Author Archives

Melissahttp://www.missmeliss.comWriter, voice actor, dog-lover, and bathtub mermaid, Melissa is the Associate Editor-in-Chief at All Things Girl. To learn more about her, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter (@Melysse) or Facebook. You can also listen to her podcast, "Bathtub Mermaid: Tales from the Tub" at Bathtub Mermaid or on iTunes.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week Meme

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I have to confess: Until today, I had never heard of Book Blogger Appreciation Week. I knew more about natural acne treatment than I did about this annual event, and I certainly wasn’t aware there was a whole site dedicated to it. I’m glad I discovered it though, thanks to a comment from Alita of Alita Reads, which led me to her blog, and both the link to BBAW and this meme.

As to the meme itself, well, I like doing questionnaires every so often. They’re sort of restful, but sometimes spark interesting tangential thoughts. I’m fairly certain I’ve done this meme before, or at least parts of it, but my answers tend not to be static.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I used to read while eating lunch all the time, now, if I snack, it’s usually fruit and/or cheese – non-greasy finger foods. I always have coffee, tea, or water.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I’ve never been one to make notes in margins. I think because I generally read so quickly, I’m done before I have time.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I’ll dog-ear the pages of books that belong to me, if they’re paperbacks, but with borrowed books, I use bookmarks – I have many – or use a dollar as a bookmark if not. On hardcovers, I do sometimes use the flap of the dust-cover to mark my place, and yes, with my own books, I’m sometimes guilty of laying the book flat, if I’m only getting up for a moment.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
Both, but more fiction than not. I read across all genres, though I’m not a fan of Westerns or Self-Help, and I love thick novels, mysteries, good science fiction and fantasy, and biographies and memoirs.

Hard copy or audiobooks?
I prefer my reading matter printed, thank you, and I prefer actual books to ebooks, as well. I like audio dramas, but have never really gotten into audio books.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
Chapter? Whenever possible – especially if I really LIKE what I’m reading, I finish the entire book!

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
It’s really rare that I can’t figure it out from context – unless it’s in a foreign language I don’t speak. If I’m really stumped, I’ll look it up later.

What are you currently reading?
The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown, and Marley and Me, by John Grogan.

What is the last book you bought?
Dreaming Anastasia, by Joy Preble. It’s a YA title that seemed interesting when I was at Borders earlier tonight, so I bought it.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I usually have one main read, and then another book or two I pick up in between. Generally they are all in different rooms. I’m not sure if this is a sign of good planning, or laziness.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
The bathtub, but only paperbacks, and only those I own. The couch in my studio, the couch in the living room (generally while Fuzzy is watching something I’m not all that interested in), the toilet (too often for good health), and bed.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
Both, but lately I’ve been more into series, I think because I like LONG stories, and thick books aren’t trendy right now.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
I recommend Outside Lies Magic, by John Stilgoe, and The Eight, by Katherine Neville, to almost everyone, and lately have been foisting Christopher Moore novels upon all my friends.

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
My to-be-read stack is under the nightstand on my side of the bed, and on Fuzzy’s dresser, at the moment. And there’s always a stack in the bathroom, too. Completed books these days either go into a bag to be traded to friends, a box to send to my mother in Mexico, a bag to be donated to church, or upstairs. Those that make it into the Word Lounge, are alphabetized by author on my shelves.

Booking Through Thursday: Recent Enjoyable

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btt2

On Thursday, September 17th, Booking through Thursday asked:

What’s the most enjoyable, most fun, most just-darn-entertaining book you’ve read recently?

(Mind you, this doesn’t necessarily mean funny, since we covered that already. Just … GOOD.)

Reading voraciously may not be the best way to lose belly fat, but it certainly keeps me entertained. While I’m enjoying the Aurora Teagarden mysteries, Christopher Moore’s Fluke which I read earlier this summer is one of the books that I simply couldn’t read fast enough, because it was funny.

Buffalo Gal was an August read of mine, and I enjoyed it immensely because it’s so rare to read about a young woman of roughly my age who grew up Unitarian – it’s not a church people seem to grow up in, and that’s sad, because my experience with UU kids I’ve met, and taught in RE, is that they tend to be extraordinarily bright.

Right now, I’m trying hard not to read The Lost Symbol, the newest offering from Dan Brown, who – let’s be honest – isn’t the best author on earth, but writes entertaining stories. Why am I trying not to read it? Because I’m not quite done with this fascinating memoir called Indigo Awakening, that I’m expected to review on Friday, and as much as I’m enjoying it, I’ve been waiting for the other book.

Book Review: A Bone to Pick

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A Bone to Pick
by Charlaine Harris
Get it from Amazon >>

Just as looking at a jumbled pile of Ferrari parts doesn’t hint at the beauty of a finished car, so, too, does the first novel in a series not really give an adequate picture of the entire collection.

