A New Year, think of all the books to come and kitties to help- Feline Fridays

It is a balmy 7 degrees in Toronto today.  The snow has melted and it's been raining.  It's grey and brown and none too pretty, and I've already seen a number of Christmas trees already tossed in folks yards.  

Officially, Christmas is over.  

Meaning of course that the stress, overeating, crazy busy period at work and my annual Christmas flu are almost over too!

The fabulous news though, is that my Christmas slough of events for Annex Cat Rescue (though exhausting!) were super successful.  And we earned an incredible 1678.99$ over 7 weeks- 6 of them filled with an event!  And over the course of 2010, and 11 events (including our first ever Volunteer Appreciation Party) we made a total of 4405.97$ for the kitties in need in Toronto.  When you take into account that we largely only sell donated hand made crafts, ranging from 2-15$ that's an impressive total.

I myself, after 3 years of fostering for the organization, decided to adopt my last two fosters and take a leave after losing my beloved Topaz (the inspiration for this weekly post). Currently our furry family consists of 4 adopted Toronto street cats, three from Annex Cat Rescue and one from Toronto Cat Rescue. They are quite the little blended family, but there is a lot of love and I can't imagine my life without them, or them without each other.

So this evening, when you make the usual New Years Resolutions to eat better, or lose some weight (that's totally going to be mine), to improve your job situation or your relationship situation.  Take a moment and think about something you're passionate about, be it animal rescue, the environment, homelessness or some other cause that sets you blood on fire when you discuss it; then consider making a commitment to it for the New Year.  Either a new one, or just a bigger one then before.

Take it from me, at the end of 2011, when you're looking back on your year, sighing over the weight you didn't lose, the job that wasn't as great as you'd thought or the boyfriend that was a disappointment, the one thing that will surprise you and fill you with joy will be when you realize how that small commitment of you time has added up for a greater good far more meaningful then most of the other things you worry about from day to day.   When you step back and realize you've done something that's created waves of difference, that have added to the waves others have been making and hopefully one day they will add up to a Tsunami of change in whatever area you've chosen to dedicate some of your free time to.

Happy New Year, and may 2011 be all that you want it to be!

From me and the furry kids- The Diary of a Bookworm, year 1.

Winterlong Tour- Reading Circle

I'm currently sitting in my cosy living room with a cup of tea, the Christmas lights all aglow, and trying to pick my next read out of my wealth of great books, and its gotten me to thinking about my favourite winter reads (you guessed it, topic of choice for the Winterlong reading circle! convenient hey?).  You know, those books that for whatever reason just suit a cosy night in from the cold.  And after the crazy busy 6 weeks I've had leading up to today, I have to say I'm looking forward to nothing about christmas more than a lazy day on my chaise lounge with a book, a blanket and a kitty to wheedle away the day.  A few yummy christmas treats wouldn't hurt either.

For whatever reason, epic adventures are my all time fav winter reads.  Nothing screams cold winter night to me the way Lord of the Rings does.  Honestly, does that make me seem lazy?  There's something very satisfying about having a blanky and tea while Frodo is killing himself trying to get the ring to Mordor.

My other favourite epic winter read became The Hunger Games, after getting it and Catching Fire last christmas and ploughing through them while at home with a bugger of a holiday cold.   The starving, fight to the death of the games seemed to suit Turkey, cookies and other christmas delicacies perfectly.  Not to mention it's engrossing enough to get you through long flights, and family visiting monotony.

But if an epic series seem like too much of a commitment this winter, then I highly recommend The Gun Seller.  Written by the outrageously talented and funny Hugh Laurie (you may know him better as Dr. House), you'll be sad to note it's his only published book.  Especially after you work your way through this funny James Bond-esque story, at which point you can join me and many others in bemoaning the fact his second book, Paper Soldiers was supposed to be published in 2009, but still isn't out yet!  Filled with intrigue and crime, and with a hero not unlike House himself, this story kept me on my toes as well as had me wishing for more of his main character, retired army officer Thomas Lang.

