Turn the page ... Tuesday

I was lucky in February. I had quite a bit of time to put my feet up and read by the fire after the kiddos went to bed. Thank you mother nature.


I did meet February's challenge of reading a Turn the page ... Tuesday reviewed book (good thing since I'm the host!). I had added Undiscovered Country to my reading list back in October of 2009 when I read Paige's review and this gave me a great excuse to finally get to it.



Sadly our library did not have a copy but Better World Books did; and I am so glad. This has been added to my list of pretty darn good reads if you ask me. I won't duplicate what Paige has already said but I will recommend that you add this to your list of need-to-read-soon. There are quite a few twists and turns and I was pleased that I could not figure out the ending until it was time for me to do so. I love a book like that.


To say I didn't' like Excellent Women would be to harsh. It just wasn't the kind of English humor that I was expecting. I was hoping this would be more along the lines of Diary of a Provincial Lady but it wasn't quite up to par. The premise is that 'excellent women' (those who are not married but should be) are often overlooked. They are such kind, giving, pious people but somehow aren't hitched. We are taken on a ride with Mildred, an excellent woman indeed, while she helps some very entertaining characters. This was an enjoyable read but not what I had anticipated so I was let down just a bit.

I have had Mozart And The Whale on my radar for a loooong time. I think I actually embedded it to my memory from way back in the day when I actually read magazines and had seen a review; what could this book be all about? In today's society it's hard to not know someone who is affected by some form of Autism. Jerry and Mary (who wrote the book about their journey) had unbelievable odds to overcome - and I don't just mean because they have Asperger's. They grew up in a time when little was known and the 'help' they got was little next to none. They grew up feeling isolated, different and, like freaks. They had no one to turn to; their parents had their own battles to wage and could not (and most likely didn't know what to do) advocate for their child who was difficult to manage. This book really make my heart ache for those who have suffered because of lack of education - lack of support - lack of understanding. Jerry and Mary still have their struggles but have done great things to help those who are affected by Autism and Asperger's. It's a book that will open your eyes - for better or worse.

So back when I was disillusioned (still am - I'm just hanging in there for now) with the blogger site, it was suggested by a few of my virtual friends that I check out Blogging For Bliss. Well, it never hurts to take a bit of advice - I actually bought the book at a retail store (shudder) but I'm glad I did. I enjoyed it. It helped me refocus a bit ... Why do you blog? Is it for pleasure, is it for business, is it for family far away to keep up with you and yours? She has some amazing interviews with many of the 'top bloggers' out there and the answers to their "whys". There are also quite a few tips on how to set up a blog and a mini review of each of the blog providers. I wish this book was out when I began blogging - it definitely would have taken some of the frustration away of trying to get my blog to come together. I'm hanging on to this book for some time - there's a whole lot a bloggin' going on out there and I want to check it out!

And speaking of blogging ... check out these bloggers to see what they've read!

Stacey

Paula

Jodi

Ruth

Jill

Debi

Next month is the one year anniversary of Turn the page ... Tuesday! I have a little give away planned that I will announce at next months TTPT ;-)