Chelle's 75 in 2012 Challenge (take #11): Time to play catch up!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Currently Reading:


My Threads:
12 in 2012
Orange January/July
Booker Prize
1001 Books to Read Before I Die

Books Read in 2012






October
101) Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz ( 355 pages, 3*)
102) Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (4*)
103) 13 by Kelly Armstrong (4*416 pages)
104) Rabbit, Redux by John Updike (3*)

November
105) Rabbit is Rich by John Updike (3.5*, 533 pages)
106) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (4.5*, 500+ pages)
107) Cujo by Stephen King (304 pages, 4*)
108) The Weed that Strings the Hangman's bag by Alan Bradley (3.5*, 343 pages)
109) World War Z by Max Brooks (3.5*, 420 pages)
110) Already Dead by Charlie Huston (3.75*)
111) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (4*)
112) The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell (3*)

December
113) Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan (4*)
114) The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore (3.5*)
115) The Twelve by Justin Cronin (4*)
116) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (4.5*)
117) The Black Box by Michael Connelly (3.5*)
118) American Gods by Neil Gaiman (4*)
119) The Racketeer by John Grisham (3*)
120) Rebel Heart by Moira Young (4*)
121) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (5*)
122) Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton
123) The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Books Read in 2012
January

1) Lord John and the Hellfire Club by Diana Gabaldon 3* (ebook, novella, 73 pages)
2) The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht 4.5* (338 pages)
3) Hurricane Story by Jennifer Shaw 3.5* (92 Pages) (ER book)
4) The Drop by Michael Connelly 3.5* (388 pages)
5) Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson 4* (364 pages)
6) Dead Cold by Louise Penny 4* (405 pages)
7) Eragon by Christopher Paolini 3.5* (ebook, 509 pages)
8) The Hangman by Louise Penny 3* (ebook, 99 pages)
9) Cannery Row by John Steinbeck 4* (ebook, 301 pages)
10) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 2* (324 pages)
11) The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny 4*(454 pages)
12) The Murder Stone by Louise Penny 4* (422 pages)
13) The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny 4.75* (384 pages)
14) Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny 5* (470 pages)
15) A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny 4.5* (339 pages)

February
16) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 3.5* (232 pages)
17) Hells Angels: Into the Abyss by Yves Lavigne 3.5* (339 pages)
18) Bay of Fundy: A Natural Portrait by Scott Leslie 4* (167 pages)
19) The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck 4* (261 pages)
20) Blood Red Road by Moira Young 4* (459 pages)
21) Dissolution by CJ Sansom 3.5* (400 pages)
22) 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz 2.5* ( 451 pages)

March
23) Darkest Powers Bonus Pack by Kelley Armstrong 3* (eBook, 3 novellas 287 pages)
24) I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore 4* (440 pages)
25) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 4*(304 Pages)
26) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith 3* (319 Pages)
27) A Century of Policing: The Ontario Provincial Police 1909-2009 3.5* (128 Pages)
28) The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore 4*(406 Pages)
29) Night of the Living Dead by John Russo 4.5* (144 pages)
30) Return of the Living Dead by John Russo 3.5* (161 pages)
31) Dark Fire by CJ Sansom 3.5* (384 pages)
32) Cinder by Marissa Meyer 3.5* (387 pages)

April
33) If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White (audio: 2:17) 4*
34) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (533 pages, 3.5*)
35) The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan (371 pages, 4*)
36) The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck (188 pages, 4*)
37) I'm Starved for You by Margaret Atwood (74 pages ebook novella, 3*)
38) Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (4*, 348 pages)
39) We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (eBook (no page count), 5*)
40) Heat Wave by Richard Castle (Audio, 6 hours 23 minutes) 3*
41) The Calling by Kelley Armstrong (326 pages, 3.5*)
42) The 39 Clues: Cahills vs.Vespers Book One: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman (Audio, 5 hours 22 minutes, 2*)
43) Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton (3.5*, audio 9 hours 46 minutes)
44) The Mask by Dean Koontz (140 pages novella 3.5)
45) The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (Novella, audio 3 hours 57 minutes, 4*)

May
46) Stiff by Mary Roach (audio 8 hours even, 3*)
47) Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye (414 pages, 4*)
48) Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood (3.5*, 301 pages)
49) Calico Joe by John Grisham (3.5*, 198 pages)
50) Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong (3*, 95 pages novella)
51) Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (455 pages, 5*)
52) The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King (3.5*, 309 pages)
53) 11th Hour by James Patterson (3*, 391 pages)
54) The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz (3*, 366 pages)
55) Insurgent by Veronica Roth (525 pages, 4*)
56) Rabbit, Run by John Updike
57) Lover Reborn by JR Ward (4*, 572 pages)

June
58) The Color Purple by Alice Walker (288 pages, 4.5*)
59) Kat & Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong (novella)
60) Becoming by Kelley Armstrong (Graphic Novel)
61) Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong (novella)
62) Hidden by Kelley Armstrong (long novella, 216 pages ebook)
63) Gideon's Sword by Preston & Child (4*, 342 pages)
64) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (4*, ebook 152 pages)
65) Seizure by Kathy Reichs (3*, 491 pages)
66) The Coroner's Lunch (4.5*, 272 pages)
67) Red, White and Blood by Christopher Farnsworth (383 pages, 3.5*)
68) They Thirst by Robert R. McCammon (4*, 531 pages)
69) Gideon's Corpse by Preston & Child (3.5*, 355 pages)
70) The Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat (4.5*, 280 pages)
71) The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (4*, 163 pages)
72) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (3.75*, 651 pages)
73) A Visit From the Goon Squad (4*, audio 10 hours 8 minutes)

July
74) Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (5*, 528 pages)
75) Kissing Sin by Kerri Arthur (3.5, 355 pages)
76) The Hunter and the Hunted by Kelley Armstrong (2*, novellas)
77) Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (4*, 407 pages)
78) Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (2.5*, 11 hours 18 minutes)
79) Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (4*, 304 pages)
80) The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (3.5*, 507 pages)
81) Angle of Investigation: Three Harry Bosch Stories by Michael Connelly (3 novellas)
82) Pay Me in Flesh by K. Bennett (3*, 280 pages)
83) Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton (290 pages, 3.5*)
84) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (19 hours, 11 minutes, 5*)
85) Dead to Me by Kelley Armstrong (ebook, 3 novellas)
86) I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson (3.5*, 383 pages)
87) The Road by Cormac McCarthy (4.5*, audio 5 hours 8 minutes)
88) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (5*, 372 pages)
89) Hidden Prey by John Sandford (3*, Audio 5 hours 59 minutes)

August
90) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (315 pages, 4*)
91) Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson (3.5&, 11 hours, 5 minutes)
92) Animal Farm by George Orwell (4*, audiobook)
93) We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee (4*, Audiobook 8 hours, 14 minutes)

September
94) Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (577 pages, 3.5*)
95) The Pearl by John Steinbeck
96) Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Audio 11 hours 41 minutes) (4*)
97) the Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (4*, Audio 10 hours 40 minutes)
98) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (3*, 336 pages)
99) Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs (4*, 304 pages)
100) The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (4.5*)

October
101) Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz ( 355 pages, 3*)
102) Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (4*)
103) 13 by Kelly Armstrong (4*416 pages)
104) Rabbit, Redux by John Updike (3*)

November
105) Rabbit is Rich by John Updike (3.5*, 533 pages)
106) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (4.5*, 500+ pages)
107) Cujo by Stephen King (304 pages, 4*)
108) The Weed that Strings the Hangman's bag by Alan Bradley (3.5*, 343 pages)
109) World War Z by Max Brooks (3.5*, 420 pages)
110) Already Dead by Charlie Huston (3.75*)
111) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (4*)
112) The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell (3*)

December
113) Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan (4*)
114) The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore (3.5*)
115) The Twelve by Justin Cronin (4*)
116) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (4.5*)
117) The Black Box by Michael Connelly (3.5*)
118) American Gods by Neil Gaiman (4*)
119) The Racketeer by John Grisham (3*)
120) Rebel Heart by Moira Young (4*)
121) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (5*)
122) Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton
123) The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

Books I own and need to read!
Wolves of the Crescent Moon by Yousef Al-Mohaimeed
Tempting Evil by Keri Arthur
Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur
The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Flashback by Nevada Barr
No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay
The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley
I am Half Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
World War Z by Max Brooks
The Angel of Darkness by Caleb Carr
Echo Burning by Lee Childs
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Cold Moon by Jeffrey Deaver
A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Ape House by Sarah Gruen
Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
The Case of the Man who Died Laughing by Tarquin Hall
Horns by Joe hill
Cider House Rules by John Irving
The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Solar by Ian McEwan
The Shimmer by David Morrell
Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson
Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
1984 by George Orwell
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steg Larsson
The Girl who Played with Fire by Steg Larsson
The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson
Seizure by Kathy Reichs
Lasher by Anne Rice
Merrick by Anne Rice
New Tales of the Vampires by Anne Rice
Blackwood Farms by Anne Rice
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice
Taltos by Anne Rice
The Vampire Armand by Anne Rice
Lost Boy Lost Girl by Peter Straub
Dead Watch by John Sanford
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink
Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

And as ebooks I own:
Little Women by Louissa May Alcott
Dead to Me by Kelley Armstrong
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Pay Me in Flesh by K. Bennett
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
Lord John and the Private Matter by Diana Gabaldon
Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon
Game of Thrones by George R Martin
The New World by Patrick Ness
Sovereign by CJ Sansom
The Hunter and the hunted by Kelley Armstrong
Angle of Investigation by Michael Connelly

Audio Books
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Series on the go...

