Enquiring Minds

THURSDAY

I would like to ask a small favor of all that live in freedom.   Please take time today, and offer a prayer for or say Thank You to, all that have served and gone before us and another one for those who are currently serving to protect that very freedom.  To all the men and women in the military, from the bottom of my heart, Thank you. You truly are heroes!

Hosted by Lori from Dollycas's Thoughts

From Lori's site:
  It struck me recently how much time I spend on this computer every day, blogging, chatting or playing games on Facebook, emailing friends and relatives, making cards and calendars, etc. etc. etc.
  We depend on each other for book reviews, giveaways, encouragement, friendship, but how well do we really know each other?
  We depend on each other for book reviews, giveaways, encouragement, friendship, but how well do we really know each other?

  So that is what this meme is all about, getting to know each other.

Today's Questions:

1. Do you have a Veteran in your family? (living or in the past)

Yes.  Not only is today Veteran's Day, it was also my Dad's birthday.  He fought in WWII as a staff sargeant in the Air Force flying B52 Bombers.  My father-in-law fought in the Korean War.

Thank you, you are both very much missed. 

2. Where were you born?

3. Have you seen an good movies lately, in the theater or on DVD? Recommend one for us to watch.

No....am not a movie person.

W.W.W. Wednesdays

WEDNESDAY

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Tuesday Memes

TUESDAY

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “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 Lists if they like your teasers.

"Don't shoot!" Decker screamed. 
And then the night turned deathly quiet. 
He dropped his voice to a whisper "Can you hear me?"
.

page 258

Hosted by Katrina from Callapidder Days

This week's question somes from Chad, Katrina's hubby.  Thanks Chad!!

Today's Question-Week #7

How did you get into reading? When and how/why did you really become “a reader”?

My Response:

Since I don't remember and am not sure if this is the truth, but my mother would tell everyone, that it was due to her.  She would relate how she would put me on the potty for training, give me a book, and I would sit there a lot longer than the usual allotted time, and be very content.  Ironic thing is that I did the same thing with my boys during that toddler stage.  I do remember, however, always loving the smell of a new book and having the ability to visualize the story in my mind.  I'm not sure how old I was at that time but I can still remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank in elementary school and to this date, many, many years later, I can still recall the visuals created for that book. 

Review "Blindman's Bluff" by Faye Kellerman

Blindman's Bluff by Faye Kellerman
Published by Harper Collins
ISBN 978--06-170241-9
At the request of Bestsellersworld, a PB copy was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.

Review format at the request of Bestsellersworld.

Detective Lieutenant Peter Decker, LAPD Homicide, and his wife Rina Lazarus are awakened to a late night call. As Rina hands him the phone, knowing that this is going to bad for the force to call "The Loo" during the night. And she was right. Not only does he come upon a gruesome multiple homicide but it's of a very well known, high profile and extremely wealthy family. The CEO and real estate tycoon, Guy Kaffey, his wife, Gilliam, and one of his son's, Gil, are shot during what appears to be a robbery as they sat in the massive home's living room. Bodyguards and staff have also been killed. But Gil, one son, is critically injured but has survived and gives the police a few things that he remembers from those awful seconds. But how could this have happened with so many types of security in place? Could this be an inside job? Guy has very strong family bonds and believes in giving some a second chance. Was that his downfall? Mace, his brother, and other son Grant, travel immediately to LA from the East Coast, where they oversee the family's holdings there.

As Decker and members of his force are working around the clock to solve this murder, with a laundry list of suspects and growing, of what also resembles another type of family, his wife Rina is sitting on the jury of a local trial. Rina and some of the jurors notice a man, as they nickname him Mr. Tom (for Tom Cruise), in court everyday, smartly dressed, his dark tinted glasses and his bright smile. Who is he? Why is he in the courtroom? Why the glasses? A mystery in itself until he approaches Rina to ask her to describe two men that he has just overheard talking about a murder. Within days, he contacts Rina at her home because he feels he is being followed. And has he now put Rina in danger?

Can these two mysteries be connected? What constitutes family loyalty? Who is "the boss" of this operation? Who can be trusted within each family? And the biggest question, why? Can Detective Decker protect the innocent and locate the guilty in time before another attempt is made?
Another true to form, Decker and Lazarus Novel that will have you turning the pages.