Of course no cosy christmas is complete without a little Calvin and Hobbes, my favourite cartoon ever.  Either sitting by the fire reading about their horror snowmen or wishing for the lazy days of summer while reading the summer vacation strips, nothing can make me laugh out loud as consistently as Calvin and Hobbes.

While suffering through a family visit at the worst time of year weather-wise (seriously, who started this holiday in the middle of snow storm season?? certainly nobody who had to fly places to see family.  Stupid Mary and Joseph anyhow) everybody needs a little bit of humorous escapism.  For which I propose the very funny Bridget Jones Diary.
I know.
You saw the movie.
But seriously, the book is even funnier, and hey, it came first so give it a chance.  Not to mention it is one of those books that are so funny it'll have you guffawing out loud in the middle of the crowded airport filled with grumpy delayed passengers.  Anything capable of that feat is worth reading.

My final suggestion, and of course the inspiration of this post is: Random Magic.  Still epic, but in a single book so easier to drag around with you, this snowy season.  Sasha Soren's lovely tale is both whimsical and adventurous, with just the right amount of the sarcastically funny.  And besides, it suits a pot of tea too well not to be included in your winter read list.

Check out stop four on the circle A Readers Adventure, for more great suggestions.  And don't forget to chime in and let me know what some of your favourite snowy tales are.  After all I have some christmas money simply calling out to me to be spent on books!

To check out the full list of bloggers on the reading circle or to see some of the earlier entries on the Random Magic winter Tour, head on over to the Winterlong website.

City of Fallen Angels December Teaser

Well, as promised Cassandra Clare has given her fans a steamy holiday gift.  The last teaser for City of Fallen Angels......

December teaser for City of Fallen Angels. This is the LAST TEASER. Jace and Clary, midbook.



The alley and the music all fell away, and there was nothing but her and the rain and Jace, his hands on her. . . He made a noise of surprise, low in his throat, and dug his fingers into the thin fabric of her tights. Not unexpectedly, they ripped, and his wet fingers were suddenly on the bare skin of her legs. Not to be outdone, Clary slid her hands under the hem of his soaked shirt, and let her fingers explore what was underneath: the tight, hot skin over his ribs, the ridges of his abdomen, the scars on his back. This was uncharted territory for her, but it seemed to be driving him crazy: he was moaning softly against her mouth, kissing her harder and harder, as if it would never be enough, not quite enough —


Does it end there? Well, the scene doesn’t but the teaser does. That’s why they call ‘em teasers. Have a happy holidays!

To see all the teasers check her site, there are lots of goodies! 

The ins and outs, ups and downs of the BEA 2011

Last year I had a burning desire to attend my first BEA, but I knew very little about how it worked and had already booked a trip to New York for the month before the expo.  Although I might seem glamorous and fanciful, sadly I'm not so rich as to head on down there twice in the span of two months.  Even though it's so close! 
Which is a shame, because I would love to be jet setter rich.

Anywho, I had serious designs on heading out this year, and although the hubby wanted to head somewhere other than NYC for this years vacation, I was bound and determined I was going to make it to the BEA one way or another.  And with that in mind I started doing my research, because the one thing I had figured out last year was that the BEA is huge, full of goodness but a little a bit hard to suss out from it's website.

Thank goodness there have been some awesome blogger posts on the subject.  My fav for the ins and outs for first timers is the Story Siren's recent Q & A, and also her BEA sign up info post.  She's then linked to further info, both her five posts last spring about her 2010 visit to the BEA (day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4, day 5) giving you a sense of what an exhausting adventure it will be, her own list of blogs with fab tips for getting the most out of your visit, as well as a post over at Chicks love Lit.  Between them and the BEA's official website and, of course, the BBC's website (Book Bloggers Conference!, Which, by the way, Lenore of Presenting Lenore will be one of the panelists this year), your sure to have hours of planning ahead of you.

Also, great news is that this year if you register on the BEA website for the BBC, then the BEA's pass is free!  Excellent combo coming in at a cool 120$ before May 5th and 135$ after May 5th.

