WWW Wednesday (March 9)

Composed by Cat
WWW Wednesday is a bookish meme hosted by Should Be Reading 
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?
This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 5)What are you currently reading? 
This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
I poured through the other books in under 48 hours. With age, I've learned to savoir these moments. I'm taking my time with this book. Quite the saucy little book but much anticipation has left me completely satisfied with the written world of Cat & Bones. Frost has definitely made the wait worth it. I also found out tonight that the next book will be out by the end of the summer so I won't have to wait an entire year again. 




Shutter Island by Dennis LehaneWhat did you recently finish reading? 
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane 
Sam answer as last week. Nothing new to see here. 


What do you think you'll read next? 
I received two books to read and review so I'll start working on them. Glimpses of my Friend the King by James Howard and the one I'm really looking forward to  An Autobiography of a Life in Comedy: Pat Cooper How dare you say how dare me! by Pat Cooper, Rich Herschlag, and Steve Garrin. And just for fun, I'm headed for The Me Project by Kathi Lipp because something's got to be about me. 
Glimpses of My Friend the KingPat Cooper How Dare You Say How Dare Me!The Me Project: 21 Days to Living the Life You've Always Wanted

I can't seem to stop finding books and more books. It's not an addiction. It's a way of life and I love it! 

And that's it for this Wednesday. Now your turn. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!
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Life Lesson: This hurts me more than you

Composed by Cat
“This hurts me more than you”…I think we’ve all heard that line before. I never understood the phrase until I had children of my own. My mom used to say that. Of course, I’d secretly roll my eyes knowing that she couldn’t possibly being hurting more than I was at that moment no matter what the issue was. Usually it was referring to a punishment. Let me clarify that I was spanked. I deserved to be spanked but I was only spanked rarely and it was reserved for serve circumstances. I was not abused at all. Looking back I think I could have been spanked a little more often. My punishments usually were of the grounding variety. I did see how that could possibly hurt her more than me.  I learned this lesson the hard way when I had to carry out my son’s first sentence of grounding. Within a day, I was on the phone to my mom crying, “Why am I being punished here?” She laughed so hard I thought she was going to wet herself. Her only reply was, “See what I meant by this hurts me more than you?”

That was my first lesson. While that was more torture than anguish, I’ve had many lessons since that as a parent we feel what our children feel. Recently, this has been reinforced as I’ve watched my middle son work extremely hard to achieve all A’s in school. (Personally, I do not think letter grades give any indicator of what a person knows. I for one have made A’s in classes that today I could not tell you a thing on their subject matter. But that’s another story all together). He’s a very active kid. Always has been. I don’t mean climbing the walls or jumping up and down on the furniture. I mean he’s one of those kids that go gung ho in activities. He’s a member of the Jr. Guard, Color Guard, Rangers, football, the Classic Car Club and music club. See? I’m tired just listing what he does and that’s not including his social life…which isn’t very much other than these things listed these days.  

As I said before, grades are not a true indicator of what a kid knows. I have seen them get average grades but completely understand the course work and I’ve seen them make A’s and couldn’t tell you the first thing about the subject after the class was over. So I don’t put much credence in numerical or alphabetical evaluation. However, I always encourage them to learn. That being said, this particular child can range from an A to C in the bat of an eye. I encourage him but I don’t punish if they try. This semester he decided, since it was his last year in Jr. Guard, that he wanted to earn the Academic Patch.   This is awarded to members who achieve straight A’s in a semester. He has participated in all of his extra curriculars AND studied late into the evening. As of last week he had all As. I’m so proud of his work.

Yesterday, however, I had one of those lesson moments again. It does hurt me more than him…I think at least. He had finals yesterday and again today. He looked last night at the grading online and his finals appear to have brought his score down to a high B in both the courses he tested in. He’s so frustrated and now thinks it’s pointless to even try. He’s missing the lesson here. He really, really dedicated his self to this and regardless of whether or not he obtains this patch, he accomplished so much more than a piece of cloth and thread can ever show. But I understand his frustration.  It kills me to see the hurt on his face. It radiates from his body in waves of despair. His shoulders are stooped over and he sounds defeated.

This does hurt more than I thought possible. I understand now how things can hurt a parent just as much as a child, if not more. I have no words that will comfort him. No actions to fix it. Nothing but a hug and pat on the back which all fall flat. It rips at my heart to know that there is nothing I can do to make things better for him. No words. No actions. No band aid to apply on his wound. I am helpless but to sit back and watch him struggle through this. To find his own way and learn his own lessons. I only hope that I prepared him enough to have the tools, knowledge, and heart to know that this too will pass and be but a speck on the journal that is his life.

