Merry Christmas

Have a very merry book filled holiday!

Reading Through the End of the World read-a-thon

I have been taking part in a read-a-thon with my friends on the bookobsessed boards.

It ran from 12/20/2012 - 12/24/2012

here is what I read during this time.

1.) The Magic of Christmas Miracles: An All-New Collection Of Inspiring True Stories by Jamie Miller (Editor) 165 pages read. 12/20/2012 physical copy
2.) Cadre Lucifer by Robert O'Riordan 202 pages read. Finished Reading on 12/21/2012. Physical Copy.
3.) Penny Arcade Volume 1: Attack of the Bacon Robots by Jerry Holkins, Mike Krahulik.. 168 pages read. E-book copy (read on Nook color)
4.) The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. 269. Audiobook. Finished on 12/23/2012.
5.) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows. 277 pages read. Physical Copy. Finished 12/23/2012
6.)The Black Prism by Brent Weeks. listened to parts 1 - 6. Audiobook (unfinished at end of the read-a-thon)

Book Review: True Spirit The True Story of a 16-Year-Old Australian Who Sailed Solo, Nonstop, and Unassisted Around the World by Jessica Watson

Title:True Spirit: The True Story of a 16-Year-Old Australian Who Sailed Solo, Nonstop, and Unassisted Around the World
Author: Jessica Watson
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: September 7, 2010

After 210 days at sea, Australian teen Jessica Watson sailed into Sydney Harbor on May 15 2010 completing a trip that circumnavigated the globe. Jessica sailed a 33 foot boat nonstop through some sever weather conditions unassisted to complete her dream of becoming the youngest person to sail around the world. At an age where most teenage girls are thinking of boys and school and clothes, Jessica took a dream that many adults would not get a chance to fill and with the help of a very supportive family and a team of experts on sailing, weather, and mechanical parts made that dream a reality.

I thought that this was an interesting book.

Since I first stumbled on a copy of Dove back in high school, I have loved travelogues that involve sailing. I've done a little sailing on Lake Michigan, nothing larger than a 19 foot boat (with no motor just sails only). It was something that I have enjoyed doing a lot, and now that I don't I enjoy reading about other people's sailing adventures.

I thought it interesting that Jessica took her blog entries made during her sailing and expanded them for the book. It showed her immediate reactions to situations, as well as what she remembered afterwards. It's a shame her trip is not recognized by certain sailing organizations as circumnavigating the globe (and that there is not a youngest sailor record anymore). However, you get the idea that while it might have been nice to have her name put to a sailing world record, Jessica is more thrilled with the fact that she dreamed making this trip and actually getting a chance to fulfill it. It was refreshing to witness this journey through Jessica's own words without the passage of time between the events that happened, and the writing of the book.

I was a little annoyed by the vast use of QC codes throughout the book linking to her video blogs. As someone who lacks a smartphone I thought this a tad annoying to include as not everyone has the technology to use the codes.

book review: All In A Day’s Work for Real Estate Agents: Humorous & Heartwarming Stories

Author: TC McClenning,
Publisher: Work Like a Dog Books
Publication Date: April 2009
ISBN-10: 0982090714
ISBN-13: 978-0982090718

For those people selling a house, it can be hard to do sometimes. This is true for both the house owners and the real estate agents who are showing the house to prospective buyers. Real estate agents are faced with the unexpected at times: unexpectedly discovering a corpse in a home, getting locked out on a balcony while doing a walkthrough, learning that the pets who were supposed to be out of the
home for the showing are still in the house, and angry at strangers coming inside, or finding wildlife inside the house such as a raccoon or skunk. But despite these negative things, selling a home can be a rewarding and happy experience for the men and women who work hard to sell the homes they have been entrusted with.

