Sunday, November 18, 2012

abducted by Sundays in bed with


So today it is time for another Sundays in bed with post and I have two big announcements!!!

The first one is that I don't have to work today!

YAY!!! I mean, I love you Bath and Body works but getting a Sunday off is AWESOME!!! 

I haven't had the chance to legitimately spend a Sunday in bed reading in so long!

I still had to go to mass today but I am home now, I don't have to leave for my parents house til 4:30pm, I have literally put back on my pjs and I am back in bed ready to get my reading on!!!

I finally finished The Two Towers this week so today I am starting...


But my second big announcement is....

I GOT A NEW PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I seriously held out on getting a smart phone for as long as freaking possible, but finally guys, I broke down. 

And one of the main reasons behind getting a new phone was because I desperately wanted a new camera. 

In order to show you guys the difference between what I was working with before and what I have now I took two photos. 

Here is my Sundays in Bed with personal photo of my lovely dog Riley snuggling up with The Return of the King on Thursday morning...


And here is Riley snuggling up with The Return of the King on Thursday afternoon...

Nice huh!?!

*** So I wrote this post on Thursday when I had just got my phone and was playing with it and taking pictures. However since then some things have changed...

1) A girl at Bath & Body Works had something come up and needed someone to cover her 1-6 shift. So I actually have to leave for work here in like 10 minutes and after mass I only had enough time to come home and microwave some left over pizza.

2) I did not get a chance to finish Two Towers this week, I am still 100 pages behind but I am hoping to finish it by Tuesday.

3) BUT I did get a new phone and don't the pictures look AWESOME!!!

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Abducted by Top Ten Tuesday...11.13.2012

Time for another TOP TEN TUESDAY!!!


This week the question was which books we would want if we were stranded on a desert island...

My initial thought was that I would need to take really long books!

Now that is a bit different for me because most of my friends know that I can get awfully intimidated by books over 500 pages. But if I'm trapped on a desert island and I only bring books I can easily finish in a couple of days then in one year I would end up reading each one of my books a dozen times...that would be bad!

So I need to definitely pick ones that will take me a while to finish so that by the time I have to start reading them over again it has been a while.

First off we are going to need either some series or some collected works!

1. The Bible - might actually read the whole thing finally!

2. The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - I have these in small individual books but I could buy the giant volume if I have to.

3. & 4. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - isn't it kind of obvious as to why!?!

5. Harry Potter J.K. Rowling - Now these books do not come in a single volume currently, but I am making the vow here and now that I will not be stranded on a desert island until they are!


And then for the stand alone books I would choose...

6. & 7. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry - yes they are extremely long but I've done it before and I can do it again!

8. 11.22.1963 by Stephen King -  My friend Kate has finally brought me over to the dark side where I am reading more King then I ever thought I would. And as much as I really do want to read this one, it is still too long for my taste! But on a desert island I'm sure I could find the time.

9. Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy - my favorite Binchy!

10. Every Day by David Levithan - easily my shortest selection for the list but how could I be stranded somewhere without any Levithan!?!


I hope you enjoyed my list and I can't wait to read yours!

Have a great Tuesday!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Abducted by The Cinderella Deal

I have lost track of the number of Crusie novels I have listened to this year, but here is my review for the latest: The Cinderella Deal!

THE HEADLINE:

In order to land the ideal job, a man pays a woman to pretend to be his wife for one year.

THE ABDUCTOR:

The man in this relationship is Linc (short for Lincoln) Blaise who is a bit of a snobby self centered tight ass who takes a while to warm up to. The woman is Daisy Flattery who is a wild and crazy free spirited artist who warmed up to Linc much faster then I did.

TIME IN CAPTIVITY:

Jennifer Crusie is one of my favorite authors that I only just found. I have been devouring her books for months now. She is a little bit of a "formula" author, but for her it totally works to her advantage. Anytime I pick up a Crusie novel I can be sure of 3 things...

1. When the initial plot is introduced to me I will probably roll my eyes at how ludicrous it all is.

2. There will be a girl and a guy who will naturally assume that they don't belong together for whatever reason, but as the story moves along they will develop crazy chemistry.

3. By the time it is all over there will be a sex scene that is chaste enough to make this reader not feel like she has to go to confession afterward, but hot and steamy enough that it makes the whole book worth it!!!

And it was no different with The Cinderella Deal.