For last minute shoppers everywhere, a BEA pass makes for an excellent last minute Christmas gifts for the book blogger in your life.  Follow The Story Siren's instructions as to how to register them (must be correctly identified as industry related to gain entrance) and since it's just a website sign up it could literally be left till Christmas morning if you're that behind on your shopping!

Feline Fridays goes European, Meet La Dogaressa Felina- Guest post by Michelle Lovric

La Dogaressa Felina December 17

The Cat of Doge Francesco Morosini

This little cat was once the most famous pet in Venice.

Like the winged Syrian cats in The Undrowned Child, she was a feline who went to war.

Doge Francesco Morosini (who ruled Venice between 1688 and 1694) loved this cat so much that she accompanied him everywhere, including on his many military campaigns. As commander of the Venetian forces, he took the cat with him to fight the Turks. Among his triumphs was the reconquest of Athens and the Peloponnese, after which he gained the nickname Il Peloponnesiaco (Italian nicknames are often rather long). A sad casualty of that battle was the Parthenon, which the Turks were using as a gunpowder store when Morosini sent a shell in its direction.

The cat’s name or nickname is no longer known. But it is recorded in several places that the great warrior was notoriamente affezionatissimo – notoriously fond – of the creature.

Morosini never married. The French writer Champfleury wrote: ‘The cat of the great Morosini seems to have been his only great love, other than that of his country.’

For this reason, I have called her ‘Dogaressa’ rather than ‘Miss’ December 17. ‘Dogaressa’ was the word for the wife of the Doge.

Francesco Morosini was not alone in taking his cat on sea voyages. Many ships kept cats in those days, of course, to control the population of rats. Cats have always been the object of affection and superstition among sailors. In The Undrowned Child’s sequel, The Mourning Emporium, there is a ship’s cat called Sofonisba, who teaches young sailors how to predict the weather by reading the motions of her expressive tail. Records in the Venetian archives show that cats were signed on, just like sailors, for duty on naval and merchant expeditions.

When Doge Morosini’s cat died, he had her embalmed and placed in a box with a rat between her paws. The embalmed body of the cat was kept in his palace at Santo Stefano. In the nineteenth century, the contents and decorations of the palace were put up for sale, but fortunately the Comune of Venice intervened to buy the precious objects, including the body of the cat, which was once displayed in the Correr Museum, although lately it seems to have disappeared from the museum’s records.

Until recently, I thought the trail on Doge Morosini’s cat was dead.

However, a restoration of the Natural History Museum in the Fondaco dei Turchi has resulted in the creation of a Wunderkammer or Cabinet of Curiosities. This includes a mermaid (half a monkey stuffed into half a fish), a stuffed vulture, and a three-legged chicken that used to belong to one of the curators. (It drowned in its waterbowl.) All are artfully arranged to make the cabinet look like the famous room of the collector Ferrante Imperato in Naples.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrante_Imperato

Now I’m as interested in fake mermaids and real three-legged chickens as the next person. But for me, visiting the newly reopened museum, the most interesting thing of all was to be found in a glass case almost hidden behind other exhibits. Inside the green-lined case was the pinkish embalmed body of a fine cat with athletic back legs and a long muzzle.

And between its paws was a good specimen of a pantegana – a sinewy Venetian rat.

Have I found the mortal remains of Venice’s only feline Dogaressa?

I believe I have.


Want to immerse yourself more in Venetian history and excitement? Pick up one of Michelle's two awesome children's books The Undrowned Child and The Mourning Emporium. Click below to check out my reviews (these are two of my favorite books that I've read this year!):
The Undrowned Child Review
The Mourning Emporium Review
Also check out last weeks Feline Friday goes European post (if you missed it) on Venetian Cat Sanctuaries, and my interview with Michelle Lovric herself!

The Dead-Tossed Waves, By Carrie Ryan- Review

After plowing through The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I wanted nothing more than to rush out and buy The Dead-Tossed Waves.  But I practiced a very rare form of self restraint for two entire months (while working my way through a pile of ARC's), finally rewarding myself a couple of weeks ago with both it and The Lost Hero (my other piece of incredible self-restraint).

