Contents of blog copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2023
I've been gone a while. I started reading fanfiction to escape and I got sucked in an abyss.

I have no idea if someone else is hosting similar challenges. I just grabbed some of what I have hosted before.

Here's to a happy year of great reading
Jan2023: Not much has changed. Writing a fanfiction now O_o as well as reading but I bought 7 new books in December and hope to get those read soon. Crossing fingers about adding challenges (late!)

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Reading Challenge - Mystery & Suspense

Mystery & Suspense
2011
Hosted at Book Chick City

Basically, read 12 books during 2011 that fit mystery, thriller, or suspense. See the sign-up page for details and a chance for free books!

Cozies fit so I'm in!

1. Curiosity Thrilled the Cat
2. Stitch Me Deadly
3. Killer Crab Cakes
4. Emeralds and Espionage
5. The Misfit of Supernatural High
6. The Man with the Golden Gun
7. Forever Blue
8. Primal Fear
9. How to Wash a Cat
10. Chapter & Hearse
11. Cookie Dough or Die
12. Murder of a Bookstore Babe



copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Saturday Snapshot & Quote

Saturday Snapshot
hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme, post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.


The family went to the San Diego Zoo's Safari Park this week. You may remember it as the Wild Animal Park. We took a truck tour (extra) and were able to feed a giraffe and a couple of Rhinos. Then stopped in the Lorikeet exhibit and got one picture before the camera battery died. For just a little bit, I had four birds on me!

Duly Quoted
Hosted at Today's Adventure

copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Friday, April 29, 2011

A is for...The Quick and the Thread

26 letters and 52 weeks. You'll always know what letter because week 1 is letter "A" and so is week 27 :-) Find a book that you find interesting who's title starts with this week's letter. If you've reviewed it, give us a link, but it isn't necessary.

Q is for...

The Quick and the Thread
An Embroidery Mystery
by Amanda Lee

From amazon.com:
When Marcy Singer opens an embroidery specialty shop in quaint Tallulah Falls, Oregon, she throws a soiree and a Stitch-In. Soon, Marcy's sign- up sheet for embroidery classes fills up and everyone in town seems willing to raise a glass-or a needle-to support the newly-opened Seven Year Stitch.

Then Marcy finds the shop's previous tenant dead in the store-room, a message scratched with a tapestry needle on the wall beside him. Now Marcy's shop has become a crime scene, and she's the prime suspect. She'll have to find the killer before someone puts a final stitch in her.


I do embroidery and other thread work and love cozy mysteries so this was a natural for me to pick up. Turns out to be a good choice, I'm delighted with both books in this series.


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Purr-sday & Cat Thursday


a place to share the cute/funny/weird pictures I find while surfing....when I should be doing a whole range of things ;)







Someone has an actual meme for "Cat Thursday" so head over to The True Book Addict and see who else is sharing.







This is a Caracal. We went to San Diego Zoo's Safari Park this week and I LOVED this cat. He's a bird hunter and the ear tuffs help attract birds. The older the cat, the longer the tuffs. He can jump 12 feet into the air and take down multiple birds. The trainer asked the cat to sit and had just given him a reward, that's why the hand is being licked.

copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Added to my wish list

I know there is a Wishlist meme and a Waiting on Wednesday but I'm still trying to figure out how I want this to go. Do I only post this on Wednesdays? Do I always post on Wednesday? Should I forget about Wednesday altogether and post as a Friday Finds? For April, I say yes to Wednesday and link to both if appropriate.



Wishlist Wednesday ...what have you added to your wish list recently? Hosted by Misty at The Book Rat



Waiting on Wednesday
...what new release can you hardly wait to get your hands on? Hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.




Virginia Lowell has a new Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery coming out, "A Cookie Before Dying" release date is December 6, just in time for holiday gifting ;)

Amanda Lee has a new Embroidery Mystery coming out, "Thread Reckoning" release date is September 6.

Also being released September 6 is Sofie Kelly's "Sleight of Paw" a Magical Cats Mystery.

I don't have covers for any of these! All of these were new to me authors when I started the series and I've loved every one of them.





And while adding them to my wishlist at amazon, I found Books Can be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay. Scheduled to be released on July 5 (ISBN: 978-0425242186). This looks like the first in a new series, "A Library Lover's Mystery". Ms. McKinlay has a couple of other series under her belt (Cupcake Bakery Mystery, Decoupage Mystery) as well as several stand alone titles. Both series are on my "read someday" list but I'm going to start with the library series. :D








copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Reading Challenge - Completed!

Foodie's Reading Challenge
January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011

Challenge Completed
April 23, 2011


My original post about the challenge
Quick recap:
Read food related books.

Final List:
1. The First Love Cookie Club
2. Killer Crab Cakes
3. Cookie Dough or Die

This was an interesting challenge and while I enjoyed all the books, I picked two of them for other challenges and was happy they fit in here. Don't think I'll repeat the challenge officially next year.


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Monday, April 25, 2011

Monday Mailbox/Reading?


Mailbox Monday is a place to share all the wonderful books that have come to live in your home– including paper books, e-books and audio books. Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia of The Printed Page. When Marcia was ready to move on from being the weekly host, she was kind enough to set up the Mailbox Monday Blog Tour. Check it out so you know where to go next month. April's host is Amy at Passages to the Past (blog link, not post link).


Received for Review:
nothing


Purchased:
It Happened One Season - Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro and Candice Hern
Burning Lamp - Amanda Quick




What are you Reading?

is a weekly Monday meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Post what you read last week and what you're planning to read this week then link to Shelia's post. Then visit, visit, visit! She has a comment contest going on each week tied to the meme.


Finished:
Cookie Dough or Die


Started, sort of reading:
The Crafty Killer
Murder of a Bookstore Babe
Linus Pauling and the Chemistry of Life
The Haunted eBook
Drawn to the Land
What the Cat Dragged in
The Gathering Storm


Planning to start/re-read:
something from the Spring Reading Thing Challenge list
something from my "need to review" list

Reviewed:


Need to Review-keep a running total and cross off as completed:
(this list is way too long and if they've been reviewed I didn't label them correctly!)

A Modern Witch (current read)
Kekula (current read)
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
True North
Whiskey Gulf
A Circle of Souls
P.A.C.E.
Benny & Shrimp
The Right Side of the Tracks
Miracle in Sumatra
The Tallest of smalls
Nine Things Nathan Noticed at Night
Second Chance
Red in the Flower Bed


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Page 57 (last one?)


Pick up a book, any book, and turn to page 57. Tell us what the 5th, 6th and 7th sentences are. Start from the first full sentence and no cheating if they aren't interesting. Don't worry about paragraphs, just three sentences. Link up so we can drop by and don't forget to check out the others. Please tell us title and author, cover graphic would be nice.



The opening notes of "Night Fever" announced a call on her cell. Maddie had been messing with her ring tone again,

Olivia managed, "Hi," before her breathless mother said, "Livie, just finished my kung fu lesson, love to meet for lunch, meet me at Pete's and order me a spinach salad if you get there first.


Cookie Dough or Die by Virginia Lowell
a Cookie Cutter Shop Mystery


I was disappointed at first but notice there is no " at the end. This is a good example of the energy the mother has.




This was fun but I've got a new computer now and can access Freda's Voice so I don't know if I'm going to continue "Page 57". I'll have to see when I want to post "A is for..." and if I want to continue to have a daily post/meme.

If you've enjoyed it, head over to Freda's Voice. Let me know if you want me to continue this here.



copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Saturday Snapshot & Quote

Saturday Snapshot
hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme, post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.









Lettuce! We attempted lettuce a while ago but this time we started them inside. We have four green bean sprouts too but not a good picture of them.






Duly Quoted
Hosted at Today's Adventure



copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Friday, April 22, 2011

A is for...Play of Passion

26 letters and 52 weeks. You'll always know what letter because week 1 is letter "A" and so is week 27 :-) Find a book that you find interesting who's title starts with this week's letter. If you've reviewed it, give us a link, but it isn't necessary.

P is for...

Play of Passion
by Nalini Singh

From the Author's website:
In his position as tracker for the SnowDancer pack, it’s up to Drew Kincaid to rein in rogue changelings who have lost control of their animal halves—even if it means killing those who have gone too far. But nothing in his life has prepared him for the battle he must now wage to win the heart of a woman who makes his body ignite…and who threatens to enslave his wolf.

