Banned Books Week

I’ve always thought that banning books is silly. Especially when there was an uproar over banning Harry Potter in some places. IT’S A BOOK. A work of FICTION. Are you insecure about your beliefs that you think your child reading a book about pretend ideas is going to harm them for life??? In fact I think it’s important to embrace and learn more about those issues that you DISAGREE WITH and do not approve. That way you can always know WHY you think a certain way and perhaps attempt to learn more about why THOSE WIERDOS think the way they do. :P

So, in honor of banned book weeks here is a list the ALA has complied of the 100 most challenged books from 1990-1999. Bolded are the one’s I’ve read and Italic’s are the ones I have on my TBR list.

Scary Stories (Series), by Alvin Schwartz
Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Forever, by Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
Alice (Series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Goosebumps (Series), by R.L. Stine
A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Sex, by Madonna
Earth’s Children (Series), by Jean M. Auel
The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
The Witches, by Roald Dahl
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
The New Joy of Gay Sex, by Charles Silverstein
Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
The Goats, by Brock Cole
The Stupids (Series), by Harry Allard
Anastasia Krupnik (Series), by Lois Lowry
Final Exit, by Derek Humphry
Blubber, by Judy Blume
Halloween ABC, by Eve Merriam
Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters, by Lynda Madaras
Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
Deenie, by Judy Blume
Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
Annie on my Mind, by Nancy Garden
Beloved, by Toni Morrison
The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat, by Alvin Schwartz
Harry Potter (Series), by J.K. Rowling
Cujo, by Stephen King
James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
Ordinary People, by Judith Guest
American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
Asking About Sex and Growing Up, by Joanna Cole
What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons, by Lynda Madaras
The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
Boys and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
Crazy Lady, by Jane Conly
Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan
Fade, by Robert Cormier
Guess What?, by Mem Fox
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
Native Son by Richard Wright
Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies, by Nancy Friday
Curses, Hexes and Spells, by Daniel Cohen
On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer
The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende
Jack, by A.M. Homes
Arizona Kid, by Ron Koertge
Family Secrets, by Norma Klein
Mommy Laid An Egg, by Babette Cole
Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Where Did I Come From?, by Peter Mayle
The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney
Carrie, by Stephen King
The Dead Zone, by Stephen King
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
Private Parts, by Howard Stern
Where’s Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman
Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
Running Loose, by Chris Crutcher
Sex Education, by Jenny Davis
Jumper, by Steven Gould
Christine, by Stephen King
The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
That Was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton
Girls and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
The Wish Giver, by Bill Brittain
Jump Ship to Freedom, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

When you were growing up did your parents pick out what you read? Did they ban certain books from you? My parents never EVER censored my reading. My tv watching, yes. Reading? Never.

Book Club...

Thinking it over and reading responses. I am thinking we should just read one book a month for now and perhaps in the summer months (it seems most of us have more free time then) maybe add a second book? If that is fine with everyone, I suggest we start taking suggestions for October!

Suggest one or more in the comments and if possibly leave a link to a review so others can read about it. Then Thursday I will post a poll and Saturday/Sunday announce the book of the month. Next month I will have us pick one BEFORE the month starts but since we are just starting, it will give us a few days to nominate books and vote.

Then hopefully I will be able to start reading whatever book we choose right away and start making posts for discussion!! (And feel free to do so on your blogs too!!)

Happy Reading!!

100 giveaway winner!!!!!!!!

Thanks for all your entries and for reading my blog!

And the winner of At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks is Kelly from She Wears a Red Sox Cap!!

Congratulations and send me your email and I will get a hold of you to send you the book!!

Salsa Chicken Rice Casserole

I made this in August and I am JUST uploading my pictures because I do not do that all too often. :) What can I say, I need a new camera and when I get one, I will be better.