Monday Memes

MONDAY

It's official, well at least as far as I am concerned!!!!!  Winter is here in New England.  Woke up to snow.  Not much, but snow is snow.  According to this morning's news, it was a surprise even to the local weathermen...lol....that's encouraging.  I tell my family just to ask me, with all the hardware I have, I can tell what the weather will be.  That is why I wasn't blogging or near the computer yesterday, I was lying down for most of day/night. 

Hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading

Today's Question:

My questions for today are ones that are asked at the end of this particular article: What are  your responses to this report? Does it match with what you –as a reader– have observed? With your own buying habits? When was the last time you bought a book? What did you buy and why?
Link to article: 
http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/trendspotting-readers-spending-on-books/

My Response:
As a reader and a consumer, that article mirrors my feelings.  I can't remember the last time I bought a HC.  However, I did purchase a few ebooks over the last couple of months.  If a book was published that I wanted to read, before getting my EReader, I would either put a request in at the local library or see if it was at the used book store I frequent or just wait for the PB.  My buying habits have changed over the past year.  I used to buy as many as 5 PBs at a time but even cut back on that because of the rising cost.   What I found interesting is that mysteries, thrillers, and crime are the top genre.  I would have thought it to be the newest rage, that of PNR/UF.  

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of The Printed Page and is now on tour.

November is being hosted by Julie at Knitting and Sundries 

According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

11/05  Friday

from The Hachette Book Group

Hosted by Java from Never Growing Old

Blogging is a funny thing...we tell our most intimate thoughts for all to read and yet most of the time I find myself sitting and wondering, "who is this person!?"  I know them...but yet I don't know them!  I want to know who the person is behind all those words so I thought of a great way for all of us to "meet" each other!

Questions:

1. What is your favorite kind of pie?

Is this a trick question?  Just one?  Seriously one?  hmmmm how about I say

"I can't find my glasses?"  ok...thats my story and I am sticking to it  lol.

2. Have you ever ran out of gas in the car you were driving?

Easy one.....No...Never............Not yet!!!!

3. How many languages do you speak?

Another easy one.....ONE....English

Unless...those seldom used words, not found in the dictionary, but endearingly said to hubby when he leaves the seat up time and time again....would that be considered another language?

4. Do you take daily vitamins?

No

5. What is your worst eating habit?

See question 1

Giveaway November 7th to November 21st

Rules Of Betrayal

by CHRISTOPHER REICH

November 7th to November 21st

Synopsis:

The most riveting novel yet in Christopher Reich’s New York Times bestselling series—featuring Dr. Jonathan Ransom and his undercover-agent wife Emma, a dangerous woman with a mysterious past who has gone rogue in the high-stakes, serpentine world of international spies.

In 1980, a secret American B-52 crashes high in a remote mountain range on the Pakistan–Afghanistan border. Nearly thirty years later, and spanning locales from those peaks to New York City, a terrible truth will be revealed.

Jonathan Ransom returns as the resourceful doctor thrown into a shadowy world of double and triple agents where absolutely no one can be trusted. To stay alive, Ransom must unravel the mystery surrounding his wife—an enigmatic and lethal spy who plays by her own rules—and discover where her loyalties truly lie.

Rules of Betrayal is a masterfully plotted novel that cements Christopher Reich’s reputation as one of the most admired espionage thriller writers today.

THANKS TO JUDY, LIZ AND THE

TERRIFIC PEOPLE FROM DOUBLEDAY

I HAVE TWO (2) COPIES OF THIS

THRILLER TO GIVE AWAY!!!

CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO

THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE.



My review will be posted in the coming weeks.

DISCLAIMER

Giveaway copies are supplied and shipped to winners

via publisher, agent and/or author. This blog hosts

the giveaway on behalf of the above.

I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,

in exchange for my honest review.

No items that I receive

are ever sold...they are kept by me,

or given to family and/or friends.

Slapdash Sunday Topic: Remembering

SUNDAY

BTW and FYI (lol)..I received an email right before shutting down Lily Laptop regarding the November Voting for I Love Your Blog Award.  So if you have the time, think that you might like to and feel that I deserve a vote, THANK YOU. 

What I received regrading the voting: (image on right side)

I hope everyone is enjoying November so far! I hope your day will get even better when I say that voting for the first annual 'I Love Your Blog' Awards is now open! You can go over to the site and click on Vote Here! There you fill out a form picking out your favorite blogs for each category. You can vote up to however many you want for each category. Voting will close on November 29 and I will announce the winners that same day! Award icons will be handed out the next day! So, go spread the word!

