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all things books

Where I apologize profusely and play catch up!

Posted on | December 31, 2009 | 9 Comments

I have been absent in my blogging. It has been about a month since I have seriously sat down and reviewed or written anything substantial. It started out with the business of life getting in the way – getting ready for the holidays, playing chauffeur to daughter, mother and father (parents car is in the auto graveyard), super-charged job hunting, a couple of blizzards, and so on. There was also a major delightful distraction. I am  now an Auntie!!! My brother and his wife gave birth to a handsome boy and I cannot express my delight! First time as an Auntie and cannot wait to babysit and teach this kid some fun ways to terrorize his parents. Hey, my brother did it with my daughter.

In addition to these life distractions, inspiration was also at a low. Not in what I was reading but in what I wanted to say and how to say it. The written language seemed to have taken a vacation. I would try to write a review or a general post and become so distraught I my general lack of focus that I would give up telling myself that tomorrow would be a better day. It wasn’t.  The fact that I had reviews that were late just added to the feeling of failure. I finally sat down with pen and paper (still my favorite way to express myself) and started writing, anything. I am by no means a keeper of a personal journal or diary but I have found there are times when jotting thoughts, ideas, and concerns reminds me that I actually do like to write and share and communicate.

I was again excited to blog and wrote (pen and paper again) a few reviews and some ideas for other posts. I woke up one morning a couple of weeks ago feeling energized and ready to get back on the blogging track. I started up my laptop and found my email, reader, and blog had disappeared. I was able to log-in to everything but a blank screen faced me at every turn. My blog itself was still present but the admin panel showed nothing and would let me do nothing. Then, my computer froze. Reboot – froze again. Reboot – able to get around for a few minutes and then the big freeze. Perhaps the below zero temps and 3 foot snowdrifts had something to do with it. I had to blame something.

Long story short, I have been working diligently and with much frustration on trying to resolve these issues for some time now. I was able to check out a few other blogs and comment but this would lead to a computer freeze-down after only a few minutes. So, of course, no blogging.

I would just like to apologize to those authors, publishers, publicists and distributors that were generous enough to give me the opportunity to read and review some wonderful books. I have not forgotten. My lack of inspiration is the true culprit. If I had stayed focused and consistent in my blogging my computer troubles would have surfaced and been resolved sooner. Perhaps I have burned some bridges and rightfully so. I certainly hope I will be able to earn back the confidence that I am serious about my book blog and my obligations. I will be working feverishly to catch up on those reviews that are due.

I would also like to apologize to my readers (if you have stuck around – thank you for your patience)!

With all that being said, I would like to post a tentative schedule for the beginning of the new year fast approaching.

  1. Post all reviews (These Old Shades, The Ice Chorus, Lethal People, just to name a few)
  2. Choose and notify last giveaway winner (loooooong overdue)
  3. Thank my Secret Santa (lovely, lovely)
  4. List my 2010 challenges
  5. Update my read list
  6. Acknowledge those great folks from whom I won a giveaway
  7. Introduce a new blog layout

This will by no means happen over the weekend but I will be working very hard to return to that comfortable place where “catching up” is not the phrase of the day!

Bear with me and thanks to all!!!!

Category: breaking news, non book
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Teaser Tuesday (12.08.09)

Posted on | December 8, 2009 | 20 Comments

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!

Head on over to MizB’s to share your teasers and to check out what others are teasing about.

Holy smokes, I am able to actually get into my blog. It has been a few days and I was getting a little irritated. Very timely that it would be on a Teaser Tuesday. I am currently reading These Old Shoes by Georgette Heyer. I have just discovered Ms. Heyer’s books and am becoming a fan so far.

‘Then – I’ll try,’ said Leonie, a heartbroken catch in her voice. ‘You won’t l-leave me with y-your sister for l-long, will you?’

‘Only until I can find someone to take care of you. Then you shall go to my house in the country, and learn to curtsy, to flirt with your fan, to simper, to have the vapours -’

‘I – won’t!’

What is your tease this week?

Category: book meme
Tags: > > > >

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, and Madness (Matt Birkbeck) – Review

Posted on | December 1, 2009 | 2 Comments

deconstructingsammy

Adored by millions, Sammy Davis Jr. was considered an entertainment icon and a national treasure. But despite lifetime earnings that topped $50 million, Sammy died in 1990 near bankruptcy.

