Thursday, April 16, 2009

Review: The Ten Year Nap


Rating: 3.5/5
Grade: C - 14 and up (mild language and sexual reference)

Meg Wolitzer takes a realistic look at the lives and thoughts of stay at home mothers in The Ten Year Nap . The title to this book I found slightly offensive at first. I have been home with my children for ten years, and I would think 'Ten years without a nap' would be a more accurate title for the story of my life. Because of this, I was unsure that I would agree with the conclusions drawn in the book. But as there are no conclusions drawn, this was not so much of an issue.

The story follows the lives of four women who have opted to stay home and be full time mother's to their children. At this point in their lives, their children are in school for most of the day, and have become much more independent. This leaves the mothers feeling rather out of sorts and out of place. Guiltly. Trying to find a purpose and figure out how and when and why to get back into the work force or find something meaningful to do. The book was also interspersed with clips into the lives of the mothers of these women, and their fight for feminism.

I don't know if it was the intent of the author, but what I took away from it was the mixed blessing the feminist movement was. Yes, women have more freedom and more respect in the man's world, but now they are expected to do it all, and invariably a ball will be dropped. Someone or something will suffer: the children; the marriage; the job. But if you decide not to try and have it all, and to stay home with your children full time, then you are looked down upon, taught to think less of what you are doing.

To me Wolitzer's answer seems to be the next generation, the up and coming mothers. She seems to think that the feminist mindset has finally reached the men. She points out men who take equal responsibility in the raising of the children and the household tasks, or even decide to stay at home, and let the mothers work. Well, maybe in New York this is true, but I don't think it has reached Wyoming yet.

There was not much of a plot to this book, it felt more like just watching these woman's lives. The writing was very detailed and academic. Overall a book to make you think, but not one which draws conclusions, or really raises a definite point.

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Winners Announced: Beauty Books


Three winners have been chosen to receive one of each of these books: How Not To Look Old and Living Beauty. Thanks to all who participated.


Congratulations to: Roblynn and Rebekah, Lady Roxi, and Jake! I hope you enjoy the books!

(Winners will be contacted by email, and if they do not respond within 48 hours, new winners will be chosen)

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Monday, April 13, 2009

Mailbox Monday


Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page . Head on over to see what everyone recieved.

Books which came to my mailbox this past week:

The Lake that Stole Children by Douglas Glenn Clark


The Midwife: A memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth


The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe


The Blue Sweater by Jacqueline Novogratz


Reclaiming Our Children by Robby G. Dixon


The Wish Maker by Ali Sethi


Follow Me by Joanna Scott


Spiced by Dalia Jurgenson

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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Booking Through Thursday Question of the week

Here’s the question:(to participate or read other answers visit BTT )
Some people read one book at a time. Some people have a number of them on the go at any given time, perhaps a reading in bed book, a breakfast table book, a bathroom book, and so on, which leads me to…
1. Are you currently reading more than one book?
2. If so, how many books are you currently reading?
3. Is this normal for you?
4. Where do you keep your current reads?

1. Yes, I am currently reading more than one book.

2. Umm. I don't really know how many books I am reading, let me think about that.Hmm, I am curretnly reading:
Girls in Trucks by Kate Crouch
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys by Stephen James and David Thomas
Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
The Quintessential Gentleman by Henrly Russell, Elegent Englishman
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
The Towering World of Jimmy Choo by Lauren Goldstein Crowe and Sagra Maceira de Rosen
This is your brain on Joy by Dr. Earl Henslin
Follow Me by Joanna Scott
--So I guess that makes eight books.

3. Yes, I have always kept a number of books going at the same time. Sometimes I will race through one book if it is very involving, and leave the others, but there are always 2-7 books that I am in the middle of.

4. I keep books that I am currently reading, or will soon be reading, on the top shelf of the bookcase in my hallway. They are also scattered through-out the house--abondoned wherever I last happened to be reading them.

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Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Teaser Tuesdays


TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from - that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

My teaser this week comes from Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh (page 46):
In Buddhism, knowledge is regarded as an obstacle to understanding, like a block of ice that obstructs water from flowing. It is said that if we take one thing to be the truth and cling to it, even if the truth itself comes in person and knocks on our door, we won't open it. For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.

