tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80953413616345847112024-03-05T19:42:57.017-08:00Dog-Eared Book ReviewsNews and Reviews of new and not so new books.Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-17878514657404326542011-07-16T16:47:00.000-07:002011-07-16T17:42:13.184-07:00Pulp Magazine Covers - Dime Detective<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Dime Detective Magazine Covers<br /><br /></span></b><center><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28285678@N00/2516550813/" title="Dime Detective Magazine by terr-bo, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2350/2516550813_12b746efbc.jpg" alt="Dime Detective Magazine" width="343" height="500" /></a></b><center><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><br /><br /></b> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Pulp magazines (aka pulp fiction) refers to inexpensive fiction magazines which were published from 1896 up until the 1950s.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These magazines were sold by the millions and depicted villains, heroes and damsels in distress.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>During the pulp fiction era, some of America’s finest pop artists created countless original artworks which adorned the covers of these magazines.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><span style=""><br /><br /><a href="http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/karyny/?action=view&current=dimedetectiv2newhousedesign.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/karyny/dimedetectiv2newhousedesign.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/karyny/?action=view&current=dimedetective1newhousedeign.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/karyny/dimedetective1newhousedeign.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://s265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/karyny/?action=view&current=dimedetective3newhousedesign.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii220/karyny/dimedetective3newhousedesign.jpg" alt="Photobucket" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><span style="">Photo Source: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/newhousedesign/with/3248500130/">Newhousedesigns</a></span></span><br /><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The popularity of pulp magazines was overshadowed by the emergence of television in the 1950s. </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" >Dime Detective magazine is a classic example of the pulp genre.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This magazine series was one of the most popular and long-running of the pulp detective genre.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The magazine ran from 1931 to 1953 with 274 issues being published.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"> </p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><p style="text-align: left;" class="MsoNormal"> </p></center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/78469770@N00/2985976176/" title="Dime Detective, Pulp Magazine - 1939, January by kocojim, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3005/2985976176_9d70b35028.jpg" alt="Dime Detective, Pulp Magazine - 1939, January" width="351" height="500" /></a></center>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-61259694604419873872011-07-03T15:53:00.000-07:002011-07-03T16:30:32.611-07:00Book Review: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvN4XxJw4IgCFrftNY-c9LJFWvFVHNHXr9Gv7eXkrBuqxOm6KrsTDuKYUxB1LKPjv-aB7mvCz95xUs6n0gX8ISWOI46X8Z6QVx1TvH9ddiUXauHsxcNqwqo0GzkyDbuSOWJhkt24Lan40/s1600/thewomaninblack.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvN4XxJw4IgCFrftNY-c9LJFWvFVHNHXr9Gv7eXkrBuqxOm6KrsTDuKYUxB1LKPjv-aB7mvCz95xUs6n0gX8ISWOI46X8Z6QVx1TvH9ddiUXauHsxcNqwqo0GzkyDbuSOWJhkt24Lan40/s400/thewomaninblack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625264929432325314" border="0" /></a><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Author: Susan Hill </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Publisher: Vintage</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Publishing Date: 2007</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">ISBN: 9780099511649</span></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" >It’s the late twentieth century, on a foggy English evening. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In front of you stands a lonely manor house with a dilapidated graveyard and you are required to stay here, alone, to sort through the belongings of the recently deceased owner.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Would you stay or turn and go straight back to where you come from.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Susan Hill’s <span style="font-style: italic;">The Woman in Black</span> is the story of what happened to young solicitor, Arthur Kipps, when he found himself in this situation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Woman in Black</span> opens on Christmas Eve with the Kipps family sitting around the fire telling ghost stories.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At this moment, the father, Arthur Kipps, appears quite shaken and abruptly leaves the room – unable to share a dark secret that has haunted him since he was a young man.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote>"They had chided me for being a spoilsport, tried to encourage me to tell them the one ghost story I must surely, like any other man, have it in me to tell. And they were right. Yes, I had a story, a true story, a story of haunting and evil, fear and confusion, horror and tragedy. But it was not a story to be told for casual entertainment, around the fireside on Christmas Eve."</blockquote><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">This experience with his family results in Arthur Kipps reflecting back to his time as a young solicitor when he was sent to attend to the affairs of a recently deceased client, Mrs Drablow.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>On the instructions of his employer, Arthur travels to Eel Marsh House, the isolated and abandoned estate of Mrs Drablow.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, rumours about this estate are rampant and when he first arrives at the mansion, young Arthur is struck by its hauntingly beautiful appearance.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;"></span></p><blockquote>“I looked up ahead, and saw, as if rising out of the water itself, a tall, gaunt house of grey stone and with a slate roof, that now gleamed steely in the light. It stood like some lighthouse or beacon or martello tower, facing the whole, wide expanse of the marsh and estuary, the most astonishingly situated house I had ever seen or could conceivably have imagined.”</blockquote><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:11pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Arthur settles himself in the mansion, but he is not there for long when he begins to hear strange noises and sees visions of a pale, haggard woman dressed in black.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After speaking with locals Arthur begins to piece together the tragic history of this English manor and those who once lived there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Arthur is intrigued at first by the strange happenings at Eel House, but eventually he becomes deathly ill and returns to London. However, this is by far the end, as Eel house and the mysterious ‘woman in black’ are not finished with Arthur Kipps.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Woman in Black</i>, Susan Hill succeeds in presenting the reader with a classic Victorian ghost story.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is smoothly paced and contains all the ingredients of the genre – a mystery to solve, a lonely manor house and an isolated, foggy location. I would not describe <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Woman in Black</i> as ‘terrifying’, however, it is a good, old fashioned ghost story with enough plot twists to keep the reader interested.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A good choice for a cold, wintery night.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-56148112622700219962011-06-30T07:46:00.000-07:002011-07-29T20:53:20.459-07:00Book Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakMs-sp6mVaZ6IcoY7hyrpPv3DzguADYbf8BX0nUh8m7jwbmx32vx_k4c-sGOWkld6YvwcpWUAW0kum13R53PDe8BuvHUA3sFukNlENSmwb2HmU2RfJfGhK2qO7rX4Zin62aXJ6KVxOA/s1600/theroad.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhakMs-sp6mVaZ6IcoY7hyrpPv3DzguADYbf8BX0nUh8m7jwbmx32vx_k4c-sGOWkld6YvwcpWUAW0kum13R53PDe8BuvHUA3sFukNlENSmwb2HmU2RfJfGhK2qO7rX4Zin62aXJ6KVxOA/s400/theroad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624133786424656722" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Author: Cormac McCarthy</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Publisher: Picador</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Publishing Date: 2010</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">ISBN: 9780330513005</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Imagine living in a world where the majority of civilisation has been destroyed. A world where there is no food or water, no law or justice and no hope. A world where everyday is a fight for survival. This is the world that Cormac McCarthy introduces the reader to in <i>The Road</i>. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><br /></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;" ></span></i></p><blockquote><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;" >"What's the bravest thing you ever did?<br />He spat in the road a bloody phlegm. Getting up this morning, he said."