Wacky Wednesday

I should really be posting a review of a book today, but this past week has been unusual to say the least.  My husband Jeff and I have been battling this cold that won't let go.  He finally went to Urgent Care on Monday for some meds.  I was feeling better on Monday, even went to my sons basketball game and except for one ear being plugged, I yelled and cheered them on to victory, then spent yesterday in bed, watching my favorite daytime drama "Days of our Lives" and then a bunch of mindless television, only read one chapter.

Sunday, my daughter took my grandson to Urgent Care because he woke up from his nap covered in a rash, it was diagnosed as hives.  The doctor said to give him Benedryl and use calamine lotion for the itching.  Now the Benedryl comes with a little cup, like this 2 year old is just going to take a shot of medicine.  We end up holding him down and forcing him to drink while he spits most of it out.  I ask you, all these drug companies spent millions of dollars trying to make the medicine taste like candy, why can't they make it look like candy too.  Imagine medicine packaged in little bits, that look like Skittles and the child get 3-5 bits depending on his age, or a sucker that is really medicine and as the child licks it, he gets the medicine he needs.  He is feeling better today, but the doctor said the rash could crop up for weeks, and he offered no answer as to what may have caused the rash to even occur.

Also this week, my 6' 4" little boy has been using my computer to research and do papers,  powerpoints and movies for 2 projects.  One is about the Wild Boar and other is about T. S. Eliot.  I hope he keeps everything separate, :).  Both are due tomorrow I believe, and I know he will do well because he really been "burning the midnight oil."

Another thing this week that is weighing on my mind is this fight between Amazon and Macmillian Publishing.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9150538/FAQ_Amazon_vs._Macmillan_The_iPad_wins_?taxonomyId=75&pageNumber=2  It has me worried about some of my favorite authors.  Authors that had books come out recently who had fans pre-order their books from Amazon.  Were these requests honored?  Who is this action really hurting, the publishers or the authors.  There are many places to buy books other than Amazon.  I use Amazon widgets on my blog, I not sure if any other company offers blogger utilities like Amazon, but if the book you want is not available on Amazon, just hustle right over to http://www.barnesandnoble.com/.  Support your favorite authors by shopping elsewhere.

On a lighter note I going to share a joke sent to me by my mother-in-law for this Super Bowl weekend.

A man goes to the Minnesota Vikings ticket office and inquires about purchasing super bowl tickets.

The ticket teller replies that there weren't any tickets for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the super bowl. 

The following day the same man goes to the Minnesota Vikings ticket office and inquires about purchasing Vikings super bowl tickets.

 
The ticket teller politely replies that there weren't any tickets for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the super bowl.

This goes on for an entire week. 

The man again goes to the Viking ticket office inquiring about super bowl tickets and the teller says none are for sale because the Vikings did not make it to the super bowl. 

Another week of this goes by and the man still is asking the ticket teller about Viking super bowl tickets. 

Finally the ticket teller in a loud voice says, "I'VE TOLD YOU FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS THERE WERE NOT ANY TICKETS AVAILABLE BECAUSE THE VIKINGS DID NOT MAKE IT TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!" 

The man replied, "I know. I drive all the way from Green Bay just to hear you say that."

You know I LOVE MY PACKERS!!!

IT'S MONDAY!! WHAT ARE YOU READING?

This great idea is hosted by: 
http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/

  FINISHED LAST WEEK

•  Spackled and Spooked by Jennie Bentley
• The Noticer by Andy Andrews
• High Anxiety by Charlotte Hughes
• Sister by A. Manette Ansay

 CURRENTLY READING

• The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews

ON DECK

• The Shack by Wm. Paul Young
• Serendipity by Louise Shaffer

HIGH ANXIETY by Charlotte Hughes

This is the third installment of Hughes' Kate Holly series, after What Looks Like Crazy and Nutcase.  These stories feature Kate who is a psychologist, her ex-husband/current boyfriend Jay, her best friend and receptionist Mona and of course her female dog named Mike, as well as her zany other friends, family neighbors and patients.

Kate helps out a colleague with her anger management group which is held in a church basement, taking Mona with her, and after one of the members pulls out a gun Kate rushes in to disarm her and the gun goes off, the bullet ending up in a picture of Jesus.  Kate is called everything from a hero to an atheist.

After this event Mona breaks out with a rash that is blamed on stress and refuses to go out in public.  After one day of her Mom, Dixie stepping in to help and trying to cure patients in the waiting room, Kate knows she must hire a temporary receptionist until Mona returns.  This is where the fun and danger begins.

Be careful you may find yourself laughing out loud.