The original plot of Linc needing Daisy to pretend to be his wife so that he could get a teaching job was...for lack of a better word...ridiculous. I've seen this kind of idea used in the sense that a corporations likes to hire people who are settled down because they appear more stable and all that b.s. But in the Cinderella Deal the head of the university that Linc is applying to, likes to hire married men so that he can hit on their wives! A fact which Linc knows and yet when Daisy tells Linc later that his boss has been hitting her, he acts all shocked and surprised.

My only other complaint was that it did feel to me that Daisy warmed up to Linc too quickly. In the beginning of the novel she hates him after she sees him kick a cat. But because he is attractive and has a nice body (a fact she mentions repeatedly) her issues with him quickly go out the window. But eventually I was able to see the softer side of Linc too, and then I really started rooting for the couple.

In the end, in order for Linc to keep his job at the university they have to convince the small campus town that they really are in love. Daisy goes to extreme lengths to tame her wild ways and Linc does what he can to be less critical of her. Ultimately, the story is really about how much are we willing or should we be willing to change about ourselves to make a relationship work, any relationship. And where do you draw the line between compromising with someone and flat out sacrificing for them.

THE POINT OF ABDUCTION:

My point of abduction for actually liking the character of Linc came when Daisy adopted a dog she found on the streets that had been hit by a car and named him Jupiter. At first Linc is indifferent towards Jupiter, but later Daisy spies him giving Jupiter a dog biscuit that he had brought home for Jupiter himself and I thought that was very sweet, as did Daisy. 

As for the novel as a whole, since I was listening to the audio version I can't tell you what page I was on, but I can tell you it was around 2 hours and 40 minutes into the book.

Linc and Daisy share a house but they do sleep in separate bedrooms. That is until Linc's mother comes to stay with them. With all that chemistry finally flying between the two of them and then they have to get in bed together...I was hooked! I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen!

ABDUCTION RATING:

The Crusie novel I listened to a couple of weeks before this one was a massive let down in my opinion, but the Cinderella Deal was such a delicious hit that I immediately downloaded another one of her novels titled What the Lady Wants and I'm already lovinging it.

The Cinderella Deal gets an abduction rating of...


Sunday, November 11, 2012

Abducted by Sundays in Bed With....

Well today is yet another busy Sunday for yours truly! Today I have mass until 11:30, work at Bath and Body Works from noon to 3:00. Then I get a break where I have several errands to run and need to find time to eat, then I have to go back to Bath and Body Works for a store meeting from 7-9 where we will discuss the dreaded...

BUM BUM BUUUUUUUUM


I'm a little nervous because there is a tension in the air at Bath and Body that tells me all hell is about to break loose.

As for who I spent my Sunday in Bed With this morning...


Today I woke up early and spent my morning with Jennifer Cruise!

I finally finished listening to her audio book for The Cinderella Deal (review post to come soon)

And then I down loaded another one of her audio books (this one actually read by her) called What the Lady Wants.

I can't help it, I love her books!!!

Anyway, have a great Sunday!



Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Abducted by Top Ten Tuesday...11.6.12



Today the Top Ten Tuesday was a freebie and I swear I decided what I was going to do and all ten of my selections early in the AM. But somehow I completely forgot to actually post anything...oops...

So, now, here I am. An hour until midnight (cst) and trying to get my post up before I run out of time. 

I chose to do my Top Ten List over something that I love most about books...their clever and poetic titles!

But I have also divided my list between books I have read and books that are still on my tbr.

BOOKS READ...

He's so cute!
1. Anything from the Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison has a funny and startling title! I'm going to go with Dancing In My Nuddy Pants, because who doesn't love to dance around in their nuddy pants? 

2. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. This title works for me because I'm not a big fan of the dark.

3. The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan. "As hard as it is for us to see sometimes, we all exist within the realm of possibility. most of the limits are of our own world's devising. And yet, every day we each do so many things that were once impossible to us." 

4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. The book itself is amazing but the title comes from the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar; "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves..."

5. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano. I think I subconsciously identified myself as a prime number so even when I wasn't sure what the title meant I was drawn to it. 


TBR BOOKS...

6. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle. As much as I love a good time travel story, I also have a hard time reconciling with all the consequences of the actions. I love this title because "wrinkle" for me, creates such a negative imagery. 

7. The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. I've heard great things about this one and I hope to get to it before the end of the year. 

8. Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson got its title from the Emily Dickinson poem of the same name. I don't know what grabbed me about this line, but something did and it hasn't let go yet. 

9. Perk of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Now, I was a wallflower growing up but I was no where near as cool of a wallflower as the kids in this book. Or at least, that is what I am assuming because I haven't read the book but I have seen the movie!

10.  Love Is The Higher Law by David Levithan. A young adult book about 9/11 this book makes me nervous because it could ultimately be really depressing. But I think the title could possibly come from my FAVORITE song of all time, so I must read it!

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Abducted by Sundays in Bed With...11.4.12

I purposefully did not set my clocks back last night because I wanted to get up at my normal time and have this extra hour to spend reading on my Sunday morning and blogging about it!


As we are getting closer and closer to the Holiday season I am working pretty much ever Sunday. Usually just for a few hours (like today I work from noon to three). Which basically means my second job encroaches on my life just enough that I don't have much time for reading on Sundays, but not so much that I am drained and grumpy by the end of the day.

So taking advantage of my extra hour this morning was a MUST! And I spent it curled up on the couch with...


Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me edited by Ben Karlin and featuring the writings of comedians like Stephen Colbert, Will Forte, Rodney Rothman, and Larry Wilmore.

I am about 3/4ths the way through this one and while there are some writings that have me laughing out loud there are others that were severely disappointing (**cough**colbert**cough**).

Well, it is about that time to take a shower and get ready for church! I hope everyone has a great Sunday!

Friday, November 2, 2012

Abducted by Levithan Love

David reading from Every Day
Many of you know, David Levithan is my favorite author. Well, last Friday I was finally able to attend one of his book signings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! David was extremely nice, as was Rebecca Stead who was there to promote her newest novel Liar & Spy.

I had the best time and lucky for you guys...I took notes!

Originally I tried to spend time making this post flow from one topic to another and it was getting waaaaay to long, so if this piece seems choppy I apologize.

DAVID ON EVERY DAY...

* The first question that someone asked to David was regarding the ending of his newest novel Every Day. This person literally started to say "I wanted to ask about the ending of Every Day because I didn't understand when........"

Now, I'm not normally a big stickler about spoilers, but with David being my favorite author, his books are seriously sacred for me. I haven't read anything about Every Day and I would have been devastated if, as this person was asking their question, David hadn't thrown up his arms hollering "NO NO NO!!!!!!" and stopped the person before they got to far into their spoiler.

My copies of Every Day and Will Grayson
David simply said that he did leave some questions at the end of Every Day, and yes he has his reasons. He also said that Every Day is the first book he has ever written that has the possibility for a sequel! So color me excited!!!

* Another thing that David mentioned about Every Day was that when he sat down and started writing out the idea of a person who wakes up in a different body every day, he thought the book would be about what would make each day different. What would be different about going to bed a tall dark overweight guy and waking up a small pale dainty girl? But what he found the further he got into the idea was that the only way to survive a life like that would be to focus on the similarities and commonalities among all humans.

I'm kind of shocked that wasn't an obvious hook for David, because I think that is what so many of his books are about! But I'm so glad that is what this one is about and I can't wait to read it in February as part of my Levithan Loveathon!

DAVID AND REBECCA ON WRITING...

After David and Rebecca each got a chance to read from their respective books and before they turned to the audience for questions, they took the opportunity to ask questions themselves of each other.

my copy of Every You Every Me
"To Courtney - with every good wish
David Levithan" 
* Because Rebecca's second novel, When You Reach Me, won the Newbery Award, David asked her what it was like to have to follow that up. Rebecca said it was awful! She said that before when she was writing she wrote with the mindset of "No one is ever going to read this..." but now when she writes she is overwhelmingly aware of the fact that people will be reading!

David echoed this answer when he was asked if he preferred co-authoring books to solo-authoring books. He said he definitely prefers working with others and that it does affect his writing when he is aware of the fact that he is writing something for Rachel Cohn or he is writing something for John Green.

* David was asked how he felt about one of his books being banned, in regards to his first novel Boy Meets Boy. Simply put, he said that it sucks. It really sucks. Because people aren't basing the ban on his writing or on any pornography or vulgarity that is going on in the book. The ban is based on the ideas behind the books. Ideas that are based in equality and acceptance  But most people don't know that because the mere title of the book stops them in their tracks.

My copy of When You Reach Me
"To Courtney, Wishing you a life
of mystery and wonder
- Rebecca Stead"
* In regards to NaNoWriMo, David said that one of the hardest things he can do is sit down to write a novel, knowing that his intent is to write a novel! The majority of his first stories started out as short stories for Valentine's Day. He wrote them with the intent for them to be small little stories but they just kept growing on him. So while he respects NaNo for the tool that it is for a lot of people, he also understands that it can be a hindrance for others.

So David is definitely a pantser (ie someone who writes by the seat of their pants) and so my friend Holly (a pantser) was grateful for this bonding moment with David. But even though I am a planner, I still found this to be a very helpful point.

* Another point that they made that I could not wait to tell my friends, was when someone asked them what their reaction is when they find another book that seems to have a similar plot to the one they are working on.

David said his reaction was to scream "F%#K!!!!!!!" Which he did scream actually! Right there in the children's section! He then said that the important thing is to not give up on a book just because you find one that is similar. You have to think of the story as having threads, if you find a story that pulls the threads in one direction, all you really have to do is back up and pull it in another.

My copy of The Realm of Possibility
"To Courtney - With many possibilities
- David Levithan"
Rebecca said that when she was writing one of her novels, her editor called her and said that a novel was being released, The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. She was instructed to merely read the reviews for City of Ember and that was it! It was important for Rebecca to understand that her story and what she had to say was still important. By reading the reviews for that book she could back up just enough and pull the threads in just enough of a different direction that she was able to finish the book and not give up on it.

I'm pretty sure that was all in regards to When You Reach Me. She also said you have to be careful because you can start to see similarities between your ideas and another when none actually exist. When she was writing First Light she convinced herself that the novel Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer was her exact same novel...when it wasn't in the slightest.

My copy of Liar & Spy
"To Courtney - High five
-Rebecca Stead"
* At another point in the conversation they were both asked how they got into writing. For David it was a more natural progression because he was already in publishing working as an editor. But for Rebecca it was a greater leap of faith when she had to make the decision to leave her job as a lawyer to focus on her writing. She said that it took her years to feel comfortable actually calling herself an "author". But she wanted to take the time to say to all of us aspiring authors how important it is to not do that. If you write you are an author! Whether or not someone else likes it or even reads it. And we should all have pride in what we do and not try to minimize it. When we do, all we are are really doing is degrading ourselves.

The interesting thing about this book signing was that Rebecca (whose main characters are around 12-13) and David (whose characters are usually in high school) write for such different audiences. David asked if it was hard for Rebecca to revert back to that young age and with out any hesitation Rebecca said "Nope!"

What I found fascinating was that neither David or  Rebecca spend too much time visualizing the worlds in which their stories take place. I mean like, at all! Rebecca said that if the real life embodiment of her characters were to pass her on the street, she would not recognize them! The most she ever does is give her main characters a name and a gender, that is it. And yes, she does that intentionally. She wants any reader to be able to pick up the book and see themselves in the characters.

David said that he had been taking a poll among their fellow authors and it was about 70/30 for those who visualize and those who don't, with them, the non-visualizers, in the minority.

DAVID AND REBECCA ON BOOKS...

my copy of The Lover's Dictionary
"To Courtney - Ineffably Yours.
David Levithan"
One of the things that I love the most about David is how much he loves other authors. And I was not disappointed at the book signing because David was literally chomping at the bits to ask Rebecca his last question. Which was "What books would you want to recommend?" And of course he couldn't wait to ask her because he couldn't wait to give his own answer.

Her recommendations were:

and
~which David agreed was very good...

And David's recommendations were:

and

David was so excited to recommend these books that he had already purchased a copy of Ask the Passengers to give to Rebecca and he had a stack of extra copies of that one and Endangered up at the signing table in hopes that more people would pick them up! 

DAVID, REBECCA, AND ME...

Me and Rebecca Stead
I was so nervous during the conversation part of the evening but when it finally came time to meet the authors I pulled myself together. 

I managed to tell David that he was my favorite author. Him and C.S. Lewis. His response was "So you like to stick with the -LE- section" and I was like "Yes, exactly, I don't like to venture out to far!" 

Then I told him about my blog and about my Levithan Loveathon! He laughed and said that he thought it was a great idea! I told him that if he ever needed an ego boost in February to check out my blog. He said he might have to take me up on that! Rebecca over heard and said that was the nicest thing and that she might need an ego boost from time to time too. 

When I met Rebecca, I unfortunately didn't have much to say because I haven't had the chance to read her books yet. But she was incredibly charming during the entire evening so she has a fan for life in me now! I bought When You Reach Me and Liar & Spy that night and I can't wait to read them! 

This all happened last Friday which was before Hurricane Sandy really hit the east coast. My thoughts are with them both now because Rebecca is a native New Yorker and David is from Hoboken NJ. I know that David decided to spend the week in TX but I'm not sure what Rebecca's plans were after the signing. I pray that their families and homes are safe! 

And I also want to send a big thank you to my friend Holly for coming with me to Austin and bringing her phone, which has a way better kick ass camera on it then mine does. Because if she wasn't there I wouldn't have this...

David Levithan and Me!!!
 
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