Happy Halloween Eve!

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Happy Halloween!
Ok, so it's not Halloween yet, but I don't normally like posting on Saturdays and with the way my week has been if I don't schedule this post now it won't get posted. I made this cake for my work Halloween party--the tombstones are made from Milano cookies, the ghosts from marshmallows speared by pretzels, the trees from bigger pretzels piped with frosting, the bones and skulls are little candies, and of course the beloved pumpkins (although I think Brach's changed their recipe!). The cake is vanilla because I don't like chocolate cake and refuse to make it, but the icing is chocolate (which strangely I do like).

It's a little busy and I don't know how we'll cut and eat the cake, but I'm pretty excited to have made my first cake where a teacher wasn't telling me what to do. Doesn't it look yummy??

We don't have any plans for Halloween yet. We'll have some company this weekend, but other than that I hope for a quiet weekend where I can catch up a bit on life. The house is a wreck, laundry needs to be done, I need to do some serious running, and of course blog stuff. Hopefully aside from all of that I'll have some time to curl up with Hunger Games!

What plans do you have for the weekend?

____________________________________ Come visit me at my new blog: Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity

Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show - Frank Delany

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Title: Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show
Author: Frank Delany
Published: 2010 Pages: 427
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

Venetia Kelly came into the world in a fashion of mythic proportions: "She sprang from the womb and waved to the crowd. Then she smiled and took a bow" (3). What do you say about a book that begins with such oomph? Set mostly in 1930s Ireland during a tumultuous political period, Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show is one man's attempt the understand how his world all of a sudden tumbled upside down. Writing the story as an aging man, Ben looks back to when he was eighteen years old and met the wondrous and compelling Venetia Kelly.

This book is so many things that it is difficult to capture in a short synopsis. It is a book about a young man who is asked to do things he should have never been asked to do; political development and upheaval during a time when the world was spinning faster than it was turning; young but forbidden love of two people who so belonged together but didn't; storytelling--how can you have a book set in Ireland without storytelling? Ben is a wonderful narrator who spares no details in his stories, and even though he is a self-proclaimed digressor (one who digresses?) every bit of his story is intriguing.

I have very little complaint about Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show. I did have troubles getting into the story at first, much like I did with Delaney's novel Ireland*, and I can't quite put my finger on why. The writing, though sprawling, is very dense and detailed, and I found myself having to pay close attention to the story as small bits and pieces would resurface. But once immersed into the writing I found I wanted to read one more chapter and then another and then cursing that my lunch break was over and I'd have to wait to read more (the chapters are generally short and usually cliffhangery).

I think my 4.5/5 rating shows that I would highly recommend Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, but I'll say it again. This book is a perfect blend of plot and characters and I was sad when I came upon the last page of the book. I was so caught up in the story and felt so much emotion for the characters that I even got misty-eyed over the ending. Narrator Ben explains at the beginning of the book that the story isn't over and that was a tough pill to swallow, but in the end this was a very satisfying read--a read that satisfied my love of literature and beautiful writing but also my love of a good story that had me at the edge of my seat wanting to know more until I turned the last page.

*Back in my first week of blogging I wrote some thoughts of Ireland. It's actually pretty funny to read now as I mention my tendency to ramble which has only gotten worse (?) as the years have gone on.

A big thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for inviting me to participate in this tour. And a big thanks to Frank Delany for sharing the lives of Ben, Venetia, and even Blarney.

____________________________________ Come visit me at my new blog: Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity

Saying Goodbye to Trish's Reading Nook - TSS

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It is with much sadness that today I say goodbye to Trish's Reading Nook. I have been blogging here just shy of three years with 367 posts. Many of you have probably noticed my absence over the past five months. I've had some incredibly happy things happen--a new house and a new position at work--that have kept me busy and some sad things that have prevented me from spending too much time online. In the past five months I've experienced major blogger burnout and for a multitude of reasons I've decided it's time for me to hang up my hat here.

