Friday Fill-Ins 2011 - 02

Ok, so I've missed doing this for the past few weeks, but there has been a lot going on. I was away last weekend at a retreat in a town in country Victoria that is now flooded, plus with world time zones it's often Saturday before I see the Fill-Ins main post in my following list.

So...here we go! For the first time in 2011!

1. Right now I need to be somewhere else.

2. Raspberry cordial is what's in my glass on a regular basis.

3. A copy of this letter has been forwarded to my lawyer (he he, not really because I don't have a lawyer).

4. Chocolate mousse is best eaten with a spoon.

5. The best movie I've seen lately is 'The Secrets of Johnathan Sperry'.

6. There are things I like; and there are things I love.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to yet another night at home after picking up my sister from work, tomorrow my plans include going to a farewell afternoon tea, cleaning at church and maybe a little shopping and Sunday, I want to enjoy the fellowship at church, then a BBQ and maybe even head out for a Pancake night!

My Favourite Things - FLOWERS

FLOWERS are my theme for this week.

My absolute favourite flower is the Forget-Me-Not!

My Gran always had some growing in her garden.
I like the daintiness of them. Plus they are one of the few truly blue flowers.

My second favourite flowers are Daffodils! I love how they herald the coming of spring, and dance gaily in the wind.

My favourite colours in a Daffodil are cream petals with a peach trumpet.

I also like roses, violets and pansies.

Teaser Tuesdays - 11 Jan 2011

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!

Last week a shared a teaser from a book by Mindy Starns Clark, and this week I'll be doing the same - from a different book, but the same series.

The Buck Stops Here by Mindy Starns Clark

'"Tom, if I knew the truth, the whole truth, about Bryan's death," I said, faltering, "would you and I have a future together? Could we go on, as a couple?"
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
"I don't know, Callie," he said finally. "I just don't know."'

My Favourite Things - BOOKS

Here we are, the first of 'My Favourite Things' posts!

BOOKS!

I've loved books for as long as I can remember. There are even photos of me "reading" before I was a year old (see below)!

These days I wonder if it may be an obsession. I'm always checking to see when new books from my favourite authors (hmm ... maybe we'll see this topic in the coming weeks) are coming out and getting impatient when they don't get published on time or take ages to make it to Australian stores.

The photo below is if my bookshelves.

The shelves on the far left hold DVDs, but I do have another bookshelf, not pictured here, filled and overflowing with books. You should be able to see at least one double row of books, although the second row on the shelf is not full.

I actually learned to read before I started school. My Mum taught me. I got really upset my first week at school when my teacher made me bring home books without words in them. Other children may have made up stories to go with the pictures, but I just wanted to read the words.

When we would go on long road trips as a family (we crossed the Nularbour Plain 6 times by road), I would always take a stack of books to read, and would always run out. We would often stop at Op Shops to look for more books for me to read.

Not only do I buy books, but I borrow them as well. I am often in the Library looking for new books to read, or re-borrowing favourites that I haven't bought ... yet!

I hope if I have children, I can pass on a love of books to them.

Teaser Tuesdays - 4 Jan 2011

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!

Here we are in a new year - Happy New Year! - and I happen to be reading a book I've read before! You just can't pass up a great series or mystery, so here is my teaser:

Don't Take Any Wooden Nickels by Mindy Starns Clark

'We stood, and I thnked her before walking away. In a sort of daze, I collected my bags from the front desk and walked toward the door. As an afterthought, I turned back to the woman, who was now in the telephone area, dialing a number.
"Excuse me," I said, going back to her. She disconnected the call before she had finished dialing it.
"Yes?"
"Did Tom leave some paperwork for me, by any chance? There would've been a couple of files or maybe some manila envelopes?"
"No," she said. "Nothing like that."
I started to turn away.
"Oh, hang on," she said. "There was one thing."
I turned back and waited expectantly as she opened her purse. From it she pulled a giant silk flower, a mum, resplendent in a vivid red. I took it from her, smiling in spite of myself when I saw a big safety pin clipped to the back.
"He said to give you this," she reported, a puzzled look on her face. "And to tell you that, next time, he dares you to wear it."'

Christian Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2010 - final count

I read 10 books for this during December.

So for the year I read 74 books!!

They are:

1. The Confidential Life of Euginia Cooper by Kathleen Y'Barbo
2. Pieces of Silver by Maureen Lang
3. Remember Me by Maureen Lang
4. New Mexico by Janet Lee Barton
5. The Tapestry by MaryAnn Minatra
6. The Masterpiece by MaryAnn Minatra
7. The Heirloom by MaryAnn Minatra
8. Texas Brides by Cathy Marie Hake
9. Battles of Destiny Vol. 3 by Al Lacy
10. Battles of Destiny Vol. 4 by Al Lacy
11. A Place Called Home by Lori Wick
12. A Song For Silas by Lori Wick
13. The Long Road Home by Lori Wick
14. A Gathering of Memories by Lori Wick
15. Gingham Bride by Jillian Hart
16. Look to the East by Maureen Lang
17. Love Awakens the Heart by Lori Wick
18. The One Forever Promise by Lori Wick
19. Ransome's Honor by Kaye Dacus
20. Angel's Den by Jamie Carie
21. The Husband Tree by Mary Connealy
22. Pasadena Primises by Rachel Druten
23. Brides of the Empire by Darlene Minrup
24. The Raven Saint by M L Tyndall
25. Woven Hearts by Cathy Marie Hake, Kelly Eileen Hake, Kathleen Paul & Susan Downs
26. The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter by Coleen Coble
27. Florida Brides by Muncy G. Chapman
28. Louisiana Brides by Kathleen Y'Barbo
29. Veiled Joy by Colleen L. Reece
30. In Tune With Wedding Bells by Grace Livingston Hill
31. Where Two Ways Met by Grace Livingston Hill
32. The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke
33. The Puritans by Jack Cavanaugh
34. The Colonists by Jack Cavanaugh
35. The Patriots by Jack Cavanaugh
36. The Adversaries by Jack Cavanaugh
37. The Pioneers by Jack Cavanaugh
38. The Allies by Jack Cavanaugh
39. The Victors by Jack Cavanaugh
40. The Hidden Flame by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke
41. The Country House Courtship by Linore Rose Burkard
42. Though None Go With Me by Jerry B. Jenkins
43. The Bride Blunder by Kelly Eileen Hake
44. Found Treasure by Grace Livingston Hill
45. Outlaw Marshal by Al and Joanna Lacy
46. Cassidy by Lori Wick
47. The Affectionate Adversary by Catherine Palmer
48. The Bachelor's Bargain by Catherine Palmer
49. Wild Heather by Catherine Palmer
50. English Ivy by Catherine Palmer
51. Sweet Violet by Catherine Palmer
52. The Courteous Cad by Catherine Palmer
53. Sabrina by Lori Wick
54. Jessie by Lori Wick
55. The Crimson Cipher by Susan Page Davis
56. Wildflower Bride by Mary Connealy
57. Deadlock by Al and Joanna Lacy
58. Marina by Susan K Downs and Susan May Warren
59. Oksana by Susan K Downs and Susan May Warren
60. To Catch a Thief by DiAnn Mills, Carol Cox, Kathleen Y'Barbo and Lisa Harris
61. The Omega Deception by John F Bayer
62. Ransome's Crossing by Kaye Dacus
63. Doctor in Petticoats by Mary Connealy
64. A Convenient Wife by Anna Schmidt
65. The Substitute Guest by Grace Livingston Hill
66. Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang
67. The Chronicles of Narnia by C S Lewis
68. Patterns and Progress by Amber Miller Stockton
69. An Old Fashioned Christmas by Sally Laity, Loree Lough, Colleen L Reece and Tracie Peterson
70. A Victorian Christmas Tea by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stocks and Katherine Chute
71. Wrangler in Petticoats by Mary Connealy
72. A Treasure Reborn by Pamela Griffin
73. Aunt Crete's Emancipation by Grace Livingston Hill
74. Love from Ashes by Yvonne Lehman

2010 Reading Challenge - the final count!

So, 2010 is almost over and it's time for the final book count for the 2010 Reading Challenge!

First things first.

This week I read 10 books!!

They were:

• A Victorian Christmas Tea by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stocks, and Katherine Chute
• Virtually Eliminated by Jefferson Scott
• Forever Christmas by Christine Lynxwiler
• Wrangler in Petticoats by Mary Connealy (Sophie's Daughters #2)
• For Better or Worse by Jennifer Johnson
• A Treasure Reborn by Pamela Griffin
• Aunt Crete's Emancipation by Grace Livingston Hill
• Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs
• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada
• Love from Ashes by Yvonne Lehman

I didn't get Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald finished.

Now, for the grand total. For the 2010 Reading Challenge I read

182 books!

That was 22 books more than my target.

I really enjoyed this challenge and most of the books I read were really good.

Teaser Tuesdays - December 28

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!

I just couldn't miss doing the final teaser for 2010!

So here it is:

A Treasure Reborn by Pamela Griffin

'Penny transferred her feelings to the kettle as she scrubbed it out hard and hoped that a woman from his past had not already laid claim to Derek's heart.'

Merry Christmas

To all my readers ...

Merry Christmas!

And may God richly bless you!

Remember that the reason Christ came at Christmas was to die for our sins.

Take some time to thank Him for His gift of salvation and eternal life.

2010 Reading Challenge - week 51

I read 2 books for the challenge this week. There was another book, but I'm not including is in the challenge because it's not specifically a Christian book.

They were:

• Patterns and Progress by Amber Miller Stockton
• An Old Fashioned Christmas by Sally Laity, Loree Lough, Colleen L Reece, and Tracie Peterson

I'm still reading:

• More Precious Than Silver by Joni Eareckson Tada (this will be finished on Dec 31)
• Rise and Shine by Liz Curtis Higgs (just a few more days and I'll be finished)
• Becoming a Woman of Simplicity by Cynthia Heald (I'm not sure I'll get this finished)
• A Victorian Christmas Tea by Catherine Palmer, Dianna Crawford, Peggy Stocks, and Katherine Chute (just the last of the 4 to go)

Next week I'll post my final total!