Lieutenant Indigo Riviere doesn’t easily allow skin privileges, especially of the sensual kind—and the last person she expects to find herself craving is the most wickedly playful male in the den. Everything she knows tells her to pull back before the flames burn them both to ash…but she hasn’t counted on Drew’s will.

Now, two of SnowDancer’s most stubborn wolves find themselves playing a hot, sexy game even as lethal danger stalks the very place they call home…


The series was recommended on someone's blog (sorry, don't remember who!) and I bought the first one (print), the next six are ebooks because I didn't want to wait any longer than necessary ;)





copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Purr-sday & Cat Thursday


a place to share the cute/funny/weird pictures I find while surfing....when I should be doing a whole range of things ;)







Someone has an actual meme for "Cat Thursday" so head over to The True Book Addict and see who else is sharing.















copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


A chat with Xenia was also on Sky's to-do-list. She didn't believe for a minute that the girl was really working at the store to earn a salary. Xenia's true motivation had to be more Machiavellian
Murder of a Bookstore Babe
Denise Swanson






copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Monday, April 18, 2011

Monday Mailbox/Reading?


Mailbox Monday is a place to share all the wonderful books that have come to live in your home– including paper books, e-books and audio books. Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia of The Printed Page. When Marcia was ready to move on from being the weekly host, she was kind enough to set up the Mailbox Monday Blog Tour. Check it out so you know where to go next month. April's host is Amy at Passages to the Past (blog link, not post link).


Received for Review:
White Sleeper by David R. Fett & Stephen Langford


Purchased:
mail order/used - The Multiplying Glass by Ann Phillips
mail order (groupon) - three by Lori Wilde: The Welcome Home Garden Club, The True Love Quilting Club and The Sweethearts' Knitting Club plus An Unlikely Countess by Jo Beverley

Target (went for groceries....)
Welcome to Last chance by Hope Ramsey
The Cat, The Lady and The Liar by Leann Sweeney
An Uninvited Ghost by E.J. Copperman
Cookie Dough or Die by Virginia Lowell
Deadly Notions by Elizabeth Lynn Casey
The Kitting Diaries by Debbie Macomber, Susan Mallery, Christina Skye



What are you Reading?

is a weekly Monday meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Post what you read last week and what you're planning to read this week then link to Shelia's post. Then visit, visit, visit! She has a comment contest going on each week tied to the meme.


Finished:
Murder of a Bookstore Babe


Started, sort of reading:
The Crafty Killer
Murder of a Bookstore Babe
Linus Pauling and the Chemistry of Life
The Haunted eBook
Drawn to the Land
What the Cat Dragged in
The Gathering Storm


Planning to start/re-read:
something from the Spring Reading Thing Challenge list
something from my "need to review" list

Reviewed:


Need to Review-keep a running total and cross off as completed:
(this list is way too long and if they've been reviewed I didn't label them correctly!)

A Modern Witch (current read)
Kekula (current read)
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
True North
Whiskey Gulf
A Circle of Souls
P.A.C.E.
Benny & Shrimp
The Right Side of the Tracks
Miracle in Sumatra
The Tallest of smalls
Nine Things Nathan Noticed at Night
Second Chance
Red in the Flower Bed


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Back in the saddle again!

Wow, what a week! I had posts scheduled but was unable to link or visit and I missed you. The whole thing started on April 3rd but didn't get interesting until the following week.

Sun. Apr 3 - call in for Jury Duty, do not need to report on Monday.

Call Mon, do not need to report on Tuesday.

Call Tue, do not need to report on Wednesday.
Now, by this time, I'm excited and thinking I won't need to go in at all and am looking forward to having lunch with friends on the 15th and spending time with my Mom since she was going in for knee surgery the next day.

Call Wed, report at 7:45 am on Thursday. What? I don't do mornings! So I gather stuff to do (several books) and set three alarms ;) Actually, I'm okay with this, prior times I hadn't had to go in at all but once I had to report on Friday.