The past three years have been amazing. I've met some wonderful wonderful people and I've been stretched and pulled in directions I could have never imagined. The love of books in this community has been a constant joy for me and I would have never experienced this joy if not for blogging, reading challenges, and different blogging events such as the 24-hour-readathon. I've read things I never thought I'd read and been introduced to authors I was unfamiliar with. I've added hundreds of books to my shelves and even more to my wishlist. I've met bibliophiles from all corners of the world and connected on all different levels. And I've read more than probably all other years combined. I wouldn't trade these experiences for anything.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to leave me a comment, took the time to get to know me and allow me to get to know them, took the time to participant in my reading challenges (Classics Challenge, Non-Fiction Five Challenge, and even the 100 Mile Fitness Challenge). Thank you to the publishers and authors who have sent me books over the past two years. And finally thank you to the community for taking me in and allowing me to grow with you. According to Feedburner I currently have over 500 subscribers and I'm constantly baffled as that number continues to climb and grow even as my blogging has waned. I would have never imagined so many people would take an interest in my thoughts on books! And let me tell you that's a tough thing to give up--quite scary actually.

But with 500 subscribers also comes the pressure of maintaining this blog. Self-inflicted pressure, of course, but nonetheless. Without going too much into the negative (because, really what does it matter what my opinions are about the evolution of book blogging over the past several years), I simply feel as though I need to scale down a bit and simplify my blogging habits. I have started blogging again (although not bloghopping yet) and after months of mulling things over I've decided the best thing is to combine my efforts into one blog. Friends have asked if it might not be simpler to transfer my other blogging to this blog, but I kind of like the idea of a fresh start. And it is tough knowing that I've put hours and hours into this blog and hours and hours more into cultivating relationships with other bloggers and maintaining my place within the community. Of course I'll always consider myself a book blogger because that's how I started, but I don't want to be just a book blogger any longer. I want to have freedom to blog about what I would like to blog and I don't feel that I have that here. Silly, I know, but if you've been following for a while you know that my feelings are not always rational. :)

I'd love to invite you to visit me at my other blog: Love, Laughter, and Insanity. It is a blog where I post about personal aspects of my life but I have transfered all 367 posts and 7,000 comments from this blog over there--and in a way book blogging is personal as well. I do hope to continue blogging about books because I love writing about my feelings of what I read. I do plan to start bloghopping again--my apologies for not being around much these past five months. Whether or not you've missed me I have missed you and the interaction. Simply put I've felt overwhelmed and have needed to take a few months to clear my head and find my place. I partially feel like I'm running away from this blog, but I need a place that can be inclusive of all my blogging.

Plans for this blog. I'm not sure. For now I'm going to devote it entirely to the Non-Fiction Five Challenge. If you're signed up for the challenge, no worries--nothing will change. I'll probably change the name of the blog from Trish's Reading Nook to NFF and after that...I don't know. Honestly I don't want to think that far in advance. Classics Challenge is currently going on at its own blog (same as past two years).

Man--if I hit that "publish post" button this is really official huh? :)

Best Wishes and Happy Reading,

____________________________________ Come visit me at my new blog: Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity

I've Moved Blogs!

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I've moved to a new blog!  You can now find me at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity. 

www.lovelaughterinsanity.com

I'm still mostly on the bookish side of blogging, but the new home provides me a place where I can blog about all aspects of life.

I hope you'll visit if you haven't already!

____________________________________ Come visit me at my new blog: Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity

Deleting Trish's Reading Nook

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It's time y'all. Time to let this blog go. 

I will be deleting this blog on October 5, 2012. If you are still subscribed to this blog or still have it included in your sidebars, please update your information to Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity.

You can subscribe in a feed reader:
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I truly appreciate you sticking with me all these years.

____________________________________ Come visit me at my new blog: Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - E. Lockhart

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Title: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
Author: E. Lockhart
Published: 2008 Pages: 342
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Rating: 4.25/5

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is one of those books that I heard about all over the blogosphere and finally grabbed my own copy at Borders Bookstore from one of their bargain shelves. I'm kind of funny when it comes to reading reviews--I don't read a lot of summaries and I have a terrible memory, so I often go into books not knowing very much about them except that others really liked them. The case was the same for this one--and what a delightful surprise!

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks besides having a terribly long title is the story of Frankie Landau-Banks during her sophomore year of high school when she decides to take down the school's secret society. After living in her older sister's footsteps during her freshman year, Frankie finally makes a breakout during her sophomore year and becomes involved with some of the cooler and older kids at school. One of the seniors, Matthew, begins courting her and thus begins a whirlwind romance as well as her secret involvement in the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, the secret male-only society. Upset about the continual lies, deceit, and hypocrisy, Frankie decides to take down the Loyal Order one prank at a time.