Active Series

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton (1/21): Finished Guilty Pleasures, next up The Laughing Corpse
Aunt Dimity by Nancy Atherton (2/17): Finished Aunt Dimity and the Duke, next up Aunt Dimity's Good Deed
Camp Half-Blood by Rick Riordan (5/10): Finished The Last Olympian, next up The Demigod Files
Christopher Snow by Dean Koontz (2/3): Finished Seize the Night, next up Ride the Storm
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (1/7): Finished The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, next up Prince Caspian
Dr. Siri Paiboun by Colin Cotterill (1/8): Finished The Coroner’s Lunch, next up Thirty-Three Teeth
Fallen Angels by J.R. Ward (1/3): Finished Covet, next up Crave
Flavia de Luce by Alan Bradley (1/4) : Finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, next up The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag
Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom by John Updike (2/4): Finished Rabbit, Redux, Next up Rabbit is rich
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (1/4): Finished Eragon, Next up Eldest
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (1/2): Finished The Magicians, next up The Magician King
Matthew Shardlake by CJ Sansom (3/5): Finished Dark Fire, Next up Sovereign
Nick Lupo by W.D. Gagliani (2/3): Finished Wolf’s Gambit, next up Wolf’s Bluff
The Night Trilogy by Elie Wiesel (1/3): Finished Night, next up Dawn
Nikki Heat by Richard Castle (1/4): Finished Heat Wave, next up Naked Heat
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (5/7): Finished The Fiery Cross, next up A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (1/3): Finished Prophecy of the Sisters, next up Guardian of the Gate
Riley Jenson Gaurdian Series by Keri Aurthor (2/9): Finished Kissing Sin, next up Tempting Evil
Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice (2/9): Finished The Vampire Lestat, next up The Queen of the Damned

Series waiting for next installment to be written

Alex Cross by James Patterson (18/18)
All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness (2/2)
Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward (10/10)
The Century Trilogy by Ken Follett (1/1): New release September 18th Winter of the World
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache by Louise Penny (8/8):
The Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong (5/5): New release April 2013 The Rising
Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth (2/2)
Dustlands by Moira Young (1/1): New release October 2012 Rebel Heart
Gideon Crew by Preston & Child (2/2)
Harry Bosch by Michael Connelly (17/17): New release November 2012 The Black Box
Kay Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (19/19): New release October 2012 The Bone Bed
The Lorien Legacies by Pittacus Lore (2/2):New release August 2012 The Rise of Nine
Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (1/1): New release Scarlet (2013)
Michael Bennet Books by James Patterson (5/5):
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (5/5):
The Passage by Justin Cronin (1/1): New release October 2012 The Twelve
Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs (15/15):
Women’s Murder Club by James Patterson (11/11)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2/2): Finished Bring up the Bodies

Series that I own a book and haven’t started yet:


Adam Dalgliesh by PD James(own #10 A Certain Justice)
Angelology by Danielle Trussoni
Anna Pigeon Mysteries by Nevada Barr (Own #11 flashback)
The Book of Art by Clive Barker Own The Great and Secret Show
Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness (Own #2 The Knife of Never Letting Go)
Lincoln Rhyme by Jeffery Deaver (Own #7 The Cold Moon)
Lives of the Mayfair Witches by Anne Rice (Own all 5)
Lord John by Diana Gabaldon (Own #1 & #2)
Mallory Caine, Zombie at Law by K Bennett (Own #1Pay me in Flesh)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner (Own #1 The Maze Runner)
MIllennium Trilogy by Steig Larsson (Own #1 & #2)
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (Own #1 Ship Breaker)
Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (Own #1 A Game of Thrones)
Vish Puri by Tarquin Hall (Own #2 Case of the Man Who died Laughing)

Holy schnikeys, am I first?!?! I'm NEVER first :)

Hi Chelle!

Hi Chelle, nice autumn thread my dear, glad you agree about the book-a-holics T-shirt, we just need a good logo and then we're good to go. Hope everything is ok with you all and absolutely fab news about your friend, she just needs to make sure she has a nice and steady recuperation period.

Hi Chelle, whoopeee... found your new thread. I love the autumnal pictures on your thread.

Hi Chelle, just checking into your new thread. I agree with Caro above, lovely autumn pictures on the top of your thread.

Nice new thread, Chelle! Love the pictures up top, but I totally ADORE the Alan Rickman quote. I'm stealing that! ANd I think you're doing a fine job keeping up with all of the things that you have clamoring for you attention right now - don't worry, we will wait for you when things get hectic.

Hi Chelle,
I bet you are a busy gal, but great to see you can still fit books in. Are the pictures up top from your place?
And as you are loving autumn, I am loving Spring, fresh green buds on the trees, warm air, no lake in the back garden. :)
Keep up the good work Chelle!

Stopping by to check out the new thread Chelle! hope you have an enjoyable weekend.

Hello, hello!!

Okay, is it odd and strange that I find it so odd and strange that Rickman looks so normal in real life??

Hello dearie, just wandering through.

Hi Chelle - lovely autumnal opening to the thread.

Hope you and yours are having a great weekend.

Hi Chelle, Happy new thread! We've just had our first snow in northern England so it seems like Autumn is already over here, but hopefully this is just a blip.

Also love the Rickman quote.

Waves Chelle.. I don't know if I missed it or not is Tempe still with you and Nate?

hi Chelle -

lovely new thread - we want doggie pics too! i know. i'm so demanding :}

to answer your last question - oh yes! great pain meds! Canadians do pain meds right!!! that has been a saving grace :) i'm getting off them slowly - moving toward tylenol now...

Ahhh, love the autumn pics, Chelle! And how great of Alan Rickman. What a guy. Hope you're having a good weekend.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!
I know it's not quite Halloween yet, but it's halloween party night for adults ;) I'm heading out soon to a friends party and I just finished the cake that I said I'd bring. It didn't turn out quite as I hoped but I am still happy with the finished product!
Hope you are all having a great weekend!!



#6 You win first place Katie!!

#7 Hi John! All is good here thanks. Still trying to get the hang of this whole "working for a living" thing. It's highly over rated!

#8 Thanks Caro! I'm a big fan of how pretty autumn is here. So many reds mixed in with the yellow and oranges! So purdy

#9 Thanks for popping in Judy!

#10 Hi Mamie! Hope you are all settled into your new home!
One thing I miss about my old job was being able to sit in front of a computer! When there was down time and no work to be done I was free to play online (and play on LT!). Now when there is downtime (EI patient is sleeping) I can read and that's pretty much it. Don't get me wrong, I love any opportunity to read, but it feels like I am forever behind on LT now :(

#11 Hi Megan! Yes those pictures are from 5 minutes away from house, at the bottom of our hill. It was prettier about a week or two ago before the leaves started to fall but I didn't get a chance to take any fall photos!
Enjoy your spring! I wish we could skip winter and just have three seasons!

#12 HI Lori! It's been an ok weekend so far! Nate is working nights and I picked up two dayshifts but I get to out with friends tonight so that's good :) Enjoy your weekend!

#13 It's not odd or strange, in fact I said the same thing to Nate when I saw Rickman for the first time not dressed as Snape! He does slimy looking well for such a normal looking guy!

#14 Smooch to you Sir

#15 Thanks Calm! Hope you enjoy your weekend as well!

#16 Oh boo Genny! Snow already! I am afraid it's on it's way to NS soon too. It has been getting pretty chilly at night here. I actually saw the grass white with frost a few nights ago *sigh*

#17 Thanks Morphy!

#18 HI Monica. Yes Tempe is still here. We have not heard back from the officer again so I have no idea what is going on. I refuse to call him for followup as I don't want him to remember that we have her still heehee

#19 Hi Cee! Glad our Canadian drugs are helping you out! Hope you are back to normal quickly!
As requested here is a puppy picture! I call this one "Bed hogs!"


#20 HI Joe! The weekend is about to get a lot better in 30 minutes when I head out to my party! Enjoy your weekend!

Thanks for the dog pics :) and have fun!

haha! cute doggies! they seem to get along so well ;-)
hope everyone completely forgets about Tempe *grin*

love your cake! beautifully spooky!
i am much better - did i tell you i am planning NS vaca - part 2 ? next year of course.

good luck with work!

cooooool cake Chelle!

Hope you had a good time at your party, Chelle. Your cake looks both scary and delicious, I'm sure it was a big hit.

I hope that all my LT friends are safe from this horrible storm!! I've been seeing some big damages and power outages on our news and I hope none of you are affected!!
Stay safe friends!

LOVE the Alan Rickman photo and quote!!! Wherever did you find them?

Chelle - signing in for the latest installment from New Scotland!

Love the cake!

Hi Chelle! Nice new thread! Hope all is well!

Saving my spot in the new thread...
That's one scary-looking cake (and I mean that in a good way)!
Are you at all in the path of the storm as it moves north?

Hi Chelle, love the bed hogs picture. And your creepy cake is so creative. I'm sure it made a big hit at the party.

I hope by keeping quiet that you get to keep Tempe. She and Jackson look so sweet together. It would be so hard to give her up...I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed that the negligent owner will do the right thing and not pursue getting her back.

So glad Tempe is still there with you two Chelle, OMG she is such a cutie pie. I wanna give her hugs and kisses.. :) I sure hope it all works out well with her. I love the Halloween cake. My goodness girl.. You should be making those every day.. :)

Hi Friends! Hurricane Sandy has had a big impact on north america in the last couple days and I hope all of you haven't been affected at all! It's not doing much to NS, we are just getting rain. Lots of rain!

We finally got our wedding photos back!! yay!
I've been having trouble with my flickr account but I have posted photos on facebook. You don't have to have a facebook account to view this link (My mother in law doesn't have FB and she checked out the link and said it worked)
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.365990550141783.84534.100001925233127&a...

I also posted some trash the dress shots too!
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.384050158335822.89631.100001925233127&a...

#22 Thanks Kath, it was fun!

#23 HI Cee! Glad to see that Canada hasn't scared you off completely! Maybe we could do a meetup #2 in Halifax next time

#24 Thanks Megan!

#25 Thanks Judy! Everyone loved it and the pumpkin pound cake actually turned out to be pretty tasty! I think I will make it again sometime soon

#27 Thanks Roni! I found it on pinterest

#28 Hi Paul. Not much going on here in NS. The storm has found us but it is just bringing us some rain, nothing like places in the USA got.

#29 Thanks Terri!

#30 Hi Mark. Things are good thank. Hope you are having a good week and finding a way to stay dry

#31 Thanks Amber! The storm isn't going to really bother us too much. Just lots of rain. My power flickered for a moment this morning and I was afraid that we would lose power because I have two big cakes to do tomorrow! One of my friends in Ontario had her power out for almost 24 hours during this storm!

#32 Hi Donna! I am starting to think that everyone has forgotten that we have her! I haven't heard anything from the officer and I haven't seen our neighbours in a long while. I saw someone else there the other day and I think it might have been the landlord/owner. I am hoping that means the creeps have officially moved out. Crossing my fingers!

#33 Thanks Monica! I have two cakes to do this weekend so it will be a busy time here!

Woo, that's quite a cake, Chelle! Hope you had a great time at the party. And those pups are hilarious. Two more cakes for this weekend? You probably should open a cake business. I'd get on line for that.

