Pardon me while I take a little time off

The newest little girl bookworm has joined our family.

11/19/11

7lb, 9.5 oz.

18.5"

A Book A Day for Christmas and Other Plans

Last year I had great aspirations for the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Last year I really wanted to start some specific traditions with my daughter, but alas a few unexpected turn of events prevented me from doing more than the bare minimum. But I am stating it here and now: THIS YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT!

And I'm not just saying that. It really is a fact. Things WILL be different this year. For starters we are expecting our second child sometime in the next few weeks and as such I will be on maternity leave from my at-home-part-time job, which allows for more time with family. The arrival of our baby also means we will NOT be traveling this year, but staying close to home. And so, based on these changes I am making plans to spend as much time as possible enjoying my two children and exploring the holidays, particularly Christmas through the eyes of the eldest.

One tradition I want to start is a to read a "book a day for Christmas," an idea I snagged from Annette at Live, Learn, Love. I have started a list of 25 Christmas books that I will read aloud to my daughter over the course of December. Because I know these books are popular I have already started to request them from my local library. As the month progresses I hope to post comments about my favorite reads either here, or at least on Facebook and Twitter. (So if you're curious be sure to "Like" my blog page on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.)

Another tradition I want to establish is the celebration of Advent. I have been looking for some time and finally tracked down what I believe will be an age-appropriate devotional book for the advent season. However, since the book is still en-route to me I am not quite ready to post and recommend it. If, once I receive it, I decide it's exactly what I'm looking for I will be sure to let you know. (I sure hope it is!)

Tieing in with the advent theme I can't wait to unwrap the beautiful advent calendar that my mother-in-law sewed for us last year. Because we received it as a Christmas gift in 2010 we have yet to use it, but it's here ready and waiting and I am excited to bring it out at the end of the month when we start in on the devotionals.

Last, but not least I have also started to plan and prep some simple crafts and baking plans that I can share with my four year old. I realize life will be a little hectic with a newborn, but they do sleep a lot in the first few weeks so I plan to take advantage of those times to create some special memories with the eldest.


And as time allows I am hoping to celebrate the season within my own reading. I have read some excellent holiday books in the past and I hope to find a few more to read this year. I am open to suggestions/recommendations, so if you have reviewed or know of a great holiday read be sure to leave a comment and let me know.

What about you? Do you have special plans for the holiday season? Please be sure to leave a comment and let me know or link to your own post.

Another Chance to Win The Betsy-Tacy Treasury!

Good news! If you have not gotten your hands on the new Betsy-Tacy Treasury there is still a chance you could win a copy! Audrey at The Betsy-Tacy Encycolopedia blog is giving away a copy to one lucky reader!

 

Click on the link above to check out her blog and read the rules for entry. This giveaway will run until Tuesday, November 22, 2011. Good luck!

Betsy-Tacy Treasury Book Tour

One final posting because I definitely had to share this news with you. As you know, TODAY The Betsy-Tacy Treasury is officially available (in print and e-book) online and at your local bookstore!

To learn more about this wonderful collection of the first four Betsy-Tacy books please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website.

And while you're browsing the world wide web, you'll want to check out this great article in today's New York Times: A New Edition of Betsy-Tacy Greets Fans, Old and New.

And last, but certainly not least I also wanted to mention The Betsy-Tacy Treasury blog tour that is running through December 2, 2011. Be sure to stop by these blogs to see what they have to say and while you're at it, be sure to spread the word via your blog, Twitter feed, or Facebook. (Thanks to Book Club Girl for the heads up re: this blog tour.)


Betsy-Tacy Treasury Book Tour:

Tuesday, November 8th: Amusing Reviews

Wednesday, November 9th: Book Drunkard

Thursday, November 10th: A Cozy Reader's Corner

Tuesday, November 15th: Cafe of Dreams

Wednesday, November 16th: Teresa's Reading Corner

Thursday, November 17th: Laura's Reviews

Tuesday, November 22nd: Sidewalk Shoes

Wednesday, November 23rd: Books Like Breathing

Monday, November 28th: Reading Lark

Tuesday, November 29th: Reviews from the Heart

Wednesday, November 30th: Raging Bibliomania

Thursday, December 1st: The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness

Friday, December 2nd: Book Hooked Blog

Tuesday Teaser: They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie

"What are you reading?'
Victoria made a slight grimace. 'You don't have much choice of light fiction here. Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice, and The Mill on the Floss. I'm reading the Tale of Two Cities.'
'Never read it before?'
'Never. I always thought Dickens would be stuffy.'
'What an idea!'
'I'm finding it most exciting!"

Books within Books ~ They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie (pg 224)

Announcing the Winners of the Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge Give-Away #4

A day late, but here we are with the official announcement of the winners of the Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge Give-Away #4.