While he’s learning to cope with what he views as defeat, I’m having to learn to cope with the fact that once again I have to learn to let go, hide my pain, and stand strong in the belief that he will realize that he is a bright, talent young man who will go far on his leadership skills and big heart. And I realize that that is the biggest part of the phrase, “This hurts me more than you”

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Teaser Tuesday (March 8)

Composed by Cat

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
I've enjoyed getting back into reading full steam. I am so far behind in my school work and I'm paying for it but there's a bit of mental deadness that I've aquired after semester after semster of classes and being a grown up. I'll get caught up but for now here's a few lines from my brain crack...my guilty pleasure.

This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 5)"Before we go, I gotta know: If mind-reading abilities are real, there's something else I wondered if fiction got right about vampires-""Ask me if I sparkle and I'll kill you where you stand," Bones cut him off with utmost seriousness ~ This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost  page 82


I love this series. It's completely entertainment to me. Lots of humor. Lots of good relationships with real reactions not always the HEA variety, and lots of excellent story writing. Those who know her love her. Those who know her also love Cat & Bones as well Vlad mmm How can I put this? He's my real hero of the series. Just the right amount fiery personality to keep you on your toes. Yes, he's the good guy. If you like paranormal romance with good action, this is a great series to read. 

Now it your turn. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your two ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! :D


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Musing Mondays (March 7)

Composed by Cat
Musing Mondays is a bookish meme hosted by MizB on Should be reading.
This week’s musing asks…
What book(s) are you most excited about right now? (it can either be something you’re currently reading, or something you just bought, or a book/books that are soon to be published).

The Me Project: 21 Days to Living the Life You've Always WantedThis Side of the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 5)I'm reading my guilty pleasure right now. I don't usually voluntarily tell my friends I read these books but I love Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress world. I'm currently reading This side of the Grave. I've waited a year for this book. I stumbled across this series a couple of years ago and I'm not sure why I've been addicted ever since. No one I know has heard of this series but they don't know what they're missing.  I've been super excited about reading it. It's my brain crack. I've admitted that numerous times. The other book I can't wait to get to is The ME Project by Kathi Lipp. Mainly because I'm in limbo on what I want to be when I grow up. I know what I want to be but this whole reality thing keeps getting in my way. You know? Food, electric, water, etc. Apparently Cinderella and the rest of the Disney Princess brigade didn't think to mention that part of the Happily Ever After deal.  

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your answer in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! :D

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REVIEW: Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

Composed by Cat
Shutter Island (Mass Market Paperback)I finished Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane the other night. As I said before, I didn’t see the movie before reading the book. I will say that I’ve seen and read both now. Right after I finished reading the book, I ran to Netflix and watched the movie. First let me say that  my usual overall reaction is the book is better. I really have to draw a line and remember that they are two different mediums and judge them solely on that fact.   In this case, overall…the book was much better. So if you loved the movie, I highly recommend the book.  Thrillers aren't for everyone, I know. I, myself, love a good thriller. This one had a nice line that didn't get crossed for the gruesome factor. Yes, there was some but it was all well within context of the story and none of it over the top. There was a scene or two that was a little sexually descriptive but again, well with in context and definitely not smut material.
Amazon Product Description
The year is 1954. U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels and his new ­partner, Chuck Aule, have come to Shutter Island, home of Ashecliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane, to investigate the disappearance of a patient. Multiple-murderess Rachel Solando is loose somewhere on this barren island, despite having been kept in a locked cell under constant surveillance. As a killer hurricane bears relentlessly down on them, a strange case takes on even darker, more sinister shades-with hints of radical experimentation, horrifying surgeries, and lethal countermoves made in the cause of a covert shadow war. No one is going to escape Shutter Island unscathed, because nothing at Ashecliffe Hospital is remotely what it seems.


I have never read Dennis Lehane before this. I’ve seen a few movies based off his works but not actually sat and read his writing. It was a nice surprise. The text flows very well. He blends flashbacks extremely well and you don’t feel like you are running to catch up with where he is at. I like this in writing. Often I’m several pages into something when I realize that the characters are either in a flashback or just come out of a flashback…leaving me racing to figure out what is what. That’s not the case with this book.
It’s a not so simple story of nothing is as it appears to be. It’s quite difficult to review this book without giving away too much. Let me just say it’s worth the read.