Oh, wow, Chelle - those picture are wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing.

Love the wedding pictures, Chelle! Especially the one that says "Happily Every After Starts Here..." so cute!
Hope you guys are all doing okay with all the rain.

The picture of Jackson with the wedding rings balanced on his nose -- that is just an astonishingly cute picture! I cannot imagine getting my dog to allow that to happen without swallowing the rings.

Oh yes, the humans in the other pictures all look quite lovely as well. ;-D

Hi Chelle, love the pictures of the cake and the dogs, hope the weather is not too bad where you are after Hurricane Sandy, we have just got normal autumnal weather.

Fantastic pictures!!!
your personalities and love for each other shine through!

love, love, love the trash the dress pics!!!
wish i could have done that.

they are all so wonderful - glad you had a really nice day :-)
thanks so much for sharing these important moments of your life...

Fantastic and fun pictures :) thanks for sharing !

Beautiful pictures Chelle!

Chelle, thanks so much for sharing the photos. They were absolutely fabulous - your photographer did such a great job of capturing all of the moments, big and small. What a wonderful time capsule you will have of memories from this very special time in your lives! GORGEOUS. And that cake! Amazing!

Amazing photos! Thanks so much for sharing them.

GAH So tired!! I just finished cake #2 after 10 hours of decorating! Cake #1 got picked up this afternoon. Thankfully I can now take my glass of wine and go to bed!

http://www.facebook.com/Chellescustomcakes

35 Thanks Joe! I'm slowly starting to get customers. I don't officially have a business but I've been selling to people around town and on the military base. I hope to get some more cake orders near Christmas

36 Thanks Amber :)

37 Thanks Val! That sign was actually put up by the resort! It wasn't there when we booked the resort and I was surprised and delighted to see it when we arrived for the wedding :)
We didn't get much of the storm here at all. A ton of rain but not more than the last hurricane.

38 HI Julia! You can't see it in the picture but I'm actually holding his head straight, the photographers got a good angle!

39 Hi John! Yep we got lots of rain and that's it. I think the USA got it much worse than anywhere in Canada

40 Thanks Cee! I'm happy to share them and I'm glad that you guys actually wanted to see them ;)

41 Thanks Kath! Hope your first week at work went well!

42 Thanks Lori

43 Thanks Mamie! We couldn't be happier with the photographer. She really did a great job!

44 Thanks Genny!

Chelle, I love your cakes and if I was closer I would definitely be ordering one for our Christmas party.

Loved the pictures, Chelle!

Chelle, I just love all the wedding pics :)

Hi Chelle, your cakes look fabulous and just looking at them is making me hungry, just a shame there is a few thousand miles between us otherwise i would be putting some orders in. Hope you are having a good weekend, how is Nate and the dogs. Keep putting pics up even though i can't get any, bye for now.

Hi Chelle, I've enjoyed going through your wedding and "trash the dress" pictures. It seems like the wedding just happened but I guess you are now an "old" married lady of at least two months!

The cakes and dogs are lovely, Chelle. I hope you got a good night's sleep last night.

Your cakes never fail to trigger my nascent appetite! Trust that your weekend is going wonderfully.

Chelle, I've been very late in saying that I love the pictures at the top of the thread. I do envy your cake decorating abilities as well - the only occasion that I've tried to ice a cake was a major disaster.

I too, am so impressed with your amazing cakes! What talent you have :)

I think I missed your entire last thread, which I hope to rectify tomorrow, but I am up-to-date here! Love the wedding photos. You two look SOOOOO happy! Good luck with the dogs and the cake business. You are obviously loving AND talented. Congrats!

Wow, what a great-looking cake! Excellent job, Chelle!

Chelle, I'm sure I asked you this before, but forgive my foggy mommy brain! Did you ever take a course on making cakes? If you didn't, I'm just beyond amazed. Well, even if you did take a class, you are still beyond amazing to me. :)

Hi Chelle, your wedding pictures are beautiful. And your cakes look good enough to eat LOL. Nice job!

LOL at Bed Hogs! Hard to see where one stops and another begins.
Your cakes are soooo creative, Chelle. I hope business is going well!!!

Well once again I am playing catch up! Seems like there isn't enough time in each day right now to do everything! I spent a couple days this week working, I have a cake order for this weekend and I spent Tuesday night at a training session in Halifax for Arbonne. Today I have a list of about, oh a million items to pick up and I am procrastinating leaving the house.
The dogs are playing and I'm sitting here with a tea and some LT. Maybe I'll do my list later ... or tomorrow ...
I made our Thank You cards this week and got them printed so maybe I'll just stay inside (out of the cold rain!) and write out some cards ....or I could read!!

46 Thanks Pat! I'd love to make you one but I'm not sure what a cake would taste like after shipment from Nova Scotia to Idaho! ha

47 Thanks Roni!

48 Thanks Monica!

49 Thanks John! I'll post another one this weekend when I do my next order! If you have facebook you should add my page http://www.facebook.com/Chellescustomcakes as there are more pictures there

50 haha Judy, I've felt like "an old married lady" for a while now, but I guess it's only been two months!

51 Thanks Ellen! I've been getting ok sleep lately. I hurt my back some how and it's been really achy at night. Thankfully I managed to get in a good position last night and the dogs must have been tired too as I got to sleep in until 10am today! It was glorious!

52 Thanks Paul! I'll bake you one when you come to visit me :)

53 Thanks Rhian! I've been struggling with making buttercream cakes smooth. I have no idea what tricks the bakeries use by mine always show lines. I find working with fondant to be a lot more fun

54 Thanks Kath! Hope your ankle is feeling better!

55 Hi Kim! Don't feel bad about being behind, that's how I've spent the last three months! I'll try and visit you today!

56 Thanks Amber!

57 Hi Val! Actually for most of the fondant cakes I have just been watching youtube videos or whinging it. I just took a buttercream class last month and I plan to take the next 3 courses that they offer. There is a ton of information on the internet about cake designing so it's pretty easy to teach yourself

58 Thanks Bonnie!!

59 haha Lynda, it is really hard to tell them apart when they are sleeping together as they are both black with hardly any white on them. It's really hard to see them outside at night here as we are in the country with no street lights and it gets super super dark! I bought a heavy duty torch light so I can see them outside as my regular flashlight wasn't cutting it!

I have officially given up on sharing the Amazon gift certificate with Nate. We've been married two months and he has shown no interest in purchasing anything for both of us .... so I bought books!!
Yep, 5 new fancy hardcovers are coming in the mail to me :)

Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan
The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
Winter of the World: Book Two of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett
The Rise Of Nine by Lore Pittacus

I am going to be one happy reader this winter! :)

Hi Chelle! How are you? Nice book haul! I loved the Duncan book and I also just received my copy of the Twelve. I hope to get to it in early December. Want to join me? Hope all is well!

Hi Chelle,i have added your page on facebook so i am going to have my taste buds tantalized on a regular basis and i must say that is a really good book order.

Wedding thank-you cards - ugh. Such a weird custom, I think. I get that sometimes it's nice to send a thank-you card to someone if inspiration and gratitude strikes, and if they weren't there in person to thank, but for wedding gifts, it just seems, well, I don't know, insincere seems too harsh a word, but one writes so many at a time that it's just a trifle ridiculous. We had some function with Tomm's family just 3 days after our wedding, and his grandmother approached me and said, "So, I haven't received my thank-you card yet." And she wasn't joking. Seriously? So, my snarkiness kicked in an I replied to her, "Proper etiquette states that I have a full year to get those cards out, and you've just guaranteed that yours won't arrive for another 360 days." That didn't exactly help my relationship with my in-laws, but christ-on-a-cracker, how ridiculous can one be?!

nice book haul, chelle! i knew you would handle that situation nicely ;-)

still two dogs! yay!
good luck with all your jobs - don't forget to re-charge your batteries from time to time...

{delurk}

*smooch*

{relurk}

HI Mark. Glad to hear you liked Talulla Rising!
Nate and I are heading home to Ontario for the start of December so I probably wouldn't be able to read The Twelve with you until mid-december. Not sure if you would want to wait that long?

Thanks John!! I am hoping to be very cake busy near Christmas so I hope I don't overwhelm your taste buds with all the cake photos :)

Amber I completely agree!! I have 35 or 40 to write and I'm sure they will all sound very similar!! I wish I was one of those people that enjoyed writing these types of notes and could come up with something original for everyone ... but I'm not. I think this is something from an older generation as my new Grandfather wrote us a thank you card for inviting him to the wedding about a week after the wedding! I thought that was sweet but a little odd.
The only thing that I did, that I hope people will appreciate, is instead of a normal card I got a photo postcard made with 4 photos from the wedding and I will write the note on the back. I plan on including a picture of everyone from our photo booth in with the card. I hope that makes up for my un-originality when it comes to writing them!
Oh.My.God. three days after your wedding?? ha I would have been just as snarky!!

Hi Cee! I'm not going to mention it to him and see if he ever remembers that we had it?! heehee. We still have cards to use at other stores so I'm sure he can find something for himself at a different store.
My batteries are recharging today. I did my errands and now I am sitting down. I have some Arbonne stuff to do today but it's little stuff that I can just work at slowly

HI Richard! So nice to see you back in LT land! Hope this newest storm didn't affect your area

Fabulous book haul, and I hope you can recharge sufficiently today.

Good on you for taking full control of the situation. ;) He probably won't even notice that missing GC anyways and now you have some lovely new babies to enjoy!

Excellent haul on the books. I have read half and the other half is on my wish list. No wonder I like you! Good luck with the thank-yous. I think the picture will be a nice touch, and I am not surprised you thought of it, since you are a master at details!

catching up and waving through.....

HI Luna! Recharging has been completed :) I finished an amazing book and a super cute cake and today I get to hang out in my jammies and cuddle with the puppies. I might fit some laundry and floor washing in there somewhere ... but I might not ;-o

Hi Val! I think Nate is smart enough that even if he notices he might not mention it! hehe. My dad keeps telling him "A happy wife is a happy life" and Nate laughs. But Nate also knows that my parents have been married for almost 40 years and my dad has a full workshop of tools and a nice motorcycle, so he might laugh but he knows it can be true!! An unhappy woman from my family isn't going to suffer alone! haha

Thanks Kim, I like you too! :) I had originally bought some thank you cards on sale but they didn't really seem that nice to me once I got them home so I started searching for something nicer. It's pretty cool what you can do with photo shop and each card cost me 20 cents from the walmart photo shop!

