Book Talk: *Going in Circles* with Mike (Everything Under the Sun)

Book Talk: *Going in Circles* with Mike (Everything Under the Sun)

Mike is one of my longest-standing blog buddies. He’s been a frequent commenter here for the last couple of years, and has blogged at Everything Under the Sun since early 2008 (and we met in person last year – for the record, he doesn’t look like Bender from Futurama in real life).  He’s a married father of two who works some very odd hours, and his blog topics are wide-ranging; they have been known to […]

The Polygamous Book Clubber, by Average Jane

The Polygamous Book Clubber, by Average Jane

Celeste is better known in the blogging and Twitter communities as Average Jane, and is a veteran of the online life – her blog archives date back to February 2004. Among other things, she’s a social-media specialist, a rock-band musician, a foodie who regularly shares her favorite recipes with her readers, and a cat owner (wait – I guess the cats own her. Isn’t that how it usually works?). Please welcome today’s guest blogger to […]

BBAW is Coming Back – Awards and All!

BBAW is Coming Back – Awards and All!

It’s barely summer yet, but some of us are already looking ahead to the fall, and the third annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week in September! What:  Book Blogger Appreciation Week is a week-long festival celebrating the community of book bloggers and their contribution to preserving a culture of literacy through book reviews and recommendations, reading reflections, and general bookish chat.  BBAW events include daily blogging topics, blogger interview swaps, special guest posts, and so much […]

Sunday Salon 6/13: “Readin’ on a Jet Plane” Edition

Sunday Salon 6/13: “Readin’ on a Jet Plane” Edition

It’ll be a brief visit to the Sunday Salon for me this week – I’m leaving for the East Coast first thing tomorrow morning, and I’ve got packing to do. I’ll return to the Salon after I get back from my vacation – see you then! I’m leaving the blog in excellent hands, with a great lineup of guest bloggers posting while I’m away: Average Jane gives a peek inside the world of a polygamous […]

Week-End Review 6/11: “I need a vacation!” Edition

Week-End Review 6/11: “I need a vacation!” Edition

It’s only the 11th, but this is the last Week-End Review that I’ll post during June! I’m bringing my MacBook on vacation with me, but am not planning on spending much time on blog-related business. The “mark all as read” button in Google Reader will most likely get quite a workout during the next two weeks, which means I probably won’t be gathering too many links! If all goes according to plan, the Review should […]

No Florida vacation: Growing up by the Gulf

No Florida vacation: Growing up by the Gulf

When I talk about the various places I’m from, the place I tend to talk about the least is St. Petersburg, Florida – but if we’re friends on Facebook, it’s documented there. I graduated from St. Petersburg Catholic High School, St. Petersburg Junior College, and the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus; one reason I chose to major in accounting was because I could get all the classes I needed without ever having to […]

Vacation Countdown: Look out, East Coast, here we come!

Vacation Countdown: Look out, East Coast, here we come!

We took a three-generation vacation two years ago – Mom-in-law, Tall Paul and me, and his kids: a classic “family road trip” to Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon. It really worked out quite well, especially when you consider the amount of time we spent in the car – and that won’t be an issue this time. We’ll spend much less time on the journey and concentrate much more of it on the destination(s). […]

Wishing and Waiting: The Wishlist (Weekly Geeks 2010-20)

Wishing and Waiting: The Wishlist (Weekly Geeks 2010-20)

This week, Becky asked Weekly Geeks about the infamous, ever-popular Wishlist: Is your wishlist as big as your TBR pile? What books are topping your list? Are there any new releases that you are counting down the days for? Share a handful of titles and be sure to share why you want to get your hands on these books! And if another blogger is responsible for that book being on your wishlist, consider sharing a […]

Book Talk: *The Irresistible Henry House*, by Lisa Grunwald

Book Talk: *The Irresistible Henry House*, by Lisa Grunwald

Disclosure: I received an Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of this book for review purposes from the publisher, via LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers Program. The book was published in March 2010 and is now available for purchase. *Purchasing links in this review are via my Amazon Associates account and will earn a small referral fee for me, if clicked. The Irresistible Henry House: A Novel Lisa Grunwald Random House (2010) Hardcover (ISBN 1400063000 / 9781400063000) Fiction, 432 […]

Sunday Salon 6/6: What I *might* read on my summer vacation

Sunday Salon 6/6: What I *might* read on my summer vacation

Guess who still hasn’t figured out what books are coming on vacation with her? Good thing we’re not leaving till next Monday! The only thing I know for certain is that the Kindle is coming, and I have plenty of (e-)books waiting for me there (all fiction, except for one) (no links, because I don’t log e-books into LibraryThing until after I’ve read them): Committed, by Elizabeth Gilbert (the only non-fiction title, and the one […]

Week-end Review: Annoucements + links!

Week-end Review: Annoucements + links!

Event Annoucement: I can’t participate this time, unfortunately, since I’ll need to be packing for vacation that weekend, but if you’ve got the time, you’ll find it well worth it to join in Bloggiesta #3, scheduled for June 11-13! If Bloggiesta is new to you, here’s what it’s all about: In short, it’s a blogging marathon.  A opportunity to cross those nagging items off of your to-do list and improve your blog while in the […]

Volunteering, controlling, and team-building (or, just a few of my issues)

Unlike my sister, I’ve never been much of a traditional volunteer (although I have been the mother of a Tennessee Volunteer). I’ve spent most of my adult life as a commuting work-outside-the-home mother whose workplaces have often been a significant distance from home, so I’ve tended to guard my non-work time, and volunteering has rarely fit into it. I’m not against the idea of volunteering; I’ve just been reluctant to give the time to actually […]