I’ve now finished the second in Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden series, A Bone to Pick, and while I found the first book enjoyable, I’m much more in love with Roe Teagarden in this second installment.

In this book, she inherits a house and a pile of money from her recently-deceased friend Jane, and later finds that she’s inherited a mystery as well. In between dealing with the fact that ex-lover Arthur and his new wife are living across the street from said house (and expecting a baby), and dating the Episcopal priest who performed her mother’s recent marriage ceremony, Roe must also figure out what the mystery is, and why she’s been charged with solving it.

As with the first novel, this book is a cozy story, gentle, and homey, and perfect when it’s raining outside, and you don’t feel very well.

Book Review: Real Murders by Charlaine Harris

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Real Murders
by Charlaine Harris
Get it at Amazon >>

When a friend gave me almost the entire collection of Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden mysteries to read, I was a little bit leary. After all, this was the same woman who had captured my attention with the Sookie Stackhouse books. How would her earlier series compare?

I had nothing to worry about, at least with book one, Real Murders. It’s the story of a serial killer who is committing crimes and staging them to look like famous murders of the past, and it’s quite entrancing. Already, I’m eager to see what happens next with Aurora “Roe” Teagarden, mild mannered librarian.

In truth, these books are somewhat akin to literary air filters, washing away the fast-paced, sex-laden stories that are so prevalent today (not that I mind sex, really, but, still…) and replacing them with slower, gentler stories where plot and character are explored with a sense of graciousness.

I’ve no idea what I’ll find in book two. But I’m looking forward to the experience.

Book Review: Dove by Robin L. Graham

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Dove
by Robin L. Graham
Get it from Amazon >>

I bought the book Dove shortly after re-reading Maiden Voyage, because it kept showing up on Amazon’s list of “people who bought this book also liked…” and reading about people going to see on sailing ships is a welcome respite from the world of articles about auto insurance quotes that I generally inhabit.

After reading it, I’m a bit disappointed, because it didn’t have the same pull for me that Aeibi’s book did, but overall I thought it was an interesting tale of a young man who didn’t really fit in the conventional world, finding himself on the sea.

Where Aebi’s Maiden Voyage happened during a time when she and I were of a similar age, Dove takes place in the late sixties, and there are minor cultural issues – generally the treatment of Polynesian people and culture – that I found a little disturbing.

For the most part, however, Dove (which is the name of author Graham’s boat), is a grand adventure, with a bit of nostalgia mixed in.

Wednesday Salon

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Technically this should be a Sunday Salon entry, but I slept through half of Sunday, and spent the other half cleaning, so I’m writing a chattery post now because I’m in the middle of half a dozen novels, but not done enough with any to write reviews…yet.

Lately, I’ve been in a mystery mood – everything from the kinds of novels where dead bodies are wrapped up in rugs, to the kinds of novels that are more about puzzles. I’m reading the Aurora Teagarden series, by Southern Vampire Mysteries author Charlaine Harris, but I’m re-reading Laurie R. King’s latest Holmes/Russell novel The Language of Bees as well.

The Teagarden novels actually predate the Sookie Stackhouse series, and while they share the same southern flair, they’re also a bit cozier, and a bit gentler. These are modern mysteries for those of us who still hold Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot fondly in our hearts.

As to Laurie R. King – I reviewed a number of her Holmes/Russell novels this spring, as I was re-reading them all (and filling out my collection) in preparation for the most recent book. She writes amazingly plausible Holmes situations, adding a sidekick/wife/colleague who blends perfectly into the world.

Don’t believe me? Check out this trailer for the most recent book:

Guest Post: Eddie Godshalk

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Last month, I reviewed Eddie Godshalk’s book, The Missing Keys to Thriving in Any Real Estate Market. Today, I’m happy to offer a guest post by Mr. Godshalk. I hope you find it as informative as I did.

How did macroeconomics and flawed Market Information cause The Housing Crisis?


Macroeconomics is the broadest view but important measure of the economic system. As applied to housing it would address influencing factors such as disposable income, migration, available usable land, interest rates, etc. Macroeconomics in real estate applies to national or regional data. The regional data typically being the MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area), what is more currently called the CSA (Combined Statistical Area) or which there are approximately 400 in the US. The MSA or CSA, is often referred to as a “market.”

All this data was available and many eyes were watching so how did all macro data fail? Part of the problem is that most professionals only have access to free or inexpensive data or information. You cannot make better assessments than the data available. Not only is much of the relevant data not free, it is very hard to find. Then integrating the data into meaningful results is a no-trivial task.