</span></i></blockquote><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">The Road</span></i><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> is set in post-apocalyptic America at the time of an unexplained catastrophe which has all but destroyed the earth. The story centres on a nameless father and son who are trying to make their way through the bleak ash-covered wasteland that was once America. Armed with only a gun, two bullets and, a shopping trolley containing their meager belongings, the pair battle freezing temperatures, constant hunger and dangerous gangs who, like themselves, are also desperately ravaged by hunger and cold. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;"><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;"></span></i></p><blockquote><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;">"He walked out in the gray light and stood and he saw for a brief moment the absolute truth of the world. The cold relentless circling of the intestate earth. Darkness implacable. The blind dogs of the sun in their running. The crushing black vacuum of the universe. And somewhere two hunted animals trembling like ground-foxes in their cover. Borrowed time and borrowed world and borrowed eyes with which to sorrow it."</span></i></blockquote><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><br /><br />The father and son share a strong bond and there is nothing that the father will not do to protect his son. Every choice the father makes, everything he does is in the best interest of his child. Amidst all the brutality, cruelty, savagery and despair the father’s love for his son shines through and gives him a reason to continue on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Through the relationship between the boy and his father, McCarthy succeeds in conveying the message that when all else is gone, it is love that is most important.<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;"></span></i></p><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;"></span></i><blockquote><i style=""><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:11.0pt;">"Listen to me, he said, when your dreams are of some world that never was or some world that never will be, and you're happy again, then you'll have given up. Do you understand? And you can't give up, I won't let you."</span></i><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"></span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">The Road</i>, McCarthy has created a world which is bleak and harsh.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A world full of horror and sadness.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A world where the strong prey on the weak and where the future is grimmer than the present. Through the bleak and depressing content of this book, Cormac McCarthy shows the reader what the world of the future may look like.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A world I hope we never have to experience.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Although bleak and, at times, depressing <span style="font-style: italic;">The Road</span> is truly an amazing read!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Highly recommended.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-2821853572925141072011-06-23T15:17:00.000-07:002011-07-28T15:26:32.401-07:00Review: Cuckoo - the true story of 'Mr Stinky' by Andrew Rule<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK4Qql-k_NY25OVbR1Od7i3VmWO9LJ0qCjX0F0fuYbgENJwsrr60TnrXunvwegj6mq0QUcfmKRo5rDfAnimUbqdotQeGIYCuCRIj6xWRRZBLQeJ4_XBJmCvd2Ko_eLO54ibmbpewrgPc/s1600/cuckoo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOK4Qql-k_NY25OVbR1Od7i3VmWO9LJ0qCjX0F0fuYbgENJwsrr60TnrXunvwegj6mq0QUcfmKRo5rDfAnimUbqdotQeGIYCuCRIj6xWRRZBLQeJ4_XBJmCvd2Ko_eLO54ibmbpewrgPc/s400/cuckoo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621543776525513634" border="0" /></a><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Author:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Andrew Rule</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Publisher:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Floradale Press</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Publishing Date:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>1988</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">ISBN:<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>0731618599</span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> </p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">How can a rapist and murderer walk among us undetected for almost 20 years?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Was he extremely lucky or cunning enough to slip under the radar of the Victorian Police? <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Or, was he simply so ‘ordinary’ that he was merely overlooked as a suspect.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Cuckoo – The true story of ‘Mr Stinky’, the Madhill-Heywood sex killer</i>, Andrew Rule tries to address some of the questions that a case such as this raises.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ><br /></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">Cuckoo</span></i><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> follows the life of one of Australia’s most wanted men, who for almost twenty years was only known as ‘Mr Stinky’.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Andrew Rule chronicles the seemingly ordinary and mundane existence of this man from the time of the 1966 Madill-Heywood murders in the Victorian town of Shepparton, to his capture in the NSW town of Albury in 1985 to his eventual sentencing in 1986.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">By all accounts, on the surface, Raymond Edmunds was a ‘normal’, hardworking man trying to raise a young family.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, he was far from ‘normal’ as was eventually revealed.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Edmunds lived a secret life of a peeping tom, child molester, rapist and murderer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>He had a vicious and violent nature with an insatiable sexual appetite and terrorised women for decades before his eventual capture.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Cuckoo</i>, Andrew Rule highlights both the persistence of the Australian police and the inadequacies of the legal system at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This book also raises the question as to whether Edmunds should have been caught earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Mistakes were made by the investigators in the Madill-Heywood murder case and leads were not followed up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, in the end, it wasn’t clever police work that resulted in capturing this monster.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was simply that his luck had finally run out.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;">For almost twenty years Raymond Edmunds, the sex killer dubbed "Mr Stinky", was one of Australia's most wanted men but no-one knew his name.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Edmunds was a violent and vicious sex offender.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, on the surface he seemed to be a ‘normal’, hardworking man who could very well have been your next door neighbour. This book tells a chilling story and will make the reader wonder what other evil walks among us!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" ;font-family:Batang;font-size:14pt;" ><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Batang;font-size:14.0pt;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></p>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-23182156924179952182011-03-09T22:27:00.000-08:002011-06-22T15:36:54.757-07:00Review: Who Killed Dave by Linda Cockburn<img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/whokilleddave.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Author: Linda Cockburn</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Publisher: Together Press</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Publishing Date: 2009</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ISBN: 9780646501321</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">From the back cover:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="textstyle3">Dave died in mysterious and grotesque circumstances and the murder has caught the imagination of a nation. There’s a television poll running and 46% of voters believe Robyn is guilty. Maybe she did, maybe she didn’t, she wasn’t in any state to remember.<br /><br />But hey, if you’re pointing fingers then Kaos Court is full of people crazy enough to commit the crime.<br /><br />This part time masseuse, part time tarot card reader is going to need all her skills to find out who killed Dave, because it’s the only thing standing between her and Detective Mark Hood, a man she could never marry, not when your first name is Robyn. Right?<br /><br />A whacky whodunit comedy that cartwheels from one chaotic moment to the next.<br /><br />And who killed Dave? ... You’ll never guess!</span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="textstyle4"> </span><br /><br /><br />Do you enjoy a good murder mystery? Feel as though you have the blood of Sherlock Holmes running through your veins? If so, then grab your magnifying glass and join the residents of Kaos Court to find out 'Who Killed Dave?'.<br /><br />Kaos Court is a whacky Australian suburban street which houses an array of even whackier residents who range in whackiness from a blind telephone sex operator to Harry the Hermit and Bundy the Pitt Bull. In Who Killed Dave?, Linda Cockburn, takes the reader on a journey through the bizarrely connected lives of these residents.