Hosted by Kayla at The Eclectic Element

Slapdash Sunday is a day for your proverbial week 'leftovers.' Is there something you wanted to say, but just forgot? Is there something you want to write about, but isn't worth a whole page? Do you have a random thought, funny or otherwise that needs to be written down?
That is what Slapdash Sunday is for!
Today's Topic:  Remembering
My bloggy friend Bev from My Reader's Block, if you haven't been by her blog, you really should stop by.  Her postings are incredible!!  OK...where was I?  Oh I remember now....as I was saying, Bev participates in a meme entitled Top Ten Tuesday whereas a book related question is asked and the blogger selects their top ten.  For example, one week it was "Top Ten Books That Made You Cry".   Hmmmmmmm  Remember?  Ten?  So it got me thinking........

Is it just me?  Should I blame it on "senior moments"?   Would you be able to recall answers to the questions?  I know I couldn't.  Sometimes I will remember that I read a book by the title but can't recall the plot.  Or, even the books that are 5+ ratings, and I read it, say 8 months ago, I may recall the storyline but not how it ends.  Or I will purchase a book, start reading it and it sounds familiar only then to remember that I had already read it (geeez even I will admit that is bad!)  I also have another problem with titles, that are all similar, by the same author.  I have a few of those in my EReader, some have been read, some that need to be read and I can't remember which is which!! 

So am wondering...do you remember all the books you read?  Would you be able to come up with the answer for example....the top ten of favorite female lead characters?  

What are your thoughts on this topic?   Do you have suggestions for me to remember more on this topic?  Let's have a Slapdash Discussion.

And if you have time, stop by Bev's place and say hi!!  

Drum Roll......And the........

for HOW MUSIC WORKS by John Powell

Random Integer Generator


Here are your random numbers:

16     6     4

Timestamp: 2010-11-06 22:11:21 UTC

Patty said... 16  No I don't play, but I so very wish I could! I am entranced by the sound of a violin and would love to be able to play. I really admire people who can.

Tore said... 6  No I don't play an instrument but I always wanted to play the piano

Cathy W said... 4  No I don't play an instrument.

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen

AND DON'T FORGET.......

2011 Challenges...

This morning I spoke about 2-- 2011 Challanges I had my eyes on.....well......I decided to take the plunge and sign up today.  I have a lot going on in the coming weeks so thought I might as well post about it today, especially since they both are 2010/2011 Challenges.   I will provide links for those who may be interested in joining!!

The first is being hosted by Yvonne from Socrates Book Reviews. Thank you Yvonne.

 

2011 James Patterson Challenge.   I am signing up for Level 2--Read 5 books....a loyal fan.
The following is the criteria from her blog:
I decided that I love reading James Patterson's books so much that I'm going to begin a new James Patterson reading challenge. In the next couple of days, I'll be starting an Alex Cross challenge, too!

This one is a bit different than last year. You get to choose how many books you want to read.
Level 1 - Read 2 books...just trying them out
Level 2 - Read 5 books...a loyal fan
Level 3 - Read 10+ books...obsessed with James Patterson
Here are the guidelines...
  1. Choose one of the levels above. You do not need to make a list of what you will read now or, if you want, you can. However, nothing is written in stone and the books you list can be changed at any time. Overlapping books with other challenges is allowed.
  2. Although you can change books throughout the year, you cannot change your level of participation. So, choose one level and that's what you must stick with for the year.
  3. As long as it's written by James Patterson, you can use the book in this challenge. Even if you are part of my upcoming Alex Cross challenge, you can overlap books and count them as part of this challenge.
  4. All books need to be read between September 1, 2010 and August 31, 2011. Books read prior to September 1st don't count for this challenge.
  5. If you want to participate, just post about it on your blog with a link back to here.
  6. Audio and Ebooks are acceptable.
  7. Please use Mr. Linky below to sign up. Use the link to your post about this challenge, not your main blog address. Links that don't go directly to your challenge post will be deleted.
  8. Once you complete the challenge, please post the link to your wrap-up blog post with Mr. Linky (I will put up a Mr. Linky for completed lists.)
  9. There will also be a Mr. Linky for reviews, although posting your reviews are not a requirement.
10. You can take the button above and post it on your blog.
     I will be starting off with reading Private

The 2nd Challenge is being hosted by Sarah at BA Reading Challenges.  Thank you  Sarah.  You can also find her at Bookish Ardour and is hosting multiple challenges for 2011.

