TSS: Reading Schedule

Welcome to The Sunday Salon, a place for readers and book lovers to come together to escape into our books for a bit.  Each Sunday, we set aside some time to read and to discuss that reading, our reading throughout the past week, and other events in our lives.  Please join in the discussion here and take some time to visit some of the over 500 bloggers who participate.

Last week I really thought I had my reading under control.  I didn't have review books or library books piled up and I was thinking I could just choose a book off my shelves to read.  So I grabbed The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks.  I was having a hard time getting into that one but I knew it was just the mood I was in and not the book itself.  So I set it aside and started reading You Already Know How to Be Great by Alan Fine, which I'd received for review.  I wasn't sure this was going to be a great choice since it is non-fiction but it gave me a lot to think about and I did finish it.  Now I just have to get the review written so look for that coming sometime this week.

My husband threw a wrench in my reading plan when he let me know he had requested the third book of the Noble Dead Saga (First Series) by Barb and J. C. Hendee through inter-library loan.  This created a problem for me because I haven't read the second book in that series yet!  I didn't want to have to request Sister of the Dead through inter-library loan a second time so I figured I'd better request Thief of Lives from the local library so I could read that and have the next book when Daniel finishes with it.  Of course I got Thief of Lives at the same time that Grave Witch by Kalayana Price showed up at the library for me and Sister of the Dead came in for Daniel.  Now I have all these books to read and there is a time limit on getting it done!

I also received Infinite Quest by John Edward for review so I'll have to squeeze that one in somewhere.  The Book Pushers sent me Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin after I won a copy in the Jennifer Rardin Tribute Giveaway.  Although I have never read one of Jennifer's books, the loss of an author is always a sobering event.  I am glad that I will have the opportunity to enjoy her book, although at this point I'm not sure when it will make it into the reading rotation.

I'm pretty sure I have at least one more book for review heading my way but at least that one just has to be finished before December 15.  I'm really hoping that is a deadline I can handle!

Do you generally find yourself with the freedom to choose your next book based on what you want to read?  Or are you just trying to keep ahead of the review books and library books?  For me, it seems to vary from the one extreme to the other with very few times of balance between them.

If you haven't entered my October Giveaway (US only) yet, better do so soon because it ends October 27.  Check out the Prize Page to see what you can win.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

More from CSN Stores

Since moving into our new house in May, I've been doing a lot of browsing at CSN Stores.  I love the variety of products they offer and so many of them have free shipping.  A few of the items I've checked out lately are the drop leaf tables, cookware, bookshelves, and kid's toys.  This is one of the tables that I really liked:

The opinions presented in this post are entirely my own.  I will be receiving a promotional code which can be used at any of the  CSN Stores to purchase a product for review as compensation for this post.


Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Book Blogger Hop 10/15

Each weekend, Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books hosts the Book Blogger Hop.  It is a great way for book lovers and book bloggers to find new book blogs and get to know each other.  Each week there is a new, fun question to answer.  I hope you will take some time to hop over and check out some of the other great blogs participating!

Today is a special Book Blogger Hop for me because it is my daughter's second birthday!!

This week's book blogging question is:  When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or do you move on to your next title?

I think this is a very interesting question since many of us receive books for review and feel that we have to finish something because we committed to reviewing it.  A long time ago, I would have just kept reading.  I remember buying a book that I had looked at many times when in bookstores.  I was drawn to it so many times that I finally decided to get it.  Well, it turned out to be so boring!  I don't mind long books but long, boring books are not for me.  I had spent money on it though so I finished it even though I was not enjoying it at all.  I think after that was when I finally gave myself permission to give up on a book.  There are way too many other things to read!  At this point, I've had some review books that I didn't care for but none that I truly couldn't finish.  I will give a review book more of a chance than a library book or even one off of our own shelves that my husband says I need to read.  I don't think I would be able to do a review on a book that I couldn't read completely though even if I stated that I did not finish the book.

If you have hopped over from the Mr. Linky, Welcome!  I hope you will stay a bit and look around. I review a wide range of books including (but not limited to!) urban fantasy, young adult, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, chic lit, cozy mystery, and some non-fiction.  I love getting comments so please let me know you stopped by!

Current Giveaway:  October Book Giveaway (ends 10/27, US only)

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Giving the Dead a Voice

On Monday, I shared with you my review of Annexed by Sharon Dogar.  I noted that I thought it would be difficult to write in the voice of a historic person, Peter van Pels, when there is little documentation on his life outside of what Anne Frank wrote.  In the following article, Sharon Dogar discusses this very issue and also part of what compelled her to write this book in the first place.

Peter van Pels

By Sharon Dogar,

Author of Annexed 

What we know of Peter van Pels is almost entirely limited to Anne Frank's diary, and her own personal view of him. He was, it seems, a shy boy, helpful and good with his hands. Reading between the lines of Anne's diary I've tried to imagine what Peter was "really" like. How do I do that? Here's an example: on Peter's arrival in the Annex, Anne describes him as a "hypochondriac" who "won't amount to much." She's fed up and dismissive of his histrionics, as most clever, early adolescent girls would probably be.