I made it on time and sat around reading Thursday morning. Watched a video about jury service and a judge came in a gave us a "pep talk" about how important it was for us to be here. After lunch Thursday, settling in for an afternoon of more reading but no computer, a group of us are called to head to a court room. Cool, I've never made it this far.

I'm one of the first ones called to the potential jury area. Dang, now I'm going to have to pay attention and I put my book away. 18 out of 39 called and questioned. 6 removed. Call and question 6 more. 5 removed. Both attorneys happy with the jury AND with having only one alternate. I'm still sitting there and am now on a jury for the first time and it is now Friday morning. First witness after lunch.

For those of you who have made it this far....thank you. Sorry, no trial details in this post. I did visit my Mom but she was so out of it I don't know if she remembered I was there.

Monday: witnesses and out to dinner.
Tuesday: witnesses and to a women's group activity. THIS is where my week gets really interesting! A guest speaker came in to talk about First Aid in regards to emergencies...as in earthquake preparedness. There was also displays of different type of 72-hour kits and food made from emergency rations. (explanation: our church members are encouraged to have a years supply in case of emergencies. Food and water being the main ones but also back up medications, clothes, money, hygiene supplies....)

The bread was made for stored whole wheat and I love bread so guess what I went for? I was in a hurry? Distracted? Doesn't matter, what matters is don't be! The knife was SHARP and my thumb was in the way. Grab napkin, apply direct pressure, head to the guest speaker since he is a trained paramedic. A good third should have had stitches but the rest of the cut is too close to the nail. He taped it up and I went home, after picking up supplies.

Wednesday: The injury area got wet and I re-taped it. I didn't do as good of a job on myself because it started to bleed on my notes! Let's back up some......I woke up on time in the morning then reset my alarm. I realized what a bad idea this was when I finally got up, stiff and hurting! I had thrown my back out while sleeping and struggled to walk. So hunched over, I slooowly made my way to the court house.

Any other time, I would have gone back to bed or found a comfortable place to sit for the day but noooo, I had some place to go.

This turned out to be a good thing. We were let out two hours early!!! I headed to my chiropractor then to have my thumb looked at.

Thursday: I can walk! Not only was I able to get back in alignment, I was given a wrist splint which I adjusted to protect my thumb. Waking up for jury duty may have been awful but waking up pain-free was fabulous!

Friday: reached a verdict. Guilty of a felony, on both counts. Family ruined? And to top it off, it was all preventable! The dad overreacted and it lead to a physical altercation which, in turn, lead to an arrest and trial. Justice was done but...


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Saturday Snapshot & Quote

Saturday Snapshot
hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme, post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.









Cliff Diver! M and I went on a Mexican cruise last year and this was one of the shore excursion stops.












Duly Quoted
Hosted at Today's Adventure


One everyone is familiar with this one but I love it


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Friday, April 15, 2011

A is for....On a Wild Night

26 letters and 52 weeks. You'll always know what letter because week 1 is letter "A" and so is week 27 :-) Find a book that you find interesting who's title starts with this week's letter. If you've reviewed it, give us a link, but it isn't necessary.

O is for...

On a Wild Night
by Stephanie Laurens

From the Author's website:
"Where are all the exciting men in London?"

After spending years in the glittering ballrooms of the ton, Amanda Cynster is utterly bored by the current crop of colorless suitors. Determined to take matters into her own hands, one night she shockingly goes where respectable unmarried ladies never should, but where many an intriguing gentleman might be found.

But titillating excitement quickly turns to panic when she discovers she's quite out of her depth. Desperate, she looks around for help - and is unexpectedly rescued... by Martin Fulbridge, the elusive Earl of Dexter.Lazy, sensuous and mysterious, he has delayed his re-entry into society, clearly preferring a more interesting existence on its fringes.

He's the epitome of the boldly passionate gentleman Amanda has been searching for, but although his very touch makes it clear he's willing to educate her in the arts of love, Amanda has to wonder if such a masterful, lionized rake can be sufficiently tamed into the ways of marriage.