In assessing a real estate investment decision, you can examine data from various sources that consider the property itself, the block, the Census Track, the Zip Code, the County, the MSA/CSA, the state, and the country. Certainly the farther and farther you go out, the less relevance and meaning you have in trying to assess any particular valuation.. Any of us in real estate know you can drive around any area beyond a very local area, and see that nothing homogeneous about any city or neighborhood in America. While this is intuitive, you cannot find any free data or readily available data to make a true assessment of a specific local market condition. The more uncertain or unstable the conditions the riskier and evaluation becomes. We have now gone through a time that exposes the weaknesses in the tools we have been using.

Sunday Salon: Ship-shape

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The Sunday Salon.com

I realize that I’m actually writing this on Monday evening. I’m either slightly late for yesterday, or really early for the 30th, but either way I was mulling this over yesterday, but never manage to post it.

My reading this week has been a leisurely revisiting of one of my favorite books, Maiden Voyage, by Tania Aebi. It’s the memoir of the author’s two-year trip around the world as the solo handler of a sailboat. She wrote it twenty years ago, and I bought it when it was new, and have re-read it a few times, over the years.

I’m not sure why this book resonates so with me. Part of it, I think, is that I love the ocean in a way that most people who don’t sail rarely do. Part of it is that the romance of being alone on a sailboat in the middle of the ocean appeals – and the risk. Part of it is that I relish the coziness of a ship’s bunk with a small furry animal for company, and reading myself to sleep as the waves gently rock me.

There are, of course, moments I do not wish to experience, even vicariously. At one point, Aebi describes having an earache in the middle of the ocean, and how she heats a sock-full of salt and holds it against her ear. Another tale in the book is the relatively brief mention of a fellow sailor’s issue with a toothache, and how he basically gets drunk so he won’t care, since it’s not exactly like there are orange nj cosmetic dentists hanging in the tropics. Or if there are, they’re sailing, too, and not seeing patients.

Mostly, though, I recognize that I, who considers “roughing it” to be a hotel without room service or wifi, and who can’t even sit through movies where people are cold, wet, tired, hungry, dirty and lacking toilet paper, would probably not be happy for more than a day or two than the minimalist conditions Tania Aebi seemed to thrive upon, as much as I like to imagine I might.

For Tania Aebi, Maiden Voyage represents two years of her life, twenty years ago.

For me, it’s several hours of reading enjoyment and lovely dreams about sailing, which is, after all, what reading is all about.

In Progress: Animals In Translation by Temple Grandin

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My birthday was last Monday (the 17th), and, as usual, I received a book from my aunt in Connecticut. In recent years she’s been sending more non-fiction than fiction, but I’m not sure that’s intentional.

In any case, she knows that there is no drug rehab equivalent for bibliophiles, and really, as addictions go, reading is a pretty safe one. I mean, what other substance sends you to a bookstore or library when you’re jonesing for a fix? How often do you see a voracious reader begging on the street corner, “Man, I just need a dollar for another book?”

But I digress.

My birthday book this year is Animals in Translation, by Temple Grandin. I’m barely into it, but already I’m fascinated. It’s about how people with autism respond to animals, often understanding them on levels that neuro-typical humans cannot. I’m reading it as a dog-lover and animal rescue volunteer who loves animals, but apparently this book is quite well regarded. In fact, I found a link to it on the PLoS Biology website, in which the editors actually asked Ms. Grandin to respond to something they’d posted. The complete article is here.

It’s all really interesting, and makes me look at my dogs in a new light. I’ll review the book when I’ve finished with it, of course, but I wanted to share what I have in progress for a change.

Review: Life’s A Beach by Clare Cook

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I picked up Clare Cook’s novel Life’s a Beach because I was in the mood for a book to give me a jolt of laughter the way thoroughbreds get a jolt of energy and nutrients when given horse supplements. I was not disappointed.

Ginger is a fun-loving, woman a bit older than I am (specifically, in her early forties), with a sister about to turn fifty. She’s still living in her parent’s garage apartment (she hates the term FROG – finished room over garage), with her cat named Boyfriend and her non-committal boyfriend, a glass-blower named Noah. Glass is a trend in Ginger’s life. Between real jobs, she’s been trying to find herself, and her current incarnation involves making sea glass jewelry.

Against the background of her mother’s entree into the Red Hat Society, her father’s unwillingness to downsize and sell the family home, and her sister’s upcoming birthday, Ginger is a breath of fresh air, but living in denial, so when her eight-year-old nephew Riley gets tapped to be an extra in a horror movie, she is more than willing to go to the set and act as his guardian.

Clare Cook, who previously gave us Must Love Dogs, sends us on a wonderfully funny, sometimes sappy journey to the shore and beyond, all the while holding up a rather forgiving mirror to those of us who know that fifty really is the new thirty.