Hi Kath!!

Chelle - nice to see that you finally gave in to temptation with that Amazon voucher! Have a wonderful weekend.

I think your thank you notes sound fabulous - so NOT envying you that task...UGH! And excellent decision concerning the Amazon card! Truly fabulous haul - well done!

I have The Twelve.... hmmmm might have to put it on the short stack.

At some point I need to read Talulla Rising, Chelle. I enjoyed the first one.

>64 scaifea: Amber, I love that response!

Hi Chelle, a happy wife IS a happy life, most sensible people know this :)

Hi Chelle.
I have long wanted to read The Twelve. I will be interested to see what you think of it when you get to it. You like hardbacks, I see.
I hope you're having a good weekend.

Hi Chelle - Stopping by to wish you a good weekend.

Calling all Moms & Dads of little ones!!!
I am starting my Christmas shopping and I have a few little ones that I want to buy for this year. One of our new friends invited us to spend Christmas dinner with them and we would like to bring a small present for each of their kids. They have a one year old boy and a 2.5 year old girl. The little girl only speaks french although she is starting to learn english now that they are living in Nova Scotia instead of Quebec. I'd like to buy each kid a book and probably some cute piece of clothes.
I also have a one year old girl to buy a birthday and christmas present for to take home with us when we visit at the end of this month.

MOMS & DADS: Are there any kids books for that age range that you can recommend? I'm sure there is probably an LT group for parents on here so I shall go in search of that as well, but any help here would be soooooo appreciated!

73 Thanks Paul. I figure I waited long enough, right? ;)

74 Thanks Mamie! So far I got the envelopes made and labeled and the photobooth pictures sorted into the right envelopes. I'll try and do a few cards tonight and each night that Nate works. I'd like to have them in the mail in December.

75 Oh Do Kath! I loved The Passage so I hope the second is just as good!

76 Hi Joe! I also enjoyed the first book. I'm interested to see which way he goes with the second

77 haha I agree Megan! I think Nate is probably a sensible man so we shall see if he says anything :)

79 Hi Ellen! Yes I much prefer hardcover books. I find paperbacks agitate the tendonitis that I get in my thumb and hardcovers are much easier to hold open, even if they are usually more expensive :(

80 Thanks Lori! Happy weekend to you as well :)

107) Cujo by Stephen King
I'll never look at strange dogs the same way again...

Cujo, one I definitely dont recommend for little kids!

The Hairy Book is one that my little ones love. Good for the 2.5 year old I'd say. Its funny and has good rhymes, and pictures that dominate and are bright. One year olds will just chew on the book so make it a board book. I reckon you cant go wrong with old fashioned nursery rhymes, especially for a little one who hasnt been exposed to much English before, as the rhymes and rhythms are great for language development.

There you go, my input!

Definitely a board book for the one year old. Ones my mum always used to make sure she had around (she was a nanny and now works in a daycare) were books by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. They are lovely books with beautiful illustrations and nice stories that appeal to young children and slightly older ones, and are a pleasure for adults to read as well.

Hi Chelle, I always think you can't go wrong with a Dr. Seuss book. Both my grandkids loved being read anything by him.

I second the board books for the younger ones because boy can they tear into those pages!

Dr. Seuss is definitely a lot of fun with all the rhymes and funny pictures. Among our favourites are any from the Robert Munsch collections. :)

The Napping House and Piggies are both delightful with wonderful illustrations and a cadence that makes reading them out loud so fun. My kids loved those books when they were younger, and we read them over and over again.

Sandra Boynton has some great board books also. Colourful books such as Dick Bruna's Miffy books or Lucy Cousins' Maisy books.

I hereby second all recommendations mentioned since (and including) mine :)

Hi Chelle! The books my son enjoyed the most were books with slides and flaps and dials, very interactive and kept him busy for a decent amount of time. Fun with me and on his own too.

Drive-by hug

I second all the children's book recommendations proffered so far, and I'll add Mr. Gumpy's Outing to the mix, which is one of Charlie's and my favorites.

108) The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

Much better than the first one. In the first novel I found Flavia too much of an over the top character but I found she was toned down a tad for this novel.

83 haha Megan, ya I think I'll skip reading Cujo to the kids!
I'm a big fan of nursery rhymes! I have bought my friend a bunch of them already. I really need to start a list of what books I have given to each kid so I don't buy them duplicates! I'll check out The Hairy Book, thanks!

84 Thanks Jenny! I'll check them out

85 Hi Judy! I'm a big Seuss lover! I'll have to sneak a peek at my friends book shelf and see if she has many Seuss books yet

86 Hi Val! I remember having a ton of Munsch books when I was younger! I was a big fan of Mortimer and 50 Below Zero

87 Thanks Mamie! I'll take a look at both of them!
I miss my old book store in London, it was huge and had such a large selection of great kids books! The store that is closest to me now is much smaller and can only carry a small selection. I will probably end up buying books online next time :(

88 Thanks Kerry! Yet more that I have never heard of!

89 haha Megan I agree :)

90 Lynda I think you are right, smaller kids like to be entertained. I tried to read a book to the french 2.5 year old but since I wasn't speaking french it didn't really go too well. She liked the sparkly pictures though so she ended up pointing to each picture and telling me her own story (which of course I could not understand lol)

91 Smooch!

92 Thanks Amber! I'd be happy to have a Charlie approved book on my list :)

just catching up and waving :)

Wave from me, too, Chelle!

What lucky kids getting books from you and Nate. I love picking out books for my grandkids. Haley is two years and two months. I'll second anything by Sandra Boynton. She still loves her board books but we are slowly transitioning into real pages! Some of them are thicker than others and can take a little rough treatment.

Hugs for the dogs. It seems like Tempe has slipped through the cracks of the dog police. Hooray!

I read Cujo years ago when it was first published. I don't remember much about it except that I couldn't put it down.

Stopping by to say hi! What a fun and spooky Halloween cake!! As for wedding thank you cards - I'll never forget the words of my mother when I got married over 29 years ago !!! Dave and I had a one week holiday - and my mom said to me -make sure you get your thank you notes done on your honey moon, you'll have nothing better to do. I really had to bite my tongue at that comment. Mom's sometimes.sigh.

Hi Chelle, how are you doing my dear, the cakes look great. Just thought i'd check in with you to see how you all are.

The book you gave me turned out to be #75 :-)
Thanks, again!

Hope you are all well.

109) World War Z by Max Brooks

Finally finished the book that I started LAST December! I ended up enjoying it once I got into it. Just proves that sometimes you just need to be in the mood for a certain type of book

WOW it continues to be BUSY here! I've been reading still (thankfully!) but I haven't had much time for sitting still at the computer :(
I did a craft show last weekend and had an Arbonne table. Still trying to promote my business and I got some good leads. I have another show this coming weekend and on Tuesday we leave for our trip home to Ontario for a 9 day visit! We are really looking forward to heading home but my list of things to do before we leave is HUGE!

*Waves to Kath and Joe!

HI Donna! We are hoping that Tempe has slipped through the cracks as those people should never be allowed an animal again!! We are are still having trouble breaking the bad habits with her! She is scared when she gets in trouble so if we even raise our voice at all when she knows she did wrong then she piddles on the floor and then tries to hide. I'm struggling with trying to tell her she did bad (chewing blankets or peeing in the house) but without scolding her.
I've got a bell hung at our front door and we are teaching her to hit it with her nose when she needs outside. We went almost two weeks without an accident and then two accidents in the last two days now.

HI Ellen! I agree it was great, scary but great!

haha Deb that's funny! I would think that you would have lots to do on your honeymoon!! *wink wink, nudge nudge ;-0

Hi John! Busy busy busy! No more cakes for a while, maybe near Christmas I'll have more to do

Hi Cee! Congrats on hitting 75 and with Aunt Dimity too! :) Hope all is well with you and your arm!

Busy Chelle, we can tell.
Remember the times pre-wedding when you didnt have a job, that was fun! But I guess reality comes knocking and now LT has to take a back seat :(
Poor old Tempe. I bet it will take a while before she learns to trust again. You are doing it all as you should I guess, I couldnt think of a better way to handle it apart from patience.

What I remember about shy dogs is rather than fussing is to redirect. When you catch her chewing on something wrong, rather than saying 'No' for instance, give her something she is supposed to chew on then say, 'Good girl.' That type of thing.

Megan I miss those prewedding-read-all-day days!! *sigh!

Morphy I've heard that before but I'm not sure how that would work with going to the washroom. She only chews when she is in her crate or when we aren't looking. I took her out of her crate yesterday evening and she had tried to eat her blanket. The second I took her out of the crate she knew it was bad and went behind my legs and piddled and then ran to Nate. I didn't even say anything to her yet haha

102 - The movie's coming out in June:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcwTxRuq-uk
I'm not convinced that Brad Pitt should be the lead but I'll go see it anyway.

Oh no Dee, not a chance haha. I dislike being scared by movies so I won't be watching that one!
I've sent my husband the trailer link though as he loves zombie movies and shows. He will have to find a friend to go with him though!

Chelle- I'm so glad you hung in there with WWZ. I thought it was an excellent read but as long as you "liked" it, I'm happy. Hope all is well. I think I'm done with the Flavia books. I liked them but 2 was enough for Moi!

Hey Chelle, I wish Brad could afford to get a good haircut once in a while.
Should try to push World War Z to a better place on my to read list.

Hi Chelle! I've been so behind...school takes up so much time! Glad to see you are doing well. Happy Thanksgiving and have a great weekend!

Pooping in to say Hi!! Have a great day. Your little dog is so lucky you took him in.

110) Already Dead by Charlie Huston ( 3.75*)
Read for 75 books in 2012,
12 in 2012:Category #2) They Won't Stay Dead: Zombies

Yet another series that I am getting sucked into! Great, fast read and I loved it! I plan on reading the second in the series sometime soon


111) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (4*)
Read for 75 books in 2012,
12 in 2012:Category #8 Such a Rebel: Banned Books
1001 Books to read before you die
As always Atwood tells a great and seriously eff'ed up story! I am surprised it took me this long to finally read this one and I'm glad that I did!

109 HI Mark!
I actually didn't mind Flavia as much in the second book. I still think she is way too involved in "adult" type stuff but she is starting to grow on me. I'll be continuing the series, but mostly because I already own the books!