I'm not sure if the wait was part of why I went mad when I finally started reading it? But one way or another I tore through it in just over 24 hours which was my feeble attempt at dragging it out a bit.
Hardy Har Har.
Now I might die in anticipation of the third and final part- The Dark and Hollow Places, releasing March 22nd 2011.  Seriously, I might.

The Dead-Tossed Waves starts where The Forest of Hands and Teeth left off, some unspecified amount of time later (my guess is about 25-30 years), with Gabry.  Mary's daughter.
Oh, that's right, see you already want to read it too don't you?!
The story follows Gabry for the most part, but with great cameos from characters from The Forest of Hands and Teeth and of course Mary.  As with The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves is a story of love and survival in the post-apocalyptic world where the Infected are more numerous than the uninfected and where humanity has wasted away to the primitive life of survival in towns and cities that have partially crumbled to the ground.

Prior to meeting the hubby, I can't say I was very interested in horror, and especially not in zombies.  But of course people will introduce you to all sorts of great things if you give them the chance, and that's exactly what he did.  He started with The Stand, which I was deeply surprised about how much I enjoyed, and moved on in baby steps from there.  So when Mrs DeRaps Reads suggested a great zombie book, I was on-board.  Little did I know she was introducing me to a super, stellar Zombie trilogy I would be crazed for!

In a nutshell I love the feel of these books.  The crumbling world where people know very little about pre-infection society not only lends the story a great creepy ambiance but makes the mystery of the zombies and what really happened all that more intriguing.  It also gives all the characters the sheltered life they need for the story to build on the relationships, fear and adventure aspects in all the right ways. Think The Village, meets The Waking Dead and you'll have an idea of what I'm talking about.

As much as I'm looking forward to the last book, I have to say I'll be very sad if The Dark and Hollow Places marks the end of Carries rambles through that world.  She's made me love zombies in a way I hardly knew I could and to be honest, I don't want it to end.  So fingers crossed that she's on her way to writing another as we speak!

The Dead-Tossed Waves, By Carrie Ryan
Published by Delacorte Books, March 2010

City of Fallen Angels Teaser and Cover Reveal!!

It's up! It's up! It's UP!!!!

Cover reveal on Entertainment Weeklys Shelf Life!!! And a TEASER!!!!

Simon glanced toward the window. It was a brisk night, and the wind was blowing leaves across Second Avenue like handfuls of thrown confetti. There was a girl walking down the street, a girl in a tight belted trench coat, with long black hair that flew in the wind. People turned to watch her as she walked past. Simon had looked at girls like that before in the past, idly wondering where they were going, who they were meeting. Not guys like him, he knew that much.


Except this one was. The bell on the diner’s front door rang as the door opened, and Isabelle Lightwood came in. She smiled when she saw Simon, and came toward him, shrugging off her coat and draping it over the back of the chair before she sat down. Under the coat she was wearing one of what Clary called her “typical Isabelle outfits”: a tight short velvet dress, fishnet stockings, and boots. There was a knife stuck into the top of her left boot that Simon knew only he could see; still, everyone in the diner was watching as she sat down, flinging her hair back. Whatever she was wearing, Isabelle drew attention like a fireworks display.

Beautiful Isabelle Lightwood. When Simon had met her, he’d assumed she’d have no time for a guy like him. He’d turned out to bemostly right. Isabelle liked boys her parents disapproved of, and inher universe that meant Downworlders—faeries, werewolves, and vamps. That they’d been dating regularly for the past month or two amazed him, even if their relationship was limited mostly to infrequent meetings like this one. And even if he couldn’t help but wonder, if he’d never been changed into a vampire, if his whole life hadn’t been altered in that moment, would they be dating at all

And thanks Kristina! for close ups and Cassies comments on the cover, check out her blog.  Boy people are fast finding these things!