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Who Killed Dave</span>? is narrated by Robin, a psychic masseuse and one of the more balanced residents of Kaos Court. However, trouble seems to follow Robin around and she continually has to navigate her way through a series of bizarre and dangerous situations in her quest to find out who killed Dave - one of the Court's more unpopular residents. Everyone in Kaos Court becomes a suspect in Dave's bizarre murder, including Robin, and to be honest, any one of them are crazy enough to have committed the crime.<br /><br />Witty and full of surprises, Who Killed Dave? is a tale that is bound to please those with a sense of humour, any fan of crime fiction with a touch of the bizarre or anyone who just wants to have a good laugh at the expense of others. <span style="font-style: italic;">Who Killed Dave</span>? is recommended reading for anyone looking for a light-hearted and raunchy murder mystery.<br /><br />So, who did kill Dave? You can grab a copy <a href="http://www.togetherpress.com/buy.html">here</a> if you want to find out!<br /><br />Rating: B<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">About the Author: </span><br /><br />Taken from <a href="http://www.togetherpress.com/info.html">Together Press</a><br /><br /><span class="textstyle3">Linda Cockburn is the author of</span><span class="textstyle5"> Living the Good Life - Simple Strategies for sustainable Living</span><span class="textstyle3">, also titled</span><span class="textstyle5"> Living the Good Life - How One Family Changed their world from their own backyard</span><span class="textstyle3">, published in 2006 by Hardie Grant and 2007 by Snowbooks.<br /><br />The book details Linda's family's attempt to live six months from a suburban block producing their own food, power, water, transport and creating zero waste. They've been featured on Channel 7's Today, Tonight, Time Magazine, Notebook, That's Life and many others. Linda is a regular contributor to ABC Organic Gardening Magazine.<br /><br />Linda has almost clocked up enough hours in Australia to be considered true blue, but her pronunciation of 'fish n' chips' still gives away her kiwi origins.<br /><br />Linda, partner Trevor and son Caleb have moved to Tasmania where they are building a strawbale home without use of concrete, PVC and chemical paints. They've surrounded themselves in goats, sheep, chooks (chickens) and bees and spend most of their time saving on gym fees working out in the garden.</span>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-18559591943453079332011-02-28T13:27:00.000-08:002011-06-22T15:37:30.153-07:00Celluloid Serial Killers by Paul B. Kidd<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/celluliodserialkillers.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" /><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Author: Paul B. Kidd</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Publisher: The Five Mile Press</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Publishing Date: 2007</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre: Non-Fiction, Serial Killers</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">ISBN: 9781741784275</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Australian true crime author, Paul B. Kidd, presents an excellent reference guide on serial killer movies and the fiends who inspired those movies. Kidd has produced a comprehensive and compelling guide to the history of the serial killer movie genre and introduces the real-life serial killers who inspired these movies.<br /><br />This book is made up of 45 separate chapters, with each chapter covering a different movie. Each section comprises a review of the movie, a movie poster, a biography and picture (if available) of the actual killer. The book offers a very comprehensive coverage of the most influential serial killer movies and a detailed introduction to some of the most depraved serial killers in history, including Fritz Lang's <span style="font-style: italic;">M</span> (1931), Alfred Hitchcock's <span style="font-style: italic;">Psycho</span> (1960), <span style="font-style: italic;">Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer</span> (1986) and <span style="font-style: italic;">Zodiac</span> (2007). Kidd also includes some movies which are not based on an actual historical serial killer such as <span style="font-style: italic;">Sea of Love</span> (1989), <span style="font-style: italic;">The Bone Collector</span> (1999) and <span style="font-style: italic;">Blood Work</span> (2002).<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Celluloid Serial Killers </span>is presented in an easy to read format and, while the content matter is not for the faint-hearted, it is ideal for both true crime fans and movie buffs alike. After reading this book you may find yourself running out to get a copy of the movies that Paul B. Kidd recommends. A highly recommended read.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating: A</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">About the Author:</span><br /><br />Paul B. Kidd is an Australian true crime author and recognised authority on Australian serial killers and criminals. Kidd is also radio talkback host, research producer and photojournalist. He is the author of approximately sixteen books on various subjects including true crime and fishing. Paul B. Kidd currently resides in Sydney, Australia.<br /><br /><br /><br />You can purchase this book from the following link:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fishpond.com.au/product_info.php?ref=1396&id=9781741784725&affiliate_banner_id=1" target="_blank">Celluloid Serial Killers: The History of Serial Killers in the Movies</a>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-90178680815130630952009-12-30T12:22:00.000-08:002009-12-30T14:23:39.683-08:00WWW...Wednesdays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7AvydXB5T9jc6f4mG0XV8nj-abnw9Rf0NEtBwCjc09wb0dhkk3hxBvOFI2e0BiWRTs5dELbEb70o4ww_YULFXJi5qEYZp2CN14CnJHNjC8OvaeJevagAFBkcZ0btDHsqq2uAM9wyX1Q/s1600/www_wednesdays43.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7AvydXB5T9jc6f4mG0XV8nj-abnw9Rf0NEtBwCjc09wb0dhkk3hxBvOFI2e0BiWRTs5dELbEb70o4ww_YULFXJi5qEYZp2CN14CnJHNjC8OvaeJevagAFBkcZ0btDHsqq2uAM9wyX1Q/s400/www_wednesdays43.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405512920469880258" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/www-wednesdays-2/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">WWW Wednesdays</span> </span></span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">is a new meme hosted by mizb17 over at </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Should Be Reading</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">. It asks three (3) questions: </span></span><blockquote style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>What are you currently reading?
<br /></em><em>What did you recently finish reading?
<br /></em><em>What do you think you’ll read next? </em></span></blockquote><em style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">My answers for this week are:
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<br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thegathering.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Currently reading:</span>
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<br />"The Gathering" by Anne Enright
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<br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/birdsong.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Just finished:</span>
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<br />"Birdsong" by Sebastian Faulks
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<br /></span></span></em><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5C123%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thehandmaidstale.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" /></p> <em style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading next:</span>
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<br />"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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<br />Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-39119406864866360932009-12-29T11:48:00.000-08:002009-12-29T12:02:51.880-08:00Teaser Tuesdays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iqxNWdQNkibLe86GTX25lEqyTdH9Nkh8DEFZlVods-HynvKQY4gFR_pFV_PIuhUiObl2-E-1cEVIqYYBOrLmvtJrq93Uwb9W2LNd8s53WDPmqgjG5AmGwKdD8-rMroc6DOQXMBViad8/s1600/teasertuesdays31.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iqxNWdQNkibLe86GTX25lEqyTdH9Nkh8DEFZlVods-HynvKQY4gFR_pFV_PIuhUiObl2-E-1cEVIqYYBOrLmvtJrq93Uwb9W2LNd8s53WDPmqgjG5AmGwKdD8-rMroc6DOQXMBViad8/s400/teasertuesdays31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405302010998253026" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span> <blockquote style="font-family:georgia;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Grab your current read</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Open to a random page</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page<br />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!)</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! </span></li></blockquote><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/sophieschoice.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" />This week's teaser comes from page 178 of <span style="font-style: italic;">Sophie's Choice</span> by William Styron.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I was literally on the verge of crying out, but she beat me to it, making a gulping noise as she clapped her hands over her mouth and fled to the bathroom. I stood there in pounding embarrassment for long moments listening to the muffled sounds behind the bathroom door, aware now for the first time of the Scarlatti piano sonata that had been playing softly on the phonograph."