Mostly this book was just a lot of fun. Although Frankie is not the narrator, the narration focuses around her thoughts and actions, so we get to know her really well throughout the book. Frankie is a little insecure and eager to be accepted among her peers. Her mother still thinks Frankie is her little "Bunny Rabbit" and is constantly undermining her abilities and intelligence. Even in her involvement with Matthew, Frankie shows how important it is for her to make a name for herself and to be taken seriously.

The meat of the book comes from Frankie's growth and development throughout the book and her desire to become her own person. Frankie shows that she is every bit as clever and quick-witted as her male counterparts, but she must do most of this through a covert cover and the leader of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, Alpha, quickly takes credit for Frankie's work--even as the pranks become more and more serious. My favorite bit about Frankie, though, is her playfulness with the English language:

"[Matthew] got up from the desk, walked over to the couch on which she sat, and kissed her on the lips. There was nothing else around.

'Mmmm,' she whispered. 'Now I'm gruntled.'

'What?'

'Gruntled. I was disgruntled before.'

'Why?'

'It's drizzling, there's nothing to do but study, the vending machine's broken. You know, disgruntled.'

'And now you're...'

'Gruntled.'" (110).

Frankie is such a likeable character, and while some might be annoyed by her antics, I think Lockhart portrays Frankie as many teenaged girls are--someone who is just looking to become a part. My only regret about the book is the ending when although Frankie has learned a lot and accomplished a lot, she's still the teenaged girl who second guesses herself. This book has received some mixed-reviews, but generally I would recommend it. I certainly really enjoyed it!




On a side note: I'm taking a bit of a blogging break. I'm tired of whining about blogging, so I'm making this announcement kind of quietly. And who knows--maybe in a few days I'll change my mind. Ideally I'd still like to get my pending reviews written and posted, but I fear that otherwise I might be a bit sparse around the blogosphere. I've felt that blogging lately has become a lot of pressure and I'm trying to alleviate some of that pressure (mostly self-induced) and until I can figure that out...I'm in a state of avoidance. :) ____________________________________ Come visit me at my new blog: Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity

Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show - Frank Delany

To contact us Click HERE
Title: Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show
Author: Frank Delany
Published: 2010 Pages: 427
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

Venetia Kelly came into the world in a fashion of mythic proportions: "She sprang from the womb and waved to the crowd. Then she smiled and took a bow" (3). What do you say about a book that begins with such oomph? Set mostly in 1930s Ireland during a tumultuous political period, Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show is one man's attempt the understand how his world all of a sudden tumbled upside down. Writing the story as an aging man, Ben looks back to when he was eighteen years old and met the wondrous and compelling Venetia Kelly.

This book is so many things that it is difficult to capture in a short synopsis. It is a book about a young man who is asked to do things he should have never been asked to do; political development and upheaval during a time when the world was spinning faster than it was turning; young but forbidden love of two people who so belonged together but didn't; storytelling--how can you have a book set in Ireland without storytelling? Ben is a wonderful narrator who spares no details in his stories, and even though he is a self-proclaimed digressor (one who digresses?) every bit of his story is intriguing.

I have very little complaint about Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show. I did have troubles getting into the story at first, much like I did with Delaney's novel Ireland*, and I can't quite put my finger on why. The writing, though sprawling, is very dense and detailed, and I found myself having to pay close attention to the story as small bits and pieces would resurface. But once immersed into the writing I found I wanted to read one more chapter and then another and then cursing that my lunch break was over and I'd have to wait to read more (the chapters are generally short and usually cliffhangery).

I think my 4.5/5 rating shows that I would highly recommend Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, but I'll say it again. This book is a perfect blend of plot and characters and I was sad when I came upon the last page of the book. I was so caught up in the story and felt so much emotion for the characters that I even got misty-eyed over the ending. Narrator Ben explains at the beginning of the book that the story isn't over and that was a tough pill to swallow, but in the end this was a very satisfying read--a read that satisfied my love of literature and beautiful writing but also my love of a good story that had me at the edge of my seat wanting to know more until I turned the last page.

*Back in my first week of blogging I wrote some thoughts of Ireland. It's actually pretty funny to read now as I mention my tendency to ramble which has only gotten worse (?) as the years have gone on.

A big thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours for inviting me to participate in this tour. And a big thanks to Frank Delany for sharing the lives of Ben, Venetia, and even Blarney.

____________________________________ Come visit me at my new blog: Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity