Weekend Assignment #289: Sooner or later, we all quit something that was once important to us: a job, school, a club, an addiction, a relationship, and probably other things I haven’t thought of. Tell us about something you quit, and why you did so. Extra Credit: Did you ever regret your decision? Don’t call me a quitter; I don’t call myself one. Having said that, I’ve done my share of quitting at one thing or […]
Month: October 2009
OK, I’m making this up…
I used to find them rather amusing. No matter how casually they were dressed – even in running shorts and T-shirts – every day these Southern ladies greeted the world with fully made-up faces and perfectly styled hair. The Memphis humidity made this an even more impressive achievement. Aside from the fact I wasn’t a native Memphian, I wasn’t one of those women, and didn’t think it likely that I would become one. There were […]
Sunday Salon #3 (10/18): The Read-a-Thon Awaits!
BOOKKEEPING: The Reading Status Report Book reviews posted this week: Goldengrove, by Francine Prose Next reviews scheduled: The Possibility of Everything by Hope Edelman (ARC from the publisher) Still Alice, by Lisa Genova (RYOB Challenge, Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge) – still reading this weekend to coincide with the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk that my family and I did yesterday, but I plan to finish and review it before the end of this week New […]
Week-End Review, 10/16: Travels across the Blogiverse this week
Tomorrow, my family and I will be walking a few miles to raise awareness and funds for the Alzheimer’s Association at the 2009 Memory Walk in Thousand Oaks, California. We do this every year in remembrance of my mother, who passed away ten years ago this month. I’ve had a donation widget in my sidebar for a few weeks, and I’d like to say a big, public THANK YOU to everyone who has supported our […]
Book talk: “Goldengrove,” by Francine Prose – TLC Book Tour
Disclosures: I was provided with a paperback copy of this novel for review by the publisher, via TLC Book Tours. *The purchasing link at the end of the review goes through my Amazon Affiliates account. Goldengrove: A Novel Francine Prose Harper Perennial, 2009 (Paperback) (ISBN 0060560029 / 9780060560027) Fiction, 288 pages First sentence: “We lived on the shore of Mirror Lake, and for many years our lives were as calm and transparent as its waters. […]
Awards and ABC’s
I have been seriously negligent in acknowledging a few awards that have been generously bestowed on this blog, so I’d like to atone for that right now! I have already updated the “Awards Shelf” link at the top of my blog header to include them. Rather than pass these along at this late date, I invite you to visit the wonderful bloggers who shared these awards with me, and get to know them if you […]
At the movies: “The Invention of Lying”
**Disclosures: My husband and I purchased our own tickets to see this movie. The purchase earned reward points for a free movie admission on a future date, through my husband’s free membership in the Regal Cinemas Crown Club.** The Invention of Lying 2009, comedy (rated PG-13) If you’ve ever thought that the world would be a better place if people were just more honest with each other, The Invention of Lying might make you reconsider […]
Whose day? Columbus Day! Or just another Monday? (Weekend Assignment #288)
Weekend Assignment #288: Columbus Day seems to have become a largely disregarded and maligned holiday in recent years, as the dark side of the explorer’s legacy has made inroads in the public’s perception. Do you think that the voyages of Christopher Columbus still merit a national holiday? Why or why not? And if not, what holiday would you propose to replace it? Extra Credit: Did you even get Columbus Day off from work or school […]
Sunday Salon 10/11: Bookkeeping, Bookmarks, and other bookishness
If you’re visiting The 3 R’s for the first time via the Sunday Salon feed, welcome, and please take a look around! While you’re here, why not take a few minutes to enter one of my three 1000-Post Celebration Giveaways? They’re still open for a few more days – the last day to enter is Wednesday, October 14! Here’s what you could win (you may enter only one giveaway): #1: ARC Fiction Package These Advance […]
Week-End Review 10/9: Travels around the Blogiverse this week
Have you entered one of my three 1000-Post Celebration Giveaways yet? They’re still open for a few more days – the last day to enter is Wednesday, October 14! Here’s what you could win (you may enter only one giveaway): #1: ARC Fiction Package These Advance Reader editions have only been read once, and are in good condition. The links are to my reviews. Restriction: The winner takes them all – no picking and choosing! […]
In Memoriam: On an anniversary, remembering a birthday
In connection with the American Cancer Society’s recently-launched “Campaign for More Birthdays,” members of the Silicon Valley Moms Group of regional blogs participated in a “Birthday” Topic Day on August 31. Birthdays are a big deal to me, and I decided to write about one that was particularly significant (although cancer isn’t part of the story). My mother died of complications related to early-onset Alzheimer’s ten years ago today. I’ve written about that before, and […]
Book talk: “The Cellist of Sarajevo,” by Steven Galloway
Disclosures: I received the paperback edition of this novel for review from the publisher, via LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program. It’s been in bookstores since the Spring of 2009, so this review is far from early. *The purchasing link at the end of the review is through my Amazon Affiliates account. The Cellist of Sarajevo Steven Galloway Riverhead, 2009 (trade paperback) (ISBN 1594483655 / 9781594483653) Fiction (historical), 256 pages First sentence: “It screamed downward, splitting air […]
