he could be annoying and whinny I absolutely love him. I guess I'm just one of the many who is infatuated with "the chosen one"

3. Zooey Glass - Franny and Zooey - I had a hard time deciding between Zooey and Buddy glass. Their so different, but I think they're both amazing characters. In the end Buddy's seclusive lifestyle put the first hipster on my list. Of course he it helps that he sounds like every attractive student at my school, attitude and all.

4.Jonathan Safran Foer - Everything is Illuminated - He's such a sweet character. He's looking for more information on his family and goes on this incredible journey. Plus he's just akward and a little odd and I think he'd be adorable. Plus now whenever I think of him I picture Elijah Wood. Who doesn't want to picture Elijah Wood?

5.Edward IV - The White Queen - Edward is my favorite male royal in all of Philippa Gregory's books. He sounds handsome, is strong and dotes on his wife. Of course there is the occasional infidelity, but he seems to be a good guy. I'd take him over Henry the syphilitic beheader any day.

Slight Disclaimer - I do like Henry VIII, he's just hard to swoon over when he leaves a trail of the dead in his wake.

6.Vermeer - Girl with a Pearl Earring - I was a weird child, reading historical fiction at age 11 and going gaga for Cheavlier's portrayal of Vermeer. To this day I still think he's amazing. He could paint me any day!

7. Fredric Henry - A Farewell to Arms - Now I don't remember much about Henry or Hemingway's tragic love story, but I do remember being completely infatuated with him. To this day I the only reason I defend Hemingway so vehemently is because of how much I liked Fredric Henry.

8. Rudy - The Book Thief - He's spirited and defiant. Plus he's a great friend and I bet he would have grown into a hell of a man.

9.John Thornton - North and South - For me, he was the only reason to keep reading North and South. Really he's pretty far down on my list of literary crushes, but he's there.

This list was really surprisingly difficult for me. I guess i'll just leave it at nine for this week.

Can't wait to see all of your lists!

Hop Hop Hop

It's Friday and that means it's time for another Hop hosted by the amazing Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books. 

This weeks question actually deals with something I wanted to write about anyway, so I'm taking this as another sign that I'm going to have an awesome day! Anyways, the question -


"When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move to your next title?"


I always try to fight through, but there are some books that I can't overcome. For instants I recently had to read As I Lay Dying for class. I really tried to get into the story, but found that the dialects and overall plot were just not my thing. I always try to fight through the classics - and when I do I can at least look at them critically but with As I Lay Dying I was at a complete loss. Instead of finishing the novel for class I spent a total of ten minutes on sparknotes and was able to grasp enough of what happened to participate in the class discussion. Now I have to decide, do I finish the book Faulkner wrote in 6 weeks or do I stop dividing my attention and fully focus on Great House? In all honesty, I'm moving on. My TBR list is to long to stay stuck in the middle of a book I'm hating for to long. Maybe someday I'll come back to it, but I can guarantee you it won't be this year. 


However, I started Lolita in the spring, got stuck at the halfway mark and am still determined to finish it. 




If you're new to Loving Books thanks for hopping by!
Here are some of my posts from this past week
Touching From a Distance
How Did You Get This Number
Top Ten Books I'll Never Read
Moonlight in Odessa


Hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for stopping by! 

Moonlight in Odessa

Moonlight in Odessa

Janet Skestien Charles

(received from Goodreads)

Daria is a clever girl. She has a degree in engineering, speaks Hebrew, Russian and English and is hopelessly suck in Odessa - A city as renown for it's beauty as it is for it's rampant poverty and form Soviet status. When she finds a job at a Israeli shipping firm, but her new boss David keeps not so sublet hinting that in exchange for her high wages, new electronics and constant gifts will eventually come at a higher price. Finding a way out of sleeping with her boss is easier then expected, and to cover any possibility that David will send her packing Daria starts moonlighting at a mail-order bride website, using her English to translate for the woman on the site. When she is forced to choose between a life in America and love in the Ukraine, Daria makes a hard choice - but was it the right one?