I was fortunate enough to attend a book signing and my copy of this book is autographed. Yes, another book, and by another author from overseas from me!





copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Purr-sday & Cat Thursday


a place to share the cute/funny/weird pictures I find while surfing....when I should be doing a whole range of things ;)







Someone has an actual meme for "Cat Thursday" so head over to The True Book Addict and see who else is sharing.









funny pictures - Rainy days and Mondays always get me down... and today was a rainy Monday.
see more Lolcats and funny pictures

funny pictures - Um...we needz tu hab a tawk bowt yur howsekeepin habits.

copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Her name is Dorothy

I received an interesting email, "Five Lessons", and I want to share part with you.

Lesson #1 - Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?". surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.



So tell me, do you know the name of the person who cleans your office? Classroom? This is one area that I'm no longer good at. When I volunteered at my children's elementary school, I knew most of the day-time staff to at least smile at. I was there so often that I was able to remember who else was supposed to be on campus and got quite good at asking people if they needed directions.


Lesson #3 - Always remember those who serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There placed neatly beside the empty dish were two nickels and five pennies.

You see, he couldn't have the sundae because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


I had class one semester with a waitress, oops-server, and we got to talking about tips. I mentioned that I liked to just double the tax, rounding up for better service, and asked her if that was the right way to do it. She kind of laughed and said she wished everyone would at least leave the tax. Now, here I'm thinking I'm not leaving enough and come to find out that some aren't even leaving the 8% that our tax is.

How you figure the tip when you go out to eat?



Just something to think about.


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Comfort Books Challenge?

I knew a man who loved The Outsiders so much he always carried a copy in his back pocket. He almost went into meltdown when he lost it and I breathed a sigh of relief when he found it (under his car's seat).

Now, I'm not that bad with any of my books but I've been thinking....added to my finding a listing of "Modern Library's 100 Best Novels" and I thought of a challenge. ;-)


Your job is to email me your top five comfort books. It might be best if they're still in print somewhere so the rest of us can read them. We'll spend time gathering/sorting then we'll vote our very own Top 100 for a challenge in 2012.

My email is bookdragonslair(at)gmail(dot)com, subject line to say "comfort books" so the filter will find it.

I'm hoping this will be a huge list so send in your five picks by August 1, 2011.

Voting in November

Challenge: read from the list during 2012. Different levels could be 6, 13, 25 books other than your five.

Are you with me?




copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Monday, April 11, 2011

Monday Mailbox/Reading?


Mailbox Monday is a place to share all the wonderful books that have come to live in your home– including paper books, e-books and audio books. Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia of The Printed Page. When Marcia was ready to move on from being the weekly host, she was kind enough to set up the Mailbox Monday Blog Tour. Check it out so you know where to go next month. April's host is Amy at Passages to the Past (blog link, not post link).


Received for Review:
nothing? dang. I guess they're still "in the mail"


Purchased:
sigh, Jury Duty cut into my shopping time ;)




What are you Reading?

is a weekly Monday meme hosted by Shelia at Book Journey. Post what you read last week and what you're planning to read this week then link to Shelia's post. Then visit, visit, visit! She has a comment contest going on each week tied to the meme.


Finished:
Killer Crab Cakes
A Modern Witch

Started, sort of reading:
Murder of a Bookstore Babe
Linus Pauling and the Chemistry of Life
The Haunted eBook
Drawn to the Land
What the Cat Dragged in
The Gathering Storm


Planning to start/re-read:
something from the Spring Reading Thing Challenge list
something from my "need to review" list

Reviewed:
previously reviewed book's review went live Any Witch Way


Need to Review-keep a running total and cross off as completed:
(this list is way too long and if they've been reviewed I didn't label them correctly!)

A Modern Witch (current read)
Kekula (current read)
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
True North
Whiskey Gulf
A Circle of Souls
P.A.C.E.
Benny & Shrimp
The Right Side of the Tracks
Miracle in Sumatra
The Tallest of smalls
Nine Things Nathan Noticed at Night
Second Chance
Red in the Flower Bed


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Page 57


Pick up a book, any book, and turn to page 57. Tell us what the 5th, 6th and 7th sentences are. Start from the first full sentence and no cheating if they aren't interesting. Don't worry about paragraphs, just three sentences. Link up so we can drop by and don't forget to check out the others. Please tell us title and author, cover graphic would be nice.



"We stood behind a guy who asked the workers to mix flavors for him. I think he wanted chocolate-marshmallow."

"It was chocolate-raspberry," I corrected.