Anne describes a boy who sleeps all the time, lacks any type of motivation, has strange physical symptoms and believes he might be dying. If a child in my counseling room felt this way, I'd suspect depression. In fact, from an occupational point of view Peter's depression makes sense; it's a reasonable response to real events. Having to go into hiding to save your life isn't merely depressing, it's terrifying. Peter's "symptoms" and his fear that he's "dying" reflect the reality of both his own situation and of those in the attic. It's possible that this is partly what makes Anne so angry and dismissive of Peter, she doesn't want to be reminded of how dire a situation she is in (not at this stage). She wants to believe that she's safe. Peter's constant 'whinging' (as she calls it) keeps on reminding her that she's in danger.

We all have our own ways of managing fear and difficulty. Anne creates a safe fantasy world for herself (as many writers do) whilst Peter turns his distress into physical symptoms. Looked at in this way, Peter's character takes on a potentially different meaning from the one presented by Anne.

By carefully considering Anne's brilliantly vivid descriptions of Peter, and analyzing what they might mean, I slowly created a picture of how I thought Peter might be, and he came to feel very real to me. Most writers have that feeling of "hearing" their characters voices. Peter's voice (as I heard it) was quiet, thoughtful, questioning, full of feeling and in the end, quite stubborn and determined to be his own person. I can't, of course, know what the "real" Peter van Pels was like, but then again, how well do any of us know each other? How well did Anne know him, and how much was her view coloured by her own needs and desires?

I miss thinking and writing about Peter. I will always feel heart-broken and horrified at the waste of his young, promising life, and the lives of millions of others that the Nazis judged worthless. When it came to researching, imagining and writing about Peter's life in the camps I already felt very close to the character I'd created. I no longer really wanted to take the novel (and Peter) on into Auschwitz. I put off writing every day. I read survivor's testimonies. I went for long walks. I had very bad dreams. I decided that if I was going to go on, and imagine a life in the camps for Peter, then I had to make sure that every part of the "story" of what happened was rooted in reality. I studied the mechanics of life as a Jewish inmate of Auschwitz. I also realized that in imagining an ending for one person -- Peter van Pels -- I could try to describe the horror and systematic destruction of human life that was a Nazi concentration camp. And so I began to write the final section of the novel. It was written very quickly, almost in one go, and the words came surprisingly easily. Nonetheless, it's not something I would want to do again.

It may sound odd, but for me a part of the horror of human mass destruction is the total disregard those who kill fellow human beings show for the story that each and everyone of us holds within us; the story of our life. So in the end I gave Peter a story. It's probably not the story he would have told himself, but it tries to acknowledge that his story did not end with his arrest on August 1st, 1944, and that there is a story to be told. It may be horrific, it may not be something we want to think about, but Peter, and millions like him had no choice, they had to live it, and unlike the survivors who can give testimony, they died. In their millions. That doesn't mean that they can't be thought about, or that we don't have the right to imagine their story; for me it was the opposite, I felt compelled to create a story.

© 2010 Sharon Dogar, author of Annexed

Author Bio
Sharon Dogar, author of Annexed, is a children's psychotherapist who lives in Oxford, England, with her family. She discovered Anne Frank's diary as a child and then again recently when her daughter started reading it. While writing and researching this book, she spent many hours soaking up the atmosphere of the Annex. This is her third novel for young adults.

For more information please visit www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Annexed by Sharon Dogar

Title:  Annexed
Author:  Sharon Dogar
Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date:  October 2010
Format:  Hardcover, 352 pages
Age Group:  Young Adult

Annexed is a novel based on The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.  It tells the story of the families hiding in the annex from the perspective of Peter van Pels, the young man in hiding with Anne and Margot Frank.  His story is told in memories from the time he sees a friend taken by the Nazis, through the two years spent in hiding, and then in to the work camps that lead to his death.

I think taking the story told by Anne Frank and turning it to be told from a different member of the group would be a very daunting undertaking.  After all, Anne's diary and the recollections of her father are the only records that we have of their time spent as Jews in hiding during World War II.  Trying to understand the events from Peter's perspective must have been difficult as there are little to no records of him outside of Anne's observations.

I really liked how Dogar started at the end instead of the beginning.  As Peter lies in the sick bay wondering if he is dead or alive, the memories become real again.  These memories are how the reader is able to experience the events with Peter.  The memories allow Peter to fully examine his feelings about what was happening in the annex.  How did he truly feel about Anne?  Did he really love her or was it just that they were forced to be so close together with no room to escape?  What did Anne's writing mean for all of them?  How would he be able to tell his story?

The one thing that I really disliked when I started reading was the chapter headings.  I appreciated the dates to help with the time line of events and the locations but the little subtitles were annoyingly obvious to me.  It has been so long since I've read The Diary of a Young Girl that I cannot remember if these titles reflect in any way the way Anne Frank dated her diary entries.  After a while, I simply moved into each chapter without reading the headings.

