Stephanie Plum Reading Challenge

I just signed up for the Stephanie Plum Reading Challenge held over at J Kaye's Book Blog. The challenge started July 23rd, so only the books read after that date count for the challenge.



My books are:

*Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich 352 pages
*"Three to Get Deadly" by Janet Evanovich 344 pages
*"Four to Score" by Janet Evanovich 338 pages
*"High Five" by Janet Evanovich 317 pages

It's Monday, What are you reading?

Books I Completed This Week:

Last week I only finished one book, but I finished a bunch the week before while I was on vacation. My one for this week is:

Bad Love by Jonathan Kellerman 483 pages

For This Week:

Still working on:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio

Also started on :

The Web by Jonathan Kellerman

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra

It’s midterms this week, so I’m expecting the reading for pleasure to be at a low.

My Book Wishlist

I borrowed this idea from J Kaye's Book Blog. In order to help me remember the books that I would like to read, I’m making a Reading Wishlist. I also have a wishlist here but it has not been edited in some time. I’m hoping this list will help me stay focused for my Book Challenges.

Fool: A Novel by Christopher Moore
Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning
Comic Book Tattoo Tales Inspired by Tori Amos - Rantz A. Hoseley
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestly
Ruined: A Ghost Story by Paula Morris
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb
The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Tall, Dark & Fangsome by Michelle Rowen
Dying to meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise
Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri
Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman
Ginger High by Melissa Burmester

August & September Book Log

September brought me to 50/100 for my year reading goal.

August
47. "Hey, Nostradomus" by Douglas Coupland 244 pages

September
48. "Strangers" by Dean Koontz 681 pages
49. "Magical Thinking" by Augusten Burroughs 268 pages
50. "The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club" by Laurie Notaro 225 pages

I enjoyed the Coupland book, more than some of his others (ie Generation X) and less than others (ie All Families are Psychotic). Strangers was a reread, and it wasn't as good as I remembered it being, but it was still some of Koontz's better books. Magical Thinking has sat half finished on my bookshelf for several years. I don't know why I put it down. I was really into Burroughs for a while. I started over, and enjoyed this installment in Burrough's strange life. Notaro has been on my reading list for a long time, and I finally got my hands on a copy. Her short stories about her life were brutally honest and funny.

Demeter Giveaway!

In an effort to get get more traffic to my blog, and make it better, I'm hosting a Demeter Fragrance Library giveaway. I have a set of four fragrances: 2 Pick Me up Sprays in Wet Garden and Honeysuckle and 2 fragrance splashes in Chocolate Chip Cookie and Rye Bread. All are the 1/2 oz size. They are all new, and have never been used. I haven't opened the Wet Garden or the Honeysuckle as I don't do flower scents, but the Chocolate Chip Cookie smells amazing and the Rye Bread smells just like fresh baked rye bread.

Winner will be selected by random number generator on November 15th. Winner will have 1 week to respond to my winner notification and then an alternate will be chosen. Winner will also be announced in a blog post after prize is accepted. This giveaway is not being sponsered or supported by Demeter in any way.

**Due to the cost of shipping, this contest is only open to residents of the United States.

There will be multiple ways to enter, and each entry should be left in a seperate comment so that random number generator works correctly.

IMPORTANT: First Entry: In order to enter please look around my blog and tell me something that I can do to improve it. I haven't spent much time blogging lately and I know I could use some work. Please be constructive - not mean (Keep in mind I work a full time job, go to school full time, and am a part time mom, with limited knowledge of html). I will be reading each and every comment, and I really would like to improve. This entry must be done for any other entry to count. Anyone that doesn't first do this step will be deleted.

Additional entries:

1 entry - add me to blogger favorites
1 entry - follow me on twitter
1 entry - tweet about my givewaway then come back and post the link
2 entrys - add my contest to a contest site or mr linky and leave me the link to the entry
2 entrys - read one of my other blog entries and leave a meaningful comment on the entry then come back here and tell me which entry you commented on.
3 entrys - Blog about this contest and post a comment with the link to your post.
1 entry - suggest a bath and body company not listed for me to try
1 entry - suggest a handmade site or company that you think I might like
1 entry - suggest a book for me to read, and tell me why you think I would like it
2 entry - I like baking, so email me your favorite cookie or cupcake recipe to rasberryswrlgirl@ hotmail.com then come back here and tell me you did it. Be creative - no chocolate chip or peanut butter unless there is something extra special about them.
1 entry - go to the Demeter site and tell me what your favorite scent is from their library
1 entry - suggest a scent that you would like to see Demeter make that they don't already make.

Daily entry - Tweet about the contest Daily or Come back daily to suggest a book for me to read or a handmade/indie site for me to try

Any questions, send me an email and I will be happy to answer. Thanks for reading and entering!

The coolest candles ever!

I just got an email from Bath and Body Works showcasing their new autumn collection. I love, love, love! the new candle collection. I haven't smelled them yet, but I want one of each of these just for the adorable holders:

The acorn shaped candle in the Leaves scent, The pine cone shaped candle in fresh balsam,

And the Pumpkin shaped one in sweet cinnaomon pumpkin scent.

They are each 3 oz and only cost $12.50 each.

Banned Book Week

September 23rd thru October 3rd is Banned Book Week. Banned Book Week is a yearly event that celebrates the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.

For more information about Banned Book Week check out The American Library Association website. You would be surprised by some of the books that have been banned or challenged including The Kite Runner, Harry Potter, The Great Gatsby, Where's Waldo?, and James and the Giant Peach. Also on the list is one of my favorites, To Kill a Mockingbird.

Every year during banned book week, I try to read a book that has been banned or challenged. I will list books as I read this week, but I'm going to start with A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein and The Giver by Lois Lowrey.

New Books!

This weekend my boyfriend and I took a day-trip to Flagstaff to go to Bookmans. My boyfriend's mom raves about it, and I've been saving all my books up for a year. It was a nice trip, but out of the whole box I brought they only took about 8 books. I was a little disappointed about having to haul them back home but there is always Hastings and some of the privately owned used book stores.

One thing I did like about Bookmans is how much more I got for my used books than other bookstores offer. I was offered $9 in cash or $46.68 in store credit. Obviously, I took the store credit. And then when my books totaled $48, they gave me a discount and I didn't have to pay a dime out-of-pocket.

So, my new treasures are:

Skin Trade (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 17) by Laurell K. Hamilton

The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life by Laurie Notaro

206 Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels) by Kathy Reichs

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Two for the Dough (Stephanie Plum, No. 2) by Janet Evanovich

Three to Get Deadly (Stephanie Plum, No. 3) by Janet Evanovich

It's Monday! What are you Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Books I Completed This Week:

Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs 268 pages. More autobiographical short stories from the author of Dry and Running With Scissors. I enjoyed reading more of the crazy true life experiences.

For This Week:

The Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Next week will be a good week for books. I’m off to Palm Springs for a week long break from work and school to lounge by the pool and read.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Books I compled this week:

Hey Nostradamus by Douglas Coupland. This one was read as part of the Read Your Own Books Challenge and the 100 Book Challenge. It's one of Couplands more interesting books. The characters were likable and I enjoyed his interesting perspective on religion and loss.

Strangers by Dean Koontz. This is a reread for me and is also part of the above two challenges as well as the Suspense/Thriller Challenge. I remember loving this book when I was younger and thinking it one of Koontz's best works. While I no longer think of it as his best book, it is still well written and a great story.

Books on the list this week:

Cunt: A Declaration of Independance by Inga Muscio. The book gives the history of the dreaded "C" word and how it fell from it's noble path.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman which will go towards the reading your own books challenge and the 100 books.