Bloggin' 'bout Books: 10/17/10

2026 Literary Escapes Challenge

- Alabama

- Alaska

- Arizona

- Arkansas

- ~~California~~ (1)

- Colorado

- Connecticut

- Delaware

- Florida

- Georgia

- Hawaii

- Idaho

- ~~Illinois~~ (1)

- ~~Indiana~~ (1)

- Iowa

- Kansas

- Kentucky

- Louisiana

- ~~Maine~~ (1)

- Maryland

- Massachusetts

- Michigan

- ~~Minnesota~~ (1)

- Mississippi

- Missouri

- Montana

- Nebraska

- Nevada

- New Hampshire

- New Jersey

- New Mexico

- ~~New York~~ (2)

- North Carolina

- North Dakota

- ~~Ohio~~ (1)

- Oklahoma

- Oregon

- Pennsylvania

- ~~Rhode Island~~ (1)

- South Carolina

- South Dakota

- Tennessee

- Texas

- Utah

- ~~Vermont~~ (1)

- ~~Virginia~~ (1)

- Washington

- West Virginia

- Wisconsin

- Wyoming

- Washington, D.C.*

International:

- England (3)

A Little Sunday Morning Sampling Of My Random Thoughts

8:28 AM

I usually don't post on Sundays, but I have a few things on my mind that I wanted to share:

- First off, my good friend Random.org picked a winner in my giveaway for a hardcover copy of Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill. Congratulations to Gaye of Inside a Book. Gaye's one of my most loyal readers, always leaving sweet, thoughtful comments that just make my day! I've sent you an email already Gaye, so get back to me when you can, okay?

Thanks to everyone who entered. As always, I'll be having more giveaways in the near future - definitely stay tuned.

- Second, a little health update: It looks as if I will be doing another round of iodine radiation for my thyroid cancer. When I did the first go-round in April, I was kind of disappointed by how anticlimatic the whole procedure is - basically, I go to the hospital, swallow a green pill, and stay in my room for a week. Since I'm radioactive, I'm not allowed to do housework, prepare food for anyone but me, go out in public, etc. It's not a bad deal for me - I get lots of reading and resting time - but it's hard on my husband, kids, extended family members, etc., who get to take care of everything in my absence. The upside is that I should be feeling good again very soon. I will, however, probably not be online for the next week since my computer is a desktop and it's not in my bedroom. I do have a couple of reviews set to post automatically - I just may not be reading/answering emails and commenting on other blogs. Thanks for your patience!

- Thirdly, I really want to comment on this post, but I can't figure out how. Am I hopelessly inept, or is there a way to leave my thoughts? Help!

- Lastly, Karen and Gerard tagged me for this meme that I've seen going around the blogosphere:

4 Things In My Handbag/Backpack/Briefcase:

- My wallet (of course - it lives there so it won't get lost)

- SoftLips lip balm (my fave)

- Gum (one of those gotta-have-it items)

- A pen (because I'm ALWAYS finding myself without one when I most need one

4 Favorite Things In My Bedroom:

- My bed - I have a California King-sized adjustable bed that is soooo nice. Although my side is busted at the moment, usually it lets me raise your feet, my head, get a massage, etc. I love it!

- The teddy bear my mom sent me after I had surgery earlier this year - I'm not usually the stuffed animal type, but this one's so cute that I adore it!

- The two-way fireplace - on one side is a comfy recliner, on the other side is a big bathtub - both are excellent places to read and relax, especially with a nice fire going.

- The balcony - although it's too hot to sit out there most of the year, it's fun to enjoy the lovely view of the valley, especially at night.

4 Things On My Desk:

- A big pile of mail and other stuff I need to sort through

- A ceramic horse my daughter painted for me a couple of years ago (actually there are two)

- My cell phone, which I should really charge before it completely runs out of juice

- A brand, spankin' new (still in its Amazon box) copy of The Scorch Trials by James Dashner. I'm really enjoying The Maze Runner and can't wait to delve into the sequel, which just barely came out.

4 Things I've Always Wanted To Do (but haven't yet):

- Visit the British Isles

- See a show on Broadway

- See U2 live (funny enough, the hubs and I had tickets a couple of years ago, but we were both too sick to go ...)

- Write a novel

4 Things I Enjoy Very Much At The Moment:

- Book blogging - Even though my family blog has definitely fallen by the wayside, I still love keeping this blog up.

- Chocolate VitaTops - I'm still not quite sure I'm supposed to be eating these on my low-iodine diet, but allowing myself one a day is keeping me sane :)

- My incredible husband who is not only a kind, supportive spouse, but an energetic, hands-on father whose love for his family is obvious to everyone around him.

- The Fall decorations on my front porch

4 Songs I Can't Get Out of My Head:

- Her Diamonds by Rob Thomas

- Hello, Seattle by Owl City

- Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam (this is my almost 2-year-old's current favorite)

- The Lady of Shallott by Lorena McKennitt (beautiful!)

4 Things You Don't Know About Me:

- I'm a huge Jeopardy! fan

- I'm pathetically bad at the Classic Literature category, but do pretty well with questions on modern literature/bestsellers

- I could eat milk chocolate at every meal and never, ever get tired of it.

- I always sing - loudly and badly - along to the radio/CDs in my car. I am not ashamed, but my kids probably are :)

4 Bloggers I'm Tagging:

- I've seen this one all over, so I think most people have done it already. Plus, I won't be around this week to see your answers, but if you haven't done this one yet, consider yourself tagged. I'd love to hear what you have to say!

* Have a great week, everybody! *