Annexed is a heavy book and hard to read knowing the outcome for the people involved.  I think it could be a very good read along side Anne's diary and could encourage a great discussion about what life was like for those who didn't get a chance to tell their stories.  Although I am ready to move on to a much lighter book next, Annexed also makes me want to re-read The Diary of a Young Girl to hear the story from Anne once more.

I received Annexed from FSB Associates with the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

TSS: Slowing Down?

Welcome to The Sunday Salon, a place for readers and book lovers to come together to escape into our books for a bit.  Each Sunday, we set aside some time to read and to discuss that reading, our reading throughout the past week, and other events in our lives.  Please join in the discussion here and take some time to visit some of the over 500 bloggers who participate.

How did it get to be almost the middle of October already?!  This year seems to be flying by.  I've been off to a really slow start on the blog this month and I don't see it picking up any time soon.  Once we hit September my life seems to be pretty crazy until the end of the year.   Between birthdays, our wedding anniversary, and the holidays, I don't have a huge amount of time for reading.  This time of year means a lot of trips to Michigan to see family.  These trips are wonderful but exhausting.

I can't believe I haven't even reviewed a book yet this month.  According to my list on Goodreads, I've only finished two books so far.  Here is a mini-review for The Christmas Chronicles: The Legend of Santa Claus by Tim Slover: 

This was a cute story about how the legend of Santa Claus developed over time. The end gets a little preachy about the meaning of Christmas and how greed and commerce have taken over the season but it was a fun story overall. A short book, it can easily be read in a day or two.

The Christmas Chronicles is such a short book that I just don't have much to say about it.  The official release date is November 2, 2010.  I received this book from the First Reads program on Goodreads with the expectation that I would provide my honest review.

Look for my review of Annexed by Sharon Dogar coming tomorrow.

Since Sunday is now the day of football at our house and the Indianapolis Colts are playing right now, I should have some reading time this afternoon.  The plan is to start The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks and alternate that with You Already Know How to Be Great by Alan Fine.

I hope you all have a great week!

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Book Blogger Hop 10/8

Each weekend, Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books hosts the Book Blogger Hop.  It is a great way for book lovers and book bloggers to find new book blogs and get to know each other.  Each week there is a new, fun question to answer.  I hope you will take some time to hop over and check out some of the other great blogs participating!

I didn't realize until today that it has been nearly a month since I've been hopping.  Last week, I was out of town but I have no idea what my reasons were for the weeks before that.  I've come back to a great question though:  What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else?

I am a tea drinker, all day long.  I started drinking tea with my grandmother and it seems that all the women on that side carry the tradition.  I love it that my daughter already loves to have tea parties (with water and animal crackers!).  One thing that I find interesting though is that I do not like iced tea much.  So in the summer I'm more likely to have a glass of water with some lemon.  On very rare occasions, I will treat myself to a White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks or one of their seasonal beverages if it is one I really enjoy.  This mainly happens when someone gives me a gift card or I earn one through Swagbucks or MyPoints.

If you have hopped over from the Mr. Linky, Welcome!  I hope you will stay a bit and look around. I review a wide range of books including (but not limited to!) urban fantasy, young adult, contemporary fiction, historical fiction, chic lit, cozy mystery, and some non-fiction.  I love getting comments so please let me know you stopped by!

Current Giveaway:  October Book Giveaway (ends 10/27, US only)

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.

Mega Swagbucks Friday

Usually, the first Friday of each month, I post about Swagbucks but I was out of town last week so here is your monthly reminder.  Every Friday means Mega Swagbucks for searching (but I don't want to overwhelm people with reminders every Friday)!  Haven't tried Swagbucks yet?  It is super easy - simply use the Swagbucks search engine to do your normal Internet searching and sometimes you will be rewarded with Swagbucks which can then be redeemed for some great prizes. My theory is that if I'm going to be searching the Internet anyway, I may as well get rewarded for doing it.

My favorite prize is the Amazon.com gift card.  My plan is to try to pay for as much of Christmas this year as I can using the gift cards I earn.  There are also tons of other gift cards available plus you can redeem for various merchandise as well.

On Fridays, Swagbucks gives out more Mega Swagbucks (anything over 10) than usual which means you can earn your desired prizes even faster.  The most I've gotten from one search so far is 59 Swagbucks.  I'd love to hear if one of my readers finds a high value one today or any other day!

Don't forget to check out the Special Offers section and keep an eye out for Swag Codes as well.  Both of those can help those bucks add up!  Daily Polls get you 1 Swagbuck each day and they recently added other trusted survey sites for another option to earn.

Swagbucks links contained within this post are referral links and I will earn some Swagbucks if you sign up using those links.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links and I do earn a small percentage for each item purchased through those links. Any other referral or associate links will be noted within the post.