For more information on the author and her books visit her website at: http://www.readcharlottehughes.com/

The NOTICER by Andy Andrews

Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.

This book arrived on Wednesday, when I was suffering from a sore throat and a terrible headache. I set the book beside on the bed and kept looking at that cover. It was not the title or the author that kept drawing my attention but the tag line from a review by golfer Nancy Lopez, “This is the best book I have ever read in my life.”

Within minutes I was halfway through Chapter 1 and had no idea I wouldn’t put it down until I finished. It is fiction, but the author writes it as an autobiography and it is full of more inspiration, wisdom and motivation than any self help book.

An elderly white haired man with brown skin who calls himself Jones, just Jones, not Mr. Jones, shows up at one of the author’s lowest points of his life and shows him how a different way of looking at things, a different perspective can change his life.

Over the years this man shows up again and again in this small Alabama town to help the desperate, depressed and downtrodden. Those who feel helpless and hopeless whether it be from the loss of a job, the loss of a loved one, divorce, financial worries or just at the end of their rope. He knows everything about them and helps them see their lives in a different perspective and changes their lives.

He believed that everyone was “in a crisis, coming out of a crisis, or headed for a crisis.” “That’s just part of being on this planet.” It was how you handled the crisis that made you who you are. How just being on this earth affects so many other people.

This book takes place over several years and it isn’t until the end that you see that everyone in the small town knew Jones and how many lives he truly affected.

I can’t say this is the best book I have ever read but it is the right up in the top five. I feel everyone needs to read this book. I am going to pass my copy around to my family and it may eventually wind up in my church library so many more people have a chance to read this wonderful story.

If you would like more information about this book or other books by Andy Andrews please check out his website:  http://www.andyandrews.com/

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Jennie Bentley Has Hit The Nail On The Head

With her Do-It-Yourself Mystery Series.

In Fatal fixer-upper, Avery Baker is a Manhattan interior designer whose life is turned upside down when she receives a letter from an aunt she has seen since she was 5 years old.  Aunt Inga summons Avery to Waterfield, Maine to help her get her affairs in order.  Sadly the letter did not have enough postage and by the time Avery gets to Maine her aunt has passed away and left Avery her house and her cats.  She receives an offer for the house, but learns the house would be worth much more if she just fixes it up a little.  Enter handyman, Derek Ellis,to help her restore the house, but during the renovation all kinds of clues are uncovered that may lead to missing college professor who was working with Avery's aunt on some Wakefield history.  Unfortunately Avery's life may be endangered if she continues to follow the clues.

In spackled and SPOOKED, after finishing her Aunt's home, Avery decides to stay in Waterfield for awhile and goes into the business of restoring houses to sell with her favorite handyman, Derek.  They purchase a home that seriously stigmatized because a  family was murdered there almost 20 years ago and has sat empty since.  As if that isn't enough to deter future sales a skeleton is found in the crawlspace under the house.  There also seems to be a ghost lurking around.  If they are going to sell this house they need to get busy and solve all the mysteries if they can stay alive long enough.

Both are faced paced stories that will hook you from the start.  A perfect blend of cozy mystery with a little romance filled in. Book 3 Plaster and Poison releases on March 2, 2010

For more information about Jennie Bentley and her alter ego check out http://www.jenniebentley.com/

The Literary Road Trip

 Sponsored by   http://www.galleysmith.com/

One of my fellow bloggers turned me on to this after reading my post about wanting to read books set in Wisconsin or by Wisconsin authors.

The Literary Road Trip is a project in which bloggers are volunteering to showcase local authors. This showcase can be anything they want to make of it – book reviews, author interviews, giveaways – as long as we’re working with an author local to us.

I have staked my claim on Wisconsin with one other blogger so far and I have read one book Vinegar Hill by A. Manatte Ansay, but have 2 more books by her to read here on my pile and I plan to write a post after I finish all three.

Remember if you have any books or authors you want to suggest just email me at: dollycas79@gmail.com or post a comment here on my blog. If you want to find out more about The Literary Road Trip and find bloggers from other states just go to: http://www.galleysmith.com/literary-road-trip/

IT'S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING?

This great idea is hosted by: 
http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/

  FINISHED LAST WEEK

• Lye In Wait by Cricket McRae
• Heaven Preserve Us by Cricket MaRae
• Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay
• Fatal Fixer Upper by Jennie Bently 

CURRENTLY READING

• Spackled and Spooked by Jennie Bently

ON DECK

• Sister by A. Mannette Ansay
• High Anxiety by Charlotte Hughes
• The Fixer Upper by Mary Kay Andrews