Years later his once-vivacious wife, Altovise, heir to one of the greatest entertainment legacies of the twentieth century, was living in poverty. With nowhere to turn, she asked a former federal prosecutor, Albert “Sonny” Murray, to try to resolve Sammy’s debts and restore his estate. For seven years Sonny probed Sammy’s life and cam to understand the tormented artist as a man of tragic complexity.

Deconstructing Sammy is the extraordinary story of an international celebrity whose outsize talent couldn’t save him from himself.  (from back of book)

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, and Madness is not an actual biography in the traditional sense. Author Matt Birkbeck shares the stories and memories of those that were closest to the iconic entertainer as well as the findings of Sonny Murray, whose investigation into Sammy’s debts encompasses the bulk of the book. This is not a glamorous portrait of a man who was, and still is, a loved entertainer. This is a look at a man who wanted fame and fortune at almost all costs. He spent without reserve, dabbled heavily in drugs and alcohol, married for convenience, neglected his wife and children, had numerous affairs, made deals with the mob, and surrounded himself with an entourage of mostly self-serving individuals. Those around him could see his decline but few, very few, attempted to put a stop to the disaster that was inevitable – they were being paid to say yes.

This was a truly fascinating book. There are so many stories and recollections of other household names. Frank Sinatra “discovering” Sammy and supposedly introducing him to the ways of the mob. Dean Martin was actually a quiet homebody who did not partake in the over-the-top partying of the Rat Pack crew. Sammy ran with a powerful crowd, in the entertainment industry as well as politically. There is even a hint that Sammy knew  the true story who shot JFK.  What really struck me was how massive the fall from fame and fortune. From buying Chinese carry-out for an entire commercial airliner that was stranded on the runway all the way to  his “friends” sneaking into his home and stealing his belongings (furniture, clothes, heirlooms from his friends in the entertainment industry, jewelry) while Sammy Davis laid in bed stricken with cancer. There is also the story of Sonny Murray’s attempts to deal with the largest individual IRS debt on record in 1994 and revitalize Sammy’s name and reputation. The obstacles in dealing with the wife (Altovise), Sammy’s children, the IRS, and Sammy’s former accountants and financial advisors makes for an interesting read.

Reading this book was like peeling back layers with a new revelation in each chapter. Entertaining read!

Plese visit the author’s, Matt Birkbeck,  website for additional information on some of his other works, his blog and audio of Sammy Davis singing Mr. Bojangles. You can also listen to a discussion of the book on NPR and read an excerpt.

The video is Mr. Birkbeck discussing the looting of Sammy’s home:

Category: book reviews
Tags: > > > >

Teaser Tuesday (12.01.09)

Posted on | December 1, 2009 | 7 Comments

teasertuesdays31

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!

Head on over to MizB’s to share your teasers and to check out what others are teasing about.

Wow, I have been immersed in Under the Dome (Stephen King) since the last Teaser Tuesday. The week has been busy for many reasons but I have been absorbed any free minute that becomes available. This teaser is taken from a conversation between two characters (under the dome) who are observing a meteor swarm where all of the stars appear pink and as they fall, pink lines are left behind.

She thought about that as they watched the silent pink tantrum in the sky. “Thurse, the little boy…Aidan…when he had that fit or whatever it was, he said…”

“I remember what he said. ‘The pink stars are falling, they make lines behind them.’”

“How could he know that?”

Thurston only shook his head.

What is your tease this week?

Category: asides, book meme
Tags: > > >

Teaser Tuesday (11.24.09)

Posted on | November 24, 2009 | 14 Comments

teasertuesdays31

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!

Head on over to MizB’s to share your teasers and to check out what others are teasing about.

So, I have finally started Under the Dome by Stephen King. Oh the bliss!!! This teaser is more then 2 sentences but they are short and powerful. And this is only from page 12.

The first was the woodchuck. It was whole, then it was in two pieces. Both were twitching and bleeding. Barbie stopped, mouth hanging open on the suddenly lax hinge of his lower jaw. It was as if an invisible guillotine blade had dropped. And that was when, directly above the severed woodchuck, the little airplane exploded.

What is your tease this week?

Category: book meme
Tags: > > >
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