110 Hi Lynda! I don't mind scruffy Brad. I had a huge crush on him in my teens and 20's ... oh who am I kidding I still have a crush on him in my 30's ;-)

111 HI Callia! Hope you are enjoying your school year! Two or three more weeks and then Christmas vacation eh?

112 Hi Kim!! I think Tempe is quite lucky to have found us, and we are lucky to have her! She is sore today though, she took a fall while running around like a fool and I thought she broke her leg. She started screaming and limping and tried to nip me when I picked her up. She just twisted it I think though as it doesn't feel broken and after a 30 minute nap she is running around like nothing happened! Dogs rebound so quick!

In news I have finished my 12 in 2012 category read!! YAY!!
I think I will wait until I get home from my vacation before I started my 2013 list. Or tonight is my relaxation night before packing tomorrow so I might start it later ... we shall see :)

Hi Chelle! I am loving school. I have great teachers and a fun schedule. I'm soo excited for Christmas! It's going to be really nice to have a break :)

Hi Chelle, congratulations on completing your 12 in 12 Challenge. I just finished my Category Challenge today. I am looking forward to a month of "free" reading. Of course my 2013 thread is up and waiting for me to start in January.

Chelle--Congrats on your 12 in 12!

DQ--Seriously? You already have your 2013 thread ready and waiting? Slumps off feeling inferior. Shouts a weak Congrats on the Category Challenge! over her shoulder.

Congrats on completing your 12-in-12 challenge!
I'm still trying to decide whether I will do some version of a 13-in-13 challenge/pyramid.

Hi Callia I'm sure you deserve a nice Christmas break! Hope Santa is kind to you ;-)

HI Judy! Congrats on finishing your challenge! I couldn't help myself and I started my 2013 list! (Instead of laundry, packing, thank you cards and cleaning ... which I should have been doing because we leave TOMORROW!)

HI Kim! What's your problem eh?? You should have had your 2013 thread started yesterday! Slow poke.
Hee hee hee ;-)

Thanks Ellen! I went with a pyramid as that's the only way I'd be able to read enough books. 169 books is way too many for me to try and pull off.

just popping in to keep up :) and say hey!

Elen... so much pressure LOL

Hi Chelle, just passing by my dear.

I liked Already Dead, Chelle, but I believe Mark is the one who is a big-time fan of that series. I did love A Handmaid's Tale, despite its seriously eff'd up storyline. To me it's an amazing book that's a modern classic. Scary but so well done.

Congrats on your 12 in 12 challenge - something that I could never do. I don't think I could make up the categories and find books for them, never mind actually read them!

Have a very happy holiday, Chelle!

Yah, a new Charlie Huston fan!! The Joe Pitt series is terrific but all of his books are very good. Tough and very violent.

I'm with Cee... Challenges are too challenging for me... I admire those who embark on multiple challenges and then keep track of them!

drive-by *smooch*

Hi Chelle! Thanks! I hope Santa is kind to your family as well ;)

~~Waves~~ Chelle, Hope you are doing well. Hugs to Jacks and Tempe from me.. :)

Congrats Chelle on completing your 12 in 12 challenge. That is quite the amazing accomplishment considering how busy you've been this year with wedding, moving, and new career changes!
I agree with you on Atwood. Makes me want to be a fly on the wall of her brain, but she sure can spin a good story. :)

Have a good trip, Chelle.

#117 - Kim, I don't know if this will make you feel better or worse, but I've had my 2013 Challenge up since early September. We start talking about the next year's challenge and before you know it, threads are popping up!

*waves*

112) The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell (3*)

This was my last finished book before leaving on vacation. It was a quite a long book and although it was great I found the final scene arrived and then the book ended rather abruptly. It was a long build up to a quick ending. Not completely satisfying but I am still enjoying this series quite a bit!

Hi Folks! Well we made it to Ontario in great time! We ended up leaving after my shift at 11pm on Monday and drove through the night. Took us 22 hours but it was pretty smooth sailing! Jax wouldn't sleep in the car and just sat there staring at us for most of the trip. No whining though so that was good. I took a picture of him falling asleep sitting up, too cute!

121 Hi Kath! No peer pressure here, just some light teasing ;)

122 HI John! Hope all is well on your side of the world

123 Hi Joe! I thought Handmaid's Tale was very well done and completely weird! I've grown to love that about Atwood though, she writes some seriously weird stuff sometimes! But I'm a big fan of weird so it works out well

124 Hi Cee! Last year was my first year doing the challenge and I found that I enjoyed finding books to meet the categories. It made me read some books that were out of my usual comfort zone and I really needed that nudge to get out of my rut!

125 Hi Mark! Thanks for suggesting that series! I am going to try and get my hands on the next one when I am home!

126 Hi again Kath! The fun thing with the challenge is that you can make it as hard or as easy as you want! So it can fit in your reading life. I did the pyramid this year because I didn't want it to be too hard or else I figured I wouldn't finish it

127 Smooch to you Sir!

128 Thanks Callia! I think Santa might have a light load for our house this year but we are ok with that :)

129 Hi Monica! I'll pass on that hug to Jax for you and one to Tempe when we get home from vacation!

130 Hi Val! I was surprised that I managed to finish the category challenge too! I guess it was good that I worked at it a lot at the start of the year or else I probably wouldn't have finished! My reading since the wedding has been a lot lighter than before the wedding!

131 Thanks Judy!!

132 Hi Joe!

I must see if I have The Handmaid's Tale on the shelves.....now that Im a fully fledged hardcore reader, I dont even know anymore!
*goes to see*
*suspects I do*

Oooh, yes I do!

I am a fan of odd books too, but havent had much luck with Atwood yet. I will not give up on her though as I feel like I do like her.

Fallen a bit behind on your thread, Chelle, but it looks like you've had some decent reads. Hope you have a lovely vacation! :)

Semi caught up.. wanted to visit :)

I read the first few in the Patricia Cornwell series years ago and enjoyed them. And then lost interest. I think it wasn't her fault as much as that my reading tastes changed at around 40..... I wonder if that happens to other people?

Hi Chelle, how are you and Nate and the dogs. How is work going and are you getting ready for your first christmas as a married couple. It's getting a bit chilly here in Yorkshire but probably not as chilly as it gets where you are.

Hi Friends! Well we have been on vacation in Ontario for about a week now and it's been non stop! We were in Seneca Falls New York over the weekend to see Nate's brother graduate from chiropractor college and it was a great celebration! So proud of the Doctor!
We are here until Friday when we make the drive home again. So many people to visit and not enough time! Hopefully we can make a trip back in the spring

135 Megan I'm glad you have it already! Bump it up on your TBR list! I don't think there is anything by Atwood that I haven't liked (except the poetry but that's just because I'm too thick to enjoy poetry!)

136 Thanks Micky! It's flown by so far!

137 Thanks for visiting and keeping my thread warm Kath!

138 Hi Ellen. I think that happens to everyone. I know my reading has changed over the years and I'm starting to read out of my comfort zone. I still go back to my old favorites though

139 Hi John! We are still on vacation so no working for me! Not until next weekend :) It's been warm here actually, about +6c. Very foggy today but I'll take that over snow any day!

Ooh driving from Ontario to Nova Scotia in December. I'll be sending good wishes your way, Chelle!

Happy Vacation, Chelle!

>140 ChelleBearss:: Oh, oh! I'm sad we didn't get a chance to do an Ontario meetup! I imagine it's been quite the whirlwind trip getting all your visits in though. Maybe if you head back up here in the spring, we can try to get something organized! All the best driving home, when we lived in NS we did the Ontario-NS trip a few times a year, but back in those days there was always snow this time of year! Here's hoping it's only foggy once you head back. :)

drive-by hug for vacationers

Glad you are seeing family and having fun -
Safe travels home, Chelle and Nate!

Christmas in your new home - something to look forward to :-)

Missing you on the threads - hope you are having a great time. Safe travels home.

Hi Chelle!
I'm going back to NS tomorrow night again! Sorta...
Hallmark Hall of Fame is showing "Christmas with Holly" on TV. It was shot around Prospect, NS this past summer and includes the cottage we stayed in! Cool, huh?

Hope you are having good weather for traveling and arrive home safe and sound.

ARG!!!! So I had this pretty little note to everyone about my trip and updates and my internet crashed and I lost it all!! BOOOOOOO Ok here goes round two, I'll try and remember what I wrote!

So we made it home safe and sound!! After almost two weeks away I am very happy to be laying on my own bed! We were so happy to have been able to take the time to head back home for an early Christmas with our families and see Nate's brother graduate from chiropractor college but I am very happy to be home!

We drove home overnight and after 22 hours of rain and fog I am brain fried! I got to drive the afternoon evening portion and my eyes are super tired from straining. I'll be heading to bed shortly!

Jackson didn't sleep a bit during the whole ride so he is passed out, Tempe was super happy to see us and jumped around like a fool for a few hours and is now passed out, and the cat was so happy to see me but gave the dogs the stink eye and has now fallen asleep beside me. If only I could get Nate to come to bed we could all be sleeping!

I did come home to some good news and some bad news.
The bad news is that my time as a security guard may come to an end. The alzheimer's patient that I was working with passed away today. Very sad for her family as her disease took her very young (only early 50's I think). My boss is going to evaluate staffing needs next week and see if (or where) he can fit me in.
The good news was I received a package of books from someone in Mark's Swap! I will place it under the tree next weekend when we get our tree!!

I'm heading to bed but since I have no work hours this week I should be able to respond to everyone and visit everyone's threads!

Um, everyone seems to be sleeping after your return! (except Nate)
;-)

Sorry to hear about the alzheimer's patient with whom you had been working. I hope she is at peace.
Mark's Swap is a treat; glad that was waiting for you when you returned.

22 hours of driving! I cannot even begin to comprehend 22 hours of driving in one stretch. The longest I've ever done in my life is about 11!

Happy to hear you made it home safe and sound and about all the good things. So sorry to hear about the sad things you came home to. You are in my thoughts Chelle.. Rest up after your trip things will come together. :)

Glad to see you had a good trip and are safely home!

Hi Chelle, glad to see you had a good trip and are now back home but jeez a 22 hour drive, no wonder you are glad to be lying on your own bed. So sorry about your Alzheimer's patient, it is an awful disease and to pass away at such a youngish age with this is so sad. Get plenty of rest after your journey, we will all still be here for you to reply to.

Glad to hear you're home safe and sound.

I sympathize with the long-drive blues, as I'm afraid of flying and therefore do lots of long driving. So glad to hear that your home safe, though! And sorry to hear about the woman you were working with; hopefully they'll realize what an asset you are and make sure they have a position for you!