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-27481680096724712772009-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:002009-12-10T11:21:23.525-08:00Booking Through Thursday - Mark the Spot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDV3hbe4GI-57QUyIW8ixxzq-IxUQE6CvMs86prrQvQwaXvRosLQ70cVV4Y44fv0Z-ovIz73xwEyI87uA-ziPJS6yV24G3AFU4z4zsvHUMf4bG8mI_gHQAKGVTR4zXGMmglZrIozHDJN0/s1600-h/btt2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 34px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDV3hbe4GI-57QUyIW8ixxzq-IxUQE6CvMs86prrQvQwaXvRosLQ70cVV4Y44fv0Z-ovIz73xwEyI87uA-ziPJS6yV24G3AFU4z4zsvHUMf4bG8mI_gHQAKGVTR4zXGMmglZrIozHDJN0/s400/btt2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413684968197225394" border="0" /></a>This weeks <a href="http://btt2.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/mark-the-spot/#comments">Booking Through Thursday</a> was suggested by <a href="http://ramblingsbytammy.blogspot.com/">Tammy</a> and asks: <p style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></p><p style="font-weight: bold;">What items have you ever used as a bookmark? What is the most unusual item you’ve ever used or seen used?</p><p><br /></p><p>I have two lovely bookmarks that my son and daughter made me when they were young which I use most of the time, however, over the years I have used many different items as bookmarks, such as shopping receipts, price tags off clothing, envelopes and drinking straws.<br /></p><p>I buy a lot of secondhand books and it is not unusual to find items which have been left inside books such as tickets and photos. When I find photograph it makes me wonder who these people are and what their lives have been like. It makes me a little sad that I can't return the photographs to their owners. My best find ever was $10, which I can only assume was being used as a bookmark and that find definitely covered the price of the book!</p><p><br /></p>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-9532238513136642122009-11-27T05:00:00.000-08:002009-11-26T10:19:04.376-08:00The Friday 56 - Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5FI-ZgOtZCuaRFmpAwHokz_F-SpH_1Y7fTlLANNrYDFVpDNOs-qtXPaxY8EQjtTTdWHkvDk-4_qj55d2-D_VwY_pos2WqVO_i3aWWTlKU3JW3AvzX_fjRksQqxoryRqNWUcdOx5_SWs/s1600-h/56.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5FI-ZgOtZCuaRFmpAwHokz_F-SpH_1Y7fTlLANNrYDFVpDNOs-qtXPaxY8EQjtTTdWHkvDk-4_qj55d2-D_VwY_pos2WqVO_i3aWWTlKU3JW3AvzX_fjRksQqxoryRqNWUcdOx5_SWs/s400/56.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393253111842348386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >A weekly meme hosted by <a target="_blank" title="Storytime with Tonya and Friends" href="http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/">Storytime with Tonya and Friends</a></span></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Rules:</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Turn to page 56.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Find the fifth sentence.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >on your blog</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" > or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >*</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Post a link</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >along with your post back to this blog.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">This week's Friday 56 comes from </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Birdsong</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> by Sebastian Faulks:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >'I,' said Berard weightily, 'don't consider them to be friends. I have not invited them to our house and I shall not be calling on them.'</span><br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/birdsong.jpg" width="100" height="150" /><br /><br /><br /></center></span></span></span></span></span>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-27094173858494578352009-11-26T00:36:00.000-08:002009-11-26T00:58:15.858-08:00Twenty Ten Reading Challenge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEYHHL8AbIPWv28AsFiZaSkVYrqHTF3B38Rl1H29GyZDrdsxbSxFQ5S3LvthJ9A2KI3GQycbWPXgSk5ISMd2-A0z1jKzCxKIfdpmr7q11XYcKO23KVh8GOSg7wKF-G5YWqeeOPRag-jg/s1600/twentyten_sml.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPEYHHL8AbIPWv28AsFiZaSkVYrqHTF3B38Rl1H29GyZDrdsxbSxFQ5S3LvthJ9A2KI3GQycbWPXgSk5ISMd2-A0z1jKzCxKIfdpmr7q11XYcKO23KVh8GOSg7wKF-G5YWqeeOPRag-jg/s400/twentyten_sml.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408329069375504594" border="0" /></a><br />The <a href="http://www.bartsbookshelf.co.uk/my-challenges/twentyten-challenge/">Twenty Ten Reading Challenge</a>, hosted over at <a href="http://www.bartsbookshelf.co.uk/my-challenges/twentyten-challenge/">Bart's Bookshelf</a> asks you to read twenty books, over 10 categories, in 2020! The rules are:<br /><br /><ul><li>Read 2 books from each category, making a requirement of 20 books total.</li><li>The categories are intended to be loose guidelines only, if you decide it fits, then it fits. (Apart from those marked **)</li><li>Categories marked with ** have tighter rules, and these must be followed.</li><li>Each book can only qualify for one category.</li><li>Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.</li><li>Books read from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2010 are eligible.</li></ul><br />The categories are:<br /><br /><strong>Young Adult</strong><br />Any book classified as young adult or featuring a teenage protagonist counts for this category.<br /><strong><br /></strong><ol><li><br /></li><li><br /></li></ol><strong><br /><br />T.B.R. **</strong><br />Intended to help reduce the old T.B.R. pile. Books for this category must be already residents of your bookshelves as of 1/11/09.<br /><strong><br /></strong><ol><li><br /></li><li><br /></li></ol><strong><br /><br />Shiny & New<br /></strong>Bought a book NEW during 2010 from a bookstore, online, or a supermarket? Then it counts for this category. Second-hand books do not count for this one, but, f<em>or those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts or won in a giveaway also count!</em><br /><strong><br /></strong><ol><li><br /></li><li><br /></li></ol><strong><br /><br />Bad Blogger’s</strong> ***<br />Books in this category, should be ones you’ve picked up purely on the recommendation of another blogger count for this category (any reviews you post should also link to the post that convinced you give the book ago).<br /><em>*** <strong>Bad Bloggers:</strong> Is hosted by Chris of <a href="http://www.dreamstuffbooks.com/blog/2009/01/10/introducing-bad-bloggers/">Stuff as Dreams are Made on</a>.</em><br /><strong><br /></strong><ol><li><br /></li><li><br /></li></ol><strong><br /><br />Charity</strong><br />Support your local charity shops with this category, by picking up books from one of their shops. Again, f<em>or those on book-buying bans, books bought for you as gifts also count, as long as they were bought from a charity shop.</em><br /><strong><br /></strong><ol><li><br /></li><li><br /></li></ol><strong><br /><br />New in 2010<br /></strong>This category is for those books newly published in 2010 (whether it be the first time it is has been released, or you had to wait for it to be published in your country, it counts for this one!)<br /><strong><br /></strong><ol><li><br /></li><li><br /></li></ol><strong><br /><br />Older Than You</strong><br />Read two books that were published before you were born, whether that be the day before or 100 years prior!<br /><strong><br /></strong><ol><li><br /></li><li><br /></li></ol><strong><br /><br />Win! Win!<br /></strong>Have a couple of books you need to read for another challenge? Then this is the category to use, as long that is, you don’t break the rules of the other challenge by doing so! <img src="http://www.bartsbookshelf.co.uk/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" class="wp-smiley" /><br /><strong><br /></strong><ol><li><br /></li><li><br /></li></ol><strong><br /><br />Who Are You Again?</strong><br />This one isn’t just for authors you’ve never read before, this is for those authors you have never even heard of before!<br /><strong><br /></strong><ol><li><br /></li><li><br /></li></ol><strong><br /><br />Up to You!<br /></strong>The requirements for this category are up to you! Want to challenge yourself to read some graphic novels? A genre outside your comfort zone? Something completely wild and wacky? Then this is the category to you. The only requirement is that you state it in your sign-up post.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">I never read Science Fiction, so I am going to step out of my comfort zone and read the following:</span><br /><ol><li><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;">A Scanner Darkly</span> by Philip K. Dick</span><br /></li><li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Handmaid's Tale</span> by Margaret Atwood<br /></li></ol>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-39070767234517229162009-11-18T10:26:00.000-08:002009-12-30T12:24:59.380-08:00WWW...Wednesdays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7AvydXB5T9jc6f4mG0XV8nj-abnw9Rf0NEtBwCjc09wb0dhkk3hxBvOFI2e0BiWRTs5dELbEb70o4ww_YULFXJi5qEYZp2CN14CnJHNjC8OvaeJevagAFBkcZ0btDHsqq2uAM9wyX1Q/s1600/www_wednesdays43.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs7AvydXB5T9jc6f4mG0XV8nj-abnw9Rf0NEtBwCjc09wb0dhkk3hxBvOFI2e0BiWRTs5dELbEb70o4ww_YULFXJi5qEYZp2CN14CnJHNjC8OvaeJevagAFBkcZ0btDHsqq2uAM9wyX1Q/s400/www_wednesdays43.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405512920469880258" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" ><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/2009/11/18/www-wednesdays/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">WWW Wednesdays</span> </span></span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">is a new meme hosted by mizb17 over at </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">Should Be Reading</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">. It asks three (3) questions: </span></span><blockquote style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><em>What are you currently reading?