A pair of US Marshalls, Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule, go to an island off the coast of Massachusetts that houses a hospital for the criminal insane to investigate a patient’s disappearance. From the first moment they arrive they are suspicious of everyone. Things just do not add up. With the approach of a hurricane, all heck breaks loose allowing the Marshalls to do more snooping around. This leads to even more questions that they cannot answer. To top it all off, Marshall Teddy Daniels is dealing with the loss of his wife and just knows that her killer is on the island. He’s running out of time as he tries to find the patient, the killer, and keep from losing his own mind or at least from letting the hospital make others think he’s lost his mind to keep him silent. You know that there is going to be twists and turns but when they happen you really can’t imagine that it happens the way it does. It’s a good thing though. The entire first two-thirds of the book lays out an intricate world and sets up a great plot only to be completely spun out of control in the last third in a very good way. The book ends with you in just amazement. Trying to understand everything that happened and coming to terms with it. It was great.

The movie gave too much away in my opinion with eye contact and the way that the dialogue went.  There were too many things crammed together in an attempt to get as much of the story together as possible within the constraints of a movie. I understand that but the book was so good at painting the background within the flashbacks that I just wished they could have put more of it in the movie. I will add; however, I loved the last lines of the movie which were added and not in the book. They left you with the feeling that things were still not as they appeared.

My overall feeling was this was a great read. The transitions from flashback to present were well done and the twists and turns you go through are also well done. I loved the writing and I loved the story. Even if you think you’ve figured it out…you haven’t. It’s well worth the read. If you saw the movie, it’s still worth the read. It’ll give you a much better understanding of what’s going on. I do believe I'll be looking for more to read from Dennis Lehane in the future. Happy reading! 

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Mailing list and newsletter rants

Composed by Cat
I've been home sick for almost two weeks. I'm starting to mend thankfully. I was finally fever free for several hours today. I decided to do something productive without expending any real energy. I decided to clean out my inbox on my Outlook. I normally carry my iPhone everywhere with me and check my three main inbox via that. My work email, our family email, and my email for all stuff me.  My work email is synced (is that a word?) so that if I delete it on either computer or phone it goes away.

Unfortunately, I don't have the same deal with the other two. I realized that this may be a problem when I opened my Outlook for our family account and it loaded and loaded and loaded and loaded. Finally count? 10,684 emails not counting junk email. WOW! Why so many? Simple. I shop online 90% of the time. I'm not a shopper. I know. A female who doesn't like shopping. My mother's very disappointed. The bad side effect of this is that when you shop online you usually register on that site so you can track your purchases. Then you get lots of email notices about either your purchase or special offers. I realize that I've agreed to this because when you do register there's usually a small box or two that's already checked agree to receive email notifications from them and some of their partners. Thus begins the inbox virtual papering. Most of my inbox was full of such emails. That and Facebook notifications. The rest of my unwanted email seems to be from research requests for papers or stories I've worked on. They always to keep me up-to-date. Most of the time I can't even remember what I was researching.

After an hour and half of deleting and making sure I didn't get rid of things I need to keep (that electronic warranty I forgot about) I realized I need to pay better attention to what I'm agreeing to. I never get a good deal from these places because I get so much junk mail I don't weed through them. So tomorrow I'll spend the day unsubscribing to as many mailings as I can. It's not their fault really. It's what they are in business to do. I don't curse them. I just have to be more careful and remember the old adage: Always read the fine print or in this case, uncheck the boxes.
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WWW Wednesday (March 2)

Composed by Cat
WWW Wednesday is a bookish meme hosted by Should Be Reading 
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?
This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 5)What are you currently reading? 
This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
I just started this (as in only a few minutes ago) but I've been looking forward to this one for over a year. It's one of only two adult paranormal series I read. It's my brain crack and sometimes I hate to admit that I read it. What can I say? We all have some kind of guilty pleasure we don't tell our friends about. 




Shutter Island by Dennis LehaneWhat did you recently finish reading? 
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane 
This took more a littler longer than I meant to read thanks to the side effects of medicine that was suppose to make me better. I finished this last night and what can I say but Wow! I knew there was going to be a twist and while I kind of figured it out I didn't see where it was going and I definitely didn't see where it went. It was great. I watched the movie just to compare after I finished. If you saw the movie and loved it...read this book. As usual, there's so much more back story in the book. 
What do you think you'll read next? 
This is always the hardest question. I have so many to choose from. I'll just post some pics of my choice. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. So many books so little time.
Write Great Fiction - Dialogue
Dinosaurs: The TextbookThe Me Project: 21 Days to Living the Life You've Always WantedEverything Grant Writing Book: Create the perfect proposal to raise the funds you need (Everything Series)Roseflower Creek, 2E

Well, that's a short list of what I have. My TBR list for the year has already took on a life of its own once again. I'm always open to suggestions though.

And that's it for this Wednesday. Now your turn. PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!
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