So sorry to hear of the loss of your patient, so young with Alzheimer's. I'm glad to hear that you are home after such a long long drive -and I'm glad that you have package from Mark's Christmas swap to look forward too. I hope that your employer will be able to find you a new position for you!

My long-drive days are over thank goodness. We used to make the drive from Missouri to Southern California in one go -- roughly 27 hours. Brutal! It kind of defeated our purpose to have more time at our destination because we were totally wiped out when we arrived.

That is sad news you came home to. And 50 is way too young to have Alzheimer's! Rest up, Chelle. I know it's good to be back home.

If I am in a car with anyone.. ANYone for 4 hours or more I want to kill them, or me.. or both of us. There is one notable exception... but..

Glad to know that you are safe home.

113) Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan (4*)

This was the second book in the series and although I did enjoy this I found the first one just a touch better. It was a great vacation book though as it was full of action and didn't require too many brain cells to comprehend what was occurring.

141 Hi Micky! Actually the drive was ok weather-wise. We've been having some heavy fog and rain here but hardly any snow! All of the drive through New Brunswick and Nova Scotia was through heavy fog and heavy rain and it sucked even more because that was my turn to drive! lol

142 Thanks Amber!

143 HI Faith! I would love to try and book an Ontario meet-up next time I'm home!! We are hoping to try and do the trip again in the spring but it might end up not being until my sister's wedding in November instead.

144 Hugs back for RD!

145 Thanks Cee! I am looking forward to Christmas here but it doesn't feel like Christmas yet because we have no snow! I'm not a big fan of winter but Christmas doesn't feel the same for me without a little snow on the ground!

146 Thanks Mamie! We are home safe and sound and tired but we are happy to be here :)
I'll try and get caught up with you today!

147 Hi Cee! How was the NS special show? Did it feel cool to see the cottage on TV?

149 Ellen about 5 minutes after I wrote that Nate turned the TV off and zombie walked to bed. Guess he was tired afterall!! lol

150 Hi Rhian! 22 hours of driving isn't the most fun ever but it was manageable. We seem to have worked out a system of driving overnight and Nate drives through the night and then I drive through the day. We alternate taking naps. It works because then we don't have to drag it out to two days and don't have to pay for a hotel just to sleep. I'm not sure I would want to do that with kids though.

151 Thanks Monica! I'm hoping to try and find some work somewhere else. I haven't heard a peep from the security supervisor this week so I can only imagine that he is stressed trying to find spots to put all the guards that had been working with the alzheimer's patient. I have a feel he won't need us all ...

152 Thanks Lori! :)

153 Hi John! We are all rested up and Nate is back to work. I've been working at getting some cleaning done and putting up some Christmas decorations around our home. Hope you are having a good Christmas season with your family!

154 Thanks Micky!

155 Hi Amber! Yes driving would suck if it was your only option. We chose to drive because we were bringing Jackson with us and it was quite a bit cheaper than flying. I'd like to try and get one of the cheap military flights next year since Nate works on the air base and it's one of the perks of working for the military!Hi

156 Hi Deb! It's so nice to see you back online! I am definitely looking forward to opening my swap package at Christmas! It's always nice to have new books!!

157 HI Donna! Yes I understand the feeling of being wiped out once you arrive! It took us days to get caught up on sleep! The first night we were there we both slept like rocks! I don't think I even moved in my sleep, it was great! And when we got home I got my new duvet delivered! Last night Nate crawled under the covers and said to me "It's like sleeping in a cloud!" haha it took everything I had not to laugh at him!

158 Just four hours eh Kath? You wouldn't do well on the 22 hour drive with the panting dog then lol.

Hi Chelle! Glad that you made it home safely, but so sorry about the Alzheimer's patient. That is so young.

Too bad Jackson couldn't sleep in the car. Geezer will sleep anywhere, but he's pretty much the world's laziest hound dog...plus he's on phenobarbital.

Hi Chelle, just passing through and catching up. I've fallen way behind on the threads and suddenly they seem to be busier than ever! Glad your trip went well, I bet it's nice to be back home in time to enjoy the festive season.

Hmm, I'm always interested in a good action book that doesn't require too many brain cells, Chelle. Plus I liked the first one of those Glen Duncans. Onto the tbr it goes.

114) The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore (3.5*)

Hi Chelle- I'm glad you received your Swap package! Always exciting. I got mine on Saturday. And I'm glad you enjoyed Talulla Rising. I was a big fan too!

Just a fly by hello... no snow up there yet?

Hi Chelle, I'm glad you had a nice vacation in Ontario. I'm surprised to hear that it takes 22 hrs. to go from NS to Ontario. Looking at a map I would've guessed 11 or 12 but how would I know? I didn't drive it haha.

Hi Chelle, glad to see you're all home safe and sound and had a wonderful early Christmas with family and friends.
If The Rise of Nine is fourth in the series, you must be enjoying it. Do you recomment?
Is it Sci-Fi?

Hi Everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!
Nate and I had a Christmas party last night and he is still sleeping it off :) We got out first real Christmas tree yesterday (My first ever!) and we will be decorating it this afternoon. I plan on making some gingerbread cookies and doing some Christmas shopping today too.
Hope you all are reading something that you love!

161 Hi Kerri! I always thought Jax was super lazy as he has no problem sleeping all the time, but for some reason he would not sleep in the car. I wonder if he gets a little motion sick maybe?

162 Hi Judy! I've given up on staying current with everyone, I'm just happy if I can find a day or two to catch up.

163 Hi Joe! I found the first one a tad more enjoyable but the second was full of action and quite good. I should look into Duncan, has he written anything else? I like his style

165 Hi Mark! Yep I got it and it will be put under the tree tonight :) Excited to open it! I may not get books from anyone else this christmas but I know there will be at least one under the tree

166 HI Kath! No snow. I'm actually a little sad. I feel like there should be snow for Christmas. It's hard to get into the Merry mood without some snow. It's cold enough for it now (-5c today) so maybe it will come soon. I'd like it to melt by the 27th though ;-0

167 haha Bonnie I wish it was only an 11 hour drive!! 22 was way too much!

168 Hi Lynda! The Rise of Nine was the third in the series and there is also a few short stories that go with them too. I am enjoying them quite a bit. They are light and full of action, but they are very much a teen (Y/A) book so not everyone would enjoy them (I would tell RD to take a pass ;)

Chelle, your first Nova Scotia Christmas sounds like it's shaping up nicely with a party to kick things off. I miss having a real tree, though I enjoy being able to look at the artificial tree for a longer time!

I am reading something good: A Tale of Two Cities which will be followed by The Hobbit. Both rereads after many years. What's next on your reading plate?

Hello there! Glad you are back and that you already have books waiting for you under the tree. :) I gave Pittacus Lore the same rating. Great YA light reading. Happy weekend!

Sounds like your Nova Scotia Christmas is underway, I bet your house is going to smell wonderful with both a real tree and ginger cookies in the oven.

I am also reading something good. I finally got around to Life of Pi and I can't believe I waited so long for this one. My other read isn't shaping up nearly as well so less said the better!

Have a great weekend, Chelle. I am picking up my grandchildren later today and taking them to do their Christmas shopping.

*drive by hello*

Chelle I hope you get snow if that's what you want for Christmas - SWMBO wants something by Chanel! Have a great weekend.

Hope the tree decorating and cookie baking goes smoothly, Chelle. And that the puppy doesn't decide to help too much with either. ;)

Chelle- Thanks for making a Challenge pick for me! And you were first! Yah! Do you want to pick a month or should I? (Check the list first though)

How are you liking the real tree? Does it smell wonderful?

Morning, Chelle! Hope everything is happy and healthy in your neck of the woods!

Welcome Back Chelle, Your First Ever Christmas Tree that should be very exciting for you. Sounds like you had a very nice trip and that everything is going well. :) I hope you have a very wonderful Christmas!

Hi Chelle! Having fun making wonderful Christmas memories? Knowing you, the answer is YES!

Merry Christmas!!
Hope everyone has been having a great week! It's getting close to Christmas and yesterday I finished my Christmas shopping!! Yay! And today I wrapped it all!

170 Hi Donna! Right now I am reading The Twelve and I'm still listening to American Gods. It feels like I've been listening to it forever because I don't have much time to listen to it. My goodreads says I started it on September 20th. I really want to finish it soon and not have it still on my list come January!!

171 Hi Kim! I am also a big fan of having books waiting under the tree!! :)

172 Hi Judy! I started Life of Pi once and put it down pretty quickly. I should give it another go sometime soon. I've heard good things about it, but I think I just wasn't ready to read it yet ... Hope you had fun shopping with your grandbabes!

173 **waves to Ellen!

174 Hi Paul! From the looks of our weather channel snow might be on the way. Either that or lots of rain. I'd rather have some snow! Hope SWMBO gets her something chanel!

175 Hi Micky! The dogs haven't gotten into the tree too much thankfully, although I'm pretty sure Tempe was drinking from the water one night. She crawled into bed with me and had a wet snout and pine breath ;)

176 Hi Mark! Good luck with your challenge! It's fun that you got your LT friends to help you choose!

177 HI Kath! I can't smell it too much unless I am standing right close to it. It looks pretty though

178 Hi Amber! Everything is great here! Do you have snow for Charlie to play in yet?

179 Thanks Monica, Merry Christmas to you too!

180 Of course Kim! 3 more shifts and then Nate is off for the week of Christmas! I am looking forward to our first Christmas here and for both of us to be home for it!

Chelle, Love the picture of the tree with your babies.. :) They are so precious :)

Great picture, Chelle! You picked out a beautiful tree.

Hi Chelle- How is it going with the Twelve? I'm just over a 100 pages. I was hoping to read at least 50 pages more today. Oh, well.

The snow is here!! Jax and Tempe are loving rolling and playing in the snow. I think we got about 3-4 inches so far with more due overnight. Nate's ride down the mountain to work tomorrow morning might be interesting though...

Thanks Monica! I was so surprised that I could get Tempe to sit still for that photo! She gets so excited that she practically vibrates!