Life in the Pit by Kristen Landon


Well, that was certainly a bust! What have you got?




Just a reminder: This was inspired by Friday 56 but I couldn't find it. I have since been told it's at Freda's Voice. GREAT. Except I've got an older computer and it doesn't load the site well. I'll continue Page 57 for April and see how things go before tell A Novel Challenge. ~ Guess what I got for my birthday?!


copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Saturday Snapshot & Quote

Saturday Snapshot
hosted by Alyce at At Home with Books

To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme, post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.



This is Sneakers. He thought we put the table there so he could stare out the window easier. The tree just made it a nice spot to nap.














This is Frisky, Sneaker's sister. She's waiting for me to put the camera down so she can sit on my lap instead of next to me. "Come on Mom, put the book back down!"







Duly Quoted
Hosted at Today's Adventure





copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Friday, April 8, 2011

A is for....No One Noticed the Cat

26 letters and 52 weeks. You'll always know what letter because week 1 is letter "A" and so is week 27 :-) Find a book that you find interesting who's title starts with this week's letter. If you've reviewed it, give us a link, but it isn't necessary.

N is for...


No One Noticed the Cat
by Anne McCaffrey


Synopsis
After the death of wise old Mangan, the Regent of Esphania, many of the regent's skills and qualities seem to have been transferred to his beautiful and intelligent cat, Niffy, who at once attaches herself to the new ruler, Prince Jamas. When the king of a neighboring kingdom seems keen to forge an alliance with Jamas by allowing the prince to marry his niece, the real danger is Yasmin, the wicked queen wife, who poisons everyone she dislikes or suspects of interfering with her ambitions. Niffy must guide Jamas through a thicket of difficulties to save the Prince Jamas from a horrible fate!


I was fortunate enough to attend a book signing and my copy of this book is autographed. The author doesn't attend many any more and she lives across the ocean from me!




copyright Book Dragon's Lair 2009-2011

Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage


Any Witch Way
Annastaysia Savage

Publisher: JournalStone
Release Date: April 8, 2011
format: electronic
pages: 186
Ages: Young Adult
genre: paranormal

Review book: I received this book through LibraryThing's Member Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.

From the Publisher:

Enduring the teasing and ridicule of her school mates, Sadie struggles through life as a pre-teen on the eve of her 13th birthday. Three years ago, a car crash took her mother, but Sadie never saw her body. She refuses to believe her mother is really gone. Holding fast to that feeling earns her the nickname “Crazy Sadie.”

Despite her one wish to be normal, Sadie only finds solace with a small group of unusual characters. These unlikely friends give her a “semi-normal” life outside of school in a bookstore where strange and mystical things seem to happen. In fact, if Sadie entertains her deepest suspicions, her friends are a little mystical.

When her birthday arrives however, Sadie finds herself whisked into a magical world that swirls just under the surface of normal, everyday life. Not only does she learn she’ll soon become a witch, but she also discovers she must battle The Syndicate to save her new world.

Faced with fantastical encounters, unexplainable transformations, and startling fears, Sadie struggles against an unknown evil – all while searching for her real identity.

My Thoughts:
As if being 12 going on 13 isn't bad enough, Sadie has lost her mother and the Bullies at school are horrid about it! Good thing Mrs. Felis and Grimm are there with their bookstore.

My html copy was missing the graphics but they were included in the pdf and while they weren't "wow" quality, they were very good and added just the right touch to the reading experience.

Ms. Savage has a way with words, drawing you in and holding you in a tight grip. So much so that my heart started beating faster while Sadie ran for safety and when something was described as "stinky", the words were strong enough that I crinkled my nose.

I had errands to run in the middle of reading and as I was driving home, I was thinking about Sadie! Wondered what was coming up next and while I was sure there'd be a happy ending I just wasn't seeing it from where she was.

Great story, good vs evil, with lovable characters. Also characters you love to hate and some you're just not to sure off.

Available in print at Barnes&Noble and at the publisher.



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In accordance to the FTC guidelines, I must state that I make no monetary gains from my reviews or endorsements here on Book Dragon's Lair. All books I review are either borrowed, purchased by me, given as a gift, won in some kind of contest, or received in exchange for an honest review.