I really enjoyed Janet Skeslien Charles' debut novel. She brings Odessa vividly to life through Daria's love for the city, but doesn't present it with rosed colored glasses. It's obvious that life is hard for Daria and those like her. Everything about Daria and her life of Odessa is heartbreaking and sweet at the same time. When something goes wrong, her Boba has something up her sleeve to make her feel better.

When Daria starts working at the Mail Order Bride agency things take a turn. The novel is still interesting but the introduction of American characters changes the dynamic.  Of course all that is seen are American Men, but as Daria is the only one who speaks English well enough to understand them she ends up translating for crude and terrible people, but this doesn't matter to anyone. These men are their tickets out of poverty.

While Daria has a solid head on her shoulders, she falls for a less than perfect American and as the facade of a perfect life fades away, so does most of the novels charms. Daria is still strong willed, but her life loses the spark that made it interesting. There's a good 40 pages where I was reading more as an obligation then out of pleasure, but in the end I'm glad I fought through.

Really this was a great book with an interesting perspective. It's worth a spot on your TBR, I don't think you'll regret it.

Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists


This week's list is Top Ten Book's I'll never read. I'd just like to say before I start what I'm sure will be an offensive to some, list that I'm not attacking anyone else's favorites, these are just books that have never appealed to so much that they belong on this list.


1. Going Roughe - Sarah Pallin - I don't care if you like her or what, but in reality she's a terrible representation of our country. I don't care about the way she wants to present herself. That being said, I will also never go out of my way to read any presidential autobiography, and tend to avoid politicians in my reading space. 


2. Twilight Series - Stephanie Meyers - I can apprichiate that Meyer's made reading popular to a large group of teens (and older) that would have scoffed at picking up a book before Twilight. That being said I've seen the movies, I have had many friends read these books and I have seen or heard nothing to impress me. I picked up Twilight once and couldn't get through the first page. Meyer's 'style' isn't for me. Plus I really really truly hate Vampires. I hate them so much. 


PS: Even though I hate vampires, I still don't think they should sparkle. That's not frightening. 


3. The Secret -  Rhonda Byrne - Really? REALLY REALLY?!?!


4. Marly and Me - John Grogan - It's cute you love your dog, but I don't really care. 


5. LA Candy -Lauren Conrad - I'm not a fan of The Hills or whatever other weird MTV produced reality Conrad has been on. However I'm not avoiding these just for that. This series is something I would have been interested in when I was much younger, but it's something I grew out of over 7 years ago. It's really just not in my taste anymore.


6. Modelland - Tyra Banks - Is this out yet? I don't know. If it's not out yet you can be sure I won't be standing in line on it's release day. I love Tyra. Crazy crazy Tyra. I wanted to half laugh half cry when I heard she was writing a book. A book?! Really?!? Has she LOST HER  MINDS. The fact that she's not straying to far from what she knows and is actually creating a Land of Models makes me laugh. It just sounds so bad.


7. New Nicholas Sparks Novels - This makes younger me sad. I loved Nicholas Sparks in middle school/ early high school. Now I can see that he tells the same story over and over again and that his books arn't particularly well written. Plus that was that whole interview he gave when he was yelling about not being a romance writer blah blah blah. OH and ANYONE WHO WRITES A BOOK SPECIFICALLY TO MAKE A MOVIE WITH MILEY CRYUS IS ON MY LIST. 


8. Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert - Sorry your life kinda fell apart, I don't care about that or your journey to whatever it is your trying to do. 


9. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - JRR Tolkien - I've always wanted to read Lord of the Rings, and I've tried once or twice but have never been able to get into the very dense prose. This is me owning up to my reading style, and admitting that Tolkien just doesn't fit.