Salsa Chicken Rice Casserole....
1 cup uncooked brown rice
I cup water 6 chicken breast tenders (very skinny mejier brand)
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (10.75 ounces) cream of chicken soup
½ of a medium size onion
1 ½ cup medium salsa
Sprinkle of paprika
Dab of hot sauce
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
some evoo

Adapted from this http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Salsa-Chicken-Rice-Casserole/Detail.aspx


First, I coated the bottom of the pan with some EVOO and got it nice and hot. Then I had the onion and sprinkled some paprika and red pepper flakes in with it. Let it cook while I started the brown rice and cut up the chicken into pieces. Then I added the chicken to the onions and added more paprika, more red pepper flakes and a dab of hot sauce. I should also mention I had marinated the chicken in a dry rub that my hub has made that has paprika, brown sugar, onion powder, a little garlic powder, some salt, chilli powder, and chipotle seasoning in it.

I let that cook for awhile until the chicken was cooked through and then I added the salsa and the can of cream of chicken soup. Let that cook for awhile and let the flavor set in.

Then I greased up the pan and got it ready. I put a layer of rice down and a layer of the chicken mixture. Then I put a cup of the cheese on top. Another layer of rice, chicken mixture and the other cup of cheese on top. Then I put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Before it went in the oven...

After it came out.. yumm....

Served with salsa and sour cream on top and chips on the side.

And the hot and sweaty chef.. :)

It was very good and spicy and we will make it again!!

Blogger Book Club

I was thinking tonight how there are so many books out there that I would love to read, but at the same time only really want to read them if I had people to talk them over. I was thinking there is a small enough group that reads here that we could do a monthly book club. We could pick 1 to 3 books that we all could read or if we chose we could read whatever one out of the selections that we wanted or had time too.

While reading we could post blogs on our own sites about certain passages, questions we were having or reactions. After we finished reading it we could post our reviews on our own blogs and during the last week of that month I would post different discussion question on my blog that everyone could respond too. Or others could do this as well.

I would also post a blog towards the end of each month where everyone could leave their suggestion for the next month’s read and leave the suggesting open for a few days and then I would post a poll on my site and everyone could vote for however many books we decided upon and the book(s) with the most votes would be our group reads of the month.

What do you think? Who would join this book club?

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 = way better than the first. Bridgette finds out she has a grandma who wants to be a part of her life. She begins her summer on an archeological dig and realizes that the past does need to be explored and heads off to Alabama to learn more of her grandma and mother. Lena finds out some interesting info on Kostas (who is HOT!!) And she also has an interesting relationship with the model for her figure drawing class who is almost smoking. Lucky girl. Tibby has a scare and learns something about relationships. And has a rockin’ job and rockin’ hair. Carmen gets to star in a play and gets a love interest who speaks Shakespeare to her.

The big drama happens when the pants go missing and the girls have to travel to Greece to find them and help Lena with her Kostas drama.

Now I know I read the first two books for sure and I think I own the third book as well, but I don’t know if I read it or not. But I definitely liked this movie better than the first movie. I may need to around to reading all the books again or something. Yay for lazy Sunday’s and chick movies.

My School's A Zoo!

The day after the field trip to the zoo, some monkey business is going on at school! It starts with his parents acting funny, his bus driver is a gorilla and is his substitute teacher a BEAR?? Not feeling well? WATCH OUT the fangs on the nurse may make you feel worse!! Imagination has gone wild in this awesomely illustrated story about a school that is filled with pythons, tigers, bears, bats and bookworms to name a few.

It has lots of rhymes and the kids find it hysterical. We talked about our favorite parts, our favorite animals and what we thought might happen next. I have read this book to many different groups of kindergarteners, preschoolers and DK'ers and all of them like it in all different types of schools. Must have for a substitute who doesn't know where they are going to be that day! I'd definitely recommend it for ages 4-8! Written by Stu Smith and illustrated by David Catrow!