Thanks Pat! Nate and the tree man were laughing at me when we went to pick it out. I couldn't decide if I wanted one taller, or fatter and the tree man smirked but nicely showed me ALL the trees on the lot before I chose that one ;-)

Hi Mark, I just missed you there!
I'm about 250 pages into The Twelve and I'm wishing that I had reread The Passage first as I am having a hard time making sense of some things. I am enjoying it even though I haven't had much time to read it. Nate is back to work tomorrow and it's snowing out so I plan on staying home and reading tomorrow

Cute picture, Chelle! So cute! I'll be venturing out tomorrow perhaps to finish up my Christmas shopping!ugh! :)

I totally love that beautiful picture.. I am so happy that you have a beautiful home filled with happy furkids..
and I hope that you have a wonderful Christmas.

Lovely tree picture (though the eyes are a bit freaky!). Pleased you got your Christmas snow and that Jax and Tempe are enjoying it:)

Well we went from no snow to a whole lot of snow!! I woke up to no power and 6 inches of snow today. Schools have been shut down, stores and the library are closed and Nate is at work and they shut the base down to minimum staffing today! Apparently we are supposed to get a ton more snow too.
All I wanted was a little white snow for Christmas, not a blizzard! haha I guess I got more than I bargained for!
Needless to say I won't be leaving the house today! Catching up on LT, reading The Twelve and making chicken pot pie for dinner

The dogs are loving the snow though! Nothing like the smell of pine tree and wet dog to let me know that winter is officially here!


Hi Deb! Good luck with your Christmas shopping! I am so happy that mine is finished because I won't want to drive down the mountain in this snow to go shopping! As it is I need milk but I don't want to leave the house to get it

Thanks Kath! I am really counting my blessings this year with all the terrible things that have been happening in the world. I complain about not having a good job here in NS and money being tight, but at least I have a wonderful husband, great family and friends and a house full of fur kids. Life is good overall :)
Merry Christmas to you and your family!

HAHA Calm, I have no idea why that happens to their eyes when I take a picture! I tried to use my red eye reducer but it just made the green colour turn to a black dot instead and it's looked waaaaay creepier!

>190 ChelleBearss: That's so beautiful, Chelle!

Hello from a fellow 6-inches-of-snow-and-more-on-the-way-er! Ha! Tuppence loves the snow too, and it's all we can do this morning to keep Charlie from running out in his pajamas in it! There will certainly be some snowman construction and some sledding going on here over the next couple of days...

Thanks Nora! I braved the winter over the last couple days to try and take some photos

Oh Amber, make sure to take some photos of the snowman building!
I've been having a laugh watching the dogs play in the snow. Tempe's legs aren't long enough to be above the snow so she trips and face plants a lot.

Here is the view of the valley from the road beside my house.

Yuletide *smooch*

115) The Twelve by Justin Cronin (4*)


116) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (4.5*)


117) The Black Box by Michael Connelly (3.5*)


118) American Gods by Neil Gaiman (4*)

Hi Chelle!
Lots of snow fun in your beautiful NS! Thanks for the pictures. They are all gorgeous. I love your tree and dogs - looks like you plugged in Tempe and Jax to light up their eyes - lol.

Glad you got all your Christmas chores done so you could stay home. This is going to be a wonderful holiday for you, Nate, and the furkids! I'm so happy for you having this time to spend together at home...

Chelle, all that snow is just lovely. I know the dogs love romping in it! I don't think we'll be having snow in NC for Christmas, but perhaps we'll get some once I'm safely back in Seattle.

Merry Christmas to you.

The snow looks great Chelle - have a great weekend in New Scotland and keep warm.

Chelle - have a great Christmas and New Year.

Hi Chelle - I love the snow pictures you posted! As a former Prairie girl from Alberta, this is the time of year when I wish Victoria would see snow on the ground - just don't tell the locals that!

Stopping by to wish you, Nate and the dogs a great Christmas and a happy New Year!

Happy Holidays to you and yours Chelle.


glitter-graphics.com

Happy Christmas, Chelle. I loved the post about Tempe's pine breath from drinking the water under the tree. What a great Christmas she will have, with people who really want her :-)

Merry Christmas, Chelle! You guys have a wonderful holiday. For me, the Twelve has been sagging in the middle. I hope it ends with a bang.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

I know I am a day early in handing out the Christmas wishes but that's because I won't be around tomorrow and I wanted to make sure I passed on some Christmas cheer to all my LT friends!
I hope you all have a happy and safe Christmas and I hope Santa is kind to you all! I feel very blessed to have met such amazing people here on LT and I am looking forward to a great 2013 with you! xoxo

194 Smooch to you sir! I hope you have a great Christmas!

196 Merry Christmas Cee! We got a couple warm days and the snow melted!! I had grass again but then yesterday I woke up to a cold winter wonderland once more. It's chilly and there is snow on the ground. I just about slid down my mountain road trying to go into town yesterday! (I really need new tires...)
I hope you and Ron have a great Christmas!!

197 Merry Christmas Ellen! Yes the dogs just love the snow. They have been whining at the door since they woke up today but it's so cold out that I don't care to spend the whole day outside. They will have to be happy periodically going outside after I warm up!

198 Merry Christmas Paul! Hope you and your family have a great Christmas in paradise!!

199 Merry Christmas Rhian!

200 Thanks Lori, Merry Christmas to you too! I guess in Victoria you probably just get rain for Christmas eh? My brother in law just moved to Alberta and I think he has quite a bit of snow for Christmas!

201Merry Christmas Calm!

202 Merry Christmas Susan! Yes Tempe is happy to be loved now and she even has her own Christmas stocking now! (an upcycled one, but it's hers now) I believe Santa might be bringing a toy and a treat for the fur kids ;-)

203 Merry Christmas Mark! Enjoy your days off with your family!
I found I struggled with the first 200 pages of The Twelve, mostly because I couldn't remember the previous book. When the last book comes out in 2014 I will be rereading both The Passage and The Twelve prior to reading the new one.

Chelle, you and your sparkly reindeer have been very busy today. Here's wishing you, Nate, and the fur kids a Colossal Canadian Christmas!

Hi Chelle, have a very merry christmas as this is your first as a married lady. I hope that you and Nate get all the gifts you have asked for and that the dogs get theirs. The 50 book challenge may go right down to the wire but i should get there. Enjoy tomorrow my dear we will be thinking about you both.

Chelle, Just stopping by to say I hope you have a very Merry Christmas this year. :)

Hi Chelle, hope you and Nate have a wonderful Christmas, and since I won't have much computer access over the next couple of weeks, have a Happy New Year as well. I'll look for you on the 2013 threads when I return.

Merry Christmas, Chelle! Hope Santa doesn't bring you any extra snow. :)

Glitterfy.com - Christmas Glitter Graphics

I want to wish you a glorious celebration of that time of year when we all try to unite around a desire for Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward All. Merry Christmas, Chelle!

A very merry Christmas wish for you and Nate, Chelle, along with Jackson and Tempe of course!

>181 ChelleBearss: wow, your dogs have electric eyes! hehe, maybe they got too close to the christmas lights :)

I cant believe I just postulated on whether or not you'd have snow- of course you would! Duh. It looks so beautiful around your area. Congrats on living the dream life! Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas Chelle, Nate, Jax, and Tempe!!!

Merry Christmas, Chelle!

Merry, merry Christmas, Chelle!

Merry Christmas Chelle!

glitter-graphics.com
Wishing you and Nate a wonderful Christmas in your new home!

Merry Christmas to you and Nate, Chelle!

Just dropping by with some Christmas cheer from me and the Moomins (another great LT find). Hope you're enjoying a wonderful Christmas Day with your family.

Merry Christmas, Chelle! Hope you had a fabulous one in your new home, and that your first Christmas as a Mrs. was a memorable one!

Chelle stopping by a little late to wish you a Merry Christmas!! I was busy cooking dinner for my family and just spending time relaxing. I hope your Christmas was a good one in your new home and as a Mrs!!

Merry Christmas everyone! Santa was very kind to us this year! The fur kids got spoiled with new chews and a soft toy each and Nate and I were spoiled as well. This was our first Christmas as a married couple and Nate made it very special by making me work for my present!! He made me do a scavenger hunt to find my present. He had hid clues all over the house and made me figure out each clue and follow it to the next clue to find the pretty emerald earrings that he had hidden! It was a perfect Christmas morning at home and then we went to a friends house to spend the day with them and their two cute little kids. We had a little too much "Christmas cheer" and today I feel like I've been run over by a reindeer!
I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

205 Thanks Donna! We all got spoiled by Santa this year! (the fur kids included :) Hope Santa was kind to you!

206 Thanks John! First Christmas as a married couple went very well! Good luck finishing your book challenge, you still have a few more days :)

207 Thanks Monica! Hope you had a great day as well!

208 Thanks Judy! I'll look for your new thread in the new year! Hope you have a great holiday!

209 Merry Christmas Micky! Santa gave us a white Christmas and then thankfully it stopped snowing! Just enough snow to keep me happy without giving us too much! I fear we have a snow storm coming later this week though. crossing my fingers that it skips us!

210 Merry Christmas Roni! What a lovely picture!

211 Thanks Julia! Hope you had a great Christmas!

212 HI Megan! It was almost a no snow Christmas here, so you weren't far off. We had a ton of rain last week and it washed away all our snow! Thankfully it snowed again a few days before Christmas so we did end up with a White Christmas! It's just not the same without snow at Christmas!
Hope you had a great day!

213 Merry Christmas Cee! Loki is just adorable! What a great dog to sit still for his picture!

214, 215, 216 Merry Christmas Ellen, Anne & Nora!

217 Thanks Lynda! Our first Nova Scotia Christmas went well! Merry Christmas to you!

218 Thanks Darryl! Merry Christmas!

219 Thanks Pat! I have no idea what a moomin is though, so I will have to go google it ;) Merry Christmas!

220 Thanks Mamie & Merry Christmas to you! Thanks so much for the great books you sent me! I can't wait to read them both! Hope you and your family had a great day!

221 Thanks Monika! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

119) The Racketeer by John Grisham

Another great novel from Grisham. This was creative and very enjoyable. He was overdue for a good one and pulled through! Kept me guessing until close to the end

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the Grisham. He can be a bit hit-or-miss, but I'll be sure to seek this one out.

I'll have to wish you a Happy New Year. The Grisham sounds good so now I'm #624 in the library queue for it. I haven't read him for years but rewatched both The Firm and The Rainmaker on dvd a couple of nights ago.

Happy New Year! Good news about the Grisham. I haven't read one of his works for well over a decade now, because I hit a few duds and didn't have the interest to try another... but I'd love a good read from him (as you say, he's overdue for one!), so on the list it goes!

