BTT: Best "Worst" Book

This week's BTT question was suggested by Janet:


The opposite of last week’s question: “What’s the best ‘worst’ book you’ve ever read — the one you like despite some negative reviews or features?”

Okay, I'm going WAY OUT on a limb here people. I can't think of any books I've read that have had really negative reviews....so....I'm going to go WAY back to when I was, oh, 11 or so and I discovered a book in our downstairs bookshelf. No one ever looked at those books, or so I thought... hmm....

Anyway, I found this book and thought, "Wow, the cover looks very mod and cool. Maybe I should take a look inside." Lord, Have Mercy! That book brought a whole new world into existence. So much so that I had to share it with my girlfriend who lived next door.

What is this book I speak of? What could be that intriguing? Why would I name it as a best "worst" book?

I'm saying it was the best "worst" book I've ever read (actually, only a few sections!) because while it was titilating to say the least, it gave me one particular feeling I never wanted to feel again. That icky, squeeze-my-eyes-tightly-shut-hands-over-ears-la-la-la disgusting feeling. A lesson was learned that day.

What the heck book is it already?

Up, The Hard Way.

I don't know who the author is and I can't find it on Amazon or other bookstore sites. I'm sure it's online somewhere.

I think it was supposed to be a 70's look at the swinging lifestyle. I never read it all the way through, as I mentioned above. In fact, I could have the story all wrong. I do know that I remembered the experience and how my friend and I read a few sections, on a few different occasions, then stuffed it back in the bookshelf never to be looked at again (by my eyes anyway).

Before you go thinking I'm a prude, remember, I was only 11ish at the time. A book like that would undoubtedly not have that exact same effect today.

Forewarned is forearmed, I say. I think.

Interview with Melody Lane!

I do hope you'll stop over at Texty Ladies for my interview with author Melody Lane! She talks about her book ROCK ME and fills us in on what she's working on now. I hope to see you there!

Contest

My good friend and fellow texty lady Jane E. Jones is holding a contest! Win her new book Puppy Love and several other fabulous prizes. Just head over to Texty Ladies for all the details!

Manic Monday - Time

Fleur de Lisa's questions this week are?

What would you do with an extra hour each day?

I would write. I always say I never have enough time for it. If I had that extra hour, there would be no excuse.

Do you wear a watch? If so, tell us about it. If not, how do you keep track of time?

My watch was a gift from my husband. "I won't let you fall apart" is engraved on the back which is the NIN song, The Fragile. The song is very dear to us and tipped us over into love.

If it was possible, would you want to know how many days you had left to live?

On one hand, I wouldn't want to know because we should be living each day as if it could be our last; on the other, if I knew, I would make sure all of my affairs were in order. I guess the lesson here is to hopefully not know but get our affairs in order anyway and make sure our time is quality time.

Excellent questions, Lisa!

Poetry Play Thursday

Poetry Play Thursday is a meme I created for those who would like to try writing poetry. I'll post a new form of poetry each week and then we'll give it a try, hopefully sharing our poem with the other participants.

We'll start with the easier forms and move on to more difficult ones as we gain confidence. I plan to throw in a few unusual forms as well. :)

I hope you'll stop over at Texty Ladies, where the poem will be hosted, and give it a try. April is National Poetry Month and this will give us some practice.

See you there!

Manic Monday #156

Lisa's questions this week are:

What's one of the simple pleasures in your life?

Playing RockBand with my family and friends. We've slowed down a bit but we used to play it every night; sometimes more than once. Talk about Rock-n-Roll excess!

What do you like to snack on when you watch a movie?

Popcorn would be my #1 choice! Just a touch of butter will do. Of course, I wouldn't pass up some Goobers. Chocolate and peanuts are the perfect combination!

If you were a Survivor contestant, what would be your luxury item?

I'd want to choose something practical that would have many uses, like a Swiss Army Knife, but I wonder if there are restrictions on that type of thing. Maybe I'd bring a game that my tribe could play which would pass some time, might be fun, and also reveal personality traits in my fellow contestants.


More Manic Mondays.

Booking Through Thursday: Storage

Taken from the BTT site:

This week’s question is suggested by Kat:

I recently got new bookshelves for my room, and I’m just loving them. Spent the afternoon putting up my books and sharing it on my blog . One of my friends asked a question and I thought it would be a great BTT question. So from Tina & myself, we’d like to know:

“How do you arrange your books on your shelves? Is it by author, by genre, or you just put it where it falls on?”

I tend to group mine by genre, keeping all series together. I have so many books and my shelves are deep so I'll put older books that I've already read in the back with new books in front of them. I try to put heavier books near the bottom because I have a phobia that the kittens will be in freak-out mode and knock the shelves over on top of them. Yeah, I know, it's a stretch, but, hey, it could happen!

Since I have bookshelves in the bedroom and the living room, I tend to keep the romance and erotic romance novels in the bedroom (makes sense) and the general fiction, how-to's, gardening, animal, arts and writing books in the living room. We really need a separate room just for books. My husband is a collector as well. His large collection of excellent comic books are stored in long cardboard boxes down in the mancave.

My TBR books are kept on the top two shelves of one of the bedroom bookshelves. I've severely cut back on new purchases until I can whittle away at the TBRs.

