It's Monday What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books. We discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed this week:
The Forest of Hands and Feet by Carrie Ryan
I am trying to make a point to read more YA novels this year, so I chose this as one of the first ones. It was a page turner for sure. It is a dystopian
story that have been continued in two more books.
The Fourth Man by K.O. Dahl
This Scandinavian mystery was a dark tale that led a twisty path to the end. I'll read more by this author.
Ibis: A True Whale Story by John Himmelman
This is a children's picture book that I read for the Read to Me Picture Book Challenge. The pictures are nice and the story catches the kids attention. I like it.

Listened to and reviewed this week:
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
I LOVE this series starring the precocious 11 year old Flavia de Luce. The reader did a fantastic job, Flavia's moods, thoughts, and quirks were wonderfully rendered. Read it or listen to it, just don't miss it. I listened to this one on my iPod while working around the house.
A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer
This was a really good court procedural. It was not a thriller but it kept my interest all they way to the end. It was a long book so took two or three weeks of listening to finish it. I listened to this in the truck on the way to and from work and town.

What I'm reading and listening to this week:
Reading:
Dreadnought by Cherie Priest
Lone Star Noir edited by Bobby Byrd & Johnny Byrd

Listening to:
Chasing Fireflies by Charles Martin (iPod)
Jolie Blon's Bounce by James Lee Burke (I'll finish this one tomorrow or the next day and start:)
The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke

I have really been enjoying a lot of books on my iPod lately since I don't have to buy them any more. That's right! Our library now has a digital branch and I can download audio books from the library to my iPod. YEA!

Top Ten tuesday: Books to Movies

The "Top Ten Tuesday" meme is hosted by The Broke and The Bookish, and this week's topic is film adaptations of books. I like watching movies created from books, but I usually like the book better.

My top ten are:
* The Lord of the Rings (movie)
I don't usually reread books, but this series is an exception. I loved the movies too. They stayed remarkably close to the book. Wonderful.

* Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy (movie)
This was an edge of your book kind of book, I couldn't put it down. The movie was thrilling and it starred Sean Connery. what's not to love?

* Big Trouble by Dave Barry (movie)
This is one of the funniest books I've ever read. I read anything I can of Dave Barry's. The movie was perfect and it stars Tim Allen!

* Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt (movie)
This is one of the rare times I saw the movie before I read the book. The moviewas strange, interesting and funny. I had to read the book.

* The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (movie)
I read this one pretty soon after it was published and loved it. I was excited when the movie came out and was not disappointed. The people that played the parts were all perfect. If you haven't read this one and seen the movie, do it!

* The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (2002 movie)
I've read this one a couple of times over the years and will probably read it again sometime. The 2002 movie with Jim Caviezel was really good.

* Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts (Movie)
I got this one to read for a challenge a couple of years ago and was surprised at how much I liked it. It was sad and sweet with a little romance and a little worry. I liked the book much better than the movie, but that was still good.

* The Green Mile by Stephen King (movie)
As a Stephen King fan it was hard to limit myself to just one King book on this list. I read this when it came out in serial form, I still have the little monthly installments. Great book, great movie! Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan were wonderful!

* Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (movie)
Action adventure all the way. The book and movie grabbed my imagination and held it all the way to the end.

* The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (movie) This is a historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327. I like reading mysteries like this set in the past. This one was translated from Italian. Both the book and the movie are musts! It doesn't hurt that Sean Connery stars in this one, too.

Saturday Snapshot

I found this meme at At Home With Books and loved Alyce's pictures. To quote her guidelings: "To participate in the Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. All I ask is that you don't post random photos that you find online."

My Pictures: I tooks pictures of this rainbow from my front porch not too very long ago. It was close to the beginning of the school year.

Some Bookish Questions

Some Bookish Questions

Adapted from "How to Be a Perfect Reader" by Adam @ Roof Beam Reader

I found this at Whatcha Readin', Books? and I enjoyed her answers. I thought I'd give it a try. She said "I love these reading questionnaires! Feel free to post your own responses." So I will. Join in!

* Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
Usually I don't. If I do, it is something salty.

What is your favorite drink while reading?
A nice tall glass of fresh brewed sweet tea.

*Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I never mark in my books, in fact it does horrify me.

*How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I never dog ear books nor do I lay them face down. I use bookmarks and have a fun collection of them.

*Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
I usually read fiction. I have been making an effort to read more non-fiction but the count isn't too high yet.

*Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I can usually stop wherever, it doesn't bother me.

*Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
Believe me I've felt like it a time or two, but no, I just can't throw a book.

*If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
I'll look one up if my understanding of the passage is hampered by my ignorance of the word. If I come across an unfamiliar word while using my Nook I'm more likely to check it out, It is just so easy!

*What are you currently reading?
I'm listening to two books: Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer on my iPod and A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffery Archer. I'm reading Whose Body by Dorothy L Slayer on my Nook for the Vintage Mystery Challenge and I'm reading The Fourth Man by K. O. Dahl.

*What is the last book you bought?
I bought three paperbacks yesterday at a large chain discount store, not that I actually needed any more books in my TBR pile. The ole TBR pile is, as my blog is named, to the ceiling. They are: People of the Longhouse by W. Michael and Kathleen O'Neal Gear, Unusual Suspects Edited by Dana Stabenow (short stories with stories by Charlaine Harris, Carole Nelson Douglas, Simon R. Green, Laurie R King, Laura Anne Gilman and others,) and Home Invasion by William w. Johnstone.

*Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one? At any given time I have two audio books going. I usually read one book at a time, unless I'm anxious to get on with one.

*Do you have a favorite time/place to read? I'll read anytime I can, but I love to sit up in bed and read. My second favorite place is the living room couch, away from the TV.

*Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I've never thought about preferring one to the other. I have some series I like to keep up on and I like finding new series to love. But, I love stand alone novels as well.

*Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
I would recommend anything by John Steinbeck, his books are amazing. I love to recommend the Stephanie Plum novels, I find them funny, fast reads. I like escaping some of the heavier reading with these. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith is another I recommend a lot. I just love that series. I have recommended The Art of Racing in the Rain Garth Stein as well as The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory. I read many genres and I tend to recommend books to my friends according to their likes.

*How do you organize your books?
I have two bookcases on either side of the piano and one wall with bookcases built all the way across. In one of the stand alone cases I have my collection of old books and books my grandmother used as a teacher in one room schoolhouses in the 20's and 30's. The other stand alone has signed books on the top shelf and, don't laugh, cat mystery series on the other three shelves. The big book case has mostly hardbacks, the Christian nonfiction together, Christian fiction on another shelf, fiction arranged in genre (mystery, sci/fi etc.) on a couple of other shelves, nonfiction together, and my mom's Franklin classics on one shelf. Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Janet Evanovich, Preston & Child, Terry Pratchett, and Brian Jaques all have several books on the shelves. Under the shelves, behind doors is my out of control TBR pile.

Well, there it is.

Teaser Tuesday

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

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

My Teaser:

He could find work somewhere up north; she could have a child. A littlegirl who would adore him; girls adored their fathers.

From Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

I'm reading this now and it has been a sad one so far.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia from The Printed Page. It has gone on a very successful blog tour and is being hosted for February by Library of Clean Reads.

My books this week:

From the library sale:
Flight of the Falcon by Daphne du Maurier
The Mysterious Affair at Styles

On my Kindle:
Lydia Bennet's Story by Jane Odiwe (free for now)
Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders (free for now)

On my Nook:
Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate
Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson

Wonderful Wednesdays #2 Biographies

Wonderful Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Tiny Library.
This looks like anew meme so I thought I'd do it! The purpose each week is: "...spotlighting and recommending some of our most loved books, even if we haven't read them recently. Each week will have a different theme or genre of book to focus on." This week's theme:Biographies.

After considering which was truly a favorite I chose Born Naked: The Early Adventures of the Author of Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowet. Over the years I've read many of this authors true stories. Three favorites pop immediately to mind: "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float," "The Dog Who Wouldn't be," and "Owls in the Family."
Many of his books (like the three listed above) concern his childhood in Canada. Others take place farther north. All are wonderful to read, fun or informative or both. Mowet is one of my favorite authors. I don't reread many books, but I've reread several of his. In "Born Naked", Mowet tells more about his childhood in Saskatchewan. Mowet became fascinated with animals and nature as a child. He ended up having quite a few animals as he grew up, including Mutt, a goggle wearing dog, two huge owls, white mice, gophers.....

Born Naked was a light, easy-to-read book that tells about his early years in Canada. I enjoyed reading about his trip to the Arctic with his uncle on a research mission and his many encounters with animals near his boyhood home. All together a great read.