10. Charles Dickens - I've been required to read Dickens in a few of my classes and have, to this day, never finished a one of his books. He's the reason I was so opposed to reading "the classics" before I got to college. What really gets me is that the stories he is telling arn't boring. If sparknotes has taught me anything it's that he's created some pretty cool characters and situations. However,for me, as soon as good ol' Charlie put his Quill to paper (parchment?) he kills it. 


I'll end with an little story to illustrate my feelings of Charles Dickens.
In spring 2008 I was at a book store with one of my good friends. I was taking my time and looking through all of the aisles in depth when I came across a copy of Hard Times, the Dicken's novel I had  most recently been made to suffer. As the suffering was still so fresh in my mind. I picked it up, yelped,threw it to the ground  and walked away. My friend tell's this story whenever someone talks about Charles Dickens. 

How Did You get This Number

How Did You Get This Number

Sloane Crosley

Much like Crosley's first collect (I Was Told There'd Be Cake), How Did You Get This Number peers inside her slightly quirky life, including a spare of the minute, midlife crisis trip to Lisbon, reasons why she feels she isn't allowed in Paris and how she isn't stupid, she is just ridiculously right brained and has no spacial recognition.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit disappointed in Crosley's sophomore attempt at life oriented humor. I remember laughing out loud at parts of I Was Told There'd be Cake so when I finally got How Did You Get This Number in the mail over a month after ordering it I was ecstatic. The book as a whole is short, coming in at around 280 pages, but where my main issue lies is in the length of the stories. Averaging at 30 pages I started to feel like Crosley's point, and the humorous intent got left behind within the first five pages of each story.  The sheer amount of stories about traveling were redundant. What started off as interest in a trip to Lisbon in winter gone wrong with the help of clown college students gave me hope of belly laughs to come, but when endless talks of getting lost everywhere, going to confession in Notre Dame as a Jew and a epic trip to Alaska to be a bridesmaid started to blend together, I started to wonder if I was missing the point.

I know not every story should be 5 pages long with humorous events every other line and that humor is very subjective. It's entirely possible that I just had unachievable expectations for How Did You Get This Number and my own hopes got in the way of enjoying what could have been a fun read. What it comes down to is that  yeah, I laughed a few times, and more than once thought "YES, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH A CRAZY ROOMMATE" but when it comes to that wow factor, that thing that leaves you wishing for endless pages of the same thing,  it seems to be MIA.

Touching From a Distance

Touching From a Distance; Ian Curtis and Joy Division 

Deborah Curtis

In Touching From a Distance, Deborah Curtis retells the life of her husband, Ian Curtis - the lead singer and founder of the British punk band Joy Division. Deborah chronically Ian's tragically short life from childhood antics, to secondary school indifference and the start of his obsessions with striking it big and dying young. Curtis, with the help of quotes from several others paints a picture of a man determined to be a legend.

I started Touching from a Distance with no idea who Ian Curtis or Joy Division were. This was one of several assigned readings for this semester that I was more than a little skeptical about, particularly because it was a biography of someone I'd never heard of. I was surprised with how interested I became in Ian's life. Even ignoring his fame, Ian Curtis lead an interesting life. He was a smart kid who was obsessed with music. Deborah makes sure her voice is heard in every pages. She tries to give Ian a sympathetic audience but his controlling behavior, apparent schizophrenia, and inability to see how his antics effect those closest to him makes Ian more of a monster than helpless angel. It is obvious that Deborah loved her husband, even through his affair.  In more ways than not this is her story as well. Her early life is so intertwined with his that it leaves the reader a chance to take sides.  

I didn't many issues with Touching from a Distance. Deborah's timeline tended to move in inconsistent chunks, focusing on events that may or may not have actually been important and skimming over everything for the next several months. This happens a lot with performances. Several performances are highlighted, and there are so many that it becomes hard to keep track of venues, television personalities and groupies.  My only other issue was the quotes. It is obvious that Curtis did her research, talking to everyone else involved with Ian and Joy Division. While they are informative, and sometimes refreshing to get a different perspective they often take away from the flow Curtis has created.

