social concerns

This weeks Geeks ask us to:


1. Choose a political or social issue that matters to you. If you were a Weekly Geek last May and already did this theme, pick a different theme than the one you did at that time.

2. Educate readers about your topic by telling us a little about it and any involvement you've had in this issue.

3. Find books addressing your issue; they do not necessarily have to be books you’ve read. They can be non fiction, fiction, poetry, etc...Give a little synopsis of the book or a link to the description.

4. Use images which you feel illustrate your topic.


After thinking about this for oh, lets see, about 3 minutes I decided to do a little research about what books are available for the topic of the problem of bias in media. I have been aware of media bias for quite some time, which is why I purchase no local newspapers--as an aside, Seattle is on the verge of losing one of its longtime daily publications due to declining readership. Why would I pay money for such shoddy reporting?


The last straw for me came though during this past presidential campaign--something which always pains me is that our campaign process drags on for 2+ years. If you can't say it in 6-9 months, maybe you shouldn't be saying it at all! The press crossed so many lines in reporting the "news" that it isn't even funny. Where do they come off feeling like their job in the media is their own little personal political platform? When it comes to press coverage during our election years I usually want to vomit--I could care less who Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, orTed Koppel want for President. God forbid I have to listen to Bill Maher's commentaries and don't even get me started on the antics of those ladies on The View--blech!

Anyway, I feel we are a nation of sheepish, non-thinkers, who just accept that the "truth" must be whatever we hear on the t.v., radio or read in the paper. So, becoming able to pull out bias is an important skill that we, and especially the children in this country are lacking. I found these books--books that I plan on reading with my two teenage boys. Rather than print each book's synopsis, I have provided a link in the title for each book!

1. The Thinkers Guide for Conscientious Citizens to Detect Media Bias

2. Truth: The No-BS Guide to Navigating a Media-Bias World (Paperback)

3. A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (And Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance Between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media

(note: contrary to what this last book looks like, it is NOT an Obama bashing book--it is a media bashing book--if you want to really understand what it is all about, click the link above and read what the publishers and reviewers have to say about it!)

foggy

Fog

The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Carl Sandburg
(1878-1967)

Poetry Friday is being hosted today by Mommy's Favorite Children's Books

friday fun

Woo Hoo!!! It is Friday. :-)
Not only am I feeling the joy of the end of the work week coming upon me, but I get to share a couple of books with you that I have found. This weekly event is hosted each week by mizb and you should click on over and play along!

1. The Laws of Harmony by Judith Ryan Hendricks
This one I found over at Lesley's Book Nook. She has written an incredible review of this book which made me want to run out and buy it. The cover is beautiful too!




2. Doreen by Barbara Noble is another book I found on a fellow blogger's site. This one I found over at Fleu Fisher Reads. This book, set in England during WWII, has not been published in the U.S., but I wanted it so bad that I bought it from one of Amazon's marketplace sites.




3. Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z. by Debra Weinstein
This little parody I found at paperbackswap.com and promptly ordered it--looks like wickedly scathing fun!

collectibles

• Hardcover? Or paperback?
• llustrations? Or just text?
• First editions? Or you don’t care?
• Signed by the author? Or not?

Let's just be honest here. I love all kinds of books and getting rid of books is painful sometimes! I don't think I really own any first editions and really don't care, as well as not caring about having an author sign the book. What I do like having on my shelves is the hardcover editions of new releases from my favorite authors--Fannie Flagg, Maeve Binchy, Rosamunde Pilcher, Adriana Trigiani, Cecelia Ahern, Jan Karon, and Jacqueline Winspear. I pretty much buy them in hardcover because I usually want them right away and don't want to wait a year for them to be released in paperback!

More booking through Thursday responses can be found here.

post Valentine's day

Oh happy day! My Valentine's gift from my husband arrived yesterday.
From Amazon.
Two, count them, two new releases from two of my favorite authors.
Both released on the same day-the 17th-now what are the odds of that happening?
What books are they?
Let me show you:


I am forcing myself to finish The Awakening by Kate Chopin before I can read one of these. So for now, I am savoring just looking at them on the floor next to my bed, just waiting to be read!

Kerry, you are the best husband a book loving girl could have. ;)

a glimpse

It is time for Tuesdays' peek into what I am currently reading. Teaser Tuesdays is hosted each week by MizB and is oh-so easy. Let your book fall open, and share with us 2 sentences somewhere between line 7 and 12.



"It would have been a difficult matter for Mr. Pontellier to define to his own satisfaction or anyone else's wherein his wife failed in her duty toward their children. It was something which he felt rather than perceived, and he never voiced the feeling without subsequent regret and ample atonement."

(page 11, The Awakening by Kate Chopin)

Musing Mondays: library

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about the library…How often do you visit the library? Do you have a scheduled library day/time, or do you go whenever? Do you go alone, or take people with you?