The Recess Queen

Mean Jean was the Recess Queen. Nobody swung until Mean Jean swung. Nobody kicked until Mean Jean kicked. So starts off the funny story of a playground bully who has her ways changed when the new girl Katie Sue comes to school. This book is full of great rhymes, made up words and lots of room for questions about how we should play nicely with others, take turns and keep our hands and feet to ourselves.
Can get kids involved with repeated lines and they will think they are reading too. The illustrations are excellent and it's a real quick read if you need something to entertain when you have a few extra minutes. Best for ages 4-8. Written by Alexis O'Neill

P.S.. I love you, the movie

I FINALLY watched P.S. I love you yesterday. I have a headache and lost my voice completely so I figured it was a perfect day to watch movies ‘on demand.’ I read P.S. I love you in February I believe and REALLY REALLY liked the book. As in I laughed out loud and bawled throughout the entire book. My husband was like what the heck is in that book, it was that ridiculous. Okay, so it is established that I LOVED THE BOOK. So what about the movie?

I was disappointed. Shocked? No. I honestly can say that the only movie of a book that I really really enjoyed was The Notebook. The glaring differences made me hate the movie. I mean it was good, but I did NOT laugh once. Come on, this book made me laugh so hard I cried. I hated Harry Connick Jr. as Daniel. He RUINED Daniel’s character to me. I hated the way they changed Holly’s parents/sibling background. I hated how her 30th birthday party was NOT the way it was described in the book. I hated how she lived in New York and only visited Ireland. I hate how she didn’t work where she ended up working in the book and you missed out her supportive boss. I hated how they handled the way she got her letters. Basically, if I had not read the book I might have turned off the movie before it was over. Or maybe I would have liked it, but I didn’t and that was sad. But I was not surprised.

Seriously though, read the book. It was awesome.

100th post and giveaway!

I have hit the way too hyped 100th blog post. It’s almost a certain bust because this is where I talk about how awesome it is to blog, how many wonderful blogs I’ve found and how I’ve grown as a writer and yada, yada, just get to where you are giving something away is what most people will be thinking about this point. So as to not disappoint and to not say anything ridiculous and pointless I am giving a book away.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be, since I started this blog as a place to write my book reviews and has hosted other random thoughts that invade my ever busy mind.

So what book have I picked? Well, as my first (hopefully more to come) giveaway, I am giving away a slightly used copy of At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks. I read this last summer and I bawled. But I don’t know of a Sparks novel, where I have not bawled like a little baby by the end.

At First Sight is about Jeremy Marsh who is very certain he will not do specific things in life and then proceeds to do all of them. (My kind of guy!) He somehow ends up in small town North Carolina engaged to the love of his life. Of course they have some issues, normal drama occurs and most stressful, they are expecting a baby. One of those things he swore he’d never do. Throughout the novel, Jeremy grows up, realizes what’s most important and as with any other Sparks novel, experiences extreme heartbreak, yet somehow comes out stronger than before. It’s definitely a couple Kleenex read. J

So how can you win this lovely book? Here is how…
1.) Leave a comment!
2.) Become a follower
3. Blog about the giveaway and link to my post..

So you can pretty much enter 3 times, and if you’ve noticed like nobody reads my blog, so odds are you have a chance to win!! And if you are one of the many people who come and read and never comment, here is your shot to come out of the woodwork because I do see where you are coming from and when you stop by, so you might as well leave a comment!! ;)

So enter away and hopefully I will have more giveaways with the next 100 posts… Oh and maybe I will figure out how to make my pictures upload how I want.. :P

Contest is open until September 28th at 7:00 p.m. eastern standard time.

running, aches, and food..

