Top Ten Tuesday #14

I haven't had the pleasure of being able to travel a lot. I've never been out of the US, but I would like to someday. There are many wonderful places out there with amazing things to see, people to meet, and food to eat.

Today's Topic: Countries I'd Like To Visit

10. Spain. I had a pen pal from Spain when I was in elementary and one of the post cards she sent was of the Barcelona Cathedral. I thought it was a beautiful building and have wanted to see it in person ever since. 
9. Russia. Another country with awesome architecture. We had a jigsaw puzzle of St. Basil's Cathedral when I was a child and thought it was such a cool looking building. (Fun fact: I have a brother-in-law who lived there for two years and speaks Russian.)
8. Germany. Two of my brothers went to Germany a few years ago for a huge music festival (Wacken) and brought back great pictures and stories of Germany.
7. China. My husband has been there and has great things to say about it.
6. Japan. My husband LOVES everything about Japan. He even speaks some Japanese. We both would love to go there.
5. New Zealand. What can I say, I want to see the Shire.
4. France. Paris. Enough said.
3. Greece. Once again, architecture. I love beautiful buildings.
2. Italy. So many cities with so many cool things to see. (My brothers made a stop in Rome while they were in Germany.) Plus, I just finished reading Dan Brown's Inferno and now I want to see all the places in Florence and Venice mentioned in the book.
1. United Kingdom. I had to put all the UK countries together, because if I ever make it over there, I'm not leaving until I see ALL of them. The reasons for wanting to go here first could be another Top Ten list by itself.

There are so many other countries I'd love to visit, but that would be a Top 100 list instead of ten. These are the ones I'd visit first. If you have reasons/suggestions that might convince me to go somewhere else first, let me know!

ABC Books "M"

Several on the list today. A nice variety, too.


A Mid Summer Night's Dream- Shakespeare. I know it's not a book, but it kind of felt like one when we read it in school. Fun story about mistaken love and mischievous fairies.

Matched- Ally Condie. I really liked the premise for this book and enjoyed it quite a bit. Unfortunately when I started book 2, it lost my interest. Love triangles can be tricky, and I'm not usually a fan of them. Something about this triangle and the progression of the story just didn't work for me.

Magyk (Septimus Heap)- Angie Sage. Here's another book series that started out fun and exciting, but lost my interest in later books. I seem to have several book series that I start and don't finish. I didn't realize I was so picky. Still, this one might get another chance someday, because it was interesting.

Matilda- Roald Dahl. This book is super fun. I recommend it to all youngsters and even adults. The movie version is fun as well.

My Antonia- Willa Cather. Another high school AP English assignment. It was okay. I would have liked a different ending, but all in all it was fine. Probably wouldn't read it again.


Have a great weekend!

Book Clubbing

Some ladies in my neighborhood decided to start a book club. I've never participated in one before, so I decided to give it a try. It will give me an opportunity to read things I might never choose for myself and also get to know more people who live around me. I'm kind of a hermit, content to remain in my own house, in my own safe little bubble. It should be interesting.

We had our first meeting yesterday to pass out our first book. We'll be reading Women Write: A Mosaic of Women's Voices in Fiction, Poetry, Memoir, and Essay. Edited by Susan Cahill. I would never in a million years choose this. I'm not a fan of poetry and can't say I'm overly fond of essays. But this book has contributions from some of the greatest female writers in history (Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison, Emily Dickinson to name a few). So I suppose it's the perfect opportunity for me to get a taste of a nice variety of style and content without having to get a handful of individual books. I plan to write a review of sorts after I read each book we get.

Speaking of book clubs, my sister-in-law is in a book club in her neighborhood and she asked her group if they'd like to read my book The Bride. They agreed, which I thought was awesome. She then asked me if I'd like to make an appearance at the gathering when they discuss it. At first I was kind of reluctant. I don't like being the center of attention, and its one thing to read someone's review online and another to hear it first hand. But she also said there would be treats. Who can pass up free treats? I've decided to go. I figure if I want to do book signings and interviews someday I need to get used to the idea of talking to people about my books. The meeting is next Thursday. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes.

Saturday is the last day to enter the giveaway for The Bride! You can find the link in my previous post.

Top Ten Tuesday #13

Continuing with another list of Beatles' songs.


Today's Topic: Favorite Songs Sung by John Lennon

10.Tell Me Why
9. Nowhere Man
8. I Should Have Known Better
7. You're Going To Lose That Girl
6. Across the Universe
5. In My Life
4. Norwegian Wood
3. You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
2. Come Together
1. Help!

Now, these are sung just (or mostly) by John Lennon. Really, there are just too many great songs so I try to narrow it down as much as possible. I'm sure I'll do a list of favorite songs by multiple singers. 


There are still a few more days to enter the giveaway for The Bride!

Post Schedule

Throughout the summer I've had a lot of time to work on this blog and it's been a blast! I'll be staring a new job this week which means less time for the fun things. After today my regular posts will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. There is a chance this will change from time to time, depending on work and free time. Tuesdays will remain Top Ten days and Thursday will be updates/news about books and such. Saturday might be a mixture of book stuff and other stuff, like my ABC books.

During September I will be focusing on getting both my books ready for print. I've been looking at using both lulu.com and createspace. If anyone out there has had success with other self-publishing sites for print books, I'd love to hear about it. Also, I'm planning to end the discount price for the ebook versions at the end of this month, so hurry and buy your copies soon!

ABC Books "L"

Had to skip J and K because I could not think of any books I've read that begin with those letters. I'm currently reading Jane Eyre, but wasn't able to finish it before today. So, here's some L books.


The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis. I've read most of the Narnia books and this one is my favorite. Such a great fantasy story with a great message of hope and good overcoming evil. And I've always wanted to taste a Turkish Delight.

The Lost Symbol- Dan Brown. Another of Mr. Brown's. I enjoyed this one, though not as much as the first two in the Robert Langdon series. It's got the excitement and mystery, but I don't know if any of them will come close to the Da Vinci Code. I have Inferno on hold at my local library and am excited to read it.

The Looking Glass Wars trilogy- Frank Beddor. This is a fun take on the Alice in Wonderland story. I really liked the first two, but the third fell a little short. Still enjoyable, though. I recommend them all.

Little Women- Louisa May Alcott. Classic story of the March sisters. Every girl should read this.


The giveaway for The Bride has been extended yet again, till September 7. Please take the opportunity to enter! Five winners, open to all.

Happiness

I'm married to the most wonderful man ever, and today is our four year anniversary. Here's a little bit of our story.

I've always been a shy person and dating was very difficult. My older brother tried online dating and eventually met and married his wife. I decided to give online dating try. It took a while, because even though I could write to guys instead of talk, there was still going to be a point where I'd have to actually meet someone face to face. Then came Garett. We shared our first messages on March 15, 2009. We got to know each for about a month, found out we had a lot in common, and then went on our first date. I planned to take it nice and slow, but I soon realized that he was my perfect match. We got married about four and a half months later. Best decision I ever made!