King Arthur Movie Tristan

This week’s musing asks:

Who do you think is the hottest male/female character from a book?

Oh boy, I could be here all day.

A few of my favorite literary male hotties are:



Rhett Butler (Gone With the Wind)







Mark Darcy (Pride & Prejudice)







The Vampire Lestat (Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles)...okay vampire Louis makes the list also.








Edward Cullen (Twilight Series)

**I won't insert a photo here because I don't think Pattinson does justice to how I imagine Edward to look like.




Those are a few of my favorite literary male hotties. Who are yours?

This week’s musing asks:

Name your top 2-3 favorite genres (the ones you read most from).

Hmmmm...thats an interesting question. I like to read historical fiction, I love being transported back in time, especially anything Tudor related like The Other Boleyn Sister. Books that have drama and romance in the plot, with plenty of interesting characters and historical settings.


I also enjoy a good old fashioned classic. Jane Austen being my favorite classical author, nothing beats Pride & Prejudice or Persuasion.


And last but not least, I like to cuddle up with a good thriller/scary story. Stephen King and Dean Koontz are favorites.



I think those three genres are what I read the most. What about you?

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about tidy bookshelves.


Are your bookshelves strictly books only? Or have knick-knacks invaded? Do your shelves also shelve DVDs? Photos? Why not snap a photo – I’m sure we all like to spy on other’s shelves!

This is a fun question. I always like seeing peoples bookshelves.
Luckily when we bought our house, one room had bookshelves built into an entire wall.

When we were house hunting and I first saw this bookcase, I gave a little squeal of joy :) I instantly imagined my books finding a home there. I turned this into my computer room/library. Hubby even helped me paint the room cranberry and pink, he loves me that much...lol.




I do have a few knick-knacks alongside my books, not many though because I'm running out of shelfspace. My books are in some sort of order, I like to keep them somewhat separated by genre and author, and I like to keep the books i've yet to read together. My DVD's have thier own shelves to sit on and some of my CD's are kept in a little corner with the books. Crazy enough, at work, I have and entire drawer full with more of my CD's and books. This isn't that great a picture, there's actually a fifth shelf on bottom not shown here.








Captain Jack Sparrow sits on the shelf by my Stephen King Books. (Jack talks and says phrases from the movies like....'looks like rough seas ahead mate')
Lots of my books are well worn, dog eared and the spines are broken. I know many of you will cringe to read that! lol.


I also have a Hermione bookend with my HP books.




I have a decorative GWTW shot glass that I keep next to my copies of GWTW and I also keep the classic books and any Austen spin offs in that corner.




I have another HP knick knack in there too...it lights up like the scene in book 1 when they find the 3 headed dog Fluffy. These knick knacks were gifts from friends who know me well.


I made this stuffy a while ago and named him Forest (after Gump), he's found a permanent spot on my bookshelf too.




My Dean Koontz books are on the far right all the way up top. And in that little nook is where I keep my personally autographed copy of The Taking, which I take out and show to anyone who will listen...lol. I gush over this book, he personally signed it for me a few years ago when I crocheted him an elephant and wrote him a fan letter telling him how much I loved his work.


He was awesome enough to send me a signed hardcover copy of my favorite book of his, The Taking, as well as a personal note. (see now i'm showing it off again, sorry! lol) But you can imagine my surprise and excitement to find a package at my doorstep from Dean Koontz himself.


That's it, thanks for taking a little tour of my bookshelf. Sorry for rambling.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about social reading…




How much of your reading do you share with others (outside of blogging?) Do you belong to a book or library club? Do you trade books with friends? Do you tell others what you’re reading?

I have a few people I discuss books with offline. Mainly my sister in law, since we tend to share the books we read. If one of us is reading something really good, we'll let the other one borrow it when we're done.


My one good friend has finally borrowed my Harry Potter books and is on book 7 now. She's been calling me nearly every day to discuss the series...lol. It's always fun chatting books and getting other peoples reactions and opinions on books we've both read. I also get book recommendations this way.

What about you?





Some great books arrived at my house recently, here's my Mailbox Mondays:



My sister in law dropped off her copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance , which I am beyond thrilled to read.










Danielle over @ SourceBooks sent me copies of Devil's Cub and Arabella by Georgette Heyer. I am a big Heyer fan, these will be the 4th and 5th books of hers that I read. If you haven't read her, I highly recommend!





Also in the mail: Sanctuary by N.E. Julian





Lisa Roe sent me a copy of The Handy Answer Book for Kids



Any new reads arrive at your place lately?

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about reading music…




Do you listen to music while reading? Does this change if you’re reading in or out of your house? Do you have a preference of music for such occasions?