Yesterday I had the best run I’ve ever had. I’ve tried to follow the Couch to 5k program a few times and I’ve realized for me it’s better to come up with my own run/walk program and it has worked and I have seen an increase in the distance that I’ve run at a time which for me right now is way better than working on the speed. I mean up until last year I could barely run at all, which has been a lifetime problem. Always good at the sprint but not the long haul. Anyway, yesterday I did my warm up and started running and the way I go about it is this: I walk to the corner and then turn and start running until I feel like my heart is going to jump out of chest. Then I walk until I can breathe again without it seeming like I am going to die. Then I run for 2:41 then I walk until I can breathe normally. Then I run for 2:31 and walk until I can breathe and so on until I reach home. I have a 2.2 mile loop that I do each time and it takes me roughly 35 minutes but I am slow and running has never been my thing. My goal is to eventually be able to run that hole loop and then add more distance on. A little OCD but whatever.

So yesterday, as I was running I felt AWESOME. I ran more minute wise than I have since I started and felt good. The last couple times after I have finished running, I go inside have a drink, stretch and then go bike ride the same 2.2 mile loop. I got done running and walked inside and immediately felt like I was going to vomit. I’ve only felt like that when I’ve ran too close to eating and this was not the case. But I also felt slightly lightheaded. I drank more water and tried to eat the closest healthiest thing I could find and that ended up being a slice of cucumber with vinegar. I also made it into the bathroom expecting to vomit but didn’t. I was really shocked after feeling so well until that point. I was kind of thinking it probably had something to do with running more than normal and possibly cuz I’m on my period. I think blood sugar was all messed up. Yuck.

So I took about a 10 minute sit down break and lifted and did some strength excerise in and got a few more gulps of water in and headed off on the bike ride. Came back and felt better. The feeling was so weird, I’ve never felt like that before. So disappointing coming after such a great run.

I’ve also been suffering through my dang sore hip still. I probably should research why it hurts and how to fix it. It’s been bugging me AFTER I work out. Not normally while running or not until I’ve gone about a mile at least. Also notice it when I go from sitting in my car and standing up. Kind of a mixture of cold air conditioning and sitting for awhile. Sometimes bugs me when I stand up from where I am sitting now. I thought I pulled something about 2 months ago but now I am not sure. But it sure hinders my exercise.

Wednesday September 16th
10:30 - 1 ½ cups coffee, 1 egg, 1 piece of toast, serving of strawberry applesauce
12:45 – 1 slice cucumber in vinegar
1:20 - South Beach Bar High Protein Peanut Butter glass of milk
5:45 – orange chicken, fried rice, crab rangoons

Water 80 ounces

Magazines..

It seems even as the amount of books I read seem to decrease with either my blog reading obsession or my crackbook addiction I seem to read more and more magazines.. Even though it also takes me quite awhile to read magainzes. Ummm I finished the September Glamour only AFTER I got the October Glamour in the mail. Ooops.. I think it may be telling even with my reading that when I set goals of doing something I always seem to sabatoge myself. I'm sure a shrink would love to get a hold of that.

But once again I get off track... back on the crazy train.. magazines.. I have a subscription to Glamour and I love it. I've gotten it off and on since I was 18. I used to have a supscription to Cosmopolitan and I hated it. I always rolled my eyes and was like WHY AM I GETTING THIS?? (My mom got it for me first and I liked it when I was 16, and then I randomly got it at age 22? 23? and kept forgetting to cancel so I had it again for another couple years.) I also enjoy reading Self or Shape and have been meaning to get a subscription to one of them but tend to buy it off the stands every now and then. It typically depends on cash flow and I stick with my Glamour only subscription. I also enjoy reading O occasionally or Redbook or Everyday with Rachael Ray... I also enjoy a good People.. I think I like the articles and it's quick and easy and sometimes not as hard to get into as a novel when you are short on time or too busy reading blogs! ;)

What magazines do you read? Any I should check out next time I am avoiding a novel? :)

Not a happy Buckeye...

these are alllll out of order but enjoy and go bucks!

our view.. you'd think season tickets for 40 years you'd get closer haha..

awww...... too bad the hub's shirt ruins it :P

one of my favorite signs at GameDay

me at GameDay

will ferrell was there

our tailgate

the ugly trojan gear on Corso but the very cute Herbstreit kiddo!

one of the many hilarious signs at GameDay.. my other faves 1. These aren't the only Trojans getting pounded tonight (with condom wrappers all over it) 2. Helen Keller is Lou Holtz's translator 3. Matt Barkley and Mark May like fish sticks in their mouths (South Park reference anyone??) 4. Matt Barkley is the Bonus Jonas (this cracked me up haha) 5. Free Clarett Take Blount (hilarious) 6. Go Buck Yourself Mark May

the front of the 'shoe

yes, my husband likes the rival of my fave team and YES he wore their shirt in after the won.. yes I did call him bad names and the reason I am not looking at the camera -- he has a flip cam and I always look at the wrong part

the hub and i at the tailgate...

The day I've been waiting for TWO years...

I am offically headed down to Columbus to watch OSU vs. USC (University of Spoiled Children, according to Lou Holtz..) woohooo!!!!

Can't wait to tailgate and hangout alllllll weekend long!!!!!!

Books read in August...

26. On Chesil Beach – Ian McEwan (August 1st) - This one was pretty good..
27. Drowning Ruth – Christina Schwarz (August 11th) - This one was a LOT wierd...
28. Sworn to Silence – Linda Castillo (August 11th) - This was my favorite book I read in August..
29. Taking Charge of Your Fertility – Toni Weschler (August 23rd) - This was the most INFORMATIVE book I read in August....
30. We Were the Mulvaneys – Joyce Carol Oates ( August 29th) - This was the most dramatic book I read in August...

Overall, a pretty good reading month.. I am NOT going to make my goals or my challenges this year, I guess I will have to lower my goals for next year, or force myself into reading more.. :)

Everything you wanted to know.. NOT..

So here are the answers the the questions I've recieved as of tonight...

Lisa asked...

What is your favorite food?
This is a toughy because I LOVE food. I pretty much love all things Mexican and Italian. We had excellent tacos and Spanish rice for dinner tonight.. Yum… I make a really good taco pie that I am always changing around the recipe, THAT I LOVE yum.. I LOVE Qdoba.. I could eat their chicken nachos or burritos or quesadillas. Pretty much everyday. But then I would be a hundred gazillion pounds. I also LOOOVE seafood alfredo. I love homemade alfredo sauce that my hub makes. Yummm…. I think I may need to have some Oreos tonight.

What were you like as a child?
I think I was a brat. I know I was somewhat snotty and bratty and I had to have my way a lot. I was way more outgoing. A total dare devil and if you said I couldn’t do it. I would. Pretty dang lazy as well. I played softball and basketball and loved hanging out with the boys.

Favorite book?
There are very few books I’ve ever re-read. Like less than 5 I am sure. And I would say my ALL-TIME favorite Is hands down Little Women. LOVE IT. I haven’t read it in years, but it is one that I have read over and over and over again. I really can’t pick a favorite besides them.. I can list lots that I do like though!!

The Abortionist’s Daughter by Elizabeth Hyde
Twilight – Stephenie Meyer
American Wife – Curtis Sittenfield
PS I love You – Cecilia Ahearn
19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Anne of Green Gables Series
Women’s Murder Club Series
Stephanie Plum Series
Memoirs of a Geisha
Black Girl/White Girl – Joyce Carol Oates
Lovely Bones –Alice Sebold

And lots lots more!!


Amber asked...

What book can you read over and over and over again?Pretty much just Little Women. I can’t really re-read books. I have a hard time re-watching movies even. Unless they are comedies.

What did you want to be when you were growing up and what are you now?
Lawyer. Now I am a teacher. But I could still be a lawyer someday. I like to argue.

Marie asked..

Did you have any pets as a kid?
We were only allowed pet fish. They usually died within a day. One morning we woke up and one of the many “Goldy’s” that we had, decided to jump ship and kill himself. He was belly up in the kitchen sink. My mom SCREAMED. I think he was our last one.