<br /></em><em>What did you recently finish reading?
<br /></em><em>What do you think you’ll read next? </em></span></blockquote><em style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">My answers for this week are:
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<br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thebookthief.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Currently Reading:</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">
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<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">"</span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19063.The_Book_Thief">The Book Thief</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">" by Markus Zusak</span>
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<br /></span></span></em><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link style="font-family: verdana;" rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5C123%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"><img style="font-family: verdana;" src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/utopia.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" /></span> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Just Finished:</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >
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<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:verdana;"> "<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18414.Utopia">Utopia</a>" by Sir Thomas More which I read for the <a href="http://reallyoldclassics.wordpress.com/join-the-challenge/">Really Old Classics Challenge</a>.</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >
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<br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/potatopeelsociety.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Reading Next:</span><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >"<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2728527.The_Guernsey_Literary_and_Potato_Peel_Pie_Society">The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</a>" by Mary Ann Shaffer.</span><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br />Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-64678376494018741902009-11-17T20:22:00.000-08:002009-12-29T11:59:34.188-08:00Teaser Tuesdays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iqxNWdQNkibLe86GTX25lEqyTdH9Nkh8DEFZlVods-HynvKQY4gFR_pFV_PIuhUiObl2-E-1cEVIqYYBOrLmvtJrq93Uwb9W2LNd8s53WDPmqgjG5AmGwKdD8-rMroc6DOQXMBViad8/s1600/teasertuesdays31.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9iqxNWdQNkibLe86GTX25lEqyTdH9Nkh8DEFZlVods-HynvKQY4gFR_pFV_PIuhUiObl2-E-1cEVIqYYBOrLmvtJrq93Uwb9W2LNd8s53WDPmqgjG5AmGwKdD8-rMroc6DOQXMBViad8/s400/teasertuesdays31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405302010998253026" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of <a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span> <blockquote style="font-family:georgia;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Grab your current read</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Open to a random page</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page<br />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!)</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! </span></li></blockquote><br /><br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thebookthief.jpg" align="left" height="150" width="100" />This weeks teaser comes from page 93 of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Book Thief</span> by Markus Zusak.<br /><br />"She gulped the air until she was ready, and they began reading from the eleventh chapter of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Gravedigger's Handbook. </span> Just past three o'clock, they finished it, and only the final chapter, 'Respecting the Graveyard', remained."Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-43126361912007532522009-10-30T10:23:00.000-07:002009-10-30T10:53:19.905-07:00The Friday 56 - If On a Winter's Night a Traveller<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5FI-ZgOtZCuaRFmpAwHokz_F-SpH_1Y7fTlLANNrYDFVpDNOs-qtXPaxY8EQjtTTdWHkvDk-4_qj55d2-D_VwY_pos2WqVO_i3aWWTlKU3JW3AvzX_fjRksQqxoryRqNWUcdOx5_SWs/s1600-h/56.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5FI-ZgOtZCuaRFmpAwHokz_F-SpH_1Y7fTlLANNrYDFVpDNOs-qtXPaxY8EQjtTTdWHkvDk-4_qj55d2-D_VwY_pos2WqVO_i3aWWTlKU3JW3AvzX_fjRksQqxoryRqNWUcdOx5_SWs/s400/56.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393253111842348386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">
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<br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >A weekly meme hosted by <a target="_blank" title="Storytime with Tonya and Friends" href="http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/">Storytime with Tonya and Friends</a></span></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
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<br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Rules:</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Turn to page 56.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Find the fifth sentence.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >on your blog</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" > or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >*</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Post a link</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" > </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >along with your post back to this blog.</span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
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<br />This week's Friday 56 comes from a book by Italo Calvino called </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >If On A Winter's Night A Traveller. </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
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<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >'I felt a kind of vertigo, as if I were merely plunging from one world to another, and in each I arrived shortly after the end of the world had taken place'.</span><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /></span></span></span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5C123%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->
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<br /><center><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/ifonawintersnight.jpg" width="100" height="150" />
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<br /></center>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-37565880859556709972009-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:002009-10-24T14:04:40.036-07:00Sunday Salon<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dhamel.typepad.com/sundaysalon"><img src="http://dhamel.typepad.com/sundaysalon/TSSbadge4.png" alt="The Sunday Salon.com" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />If you would like to take part in Sunday Salon, just click the Salon badge above!<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thegodofsmallthings.jpg" align="left" width="100" height="150" />Well, its Sunday here in Australia and this is my first Sunday Salon post. My blog is fairly new, so I have been spending a great deal of time reading other people's blogs and getting a feel for the 'book blogging experience'. I must say there are some fantastic blogs out there and I hope one day mine will also meet the high standard of some I have come across.<br /><br />Unfortunately, I have been spending a little too much time on the internet and not enough time reading. However, over the past couple of weeks, I have managed to finish reading <span style="font-style: italic;">Like Water for Chocolate </span>by Laura Esquivel, which I really enjoyed and would recommend for anyone who hasn't already read it. I have made a start on <span style="font-style: italic;">The House of Spirits </span>by Isabel Allende and I am looking forward beginning <span style="font-style: italic;">The God of Small Things </span>by Arundhati Roy.<img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thehouseofspirits.jpg" align="right" width="100" height="150" /><br /><br />Early this week, I came across a copy of an Australian book which I am looking forward to reading called <span style="font-style: italic;">The Trout Opera </span>by Matthew Condon. I love Australian content and Australian authors, so I am eager to get around to reading this one. I would love to hear thoughts about this book from anyone who has read it. The following will tell you a little about the book:<br /><br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thetroutopera.jpg" align="left" width="100" height="150" /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">'Wilfred Lampe is almost one hundred years old. After falling over in his paddock in rural Dalgety, he is airlifted out by the Sydney Olympic Committee who have earmarked him to play Australia's century-old Everyman at their opening ceremony. Helpless in his hospital bed, Wilfred discovers he has a great-niece, the wild and troubled Aurora. She has come to take him home, where he belongs. As Wilfred and Aurora criss-cross Australia in a clapped-out old Humber Vogue, Wilfred comes face to face with the new Australia, and Aurora, enmeshed in the complex social problems of a modern world, is taught how to repair her life. Flamboyant, operatic, inescapably funny, "The Trout Opera" portrays a mad world of history, war, romance, murder, bushfires, drugs and the fragility and resilience of nature. Through the story of a man who has experienced the tumultuous reverberations of the world while never moving from his birthplace on the Snowy, it asks, what is this relentless thing called life?'</span><br /></span><br />I am hoping to post reviews of all these books when, and if, I finish them. That is about all from me for today, however, I am looking forward to reading everyone's posts. Have a great Sunday everyone!Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-72040224576271696122009-10-23T10:07:00.000-07:002009-10-23T10:35:41.870-07:00The Friday 56 - The Trout Opera<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5FI-ZgOtZCuaRFmpAwHokz_F-SpH_1Y7fTlLANNrYDFVpDNOs-qtXPaxY8EQjtTTdWHkvDk-4_qj55d2-D_VwY_pos2WqVO_i3aWWTlKU3JW3AvzX_fjRksQqxoryRqNWUcdOx5_SWs/s1600-h/56.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5FI-ZgOtZCuaRFmpAwHokz_F-SpH_1Y7fTlLANNrYDFVpDNOs-qtXPaxY8EQjtTTdWHkvDk-4_qj55d2-D_VwY_pos2WqVO_i3aWWTlKU3JW3AvzX_fjRksQqxoryRqNWUcdOx5_SWs/s400/56.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393253111842348386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">
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<br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >A weekly meme hosted by <a target="_blank" title="Storytime with Tonya and Friends" href="http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/">Storytime with Tonya and Friends</a></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Rules:</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Turn to page 56.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Find the fifth sentence.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >on your blog</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" > or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >*</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >Post a link</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" > </span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >along with your post back to this blog.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >
<br /></span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
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<br />This week's Friday 56 comes from an Australian book I picked up called </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >The Trout Opera </span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >by Matthew Condon.