I love music and you'll never find me driving in my car without listening to music. I do listen to music when I read too. I don't have any specific preference, it just depends on what I am in the mood for.




Here's a clip to U2's One. This song has always had a special meaning for me. I think the lyrics to a great song can be like poetry, spoken from the heart. That's one of the reasons I like U2 so much, thier music is deep.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about book covers…


We all know the old adage about not judging a book by it’s cover, but just how much sway does a book cover have when it comes to your choice of book – whether buying or borrowing? Are there any books you’ve bought based on the cover alone?

I am a sucker for a good book cover. That's what catches my attention first, the books cover. Then I'll read the blurb on the back and take it from there. There's been countless times that I buy a book soley based on the cover.
Here's a few books that I bought/borrowed based on the pretty covers and wound up loving.

Memoirs of a Geisha





Practical Magic







Beneath a Marble Sky






The Constant Princess






The Ice Queen




What about you? Are you a sucker for a pretty book cover? What books have you come across with great covers?

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about reading time…



Do you have a set reading time (before bed, perhaps)? Do you read more at night or during the day? Is there a day of the week, perhaps, that you set aside to catch up on reading?

I tend to read more in the evenings, once we've all eaten dinner and the children have taken their baths and finished thier homework. I read and just wind down for the day.

As far as catching up on reading time, I tend to use Saturday/Sunday mornings to catch up. I usually curl up on my sofa with a cup of tea or glass of juice and read for about one hour. It also helps that my family are late risers on the weekend so the house is nice and quiet.



What about you? When do you read?

How many books (roughly) are in your tbr pile? Is this in increasing number or does it stay stable? Do you ever experience tbr anxiety in the face of this pile?

Great question. Seeing how my TBR mountain has officially gotten out of control. I don't know what to say. The books in these photos are books I'd like to read, just for me, no review deadlines. I have a whole other mountain of books that have deadlines.










I don't really know how many books I have in my TBR pile, but the pile does keep growing. If I had to guess I'd say at least 40.

Yes, I do get TBR anxiety when I actually look at these books sometimes. Especially if there is a deadline for the review. But then I just remind myself, it's not a job, it's something I do for enjoyment, so why get all anxious about it?

How about you? What's your TBR pile like?

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about reading non-fiction…


Do you read non-fiction regularly? Do you read it in a different way or place than you read fiction?

I don't read as much non-fiction as i'd like to. I just naturally tend to read fiction. I do enjoy non-fiction books, it can be very interesting reading about real life people and events. You get a glimpse of what they went through and may times you feel like you can relate to their struggle.

In almost 2 years of book blogging, i've only read and reviewed about 12 non-fiction books. Such as The Mighty Queens of Freeville , In The Land of Invisible Women, Wife In the North and The Monster of Florence.

My favorite was Shattered Dreams: My Life as a Polygamist's Wife. This was an incredibly moving and inspiring story. I found myself hooked from page one. I shared this book with two friends and they both felt the same way. It made for great book discussions.






What about you? Do you read non-fiction? Can you recommend any?

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about 2009 favourites…


Coming towards the end of April, we’re a third of the way through the way through the year. What’s the favourite book you’ve read so far in 2009? What about your least favourite?

I mentioned on my blog before how I haven't read any really amazing books in 2009 yet. I've read some very good ones, but nothing that I'd call a new favorite. I'm still searching for that next favorite book.

So far the best book I've read in 2009 is The Virgin's Lover .




I'd have to say my least favorite has been:

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing





What about you?

Musing Mondays asks:

How do you respond to the comments on your blog? Do you try to email individually or comment on post yourself answering the comments above? What do you think is the best way to respond to comments and do you respond to all of them? Do you feel slighted if you don't receive a response back from the blog owner?

I always like when my readers leave comments. And I try to comment back on the post itself. I always try to stop by thier blogs as well, and about 95% of the time I return the visit. It takes me at least 2 hours daily just to blog surf and leave comments, not just my regular blog friends, but also new to me blogs as well.


I don't email commentors, not unless they ask me to. And I don't feel offended if I leave comments on someones blog and they don't return the visit. If i'm commenting, i'm doing it because I wanted to, not because I'm expecting a return comment. That's up to the blogger themselves if they want to return the visit and comment back. And with the amount of commenting and blog visiting I do, I don't keep track of comments I left at others blogs. So, if I comment on someone's blog, and they never return the comment, I probably won't even notice, let alone feel slighted. I know there's just not enough hours in the day for all of us to comment on each and every single blog post.

Funny, how when I first began this blog, i'd be lucky if there was even one comment to my posts! lol Let alone so many comments that I need hours to return the visits.





That said, feel free to comment on this post blog readers :O) And thank you!

Here's a virtual cup of tea just for you.