Random New Year's Eve: Goodbye 2010

There were quite a few posts I wanted to get written before midnight tonight, but I haven't had the mental resources to get them done. I plan to drag 2010 out a few more days to get the pleasant stuff out there. That includes:

• a letter to my children (I decided to do it quarterly)
• a year end reading wrap up
• a look back at my goals for 2010
• a brief post reviewing the 5 or 6 books I never got around to talking about, I want a clean slate, ya know?
• a post about the fun things I made as Christmas gifts
• an entire post about the new house, with pictures!
• New posts about a New year! Goals and resolutions and a big mental mindset change for my life.
• I am also planning to revive my Etsy Item of the Day posting over at the madebylisah blog.

You will not see:

• full reviews of any of those books
• any recap of the crappy parts of this year
• New Years Eve celebration (it's a blizzard here and I have 3 small kids, yawn)

One day soon, perhaps even today, I will find a way to get the pictures off my camera so you can see some cuteness. Meanwhile, enjoy that one of the Princess at Christmas.

Scout is back at the vet's, this time for a several days stay. Seems she ate a bone somewhere and it got lodged in her throat and is very very infected. She is a sick girl and could use some good thoughts. Along those lines, we have a very old kitty who we will be making some decisions for soon. It's taken a lot of cheer out of me the last couple of weeks.

Speaking of vet bills, in lieu of having an actual job, and believe me, I'm looking!, I'll be talking more about my Etsy shop. I'll try to contain myself so you regulars don't get sick of it, but until these kids and pets start pulling their weight, this is where it's at.

And on that note, two of my children are complaining, I better so find out the problem. Have a Happy New Year's Eve, be safe.

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Welcome to Rawlins Municipal Library in Pierre, SD!

One of the biggest changes for us (ok, ME) in this move is the move from a large automated library with a huge selection to the tiny little library in Pierre.  This library is largely charming. There is no automation, the librarian checks your books in and out manually and stamps each one with a date stamp. There is a website and you can search for books and check your account online, but you can't check them out yourself.  There is no coffee shop as in the Rapid City Library, but there is a little coffee cart with free coffee and hot water for tea. Instead of plastic bags with the library's logo, the Pierre library has a nice stack of (donated?) canvas bags for you to use, should you forget yours. (They also have some grocery store bags so kids can have their own bag.) You actually have to talk to the library to check out a book! Fees are forgiven if you check your books in on Sunday or Wednesday. Overall, it's very charming and I think we'll find it perfectly acceptable (especially since we can get ILL from Rapid City.)

Let's take a little tour, shall we? See this picture? This is the ENTIRE library. This is standing at the front wall, looking all the way to the back. The middle 1/4 of the library (at least, maybe even 1/3) is public computers and magazines, just over that low shelf there behind those kids.

Looking to the left from here is the kid's section:

What you can't see in that picture are these little boxes for each popular author or series, like this:

No expense spared on those boxes!

They also have sections for all the Newbery winners and Caldecott winners, so you don't have to search them out. It inspires me to read through them all, but I need to find a nice list.

This is the children's librarian's desk. Note: not office, desk.

At the very far back, right corner of that first picture is the young adult section, which looks like this:

About half that back wall is young adult fiction, along with the side you can't see of that freestanding shelf. The front of that freestanding shelf is young adult non-fiction. The rest of that part is the Large print books.

I haven't had much of a chance to check out the adult section, but it's divided up with sections for Westerns and Mysteries that are as big as the section for general fiction. The movie section has more VHS tapes than DVDs.

I've been keeping track of everything we check out, in part so that I can remember what Mike has read while I'm there, but also as a little experiment for myself. I'm marking each book with an R when I return it read, a DNF if I return it unread and don't want it again, and am contemplating what to use for "returned unread, but check it out again." Suggestions?  Right now it's in a moleskin, but if I ever get a smart phone I plan to make a spreadsheet. It should help later when trying to think of good blog posts as well.

What is you library like? Do you have more than one branch? How do you remeber what you've checked out? What you want to get again? Am I the only one still using paper? What  is the best feature of your library?

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

So random it's not even Friday!

• And in bullet points too!
• It is December 19th and we just finished talking about what we'd like to get our children for Christmas. Talking about, not buying. I'm going to do a little solo shopping this afternoon, maybe I can do it all in one $trike?
• We draw names in Mike's family. This year we got 2 preteen girls (gifts made! trinket gifts being pondered), 1 newborn boy (gift cut, not yet made), 1 adult woman (still pondering), 1 preteen boy (gonna have to buy that one, I don't think I have anything in my arsenal that a preteen boy would enjoy.) I also want to make one thing for each of my own children. I have made the Princess's stocking already, whew. Also 95% done with a gift for the Pirate's K teacher, and thinking about what to make the classroom aide. Pictures of all that one day as well.
• Hey, I wonder if any of my inlaws read this blog? None of them have ever admitted to it. Hello?
• Soon, a library loot post for you from my new library, as well as entire post about how quaint and charming it is- with (cellphone) pictures taken on the sly!
• I have finished two entire books: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron and When Did I Get Like This?: The Screamer, the Worrier, the Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget-Buyer, and Other Mothers I Swore I'd Never Be by Amy Wilson and am very close to finishing Beautiful Disaster by Laura Spinella, which is for review but has hit one of my person sticky points so I had to take a break.
• Our new house has a laundry chute!! This one thing has completely changed the state of my house, seriously. Love love love. Will never live in a two story house without one again. Pictures of the house one day soon. Soonish. Maybe in 2011.
• We are going to a cabin with the inlaws, all of them (24 people counting us), for 3 days. We leave Friday morning. I have not found anything to do with my dog while we are gone. Anyone want a dog?
• Two of our lovely new neighbors brought us cookies. I plan to return the favor, if I ever make some.
• Tomorrow is my turn on the Virtual Advent Tour. I have an idea for a post, please let me get it written!
• I had to mark literally thousands of unread posts read in Google Reader, did I miss anything important?
• How is your Christmas shaping up?