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<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: georgia;font-family:georgia;font-size:130%;" >'In the advance of the day's traffic, the long serpents of vehicles meandered towards their destinations, saying , I'm here, and my day has started'.</span><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /></span></span></span><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5C123%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]-->
<br /><center><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thetroutopera.jpg" width="100" height="150" /> </center>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-41790088122517371352009-10-22T12:11:00.000-07:002009-10-24T16:18:55.552-07:00Online Social Networking for Book Lovers<img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/bookshelves.jpg" align="right" width="150" height="150" /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span>Do your bookshelves look like this? Do you enjoy reading and love to share that joy with those around you? Are you looking for a fun way to interact with others who share your love of reading? If you answered yes to these questions, then online social networking sites dedicated especially to books and reading may be what you are looking for.<br /><br />Online social networking sites are becoming increasingly popular. These sites function like an online community and bring together computer users who share the same interests. The increasing popularity of social networking is good news for book lovers because online social networking sites allow avid readers to discuss the books they love to read.<br /><br />If you love books and have a passion for reading, then you will be aware that most bookaholics love to share the great new book they have found, tell their friends about a fantastic new author they have discovered or let the world know about a bestselling new release. The digital revolution has opened up many new avenues for book enthusiasts to connect, share and review anything to do with books and reading. You might like to try some of the following sites and join the ones which suit your need:<p style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></p><ul><li><b><a target="_blank" title="Goodreads" href="http://www.goodreads.com/">Goodreads</a></b></li><li><b><a target="_blank" title="Shelfari" href="http://www.shelfari.com/">Shelfari</a></b></li><li><b><a target="_blank" title="aNobii" href="http://www.anobii.com/anobii_home">aNobii</a></b></li><li><b><a target="_blank" title="LibraryThing" href="http://www.librarything.com/">LibraryThing</a></b></li><li style="font-weight: bold;"><a target="_blank" title="BookCrossing" href="http://bookcrossing.com/">BookCrossing</a></li></ul>All these sites do basically the same thing, however, features vary from site to site. BookCrossing is a little different in that it has a unique way of sharing books. The BookCrossing website asks readers to leave a book 'on a park bench, a coffee shop, at a hotel on vacation. Share it with a friend or tuck it onto a bookshelf at the gym -- anywhere it might find a new reader! What happens next is up to fate, and we never know where our books might travel. Track the book's journey around the world as it is passed on from person to person'. BookCrossing is an exciting and fun way to share books because you just don't know where your book will end up or where you may find your next fantastic read.<br /><br />Basically, these sites allow the user to:<br /><ul><li>catalogue their books</li><li>create personal profiles</li><li>get book recommendations</li><li>build book lists</li><li>rate, discuss and review books</li><li>interact with other people who share the same interests.</li></ul>Online social networking is a fun way to widen your social circle, share great books and find new books to read and it can open up a whole new world of opportunities for the book lover. So, why not get started today! Or, if you already use some of these sites, let us know which is your favourite and why!<br /><br />Here is where you can find more information on <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/socialnetworkingforbooks">Social Networking for Book Lovers</a>!<br /><b><br /></b>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-11163668682529727592009-10-18T11:06:00.000-07:002009-10-18T11:44:27.991-07:00Sunday Stealing - ABC Meme<a href="http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240707426999565698" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_IMCsoHEmcok/SLq7o24PfYI/AAAAAAAAePs/h2LvahE5h7E/s200/SundayStealing.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sunday Stealing: The ABC's of Meme</span>, You can take part at <a target="_blank" title="Sunday Stealing!" href="http://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/">Sunday Stealing!</a><br /><br />A- Advocate for: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ending world poverty</span><br /><br />B- Best Feature: <span style="font-weight: bold;">You would have to ask someone who knows me.</span><br /><br />C- Could do without: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Judgmental people</span><br /><br />D- Dreams and desires: <span style="font-weight: bold;">For my children to have happy, healthy lives.</span><br /><br />E- Essential items: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Internet, book, chocolate.</span><br /><br />F- Favorite past time: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Internet, reading, spending time with family</span>.<br /><br />G- Good at: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Cooking, caring for sick and injured animals</span>.<br /><br />H- Have never tried: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Hot air ballooning.</span><br /><br />I- If I had a million dollars: <span style="font-weight: bold;">I would help those who have nothing and abused animals.</span><br /><br />J- Junkie for: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chocolate</span><br /><br />K- Kindred spirit: <span style="font-weight: bold;">My dogs</span><br /><br />L- Little known fact: <span style="font-weight: bold;">A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why!</span><br /><br />M- Memorable moment: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The birth of my children</span>.<br /><br />N- Never again will I: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Be 40</span><br /><br />O- Occasional indulgence: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Soap operas</span><br /><br />P- Profession: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bookseller</span><br /><br />Q- Quote: <span style="font-weight: bold;">"If your dog doesn't like someone you probably shouldn't either" Unknown. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ></span><br /><br />R- Reason to smile: <span style="font-weight: bold;"> I am alive!</span><br /><br />S- Sorry about: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Not reporting my neighbor to the police when his dog jumped the fence and nearly killed 2 of my dogs. Now he denies it happened!</span><br /><br />T- <span style="font-weight: bold;">Things you are worrying about right now: What sort of world we are leaving for our children.</span><br /><br />U- Uninterested in: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gossips</span><br /><br />V- Very scared of: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Becoming homeless</span><br /><br />W- Worst habits: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Procrastination</span><br /><br />Y- Yummiest dessert: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chocolate cake.</span><br /><br />X- X marks my ideal vacation spot: <span style="font-weight: bold;">A deserted Island</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">(with an internet connection, of course!)</span><br /><br />Z- Zodiac sign: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sagittarius </span>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-26880865014937868302009-10-16T10:34:00.000-07:002009-10-16T11:17:17.180-07:00The Friday 56 -The God of Small Things<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5FI-ZgOtZCuaRFmpAwHokz_F-SpH_1Y7fTlLANNrYDFVpDNOs-qtXPaxY8EQjtTTdWHkvDk-4_qj55d2-D_VwY_pos2WqVO_i3aWWTlKU3JW3AvzX_fjRksQqxoryRqNWUcdOx5_SWs/s1600-h/56.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 126px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5FI-ZgOtZCuaRFmpAwHokz_F-SpH_1Y7fTlLANNrYDFVpDNOs-qtXPaxY8EQjtTTdWHkvDk-4_qj55d2-D_VwY_pos2WqVO_i3aWWTlKU3JW3AvzX_fjRksQqxoryRqNWUcdOx5_SWs/s400/56.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393253111842348386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">A weekly meme hosted by <a target="_blank" title="Storytime with Tonya and Friends" href="http://storytimewithtonya.blogspot.com/">Storytime with Tonya and Friends</a></span><br /><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 255);"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></span></span></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span></span><span style="font-family:georgia;">Rules:</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">* Turn to page 56.