City of Fallen Angels Cover reveal and Clockwork Prince Teaser!! Happy Holidays from Simon and Schuster and Cassandra Clare!

So I'm bummed that I'm not leading you to the cover reveal for City of Fallen Angels yet (it was due out on Entertainment Weekley's Shelf Life this morning so keep your eyes peeled).  But Mundie Mom's did kindly post Cassies late night tweet, a little holiday gift!
So without further ado!  A small teaser from the forthcoming Clockwork Prince!!

"Someday, Will, I will go where none can follow me, and I think it will be sooner rather than later. Have you ever asked yourself why I agreed to be your parabatai?" —Jem

ohhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Ahhh, the holidays. Horrendous harbinger of hell.

Yup, that's right.  That's what I said, no need to re-read the title. 
BIG Sigh.
So it's two weeks yesterday, until Christmas day.  In my future are three parties, one bake-a-thon, one book to finish that has taken me a stupendous amount of time due to busyness, one flight to book (except they are all booked unless I want to pay a fortune), so now one vacation to try and re-negotiate dates for, one un-happy mom due to screwed up flight plans, dozens of gifts to pack and ship (ugh!), one craft show to do, laundry and housecleaning (how this is still something I have to do when it's this busy astounds me, can't it clean itself for once?!), one interview to ace, one interview to buy clothes for (um, when did I pudge up too much to wear my interview outfits??!!, I haven't even really started the Christmas food fest!), one blog to continue writing, and 500 emails to catch up on!
There's probably more, but I can't stand thinking about it all.  And I thought I was being so organised this year, ha, ha, ha.

Of course on the upside I have a lovely cosy home, with a Christmas tree our newbie baby has not knocked over yet (yay Thurman!), a tea advent calendar promising me a perfect hour or so every evening, no travel over Christmas holidays for the first time in 12 years (yay no freakin' holiday crowds and yearly weather delay nightmares!), and the promise of a fairly relaxing January (of course overlooking the belated Christmas travel to Saskatchewan in January).  So it's not all bad.
And of course there is all that delightful food to look forward too as well.

The point of all this?  Yes poor reader, I had a point other than to stress you out about your own mountain of to-do lists: My apologies in advance for a shortage of reviews in the next two weeks or so.  They'll be ongoing but at a much slower rate (as I'm sure you've already noticed) than normal.  Of course on December 23rd I'll be taking a moment to chat about my fav by the fire reads for Winterlong, and  Feline Fridays continues it's European flavour with an awesome post by Michelle Lovric next Friday, not to mention repeating the fab tidbits I run across when I still have enough time to peruse the World Wide Web. But reviews will be thin on the ground folks, almost as thin as the pitiful snow in Toronto this Holiday season.

So alas, I hope not to disappoint those of you looking for yuletide escape, but my advance apologies if this blog seems to get a bit quiet in the next two weeks or so.

Feline Fridays goes European, meet Copernico of Sant' Agostin- Guest post By Michelle Lovric

Mr December 10

Copernico of Sant’Agostin

Copernico, a big white Persian cat, is the boss of the apparently undistinguished square of Sant’Agostin.

Once this campo boasted a beautiful church and a palace belonging to the bluest of Venetian blood. Both are gone. And you must go round the corner and down a tiny lane to find the other main point of interest – a plaque marking the birthplace of Daniele Manin, hero of the 1848 revolt against the Austrians.

These days Sant’Agostin, land bound, dusty and enclosed by modern (for Venice) blocks of flats, is a square to hurry past on the way to the Frari or the picturesque San Giacomo dell’Orio – rather than a place to dally with a spritz.

In fact, the very plainness of Sant’Agostin is the result of a violent and colourful history. If you’ve read my books The Undrowned Child and The Mourning Emporium, then you’ll remember that it once was home to the palace of Bajamonte Tiepolo, the arrogant nobleman who conspired to murder the Doge and take over the city in 1310. When his plot failed, Bajamonte himself was sent into perpetual exile, his palazzo was razed to the ground, and the state erected a column of infamy to mark the spot where the traitor had lived. That column was soon subject to an assassination attempt of its own – and the man who broke it in three was deprived of a hand and both of his eyes. Later, the column ended up in a garden by a lake, and now – ridiculously – languishes in a dark and dusty repository of the Fondazione di Musei Civici … but that’s another story.