All in a Day’s Work for Real Estate agents collects true stories that have been submitted by real estate agents from across the USA into a compelling and funny read. I am not involved with real estate,and I found myself drawn in and laughing along with many of these stories. There were a few of the sections that dealt with terms that were very specific to the trade, but I found there were good introductions that explained those terms to the non real estate savvy. For those readers who do sell homes, they may find that they are not alone, or get to see what other sellers have encountered on the
job. Editor TC McClenning has put together a solid collection of stories that show the hard work, and the above and beyond steps many realtors do to sell their buyers the home of their dreams. This book seems to be a good look into a job that is often overlooked.

Book Review: Ambulance Girl by Jane Stern

Title: Ambulance Girl
Author: Jane Stern
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Publish Date: April 27, 2004

Jane Stern had hit her fifties with a thud. A successful food writer with her husband Michael, she had fallen into depression and had started collecting phobias, and her marriage of thirty years was struggling. A chance noticing of the volunteers needed sign outside the Georgetown, Connecticut fire station put an idea into her head. She was going to become an EMT. She, who had trouble helping herself at times was going to help other people in need.

So, she signed up for EMT training through the volunteer EMT program in her township. Despite her fears of being too old, too fat, and too squeemish, Stern found herself doing well in her classes. She passed the local exams, the practical exams, and the national board certification to become an EMT-B. In doing so, she becomes a member of a community of firemen and emergency response personnel that allows her to become more than she expected.

Ambulance Girl is a retrospective of Stern's first year as an EMT. She revisits her struggles through the initial certification process. Her first months as a woman in a male dominated fire department. We see her struggles with her claustrophobia, her fears of dying, and her ongoing struggle with depression. When a good friend suffers a brain hemmorage, and is "saved" only to end up in a long term care facility half the person he was, Stern starts to question her role as an EMT.

I was drawn into this story. I have read a couple of the author's food books, and found this chapter of her life enthralling to read. She shares her journey from neurotic and depressed to the first female officer of the fire station (station secretary) in a way that is both humorous and warm. I found myself turning page after page wanting to know how she was going to handle the next situation.

Books Read in November 2012

Print books:

1.) The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
2.) Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, Betsy Lewin (Illustrator)
3.) The Windy Day by G. Brian Karas
4.) Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
5.) Hey, Al by Arthur Yorinks, Richard Egielski (Illustrator)
6.) June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner
7.) Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann
8.) The Ex Files by Jane Moore
9.) Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
10.) The Widows of Wichita County by Jodi Thomas
11.) Necklace of Kisses by Francesca Lia Block
12.) Killing Me Softly: Erotic Tales of Unearthly Love by Gardner R. Dozois (Editor)
13.) The Map of Love - Ahdaf Soueif (a.k.a), أهداف سويف
14.) Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes
15.) Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
16.) Troubletwisters by Garth Nix
17.) High Noon by Nora Roberts

Audiobooks:

1.) Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
2.) Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold
3.) Voice of the Whirlwind by Walter Jon Williams
4.) Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold
5.) Borders of Infinity by Lois McMaster Bujold
6.) Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold

Books Wild Released in November 2012

1.) The Ex Files: A Novel by Jane Moore – on 11/6/2012
2.) Passing Glory by Reay Tannahill - on 11/7/2012
3.) Dark Sunlight (Postcards From Europe) by Patricia Wilson – on 11/7/2012
4.) The Widows of Wichita County by Jodi Thomas - on 11/12/2012
5.) Timeline by Michael Crichton - on 11/16/2012
6.) Killing me softly by Gardner R. Dozois - on 11/16/2012
7.) Music Makers by E. V. Thompson – on 11/17/2012
8.) Map of Love by Soueif Afdaf - on 11/20/2012
9.) Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes – on 11/23/2012
10.) Rosa Farm by Liz Wu - on 11/23/2012 CAUGHT!
11.) Wanderer by Donald E. Mcquinn – on 11/23/2012
12.) Troubletwisters by Garth Nix - on 11/27/2012
13.) Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z. Z. Packer – on 11/28/2012
14.) All In A Day’s Work for Real Estate Agents: Humorous & Heartwarming Stories, by TC McClenning – on 11/28/2012