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

To tide you over until I can think again.

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Hello Sweet Internets! My couch missed you.

Hello! We are online again! It's been a long long week without the internet. I have no opened Google Reader even one time and clearly have neglected my own blog as well. I have, however, unpacked most of my home- just lacking the sewing room!  It feels very lazy to sit here online instead of doing something while the baby sleeps!

I've read one entire book and most of two others, so once I get used to all this connectivity I'll be back with a few reviews. So glad to see you all again!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Hello from Pierre McDonalds!

We made it! We just don't have internet at home yet. OR cable. I am at McDonald's, which hallelujah! has an indoor playland. We're supposed to be online on the 14th, so see you all again then.

The move was fairly smooth and the house is getting settled and the Pirate started school this morning. I think we might live here!

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin

I have to admit, I'm not the hugest fan of Kathy Griffin (not because she isn't funny, but because I'm just not into comedians) and I'm not a big reader of celebrity memoirs. So I'm not really sure why I picked Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin up at all, but it was there and I checked it out and found myself reading it. Crazy how that happens! I don't even remember seeing any other reviews of it in blogland.

Unlike most of the memoirs I read, where the author follows one thread or experiment through the book, this one is a straight up memoir of her life, from childhood until the present.  Griffin really presents herself as an unattractive dorky child. She lives with her parents until she is 28. Despite this, she also claims to have been very promiscious, sleeping with anyone she meets. Griffin works very hard to build a career in show business, long after most people would have given up. Her efforts seem to have finally paid off with My Life on the D-List. 

I was a fan of Suddenly Susan when it was on the air, and I think that was really my only exposure to Griffin prior to this book. I found myself reading it with a bit of distrust. I find it hard to believe that anyone would be so willing to put every detail in print like this, but the prevailance of reality shows argues against this. I find it hard to believe that things happened exactly as she claims and that she's so willing to name names and talk smack about other entertainers.

Overall, very lightweight, probably more entertaining if you care about comedy. Great for when your brain can't take anything else. It was pretty funny in places, as it should be, and the Reading Group Guide at the end is not to be missed.

Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin
Ballantine Books
2009
348 pages

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copy write Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts (Bride Quartet)

(Scroll down to see the order of the Bride Quartet. This is book four.)

It's been a few years since I've looked forward to the conclusion of a series as much as this one. Happy Ever After (Bride Quartet) by Nora Roberts wraps up the Bride Quartet quite nicely. This one is the story of Parker Brown, the mastermind behind the team at Vows, an exclusive wedding planning service and location. Parker is the brains, she's organized to her teeth and is always in control. Malcolm is her brother Del's friend, and mechanic to the Vows team. Parker dreams of happily ever after, but she has it all planned out, and Malcolm is not part of it.

I loved this entire series, but Parker and Mal was the one I was most looking forward to. I couldn't wait to see someone shake up her perfect control. I wasn't certain that I really liked Parker before this one, but I knew that it would be great to see someone get to her. Malcolm is very successful at his job.  He's built a reputation and isn't just some hole-in-the-wall shop. Mal knows what he wants, which is Parker, but he also knows that she's calling the shots.

This ended up being my second favorite of the group. The main action centers around the wedding of Mac and Carter from Vision in White (The Bride Quartet, Book 1), which is where the series concludes. The winter season turns out to be a really busy one at Vows (tho, what season isn't?) and all of them are swamped. Mal forces Parker to make time for her and before you know it they are head over heels. Now I happen to like romance novels where not a whole like happens plotwise so this was right up my alley, but if you prefer a little action with your romance, you may not enjoy it so much.  I managed to read it in one day, because it's light and easy and fits what I need right now, but there isn't a lot of meat to it.

For this series, I'd rank them in the following order:

Vision in White (The Bride Quartet, Book 1) (my review)
Happy Ever After (Bride Quartet)
Bed of Roses (The Bride Quartet, Book 2) (my review)
Savor the Moment (The Bride Quartet, Book 3) (my review)


Happy Ever After (Bride Quartet)
Nora Roberts
Berkley Trade
2010
368 pages

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.

It's GO time!

Moving truck tomorrow, 8:30 AM!

See you all on the other end.

I am an Amazon Associate. As such, any purchase you make at Amazon.com after following a link from this blog will earn me a (tiny) percentage back as income. Thanks. All content copyright Books. Lists. Life. at http://bookslistslife.blogspot.com. If you're reading this post anywhere other than there, you are reading stolen content.