I'm not sure if I should admit it or not but I am a magazine junkie. Have been for many years. These you will find on the bottom of several bookshelves, in a stack on my desk, another on my desk chair, and several others in bags and boxes in my closet. It's bad, I know. Not so bad that you'll see me on the evening news when an intervention unit is busting into my house because the neighbors tipped them off to a "magazine hoarder", but it could easily slip into that if I didn't occasionally weed through them and throw a few out. Since I've developed an interest in collage, I'm hoping to rid myself of several by tearing out the picture and article gems and throwing the rest out. May the Force be with me.

Want to know how others arrange their books? Go to Booking Through Thursday.

The Sound of Paper

Please check out my post at Texty Ladies today. It's about the booking I'm currently reading, "The Sound of Paper: Starting from Scratch" by Julia Cameron.

Leave me some comment love, if you're so inclined. :)

Manic Monday

Fleur De Lisa posts some fun questions over at Manic Monday so I thought I'd give it a go. Here are today's questions and my answers:

What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod (or music collection)?

Hmmm... I guess I'd have to say "Stay With Me Tonight" by Jeffrey Osborne. The only reason I picked it is because most of the music on my iPod right now is industrial, funk and electronic and a bit darker in nature. I'm not really embarrassed to say I love this song because it always makes me move and reminds me of a time in my life when I had fewer responsibilities. Come on. You can't help but move when you hear it!

How much time do you spend each day in your commute? (Or if you don't work outside the house, how much time do you spend in your car or other preferred mode of transportation?)

On average, I spend one hour before work and one hour after in commute. About ten minutes of that (each way) is driving in my own car; the rest is on public transit (oh, joy!).

What's your favorite wardrobe item and why?

My favorite wardrobe item right now is the incredibly soft and cushy robe I picked up while celebrating my husband's and my anniversary last year. They were, of course, draped over our bed, ready to be enjoyed and lusted after so that we'd HAVE to purchase them at checkout. We both couldn't resist and we rationalized our purchase with this excellent reasoning: The traditional anniversary gift item for that year was cotton, so exquisitely soft and comfortable cotton robes would only be honoring tradition, right? ;)

Hey, this was kinda fun! Thanks, Lisa! I think I'll look for next week's questions, too. Wanna join me?

Been There, Done That

I grabbed this from Melsdream.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (???)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Looks like I have some catching up to do.

Booking Through Thursday

There have been a lot of firsts on my blogs this week and I've got another one today. Booking Through Thursday is a meme about what else.....books! A question is asked each Thursday and participants then answer it on their blog or in the comment section of the host site. Here is today's question?

Since “Inspiration” is (or should be) the theme this week … what is your reading inspired by?

First off, my mood plays a huge part in what I decide to read. Quite often I'll want something lighthearted since there is enough to deal with in real life. Who needs more conflict?! Other times I'll long for something meatier; something that will require me to stretch my thoughts, question my beliefs or expose my heart. A good cry is quite cleansing, don't you think?

The author's voice and talent are what will determine whether or not I continue reading past the first few pages of any book. I can't tell you how many books I've started over the last few months only to place them back on my TBR shelves because I just couldn't muster up enough interest in the plot or characters. If I don't care about the characters, what's the point? Truly, I can forgive a semi-weak plot or some inconsistencies if I feel like I could live inside the main character or just want to know what happens to them.

As shallow as it may sound, an excellent book cover and back cover blurb may be what draws me in. I'm amazed at the beautiful art work and design being used for them these days. I guess those marketing folk know what they're doing, right?

Any number of things will inspire me to pick up a book, and how happy am I that someone was inspired to write them?!

A Snag in the Plan

Participating in the CreativeEveryDay challenge has been difficult since as soon as I decide to be more consistent in my creative efforts, the tendonitis in my right hand decided to flare up. I tried sketching and couldn't draw more than two small figures before the shooting and constant pain increased and I had to put down my pencil.

I will say that I've tried to think more creatively lately. My mind has been filled with ideas and projects I'd like to tackle so hopefully I can do that soon. Until I can draw again, I can be working on other projects like writing poetry. My goal this week is to write one or two or three haikus. I'd love to have enough to create a poetry book some time this year. Cross your fingers that I'm up to the challenge!

Mission 101 2009

I've joined the Mission 101 2009 community over at LiveJournal. It's all about choosing 101 goals to accomplish in 1001 days (approx. 2.75 years). I like the mission idea and time frame because 1001 days is actually doable for most goals. The community members post updates on their progress and hopefully everyone will be encouraging and supportive. I've been posting my goals in increments of 20 at my LiveJournal Dreaming in Digital. I'm trying to throw in short and long-term goals and I have to say it's not easy coming up with 101 of them!

The Girl With No Shadow

I defer to my post at A Touch of Inspiration today. Please go have a look. It's about Joanne Harris' book, The Girl With No Shadow. I'm still setting up the blog, so please be patient. :)

Artist Camille M. Boggs

Over the past few days, I've been surfing from one creative blog to the next, pulling a few to add links to from my blog. I'm always amazed by what people come up with and the incredible talent that is out in this big, bad world. One artist blew me away so I'm featuring her here. Needless to say, I'm incredibly inspired by her work and it makes me want to figure out what my creative niche is. I present to you, Camille M. Boggs.

Camille Boggs fell in love with papermaking in college. She began cutting paper and found that the #11 x-acto blade became an extension of her hand. From the work you see here, I'd say she found the right medium to work in.

The Sun was Snowing

Maybe Next Time

She works in 2D and 3D and her photography mimics her cut paper work. You'll have to go to her site to view the rest of her jaw-dropping work.

Thank you for your amazing talent, Camille! It is such an inspiration!