Napoleon closed the square’s beautiful church, and by 1873 it had fallen into such a bad state that it had to be demolished.

Copernico the cat lives with his master Alberto, who used to have a boatyard with 30 rowing craft on the edge of the square. Now even that has disappeared, but Copernico is still there to protect the square from interlopers who might think of making further changes to his beloved home. Nor does he tolerate any other cats in his territory.

Copernico was found abandoned as a tiny kitten on an island in the lagoon. That was thirteen years ago. Alberto brought him home, fed him up and watched him grow into a magnificent beast and a great hunter. Copernico is very artistic too: he likes to catch pairs of rats and leave them aligned perfectly in parallel for his master to find.

On sunny days Copernico can be seen reclining on his own special piece of carpet on flagstones outside his home. He probably won’t condescend to get up to meet you, but he’ll give you a loud miaow if you approach. Make sure you do so humbly: if Bajamonte Tiepolo were to be reincarnated in feline form, I suspect he might look something like Copernico.

Want to immerse yourself more in Venetian history and excitement?  Pick up one of Michelle's two awesome children's books The Undrowned Child and The Mourning Emporium. Click below to check out my reviews (these are two of my favorite books that I've read this year!):
The Undrowned Child Review
The Mourning Emporium Review
Also check out last weeks Feline Friday goes European post (if you missed it) on Venetian Cat Sanctuaries, and my interview with Michelle Lovric herself!

Winterlong Tour

I'm taking part in a great blog tour starting tomorrow and ending on December 23rd.  It's three pronged and promises to have something for everyone!  Not to mention the next two weeks are sure to be filled with moments where you'll just want to stop everything and sit down with your favourite drink and take a load off for a few minutes.  Nothing better than a blog tour for that!

So starting tomorrow there will be a Musical component to the hop.  Hop through the blogs listed to catch on to this musical tour.  Then starting Saturday join each of the blogs listed for reviews, guest posts and prizes in conjunction with the very fun Sasha Soren book- Random Magic. Finally, join me and others on the last day (the 23) as we sit by the fire, drink tea and talk about our fav winter book.  You know, the ones that have to be read as it's softly snowing and your snug as a bug inside drinking tea with no other plans for the day.  

Sigh.

See, I'm relaxed just thinking about it!

I know personally, I'm already maxed out on my 400 page long to-do list, and I can't wait to stop and smell the Christmas tree as it were.  So when you need a break, stop in and join us!  It's guaranteed to be a good time!

Random Magic Tour: Winterlong

Dec. 10-23, 2010

About: Random Magic

Tour organization: Lyrika Publicis

Tour prize coordinator: @LaFemmeReaders

Contact the tour: @RandomMagicTour 

Win something wonderful: Tour prizes

http://tinyurl.com/2bf7rh4

Random Magic (Gift-wrapped, first edition)

Fairy tale mini-dolls (Madame Alexander series, complete set)

