Bloggiesta 2012 (and a Request)

All week long I've been spotting Bloggiesta posts filled with plans and goals for this weekend.  But honestly since my blogging has been so spotty lately, I didn't think that I would find the time to participate.  One sparkling clean house later (which will last approximately 2 hours) and I've decided to dive in for a few hours.  And not feel guilty about the parts of my house that are most definitely not clean.  (cough...laundry...cough)

Anyways, I've already completed one task that I've been meaning to complete for awhile now.  I've finally updated my blog list links that are in my sidebar!  I am SO EXCITED about this!!!  There were so many inactive blogs on there that it was just kind of sad.  Especially because a few bloggers that I considered friends no longer blog anymore :/  But what can you do?? 

Now here is where the request comes in.  I know that I am missing some of my favorite blogs on this list.  There is just no way for me to remember them all.  This bothers me like you wouldn't believe.  So....if I ever comment on your blog or you are one of those people reading this that isn't on my list, won't you please tell me??  I love to connect with book bloggers and the easiest way for me to do that is visit other blogs.  Considering that I hadn't updated my blog roll for over two years tells me that I'm missing quite a lot of my favorite blogs.  But if you add to the fact that I have a crazy bad memory...well, you should be getting the picture.  Please, please, please tell me if you aren't on there!  And if it feels awkward to do so just know that I'm pretty much begging you right now to do it.  So that should make it all better :) 

I'm not setting any other Bloggiestsa goals for this weekend.  I'm just going to see where the weekend takes me but hopefully it will mean some sprucing up of the old blog.  Because posting once a week just isn't quite working for me..happy blogging to all of you!

Ole!

The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart (thoughts)

How had I never heard of the awesomeness that is Mary Roberts Rinehart??  The Circular Staircase was one of the first books I downloaded for free onto my Kindle, and I only grabbed it because the author was compared to Anna Katherine Green whom wrote The Leavenworth Case (a book that I enjoyed when I read it last year).  After reading The Circular Staircase I've downloaded every single book by this author that I can get my hands on.  I want more! 


The Circular Staircase begins with Rachel Innes deciding to spend the summer in the country with her nephew and niece.  Little does she know that renting Sunnyside for the summer will mean murder, mystery, and intrigue.  For mysterious happenings are going on at Sunnyside and Rachel instantly finds herself a part of them.  Rachel is a great main character to be narrating the story because of her dry sense of humor.  I found myself laughing out loud at various points in the story thanks to her opinions and musings on everything that was happening.  In fact, being able to laugh at the story while still being intrigued by the mystery was one of my favorite parts of the book!  I find more and more that I love classic mysteries like this because the authors know how to spin a good tale without lots of blood and gore.  Instead Rinehart created a mystery filled with atmosphere and tension as the reader wondered what could possibly be going on at the house.  It made for a great read that left me wanting more!  My only issue with this book is something that goes more along with the time period that the book was written.  The book does have some racial undertones in it but if you take in consideration when it was written then it makes more sense as to why the author included these viewpoint into the story.  I didn't care for it but obviously I wasn't born in this time period either.  Anyways....

Overall a really, really good read and a book that I enjoyed WAY more than I expected to.  Just writing up my thoughts on this book makes me want to try more by her or grab up something by Agatha Christie.  If you are ever looking for a gothic mystery novel then I think you should give this one a try.  Just don't expect to be surprised by the ending.  That part I could see coming from a mile away but luckily it didn't matter because I was enjoying the book too much.  Highly recommended especially to mystery fans!

Bottom Line:  One of those books that instantly makes you add the author to your must read list!

Disclosure:  This was a book I downloaded for free onto my Kindle thru Amazon. 

Wordless Wednesday (Football)

This is what I've been doing with my time lately.  Lots of football practice and tonight the 1st game of the season.  It was fun to watch and he did great.  I just look at him and wonder how he got so big so fast...

This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart (thoughts)

This Rough Magic is my first read by Mary Stewart but it definitely won't be my last! Lucy Waring is visiting her sister on the island of Corfu while also taking a break from her acting career. She believes that she is relaxing in paradise until strange events begin to occur. And when two young men both mysteriously drown while fishing, Lucy finds herself impossibly caught up in the mystery of what is happening on this island.

This Rough Magic started off slowly for me but I'm really glad that I stuck with it. The author had me thoroughly entranced by the end of the novel as I couldn't wait to see how it would all play out. Just trying to collect all of my thoughts on this book is amusing for me as I feel like I shouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I did. Without giving too much away, there were many moments of unbelievability in this book that usually would have bothered me. Instead, I found myself both charmed with this book and the storyline that the author had created. For instance, the love angle between Lucy and another (sorry too spoiler-ey if I say who) happens within a matter of pages. One moment they hate each other and the next they are practically ready to exchange vows. I couldn't help but shake my head and smile though. None of the improbable (and there were a lot of them upon consideration) events took away from the story. Instead, it made it all a bit more magical which was how the island was portrayed itself. The ending of the book tied everything up quite nicely and left me ready to read more by Stewart.

All in all, quite an enjoyable read despite the slow start and improbability of it all. I am excited to have found a new author with a nice sized backlist of books for me to peruse. I'm definitely going to be reading more by this author! And this was also the perfect way for me to begin Carl's R.I.P. VII event as this book definitely fits! Recommended!

Bottom Line: A solid romantic suspense with magical qualities!

Disclosure: Checked out from my local library. I need to get on their catalog and see what other books they have by this author for me to read!

R.I.P. VII (It's Here!!!)

There is just something about this time of year that puts me in a good mood. I love the gloomy rainy days and the beginnings of fall. I always say that I love all of the seasons (and I do) but fall is definitely my favorite. And what better way to celebrate the beginnings of fall then my favorite event of the year???

I've been putting books on hold at the library all week for this event, and that is not to mention all of the books I already have sitting on my shelves. My latest trips to the used bookstore were mainly filled with books from these genres as these were the types of books that I've been in the mood for. So I'm definitely ready to get started! This is my 4th time participating in this challenge and my favorite part of it is the community feeling that it creates. All over our love of the spooky! You can't get better than that :)


I'm signing up for Peril the First but of course I'm hoping to fit way more than four books in for this. And because one of my favorite things is looking at all of your lists of possibilities I thought that I would share mine.














Quite the list, isn't it? I also have my holds that I'm waiting for at the library so I'm definitely not going to be wanting when it comes to books for this! And I might have a few downloaded on my Kindle that will fit as well. And somewhere in there I will add something by Agatha Christie because she is a must this time of year! Fun to be had and lots of spooky reading to be done :)

I've already posted about these but I'm also signed up for the IT-a-long (It by Stephen King) which has already started but you can still join in on the fun. It is quite spooky so far and I have a tendency to shut it in a drawer at bedtime. I'm also planning on reading The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters which I have had on my shelves for too long. So two group reads that will be fit in around all of these other lovely books. Now let's see how many I can really get finished. Happy reading!