Back in the days when I home-schooled my kids I used the library a lot. I mean a lot, a lot...like we were there every other day, literally, a lot! Now, with only 2 kids still at home and me working full time, we don't go nearly as often. We go about once a week, usually on a Saturday or Sunday--sometimes we go because we are on a mission and are picking up a hold book. Those are the trips that my kiddo Sam likes to go with me. If I plan on browsing for a bit, he would much rather I go alone and just pick up his hold item for him. :) My 16 year old, Austen, doesn't read as much and is a slower reader than Sam. He spends more time reading books that we own, and goodness knows we own enough books to keep him busy for some time to come! I have been known to venture to the library on a non-weekend day while on my lunch break from work during the middle of the week and those are almost always just browsing trips for me.


Speaking of the library--let me give you a peek into our main branch. They remodeled it a couple of years ago and I really don't like. It is very modern and has kind of an IKEA feel to it. No cozy chairs, and what you can't see in these pics is the bank of vending machines in one section! There used to be signs all over about not eating in the library and now they are going so far as to furnish us snacks. Now the signs are obsessively concerned with cell phone usage!


This is the front walkway--it doesn't look too bad, except they took out some beautiful established ornamental trees and shrubbery so it all looks new and tiny to me.




Entry area--check out those *lovely, comfy* brown chairs which just invite you to sit down and stay awhile. (yuck!)


Here are the shelves of children's literature, placed at a really random odd angle. I find going into this building to be a bit disorienting because of the lighting and placement of the shelving throughout.


These next 2 pictures are taken of what is across from the one above, and shows you the children's picture book area.



Don't you agree? Kind of like an IKEA library. Now I am curious about your library. Is it more traditional? Cozy? Or has it been upgraded to look more like a bookstore in order to attract more customers, like mine?

To play along or visit other musing monday participants, visit Rebecca over at One More Page.

mailbox discoveries (on Monday)

Mailbox Mondays! I usually don't get around to posting my mailbox discoveries until mid-week, but since there is only one this week I thought I would do it real quick.




Mermaids on the Moon by Elizabeth Stuckey-French arrived via paperbackswap. This looks like a fun, quirky little mystery and I am looking forward to reading it.

Very Valentine

Book: Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
Finished: February 2009
Pages: 367
Challenges:
** Winter Reading Challenge
** A-Z Reading Challenge
** Read and Review
** 20 in 2009

First Sentence: "I'm not the pretty sister."

Last Sentence: "So I do the very best I can and take my grandmother's hand in mine and slip; my other arm around my mother, and wait for the pale winter sun to move so we might revel in our good fortune once more."

--A spunky mid 30's single gal, big noisy Italian family, 80 year old grandmother for a roommate and workmate, the job of saving of the family's hand made shoe company, a handsome but married to his career boyfriend, a trip to Italy full of surprises--

What is there NOT to love??? I adored this book and I adored the character of Valentine as she found herself sorting out not only what she needed out of life, but what she wanted. This is the first of a trilogy and I heard in an interview that book #2 will be released this time next year! I can't wait to once again read about Valentine and to see where life and love takes her next. I was a huge fan of Trigiani's Big Stone Gap series and I am relieved to see that this author has gotten it right again.

knitting along

Well, I thought maybe it would be fun to show the progress I have made on my current knitting project. You can read my original post, here. I am making a cute little bag which is by far the most involved project for me to date.

It has been the kind of project that not only is teaching me a couple of new knitting techniques, but through it I am getting braver in trying to fix my mistakes rather than running to my daughter's place for help. Well....except for that rather unfortunate big mistake which even baffled her to the point of deciding it was just better to just take out a bunch--called "frogging". But I got up in the proverbial saddle again and have made some great progress!

Beginning:

The back of the bag hanging down over my leg--(actually, it is upside down, the bottom edge is actually the top of the back of the bag):

New technique, eyelets in a pattern on the front of the bag!:

book sharing

I am late to post today, but decided to do it anyway. Friday Finds is hosted each week by MizB.





The first books I am sharing are books I received in the mail this week:


Rules For Old Men Waiting by Peter Pouncey














The Magdalen by Marita Conlon-McKenna















low-carb meals in minutes by Linda gassenheimer

From the library, I found these gems:

At Large and At Small by Anne Fadiman (I love the covers to her books!)















Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson














One Perfect Day by Lauraine Snelling















What about you? What great books have you discovered this week?

Big Fish

Book: Big Fish by Daniel Wallace
Finished: February 2009
Pages: 180
Challenges:
**Winter Reading Challenge
**New Author
** 9 for 2009
** Read Your Name
** Read and Review
** tbr 2009
** 20 in 2009

First Sentence: "On one of our last car trips, near the end of my father's life as a man, we stopped by a river, and we took a walk to its banks, where we sat in the shade of an old oak tree."

Last Sentence: "No one believes a word."