Magical Covers art event: Prize pack

Beautiful art journal

This Book Belongs To- bookplates set

2011 ARC (pre-pub.) YA winter-themed novel

Dec. 10

Winterlong: Musical Blog Hop

Come sit by the fire and enjoy some lovely winter tunes…

 #1 of 10: Spellbound by Books

@Meeka_21

Themes (song and book): Buoyancy - Good Cheer

#2 of 10: Geeky Blogger

@thehistorychic

Themes (song and book): Reflection - Spirituality

#3 of 10: Ecstatic Reviews

@EcstaticReviews

Themes (song and book): Fortitude - Quirkiness

#4 of 10: Elbit Blog

@MeriGreenleaf

Themes (song and book): Tenderness - Devotion

#5 of 10: The Reading Lassie

@ReadingLassie

Themes (song and book): Magic - Mystery

#6 of 10: A Reader’s Adventure

@ReaderAdventure

Theme (song and book): Celebration - Humor

#7 of 10: vvb32 Reads

@vvb32reads

Themes (song and book): Love - Geniality

#8 of 10: About Happy Books

@abouthappybooks

Themes (song and book): Comedy - Creativity

#9 of 10: The True Book Addict

@truebookaddict

Themes (song and book): Hope - Light 

#10 of 10: The Fluidity of Time

Twitter: n/a

Themes (song and book): Art - Beauty - Inspiration

Bonus: Free winter song for every stop

on the hop, feel free to visit all blogs to find them all.

Dec. 11

La Femme Readers

Twitter: @lafemmereaders

Magical Covers: Reimagining the cover of Random Magic

Welcome and prizes info

Voting: Dec. 18 - Winner revealed: Dec. 20

Dec. 12

My Love Affair With Books

Twitter: @Misha_1989

Review

Feat.: ‘Winter Dancers’

 and – just for fun!

Unabridged Chick

Twitter: @unabridgedchick

Feat.: Elf Yourself (winter widget)

Dec. 13

Oodles of Books

Twitter: @oodlesofbooks

Review

 and

 Books, Sweets and other Treats

Twitter: @lindsiking

Feat.: ‘Winter Drinks’

Dec. 14

Stories and Sweeties

Twitter: @storiesweeties

Review

Feat.: ‘Sweets for the Sweet’

Dec. 15

vvb32 Reads

Twitter: @vvb32reads

Feat.: ‘Dandy Fellows’

Related event: Dandies and Delectables (Dec. 10-23)

Dec. 16

Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell

Twitter: @blodeuedd83

Review

 and

 Chick Loves Lit

Twitter: @shanynlee

Review

Feat.: ‘The Secrets of Random Magic’

Dec. 17

This Miss Loves To Read

Twitter: @MissIrenne

Review

Feat. ‘Fairy Tale Top 10: Random Magic

Dec. 18

Booklover - Book Chicks

Twitter: @LexieVmp666

Review

Feat.: Video review of Random Magic

More: The Booklover - Book Chicks video channel 

and

La Femme Readers

Twitter: @lafemmereaders

Magical Covers: Reimagining the cover of Random Magic

Voting on cover entries winning cover revealed on Dec. 20

Dec. 19

The Fluidity of Time

Twitter: n/a

Review

Feat.: ‘Subtle Magic: A discussion of Random Magic themes

 and

Mundie Moms

Twitter: @MundieMoms

Twitter: @katiebmundiemom

Review (book chat format)

Dec. 20

Makeshift Bookmark

Twitter: @makeshiftjen

Review

Feat.: ‘Casting Random Magic’ (gallery)

and

La Femme Readers

Twitter: @lafemmereaders

Magical Covers: Reimagining Random Magic

Finale: Cover winner revealed

Dec. 21

The Bushwick Book Club (Seattle chapter)

Twitter: n/a

Feat.: Songs inspired by Random Magic (audio/video)

Details: Video performances, two different singer-songwriters.

More: The Bushwick Book Club (Seattle) video channel

Dec. 22

Girls in the Stacks

Twitter: @girlsinthestack

Feat.: Bookshelf Theater: Random Magic (video)

Details: Video performance, cute scene from the book.

More: The Girls in the Stacks video channel

Dec. 23

Winter Reading Circle: Tales for a Winter Night

Find some nice and cozy – or dark and spooky –

reads perfect for wintertime, on this fun blog hop.

#1 of 6: 

What Book Is That?

Twitter: @heynocupcake

#2 of 6:

Willowdust Reviews – Tina’s Book Reviews

Twitter: @BooksatTinas

#3 of 6: 

Diary of a Bookworm- ME!

Twitter: n/a

 #4 of 6:

A Reader’s Adventure

Twitter: @ReaderAdventure

 #5 of 6: 

vvb32 Reads

Twitter: @vvb32reads

 #6 of 6 

La Femme Readers

Twitter: @lafemmereaders