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">* Find the fifth sentence.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;" >on your blog</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"> or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">*</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;" >Post a link</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;" > </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">along with your post back to this blog.</span><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br />This week, mine is taken from <span style="font-style: italic;">The God of Small Things </span>by Arundhati Roy:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">'If a person couldn't even run a pickle factory profitably, how was that person going to run a whole country?'</span><br /><br /><br /><center><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thegodofsmallthings.jpg" width="100" height="150" /> </center>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-52204699643419734632009-10-13T10:43:00.001-07:002009-10-13T10:56:12.163-07:00Teaser Tuesdays<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZABr9DaGWMfreHcCACs3E5u_pTKhjbmWO3VJoi9a_39wfFitD8Y3l8rgSQehvBxee4EWvtPOhseE31c530JJd82nU3lyffwmKQQYn3dmjGqspKmuQ3BOvoaVYddXZKsQ7ygC_RRIFbtg/s1600-h/teasertuesdays31.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZABr9DaGWMfreHcCACs3E5u_pTKhjbmWO3VJoi9a_39wfFitD8Y3l8rgSQehvBxee4EWvtPOhseE31c530JJd82nU3lyffwmKQQYn3dmjGqspKmuQ3BOvoaVYddXZKsQ7ygC_RRIFbtg/s400/teasertuesdays31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392142581522039522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span> </span><blockquote style="font-family:georgia;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Grab your current read</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Open to a random page</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page<br />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!)</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! </span></li></blockquote><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/thehouseofspirits.jpg" align="left" width="100" height="150" /> My Teaser this week comes from page 180 of <span style="font-style: italic;">The House of Spirits </span>by Isabel Allende.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">During the months that they were separated, Blanca and Pedro Tercero exchanged burning letters, which he signed in a woman's name and which she hid as soon as they arrived. Nana managed to intercept one or two, but she did not know how to read, and even if she had she would not have been able to break their secret code - fortunately for her, because her heart would not have withstood the shock.</span>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-87018200376688171032009-10-12T20:02:00.000-07:002009-10-28T12:18:35.924-07:00Book Review - Like Water For Chocolate<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/likewaterforchocolate.jpg" align="left" width="100" height="150" />
<br /></div><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" >Title: Like Water For Chocolate
<br />Author: Laura Esquivel
<br />Published (this edition): 1993
<br />Publisher: Black Swan
<br />Genre: Magical Realism
<br />ISBN: 0552995878</span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >
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<br /></span></div><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link style="font-family: lucida grande;" rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5C123%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Laura Esquivel’s bestselling novel, <span style="font-style: italic;">Like Water for Chocolate</span>, is a tale of forbidden love, passion, tragedy and food. The narrative is told in twelve chapters and each chapter begins with a traditional Mexican recipe.<span style=""> </span>The storyline weaves around the preparation and consumption of the food produced from these recipes, as the tragedies and secrets of an all-female rural Mexican family unfold.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Like Water for Chocolate</span> is set on a ranch on the border between Mexico and Texas during the Mexican Revolution and tells the story of Tita De La Garza, the youngest daughter of the domineering and controlling matriarch of the family, Mama Elena.<span style=""> </span>Tita, because of Mexican tradition, is forbidden to marry and is sentenced to a life of servitude to Mama Elena and must care for this vengeful and hard-hearted woman until the day she dies.
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">However, things become complicated when Tita falls deeply in love with a young man named Pedro.<span style=""> </span>Mama Elena refuses to let Tita and Pedro marry and, desperate to remain close to Tita, Pedro marries her sister, Rosaura.<span style=""> </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;">From this point on, Tita is forced to live a lonely and loveless life and it is clear that her cooking becomes an outlet for her emotions. Tita transfers her feelings to the dishes she lovingly prepares and Laura Esquivel describes these dishes so vividly you can almost taste them.
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Time, distance and Mama Elena keep Tita and Pedro apart for many years.<span style=""> </span>However, a series of tragic events result in the deaths of both Mama Elena and Rosaura and, finally, Tita is reunited with her true love Pedro. However, this reunion culminates in an ending that can only be described as passionate and bittersweet.
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<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Like Water for Chocolate</span> is a passionate and tragic story which combines romance and fantasy. Those who have longed for something they could not have will relate well to this story. It is a story of forbidden love and a cookbook all rolled into one. This book is an entertaining, compelling and highly recommended read.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating: A</span>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Australian Purchasers
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<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fishpond.com.au/product_info.php?ref=1396&id=9780552995870&affiliate_banner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.fishpond.com.au/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=1396&affiliate_pbanner_id=407125" alt="Like Water for Chocolate" border="0" /></a>
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<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">International Purchasers</span></span>
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<br />Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-18191849578253405942009-10-08T23:04:00.000-07:002009-10-09T18:13:55.592-07:00Friday Fill-Ins #145<center> <img src="http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t130/GoofyGirlDesigns/FridayFillIn-Graphic2.gif" /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />You can take part at <a target="_blank" title="Friday Fill-Ins" href="http://fridayfillins.blogspot.com/">Friday Fill-Ins</a><br /><br /><br />1. Sweet dreams <strong>to all</strong>.<br /><br />2. <span style="font-weight: bold;">A relaxing bubble bath & good book waiting</span> especially for me.<br /><br />3. Silliness <span style="font-weight: bold;">is a required ingredient for sanity</span>.<br /><br />4. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Have fun</span> this Halloween.<br /><br />5. Outstanding or not <span style="font-weight: bold;">life goes on</span>.<br /><br />6. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Choclolate cake</span> is what I want right now!<br /><br />7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to <strong>an early night</strong>, tomorrow my plans include <strong>work</strong> and Sunday, I want to <strong>relax and do nothing much at all</strong>! </span></div></center>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-52705553895106829432009-10-07T12:54:00.000-07:002009-10-09T18:10:08.691-07:00"Waiting On" Wednesday<span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-family: georgia;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcar_J22ERjq_AZ18vFjnkSPfZH_zGtjZ-oe03i2pRfEFnZvS8lTYp-oYeBeWFVcg-lOHE1PdUJpoSZ78OIDlGQA8-QHmpUsJu9NiGQrGg-Rtw675BdpNMCL6CMniBcFd-PZL-PuxxPjA/s1600-h/WoW.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 121px; height: 94px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcar_J22ERjq_AZ18vFjnkSPfZH_zGtjZ-oe03i2pRfEFnZvS8lTYp-oYeBeWFVcg-lOHE1PdUJpoSZ78OIDlGQA8-QHmpUsJu9NiGQrGg-Rtw675BdpNMCL6CMniBcFd-PZL-PuxxPjA/s400/WoW.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389973576034711090" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/">Breaking The Spine</a>.