Do You Like to Read?

Thursday, December 11, 2008 Posted In , , , , , , , , , , Edit This 1 Comment »
I am thinking of participating in this reading challenge. I already belong to a book club that I struggle to keep up with (because I read so many books at the same time...) but I think I could, maybe, perhaps do this one. It's a 12 month challenge so there is plenty of time. (Famous last words.)


This is a challenge that anyone can join, no matter what books they like to read. You should be able to find books from any genre. Click here to sign up (or you can participate anonymously, but you won't be eligible for prizes).

*Dates: January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009*

The Challenge- Choose one book from each of the following categories:

1. A book with a "profession" in its title. Examples might include: The Book Thief, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Historian.

2. A book with a "time of day" in its title. Examples might include: Twilight, Four Past Midnight, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

3. A book with a "relative" in its title. Examples might include: Eight Cousins, My Father's Dragon, The Daughter of Time.

4. A book with a "body part" in its title. Examples might include: The Bluest Eye, Bag of Bones, The Heart of Darkness.

5. A book with a "building" in its title. Examples might include: Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little House on the Prairie, The Looming Tower.

6. A book with a "medical condition" in its title. Examples might include: Insomnia, Coma, The Plague.

Please don't use the same book for more than one category.

There will be some small prizes scattered throughout. No set schedule, so just be sure to check in once a while. There will also be a prize awarded at the conclusion to one participant who completes the challenge.

Here are my book choices:

Profession: Lady's Maid by Margaret Forster
Time of day: Joy in the Morning by P.G. Wodehouse
Relative: Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr by Garth Nix
Body part: The Ear, The Eye and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
Building: Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Medical condition: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella


Perambulating in Boots of Ascension Whilst Trumpeting Melodiously

Sunday, December 07, 2008 Posted In , , , , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
I love a good play on words and I especially love words that have been messed up unintentionally. For instance, I came across this notice from an Austrian Ski hotel: "Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension." When was the last time you perambulated during the hours of repose? I love it!

How about this one from a Bucharest hotel lobby: "The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable." Good call, I find myself unbearable at the best of times.

Have you ever read the book, "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by LDS author Lynne Truss? Me neither. Who would have thought a book about punctuation would ever make it to #1 on the Bestseller list? Lynne said the title of the book came from a misplaced comma in a sentence about a panda who eats shoots and leaves (of the bamboo tree). Geddit? Putting a comma in there changes the meaning of the sentence ENTIRELY. That's the sort of stuff I find funny and I see it all the time even in my own town.

So when you see me chortling away for no apparent reason, you will know that I have just read something funny like this traffic sign, "Slow Children Crossing". Like Lynne said, "I wonder if the slow children crossing grow up to be "Slow Men At Work?"

I'm A Food Fanatic... Oops, I Mean Food 'Storage' Fanatic

Friday, December 05, 2008 Posted In , , , , , , , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
This year I have been making more of an effort to obtain food storage and become more prepared for emergencies. I have even been to the cannery and bought a million cans of wheat! I acquired some food storage cook books and bought a grain mill. I even have some of that freeze-dried powdered muck and 20 gallons of honey. All I need now is an idiot who will eat this stuff because my kids sure won't!

But I am still so excited about emergency preparedness that you could almost call me an Everyday Food Storage FANATIC. Actually, no, that sentence was a shameless plug for the blog of the same name, and a plea to be entered into their contest. I love winning things, don't you?

Which isn't to say I am not a food storage fanatic... just maybe not an everyday one. Perhaps I'm an every-other-month fanatic, which hardly qualifies me for the fanatic title so just forget I mentioned it. The important thing is that I am in the competition and I love winning things, don't you?

So anyway, I'm off to the shop to buy 10 cans of dehydrated 'whatever is on special'. I just saw a sale for pork flavoured TVP. Mmmm, sounds delish!

Older Posts