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Monday, April 6, 2009

*This review is a guest review written by my nine year old daughter, Sarah, all thoughts and opinions are her own.* Rating: 4.5/5
Grade: B - 8 and up - (scary parts, a few bad words)

This book is about this boy who's parents die by this very powerful wizard. He is given to his most hated relatives. One day there are all these letters that his uncle keeps destroying, and then his uncle says, "that's it, we are going very far away." Once they leave this wizard named Hagrid finds them and gives Harry a birthday cake. Hagrid tells him that he has been asked to go to the school of witchcraft and wizardry. Harry gets all of his school supplies in London, then he gets on the train and meets Ron Weasley. They have lots of fun talking. Then this girl named Hermione introduces herself. These two become Harry's friends, and they have lots of adventures together.

I like this book because I like reading books about magic and wizards, I find it very interesting. I like when Harry gets assigned on the Grifindor Quiditch team, because he learns all about Quiditch and how to play the game, and how to catch the snitch. I like how many adventures the characters have in this book. I like that there is always something that Harry gets himself into--for example when he gets detention. And how Neville is always the one who gets in trouble in classes like when the defense against the dark arts teacher lets out the pixies, and he gets hanged by the chandelier. He is funny.

If you like wizards and magic, you will like this book, it is very exciting and fun.

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Mailbox Mondays

Mailbox Mondays is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page


I only recieved two books this week:

1. Stone's Fall by Iain Pears


2. Outcasts United by Warren St. John


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Thursday, April 2, 2009

Giveaway: Beauty Books

Anna with Hatchette Book Group is providing me with three of each of these books: How Not To Look Old, and Living Beauty. Three winners will be chosen to receive one copy of each book.

Bobbi Brown began the trend toward natural-looking cosmetics with a simple philosophy: Women want to look and feel like themselves, only prettier and more confident. Today, top editors at elite fashion magazines--including In Style, Vogue, Allure, and Harpers Bazaar--revere her, and celebrities and millions of regular women throughout the world swear by her beauty advice. Now Bobbi Brown has written THE book redefining beauty for women over 40, BOBBI BROWN LIVING BEAUTY. In this refreshing look at beauty and aging, Bobbi offers specific makeup tricks for a stunning face--showing how makeup can solve most of the flaws that many women go under the knife to fix. In fact, the right makeup can create an even skin tone, lift the cheeks, plump a smile...even take years off any woman's face. The key is to use makeup to enhance each woman's best features and showcase her natural beauty. With step-by-step makeup instructions and quotes from beautiful women like Marcia Gay Harden, Vera Wang, Susan Sarandon, and Lorraine Bracco, Bobbi Browns natural, celebratory approach to aging will enlighten and inspire women everywhere.

How Not to Look Old the 15-week New York Times bestseller is now in paperback updated with over 150 new Brilliant Buys!Charla Krupp knows that aging sucks! So she's here to help. It's every woman's dream: looking hip, sexy, fresh, and pretty--whether you're in your 30's, 40's, 50's, or 60's. Now it's every woman's necessity: looking younger will help you hold onto your job and your partner--particularly when everyone around you seems half your age. It's about making the ultimate "to-do" list of LITTLE beauty and fashion changes that pay off BIG TIME.Charla Krupp, beauty editor and expert, known for her real woman's approach to looking fabulous, offers brutally frank and foolproof advice on how not to look old.




TO ENTER:
1. Leave a comment telling me that you would like to win this book.
2. For extra entries: become a follower of my blog (if you already do that counts, just be sure to remind me); subscribe to my blog (be sure to let me know if you already do; blog about this contest and leave me a link.
3. Contest open only to U.S. and Canadian mailing addresses. No PO Boxes, please.
4. Contest ends April 15, 2009

Good Luck!

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Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Wondrous Words Wednesday


Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Bermuda Onion where participants share new (to us) words we encounter in our reading.

This is my first time participating, I always forget to write down the words.

These come from The Nonesuch by Georgette Heyer:

animadversions - 1. Strong criticism. 2. A critical or censorious remark.

fustian (which word I have read a number of times but never bothered to find out what it meant) - 1. a stout fabric of cotton and flax.
2. a fabric of stout twilled cotton or of cotton and low
quality wool, with a short nap or pile.
3. inflated or turgid language in writing or speaking.

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