This is one of those books you hear so much good stuff about that you are afraid to read it because it is so built up in your mind. I really wanted to like this book. Really. And I think now that I have been finished with it for over a week, I am removed enough from it to think about it. While reading I kept thinking, what an odd little book. I kept thinking that I really didn't like the father, or the son for that matter, too much. I kept wondering WHAT was the point? Why was I so dense that I couldn't see all the great meaning and stuff behind the stories and jokes that were told?

Now, I think the whole point is just this: At the end of the day, we all want to understand who our parents really are. We view our parents through our *child* eyes and that viewpoint is rather limited and tainted. And, sometimes, our parents don't really want us to see who they really are---don't want the good things to be scrutinized too closely for fear of exposing the not so good things.

I can say that I am glad I read the book--one week out, after pondering it awhile. I think I will rent the movie and compare the two!

little peek

It is time for Tuesdays' peek into what I am currently reading. Teaser Tuesdays is hosted each week by MizB and is oh-so easy. Let your book fall open, and share with us 2 sentences somewhere between line 7 and 12.


My teaser:

"How do you like that? My eighty-year old grandmother is being seduced on the Tyrrhenian Sea and I'm crammed on this boat like a tuna haul for the local fish market--as if I need another reason to weep on the isle of Capri, I just got it."

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani
page 300

review musings

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about book reviews…Do you read any non-blogging book reviews? If so, where (newspaper, library etc)? Do you have any favourite sources you'd like to share?




This question made me stop and think! Where DO I get my book recommendations? Obviously, I read many book blogs and I love to read what you all think of the books you are reading and I have found many of the books listed on my wish list from fellow bloggers.

But for outside the blog-o-sphere, I have very limited regular resources. My most favorite resource is Bookmarks magazine.

I get giddy when I get to hold a new release of this magazine in my hands. I am just so drawn to it. My husband gave me a subscription to it for our anniversary last September, but something happened and it never got activated. So, guess what he gave me as part of my Valentine's day gift? Yep! He actually has a confirmation email so I think this time it will happen.

I also look at reviews in Entertainment Weekly magazine and sometime in People magazine although they don't spotlight too many choices.

As I read some other responses to this question, I found a great post written by Beth and can be found here. I am putting links to her listed resources on my sidebar so I can find them easily!

Musing Mondays is hosted by Rebecca over at Just One More Page

edited to add: When digging through my purse today I discovered a little flyer/newsletter I picked up at Barnes & Noble a couple of weeks ago. It must be published quarterly-this one is dated Spring 2009 and it is called Discover Great Great New Writers. It has some great reviews of some great looking books! Who knew this little publication existed?? An online version can be found here.

his & hers

A little history to the pictures I am about to share with you. In our marriage I am known as the book-a-holic. My husband teases me mercilessly about my book stacks. He for the most part is a minimalist. Although I saw a new side to him 2 weekends ago. Our two sons were on a church youth retreat and we got to act like empty-nesters for 2 whole days! We ate out and relaxed and went book store shopping. Usually Kerry just browses--I end up buying him books for holidays or finding books for him on paperbackswap or from the library. I am the book buyer in this relationship~!

He had a gift card to 1/2 price books to spend--which he has had for over a year. Okay! First off, who can hold on to a book gift card for over a year and not spend it???

Kerry had a grand old time at the $1 book shelf and came home with this:



Now, along with him teasing me about my hordes of books, he makes comments about my nightstand and the floor surrounding it. There is always overflow. But I am about to show you that his nightstand "area" now rivals mine!!!

HERS:

HIS:

How about you? Does your spouse share your obsession with books? Do you too suffer from little jokes and comments about your tbr pile? :) I am thinking Kerry will now think twice before he comments again!!

The Sunday Salon

Kind of a slow week for me this week. I wrote a couple of days ago about being hit with the February blahs which overflowed into my reading. I am loving the book I am currently reading, I just can't seem to stay awake and read it for long each evening! That book, you might ask, is Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani who happens to be the author of the Big Stone Gap series which is one of the only series of books I have ever taken the time to re-read. (In company with the Betsy-Tacy books and the Little House on the Prairie books) Her characters are very real and engaging and I love the family life she paints in her novels.

In other book news, I received several books in the mail this week--all but one of them from paperbackswap. My favorite mailbox arrival is this book by Cecelia Ahern, Thanks for the Memories.
It is not due for release in the States until April, 2009 but was released in Europe in 2008. I found it listed on paperbackswap and quickly ordered it, being a little wary that it might be an arc. I pm'd the sender and he said it was an international copy. He pushes wheelchairs in the airport and found it left laying in the airport one day! Hooray!!


Other books received:

The Secret of Sabrina Fludde by Pauline Fisk

My Best Friend's Girl by Dorothy Koomson

Full of Grace by Dorothea Benton Frank

Going Home by Harriet Evans

Dixieland Sushi by Cara Lockwood

Yesterday Morning by Diana Athill

The Frog Prince by Jane Porter

My husband gave me a wonderful Valentine's Day surprise which I plan on sharing in seperate post. I am looking forward to visiting you all, my 'net friends, and seeing what you are up to in the reading department!