What's your favorite comfort food?
Snickers bar and a coca cola. Usually any chocolate bar and a coca cola. Yum.. This post as made me hungry and I should not be!!

Shocking..

I realized this morning that I am all out of things to talk about.. Shocking I know... however, it has occured and I decided to do a question post... Not that I have many readers, but the few I do, may actually wonder a thing or two about me.. So ask away... what random or not so random things do you want to know about me?? I promise to try to answer everything, but some things I'd rather leave out of the public eye... but if it's something you are just DYING to know.. perhaps I could email it to you.. :)

So what do you want to know about me????

Songs not to listen to when...

The last week has been a rollercoaster out of nowhere for me. I'll be driving down the road and all of a sudden.. BAM! tears in eyes and I get mad that my grandma is no longer here.. what songs have pushed me over and what songs should you avoid in a similiar situation??? No judging my musical selections..

Ironic -Alanis Morrissette
Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you think everything's okay and everything's going right and life has a funny way of helping you out when you think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up in your face it's a traffic jam when you're already late it's a no-smoking sign on your cigarette break it's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife it's meeting the man of my dreams and then meeting his beautiful wife And isn't it ironic... don't you think A little too ironic... and yeah I really do think...

I'll Be - Edwin McCain

I'll be your crying shoulder,

I'll be love's suicide

I'll be better when I'm older,

I'll be the greatest fan of your life.

What Hurts The Most - Rascal Flatts

I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out

I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while

Even though going on with you gone still upsets me

There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok

But that's not what gets me

What hurts the most

Was being so close

And having so much to say

And watching you walk away

And never knowing

What could have been

And not seeing that loving you

Is what I was tryin' to do

There You'll Be - Faith Hill

When I think back

On these times

And the dreams

We left behind

I'll be glad 'cause

I was blessed to get

To have you in my life

When I look back

On these days

I'll look and see your face

You were right there for me

In my dreams

I'll always see you soar

Above the sky

In my heart

There will always be a place

For you for all my life

I'll keep a part

Of you with me

And everywhere I am

There you'll be

And everywhere I am

There you'll be

Well you showed me

How it feels

To feel the sky

Within my reach

And I always

Will remember all

The strength you

Gave to me

Your love made me

Make it through

Oh, I owe so much to you

You were right there for me

'Cause I always saw in you

My light, my strength

And I want to thank you

Now for all the ways

You were right there for me

You were right there for me

For always

In my dreams

I'll always see you soar

Above the sky

In my heart

There will always be a place

For you for all my life

I'll keep a part

Of you with me

And everywhere I am

There you'll be

And everywhere I am

There you'll be

There you'll be

Booking through Thursday

What’s the biggest book you’ve read recently?
(Feel free to think “big” as size, or as popularity, or in any other way you care to interpret.)

Hmm.. the biggest book I've recently read length was We Were the Mulvaney's. My biggest book of 2009 was definitely Blonde, also by Joyce Carol Oates..

The biggest book popularity wise would probably be Finger Lickin' Fifteen, out of the Stephanie Plum series...

I really need to get working on Revolutionary Road!!

Wordless Wednesday...

Favorite Literary Names..

I am a tad obsessed with baby names. I seriously stalk down names every day. It's addicting. I also like to learn of new literary names or match up names to literature.. Here are some of my faves..

Holden - Catcher in the Rye of course.. :)
Cade -Gone with the Wind
Sawyer - Tom Sawyer
Bennett - From Bennet in Pride & Prejudice..
Alcott - Louisa May Alcott
Adeline - Lord Byron
Elizabeth - Pride & Prejudice
Josephine - Little Women

and I am sure there are more but my brain is FRIED. First day back in the "real" world after a 3 month hiatus. Wowzers..

What are your favorite literary names? What other names have you secretly always wanted to name your child? Or do you think obsessing over names is ridiculous?