2011 Off The Shelf Challenge and will be signing up for Making A Dint-30 books.

This criteria for this challenge is:

October 30th 2010 to Nov 30th, 2011

Challenge Levels
Tempted– Choose 5 books to read
Trying – Choose 15 books to read
Making A Dint – Choose 30 books to read
On A Roll – Choose 50 books to read
Flying Off – Choose 75 books to read
Off The Shelf Challenge
 Are your books multiplying like rabbits before you even get a chance to read them? Trying to keep up with them, but can't stop buying new ones?
 Maybe this challenge is for you. I know what it's like. There's so many titles and so many beautiful books out there sometimes it's hard to keep that TBR shelf under control, but if you really want to try why not challenge yourself?
 Note: This challenge is to read those books you own copies of, but have never got around to reading. If you don't have many that you own, but have a massive TBR shelf you're welcome to read those ones as long as you don't add new ones. You don't need to actually get rid of your books after you've read them, this is just to read them.
How To Participate
 Decide which challenge level you'll be doing (further below) - do not include books that you buy from the start of this challenge.
 Grab the code for the badge down below and post it on a side bar or in a signature (if you want to participate, but aren't blogging, on a social network or forum - Submission For Non Bloggers).
 Create your own post to let all your readers know you’re taking part in the challenge and at what level (if you're really proficient you can list your books!). Make sure to link back to this page with either one of the buttons or a text link..
 Use the link form below to enter into the challenge by sharing your challenge post url and your name (either your name, blog name, or both).Please don't use the comment form to participate, only to comment on the challenge or something else..
 Submit your reviews (if you choose to review them, but that is optional) on the review page.
 When you’ve completed you’re challenge let us know on the completion post. If you're using a tag or category I recommend sharing the link back to that so everyone can find them
Anyone want to join me?  Thanks Gina for posting about these challenges!!
I will be back later tonight to announce the winners of How Music Works, so last chance to enter.
And don't forget to Fall Back and change your clocks!!

A Bit Of Me

SATURDAY

What's that saying...."how soon they forget?"  Except this time it's ME!!  Just a couple of Sundays ago we had a Slapdash Sunday Discussion, about changes that I was thinking of for 2011, now that I have experienced almost a year of blogging/reviewing.  Well this week my blogging buddy, Gina from Hott Books posted about challenges that she has found for 2011.  And so far, I have my eyes on 2 of them.  Stop by, say hi, find out which challenges she has found  and has already signed up for.   I will be posting shortly on which 2 I just HAVE to do!!!  I promised myself that I wouldn't go overboard this year, so I have started a list of the 2011 Challenges that are already out there, who is the generous blogger that will be hosting and which ones I will be joining.  Just what I need.....another list!!! lol 

And now I ask you for a favor.  I joined one last year, a 2010 50+ Book Challenge.  Thought that this one would be doable for me.  However, the blogger that hosted it, shut down her blog a few months ago.  I was even considering that I host a 2011 50+ but admit that I just don't know enough of the logistics of hosting.  So my favor is this....if you happen to come across a blog that IS hosting, could you please let me know.....that is another one I just HAVE to do  lol!!

Happy Saturday and don't forget to Fall Back Tonight!!!

Hosted by Danielle at There's A Book

We all leave our “footprint” on the world, in one way or another. We each, individually, do something or are someone that makes the world a little better just by being here. I created this weekly meme to get to know the blogging community I love just a bit better. To know what makes them tick, outside of books, that is. Each week I will post a question to be answered in the following week’s “A Bit of Me(Me)”. Check back each Saturday to get the info for next week’s post and link up with your current post right here.
This week's question:  Have you ever seen a broadway musical? Do you like theater?

This is awful!!  I have been over taxing my brain ever since I saw what this week's question was.  I remember going on a class trip, while in Jr. High, to NYC and going to Radio City Musical Hall but for the life of me, can't remember what we saw.  However, now as an adult, I would love to see a muscial on Broadway.  We have been to a few theater adaptations of Broadway plays and enjoyed them all. 

Have you been to Broadway?  Do you enjoy the theater?