Overall I was very impressed. Though I'd love to hear what actual Joy Division fans thought of the biography. 

Read-A-Thon Wrap Up

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Around hour 12 I had to take a break, eat, talk to people, regroup. Then I was fine for another several hours 2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
This is had because high interest is so much based on taste. It'd probably stay away from the classics and things your currently being required to read, but I wouldn't have a blanket suggestion of what everyone should read.3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I really liked the way it went this year, it was smooth and tons of people participated. 4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
I think the hourly updates/events were really helpful, it gave everyone a mini escape  5. How many books did you read?
3 Books,  1 Screenplay6. What were the names of the books you read?
Touching From a Distance- Curtis
How Did You Get This Number - Crosley
Moonlight in Odessa - Charles
Little Miss Sunshine
7. Which book did you enjoy most?
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Touching From a Distance. I'm not a Joy Division fan and I had to read it for class.8. Which did you enjoy least?
How Did you Get This Number - I've read Crosley's other book and loved it, this just wasn't the same. The short stories were to long and the content wasn't as engaging. 9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I wasn't thing year. 
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? 
I'd love to participate again so long as I have the time!


Sorry this post is so late, I obviously fell asleep a little early and woke up a few minutes ago. 

A Quick Read-A-Thon update

I haven't finished anything since my midday post. I tried getting into a handful of books and wasn't feeling any of them. After getting distressed and ordering the best Chinese I've eaten in months I went back to an ARC I had gotten a few weeks back and never finished. I had been feeling bad about not finishing it, but I hadn't liked where the story was heading. I was happy to find I wasn't as distressed when I picked it up today and hope to have it finished in the next hour!

The only thing that's really bothering me now is that it's dark and I can't read on my balcony.

Hope everyone else is still enjoying reading!

Mid Read-A-Thon Meme

1. What are you reading right now? Great House by Nicole Krauss

2. How many books have you read so far? 2 Books, 1 Screenplay

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I feel like I misjudged how much I'd be able to read. I'll have to pick something off my shelf. 

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? I was supposed to do most of my homework yesterday, but that didn't happen so it has all been pushed to tomorrow

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Not many real interruption. I'm going to have to get something for dinner in the not to distant future, though. 

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? How fast the time goes. Really, I can't believe it's been 12 hours

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Nope. I'm enjoying this.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? I'd make sure to have my apartment to myself and to try and clear away any extraneous issues! I keep getting lost in thought and wasting valuable minutes!

9. Are you getting tired yet? Actually yeah. It's not that late here, but here in the Central timezone we started earlier than any college student wants to be up, and of course I didn't go to bed early enough :/ 

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? I've had several different locations that i've been moving between. 

Readathon Update

It's past eleven now and I've been very happy to have spent my morning reading on my balcony before my roommate gets up for her hourly smokes.
So far I've finished:
Touching From a Distance by Deborah Curtis

i'm currently reading:
How Did You Get This Number by Solane Crosley

Lines Up:
Great Houses by Nicole Krauss
Moonlight in Odessa by Janet Skeslien Charles
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

I did spend a substantial amount of time looking up Joy Division songs on Youtube to try and fully understand Touching From a Distance, but other than that i've been reading all day.

My Reading Room was asking for pictures of our books, and as I'm getting hungry reached the middle of HDYGTN I took the time to take a few pictures:

This isn't the best representation of my collection. When I moved back into my apartment I had acquired more books that would fit on one shelf. After a week I was tired of boxes and bought what I thought was going to be a decent sized shelf to put in the corner of my room. The shelf turned out to be the size of a nightstand but luckily holds all the unread books I brought with me. It's also being used to hold all of my school notebooks and textbooks, which are either out of the picture or haphazardly laying about. Really I'm just proud I was able to put this together without power tools and that it's still standing.