<br /><br />I have recently read Bram Stoker's <span style="font-style: italic;">Dracula</span>, So my Can't wait to read book is:<br /><br /><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/dracula.jpg" align="left" width="100" height="150" /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Dracula: The Un-Dead</span><br />By Dacre Stoker & Ian Holt<br /><br />Publication Date: October 13, 2009</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">From Publisher's Weekly:</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >In this sequel to Bram Stoker's Dracula, his great-grandnephew offers one of the rowdiest revisionist treatments of the most influential vampire novel ever written. In 1912, as Stoker labors to adapt Dracula for the stage, its “characters” are dying gruesomely all over London. It turns out they are as real as Stoker himself, who learned their secret story on the sly and took creative liberties when turning it into his popular penny dreadful. Dracula's true story involves the passing of his blood line through Mina Harker to her son; a malignant Dr. Van Helsing, who Scotland Yard suspects had a hand in the murders attributed to Jack the Ripper; and the exploits of a 16th-century vampire countess, Dracula's former lover, who cuts a bloody swath through London seeking the survivors of Dracula's last stand in Transylvania. Energetically paced and packed with outrageously entertaining action, this supernatural thriller is a well-needed shot of fresh blood for the Dracula mythos.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><br /><br /><br /><center><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="biWidget" align="middle" width="184" height="182"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://www.harpercollins.com/services/browseinside/widget.aspx?hc.guid=1061de62-9213-4a69-a5aa-b247f28518b4"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="flashvars" value="isbn=9780007323951&guid=1061de62-9213-4a69-a5aa-b247f28518b4&siteId=5"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.harpercollins.com/services/browseinside/widget.aspx?hc.guid=1061de62-9213-4a69-a5aa-b247f28518b4" flashvars="isbn=9780007323951&guid=1061de62-9213-4a69-a5aa-b247f28518b4&siteId=5" wmode="transparent" quality="high" name="biWidget" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" width="184" height="182"></embed></object></center>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-47350423335258970432009-10-06T09:58:00.000-07:002009-10-09T18:10:35.697-07:00Teaser Tuesday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbzF_BwyHwpKCNlF6iCypzVRtQt5oau-X6kavKuhGvoom5isE5dnwTjLy_lwPcL85lfm_Dh_Nyzcdr5npRubsRCB4Xe4RITz_IFBSaccN13a5kprYaVlSeHbbn48CCyYllYjxAlHYzAw/s1600-h/teasertuesdays31.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJbzF_BwyHwpKCNlF6iCypzVRtQt5oau-X6kavKuhGvoom5isE5dnwTjLy_lwPcL85lfm_Dh_Nyzcdr5npRubsRCB4Xe4RITz_IFBSaccN13a5kprYaVlSeHbbn48CCyYllYjxAlHYzAw/s200/teasertuesdays31.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389200193082077042" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of </span><a style="font-family: georgia;" href="http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/">Should Be Reading</a><span style="font-family:georgia;">. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:</span> </span><blockquote style="font-family:georgia;"><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Grab your current read</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Open to a random page</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page<br />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!)</span></li><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! </span></li></blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><img src="http://i620.photobucket.com/albums/tt282/dogearedbooksonline/likewaterforchocolate.jpg" align="left" width="100" height="150" /> </span></span><span><span> My teaser comes from page 156 of <span>Water for Chocolate</span> by Laura Exquivel:</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 'She couldn't begin a discussion between them right now that would spoil the good impulse she felt to forgive Rosaura for how she had harmed her. Instead of voicing her thoughts, Tita promised her sister that she would prepare a special diet to help her lose weight.'</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><br /></span><br /></span><br /><br /></span>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8095341361634584711.post-68505928935347313642009-10-04T10:18:00.000-07:002009-10-28T12:29:03.004-07:00Book Review - Dracula<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OtaJFizc6uk-5h9YiNXrpauNt7fjIbbBhu-BtsBPRoJa5YszHuYuRGxG6olVscQ1RMZYN7ih_66UOWbZ4zdlhhvhmVY2FR48aCHzqHbmlsU9UB8g1ysh_y4afBYUZ9L8DKWa46b8aB4/s1600-h/dracula.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OtaJFizc6uk-5h9YiNXrpauNt7fjIbbBhu-BtsBPRoJa5YszHuYuRGxG6olVscQ1RMZYN7ih_66UOWbZ4zdlhhvhmVY2FR48aCHzqHbmlsU9UB8g1ysh_y4afBYUZ9L8DKWa46b8aB4/s200/dracula.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389297730473936994" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >Title: Dracula</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >Author: Bram Stoker</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >First Published: 1897 (This Edition: 2003)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >Genre: Gothic Horror</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >Publisher: Penguin Classics</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >ISBN: 9780141439846</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">First published in 1897, Bram Stoker's Dracula is regarded as the classic horror story. The narrative is in the form of journal entries and letters written by the characters.The story of Dracula opens with the journal of Jonathan Harker, a young solicitor who travels to Transylvania to assist Count Dracula in purchasing a London property. As he travels closer to the Count's castle he finds the reactions of the locals quite strange, but disregards them and travels on.<br /><br />On his arrival at the castle, Jonathan Harker is quite impressed with the Count. However, he begins to make some horrifying discoveries within the walls of the castle and soon finds that he is being held captive by Count Dracula and barely manages to escape the castle with his life.<br /><br />Meanwhile, strange incidents are occurring in England. A Russian cargo ship washes ashore with its entire crew dead or missing and from this ship a lone wolf escapes into the night, a patient of a lunatic asylum begins to talk of the return of his master and children are being stalked during the night. Soon after the ship incident, two young women, Lucy Westenra and Mina Harker fall victim to the blood-lust of Count Dracula.<br /><br />These disturbing events prompt the main characters, led by Dr Van Helsing, to form a small band of vampire hunters who vow to end the horrifying reign of Count Dracula. This group embark on a terrifying journey which will eventually take them all the way back to Transylvania.<br /><br />Dracula explores themes of salvation and damnation, suppressed Victorian sexuality and violence, as well as, good versus evil. While, the beginning and ending of Dracula are filled with fear and suspense, the middle leaves a lot to be desired. There are a few suspense filled moments when you are on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next. However, these are few and far between and the pace is very slow.<br /><br />The characters in the novel conform to the stereotype of the Victorian era in all aspects. The women are presented as fragile, sheltered and vulnerable. The men as brave protectors. However, at times, Mina breaks out of this stereotypical Victorian ideal of what women should be to give the reader a glimpse of a strong and courageous woman.<br /><br />While not my favourite book, Bram Stoker combines the essential elements of the Gothic Horror genre such as adventure, horror and supernatural themes brilliantly to produce a novel that has withstood the test of time. If you are interested in where Dracula and vampire legends come from this could be the book for you. Overall, I would recommend this book, but be aware that is very slow in some parts.<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />My rating: B</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />For more comprehensive information visit <a target="_blank" title="Bram Stoker's Dracula" href="http://www.squidoo.com/draculareview">Bram Stoker's Dracula</a><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br />Wondering where you can purchase a copy?<br />For your convenience the following links are provided:<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Australian Purchasers<br />Click Picture<br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.fishpond.com.au/product_info.php?ref=1396&id=9780141439846&affiliate_banner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.fishpond.com.au/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=1396&affiliate_pbanner_id=17023968" alt="Dracula" border="0" /></a></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" >International Buyers</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dogearbooonl-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=014143984X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe><br /></div>Dog-Eared Bookshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14287008158579978201noreply@blogger.com1