Congratulations to our winners! These individuals participated in the 2011 reading challenge and have not yet won during the previous three give-aways that I have hosted. They were drawn at random selection and given their prizes based on their requested preference on a first-come-first-serve basis.

For further information about these items or to order your own please visit the Betsy-Tacy Society Gift Shop.

And now without further delay.. The winners are:

WINNER: Annette W.

WINNER: BlueRose

WINNER: Jennifer H.*

WINNER: Katie

Congratulations to you all! Please email me your shipping address so I can get these sent out to you before the week's end.

Thanks again for participating in this year's reading challenge!

NOTE: *Because we had only three eligible participants in this give-away and a fourth prize I chose to add Jennifer to the give-away in thanks for all her hard work on behalf of Betsy-Tacy and Maud Hart Lovelace. Thank you Jennifer!

Please Stand By....

There's been a slight and quite unforeseen circumstances which have caused a delay in today's posting. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. Please check back on MONDAY, November 7 for the  posting of all final winners in the last give-away for the 3rd annual Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge.

Thank you!

~ Sarah

Gerald And Elizabeth by D. E. Stevenson

245 pages
Published 1969 by Holt, Rinehart & Winston
New York NY

As most of you know by now, I have been a fan of D. E. Stevenson novels for a couple years now. My introduction was was in the fall of 2009 when a friend sent me the link to a delightful book titled, Miss Buncle's Book. From the moment I picked up Miss Buncle and began reading I became a life-long fan of Ms. Stevenson and now I look forward to each new title I discover, pick up and read.

Thanks to Hope at Worthwhile Books, who passed on to me a ex-library copy of Gerald and Elizabeth earlier this year, I had the chance to read another delightful tale by one of my favorite authors.


The Plot:
Gerald Brown is young, good-looking, personable, but he holds himself aloof from the other passengers aboard the Ariadne, a small passenger ship returning to London from Cape Town, South Africa. In fact, his behavior is so extremely antisocial that he appears on deck only late at night, rarely venturing from his cabin during the day. Something is troubling him deeply, something that happened while he was working as an engineer in a Cape Town diamond mine that has left him spent and hopeless.

After the Ariadne docks in London, Gerald, desperately in need of a job, decides to contact his sister, the beautiful and famous actress, Elizabeth Burleigh, whose current play is the hit of the London theater season. As he reveals to her his haunting past in South Africa, he learns that she too is suffering, that behind her facade of gaiety and sophistication lurks a nagging suspicion about her mental health that is threatening to destroy her career and her love affair as well.

What are the forces that seem bent on these destroying these young people who have so much to live for? Can the mysteries surrounding their lives be solved -- and in time to prevent irreversible consequences? (Summary courtesy of the book dust jacket.)

My thoughts:
I must admit in spite of reading this jacket summary I was still surprised by Gerald and Elizabeth. I expected from the summary that I knew exactly how the story would turn out... and to a degree I did -- it had a happy ending -- but at the same time there was still plenty of surprises within this story and as a result I really did enjoy the read. It was a light and charming read with a touch of mystery and wit that kept me intrigued up to the end.

That said, I can't say that Gerald and Elizabeth was one of D. E. Stevenson's best works. It was enjoyable, but not a masterpiece. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't quite as good as some of her other books (i.e. Blue Sapphire, Mrs. Tim, Miss Buncle's Book, etc.). Nevertheless, a good Stevenson novel is still a worthwhile read and I recommend it to anyone looking for something new and different to read, particularly fans of Stevenson's novels.

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Related Links:

Happy Birthday D. E. Stevenson
Other D. E. Stevenson books reviewed

Biography - Wikipedia
All Things D. E. Stevenson

The 3rd Annual Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge Wraps Up

Wow! October just came and went I can hardly believe it is already the first of November and thus time to wrap-up the third Maud Hart Lovelace Reading Challenge.

As I stated last year; when I first created this reading challenge in 2009 I only intended it to be a medium of sorts where I could share with other readers my love for all things Betsy-Tacy since that time it has grown to be so much more and it has made me realize how vast the number of Maud Hart Lovelace and Betsy-Tacy fans there are! Likewise, I've had the joy of watching other readers discover this beloved author and her delightful books for the first time. It's been great!

I want to extend a special thanks to each participant in this year's challenge (and an extra extra thanks to those who have been with me for the last year or two). This challenge wouldn't be the same without you, so I am thrilled you've joined in. I hope you had a great time and will continue to explore the wonderful writings of Maud Hart Lovelace and spread the word about them to your fellow readers and bloggers.

Since this is the "wrap-up post" for this year's challenge I have opened a Mr. Linky where all participants can link-up any and all Maud related posts from their blog. (Even if in the last few weeks you have left a comment with a link to your blog I encourage to you re-post it here. This is a great way for me to connect with each of you and an awesome way for you all to connect with each other.)

** Note: For those of you waiting for word on the final Maud Hart Lovelace Give-Away, I will post the winner this weekend, so be sure to check back.