Like I said, I only have one other bookshelf. As I look at it this is the shelf I'm most proud of. On the left is a small collection of the books I've recieved for review, followed by a varried look into some of my favorite and not so favorite books of the past few years. Four of my favorite books are on this shelf - Falling Angels, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The History of Love, and Everything is Illuminated. Unlike the first picture, i've read everything here, and if i hadn't just moved everything from one room to another I'm sure this shelf would be collecting dust along with ducks and notebooks. Maybe if I'm feeling nostalgic later I'll take Falling Angles off the shelf, it deserves more love than I've given it in the past few years. 

(you can also see part of my movie collection)

So that's my morning Update. Hope everyones have a great time reading!

Ready, Set, Read

Alright, the readathon starts at 7am tomorrow (USA Central time) and since I don't plan on blogging right away I'd like to wish everyone participating good luck and happy reading! I'm super excited to be participating in my first readathon, and hope all of you are as excited as I am!

Hopping into a Readathon

It's Friday, and that brings us to another hop hosted by the lovely Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books. This week has been an odd one here at Loving Books. I didn't finish any books this week, as of yet, but am pretty far into As I Lay Dying and Moonlight in Odessa and I play on finishing both during Saturdays readathon. 

Now for the weekly hop question. This week Jennifer is asking:

What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else?

I don't really go out of my way to drink anything while I'm reading, but when I do it's pretty varied. I'm a big Diet Pepsi fan, so that's probably the first thing I'll go for, but depending on my mood or how sophisticated i'm feeling I'll make a good cup of tea or glass of wine if I'm feeling decadent.  But as I said before it's rare that I'll go out of my way to get anything. 


I'd like to welcome everyone over from the Hop and wish everyone participating in the Readathon tomorrow luck!

Readathon Prep

I'm getting really excited for the 24 hour readathon that's coming up on Saturday. I've watched so many readathons go past without getting the chance to participate, so I'm extra excited that I'll actually be able to take part in this one. It's been a lite workweek for me class wise, so I won't have to worry as much about the homework I'm putting off to read all day

As I Lay Dying - Faukner 

Moonlight in Odessa - Charles

Touching From a Distance - Curtis

How Did You Get This Number - Crosley

Great House - Krauss (if I decide to adventure to the bookstore tomorrow.)

I'm not sure how much I'll actually get through. I'm over halfway done with As I Lay Dying and Moonlight in Odessa and I need to have Touching From a Distance read by Monday, so those are definitely my priority. I am really excited and I hope everyone else is too!

memeing it up!

I found this over at Audrey's Holes in my Brain and it looked fun so i decided to get in on the chain. 


Basically, just answer the 'phrase' with a book title you have read this year! My answers are more a mix of story elements and just great fitting phrases but you can answer however you want!.
# In high school I was: One Day (Nicholls)
# People might be surprised I'm: A Vintage Affair  (Wolff)
# I will never be: The Pope of Greenwich Village (Patrick)
# My fantasy job is: The Book Thief  (Zusak)
# At the end of a long day I need:  Raise High the Roof-beam, Carpenter  (Salinger)
# I hate it when: Brave New World (Huxley)
# Wish I had: The Thirteenth Tale (Setterfield)
# My family reunions are: The Heights (Hedges)
# At a party you'd find me: Juliet (Fortier)
# I've never been to: Norwegian Wood (Murakami)
# A happy day includes: Remarkable Creatures (Chevalier)
# Motto I live by: Arcadia Falls (Goodman)
# On my bucket list: I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti  (Melucci)
# In my next life I want to be: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Rowling)

Top Ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!


This week Top Ten List is -

Top Ten Favorite Authors!

I really like this list because I'm one of those people that falls in love with an author and then reads their entire library. So here's my list of favorite authors that I will follow through masterpiece to crap.

1.J.K. Rowling

2.Milan Kundera

3.Tracy Chevalier

4. David Sedaris 

5.J.D. Salinger

6. Jonathan Safran Foer

7. Nicole Krauss

8. Carol Goodman

9.Jane Austen

10. Phillipa Gregory 

So that's my list and i can't wait to see yours!