Chelle - Glad to see you got a white Christmas in New Scotland. All the best to you and Nate for the coming year dear lady. x

Happy fourth Day of Christmas, Chelle! I envy your snow: in the UK we seem to have had nothing but rain this Christmas, indeed all year...

Hi Chelle - what gorgeous snow! A very late merry Christmas from me - sounds like you have had a lovely few days.

You got me with the Grisham - Hooray for that! I used to be a big time fan - absolutely LOVED his first five books, and then things tarted to go downhill. Hit or miss as mentioned above is an accurate description for me, so I'm thrilled to hear that the new one is a winner.

So glad you liked the books!

120) Rebel Heart by Moira YOung


121) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (5*)


122) Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton

Just a quick stop in to say hello...I will see you in the new years threads :)

A little early but trying to get a jump on things so............Best wishes to you and Nate for a happy new year!

Another early New Year's greeting - see you next year!

Emerald earrings! Lucky you. I hope your Shiny New Year is as wonderfully fabulous as the first bit of married life has been for you and Nate. It must be nice living in a Christmas card world. ;-)

Hello friends!
I have got my 2013 thread up and running now!

Here are my 2012 stats. I am still working on my last book but should finish tomorrow afternoon so I'm counting it!

~~2012 Reading Stats~~

Books Read: 123
On average, I finished a book every: 2.9 days

Totals
Male authors: 64
Female authors: 59

Fiction: 116
Nonfiction: 7

Average rating: 3.72*

Books Read in 2012
January

1) Lord John and the Hellfire Club by Diana Gabaldon 3* (ebook, novella, 73 pages)
2) The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht 4.5* (338 pages)
3) Hurricane Story by Jennifer Shaw 3.5* (92 Pages) (ER book)
4) The Drop by Michael Connelly 3.5* (388 pages)
5) Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson 4* (364 pages)
6) Dead Cold by Louise Penny 4* (405 pages)
7) Eragon by Christopher Paolini 3.5* (ebook, 509 pages)
8) The Hangman by Louise Penny 3* (ebook, 99 pages)
9) Cannery Row by John Steinbeck 4* (ebook, 301 pages)
10) The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai 2* (324 pages)
11) The Cruellest Month by Louise Penny 4*(454 pages)
12) The Murder Stone by Louise Penny 4* (422 pages)
13) The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny 4.75* (384 pages)
14) Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny 5* (470 pages)
15) A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny 4.5* (339 pages)

February
16) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle 3.5* (232 pages)
17) Hells Angels: Into the Abyss by Yves Lavigne 3.5* (339 pages)
18) Bay of Fundy: A Natural Portrait by Scott Leslie 4* (167 pages)
19) The Wayward Bus by John Steinbeck 4* (261 pages)
20) Blood Red Road by Moira Young 4* (459 pages)
21) Dissolution by CJ Sansom 3.5* (400 pages)
22) 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz 2.5* ( 451 pages)

March
23) Darkest Powers Bonus Pack by Kelley Armstrong 3* (eBook, 3 novellas 287 pages)
24) I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore 4* (440 pages)
25) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley 4*(304 Pages)
26) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith 3* (319 Pages)
27) A Century of Policing: The Ontario Provincial Police 1909-2009 3.5* (128 Pages)
28) The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore 4*(406 Pages)
29) Night of the Living Dead by John Russo 4.5* (144 pages)
30) Return of the Living Dead by John Russo 3.5* (161 pages)
31) Dark Fire by CJ Sansom 3.5* (384 pages)
32) Cinder by Marissa Meyer 3.5* (387 pages)

April
33) If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't) by Betty White (audio: 2:17) 4*
34) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie (533 pages, 3.5*)
35) The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan (371 pages, 4*)
36) The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck (188 pages, 4*)
37) I'm Starved for You by Margaret Atwood (74 pages ebook novella, 3*)
38) Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez (4*, 348 pages)
39) We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (eBook (no page count), 5*)
40) Heat Wave by Richard Castle (Audio, 6 hours 23 minutes) 3*
41) The Calling by Kelley Armstrong (326 pages, 3.5*)
42) The 39 Clues: Cahills vs.Vespers Book One: The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman (Audio, 5 hours 22 minutes, 2*)
43) Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton (3.5*, audio 9 hours 46 minutes)
44) The Mask by Dean Koontz (140 pages novella 3.5)
45) The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King (Novella, audio 3 hours 57 minutes, 4*)

May
46) Stiff by Mary Roach (audio 8 hours even, 3*)
47) Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye (414 pages, 4*)
48) Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood (3.5*, 301 pages)
49) Calico Joe by John Grisham (3.5*, 198 pages)
50) Chaotic by Kelley Armstrong (3*, 95 pages novella)
51) Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (455 pages, 5*)
52) The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King (3.5*, 309 pages)
53) 11th Hour by James Patterson (3*, 391 pages)
54) The Eyes of Darkness by Dean Koontz (3*, 366 pages)
55) Insurgent by Veronica Roth (525 pages, 4*)
56) Rabbit, Run by John Updike
57) Lover Reborn by JR Ward (4*, 572 pages)

June
58) The Color Purple by Alice Walker (288 pages, 4.5*)
59) Kat & Hunting Kat by Kelley Armstrong (novella)
60) Becoming by Kelley Armstrong (Graphic Novel)
61) Counterfeit Magic by Kelley Armstrong (novella)
62) Hidden by Kelley Armstrong (long novella, 216 pages ebook)
63) Gideon's Sword by Preston & Child (4*, 342 pages)
64) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (4*, ebook 152 pages)
65) Seizure by Kathy Reichs (3*, 491 pages)
66) The Coroner's Lunch (4.5*, 272 pages)
67) Red, White and Blood by Christopher Farnsworth (383 pages, 3.5*)
68) They Thirst by Robert R. McCammon (4*, 531 pages)
69) Gideon's Corpse by Preston & Child (3.5*, 355 pages)
70) The Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat (4.5*, 280 pages)
71) The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes (4*, 163 pages)
72) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (3.75*, 651 pages)
73) A Visit From the Goon Squad (4*, audio 10 hours 8 minutes)

July
74) Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh (5*, 528 pages)
75) Kissing Sin by Kerri Arthur (3.5, 355 pages)
76) The Hunter and the Hunted by Kelley Armstrong (2*, novellas)
77) Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (4*, 407 pages)
78) Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (2.5*, 11 hours 18 minutes)
79) Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (4*, 304 pages)
80) The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver (3.5*, 507 pages)
81) Angle of Investigation: Three Harry Bosch Stories by Michael Connelly (3 novellas)
82) Pay Me in Flesh by K. Bennett (3*, 280 pages)
83) Aunt Dimity and the Duke by Nancy Atherton (290 pages, 3.5*)
84) Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (19 hours, 11 minutes, 5*)
85) Dead to Me by Kelley Armstrong (ebook, 3 novellas)
86) I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson (3.5*, 383 pages)
87) The Road by Cormac McCarthy (4.5*, audio 5 hours 8 minutes)
88) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (5*, 372 pages)
89) Hidden Prey by John Sandford (3*, Audio 5 hours 59 minutes)

August
90) Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (315 pages, 4*)
91) Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson (3.5&, 11 hours, 5 minutes)
92) Animal Farm by George Orwell (4*, audiobook)
93) We Bought A Zoo by Benjamin Mee (4*, Audiobook 8 hours, 14 minutes)

September
94) Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (577 pages, 3.5*)
95) The Pearl by John Steinbeck
96) Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Audio 11 hours 41 minutes) (4*)
97) the Family Fang by Kevin Wilson (4*, Audio 10 hours 40 minutes)
98) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith (3*, 336 pages)
99) Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs (4*, 304 pages)
100) The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (4.5*)

October
101) Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz ( 355 pages, 3*)
102) Casual Vacancy by JK Rowling (4*)
103) 13 by Kelly Armstrong (4*416 pages)
104) Rabbit, Redux by John Updike (3*)

November
105) Rabbit is Rich by John Updike (3.5*, 533 pages)
106) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (4.5*, 500+ pages)
107) Cujo by Stephen King (304 pages, 4*)
108) The Weed that Strings the Hangman's bag by Alan Bradley (3.5*, 343 pages)
109) World War Z by Max Brooks (3.5*, 420 pages)
110) Already Dead by Charlie Huston (3.75*)
111) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (4*)
112) The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell (3*)

December
113) Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan (4*)
114) The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore (3.5*)
115) The Twelve by Justin Cronin (4*)
116) Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (4.5*)
117) The Black Box by Michael Connelly (3.5*)
118) American Gods by Neil Gaiman (4*)
119) The Racketeer by John Grisham (3*)
120) Rebel Heart by Moira Young (4*)
121) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (5*)
122) Aunt Dimity's Good Deed by Nancy Atherton
123) The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

224 I agree Julia. Grisham used to write some great books (A Time to Kill...) but has had a few off years. I loved this last one even though I thought the very last line was about the cheesiest possible!

225 Hi Kerry! 624th eh? Hope they have more than one book in rotation! Happy new year :)

226 Hi Faith! I recommend it, but let me know what you think when you finish it!

227 Happy New Year Paul! Hope you enjoyed your Christmas at the beach!

228 HI Genny! We got snow and then rain washed it all away but we are in the middle of a rather large blizzard so I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with more than a foot of snow this week!

229 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you Cushla!

230 HI Mamie! I do think his latest is much better than previous, but it's not better than his first winners!

232/3/4 Happy New Year Kath, Lynda & Genny!

235 HI Donna! It really is post card pretty here today! The drive to work this morning was quite a hazard though, I wish I could have just looked at it from behind my house windows!

Driving in the snow is always the worst part of winter, that's for sure! Glad you made it to work and home safely, Chelle.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!! Hope 2013 proves just as lovely as this year was for your. Best wishes to you and Nate! (And congrats on the jewelry!)

Sort of wished you already but at the sake of being a little too repetitive to Mr. & Mrs Nova Scotia 2012 - Happy New Year!

Hi Chelle, thanks for the welcoming message on my "Virgin Thread", have a very Happy New Year my dear with Nate and the dogs. I hope 2013 is as memorable for you as 2012 was and look forward to many chats with you.

Happy New Year, Chelle!

Best wishes for a wonderful 2013, Chelle!

Happy New Year, Chelle!

123 books completed. Nicely done!
Happy New Year, Chelle!

I'm "unstarring" this thread and going in search of your new one. See you in 2013!

Here's to a great new year ahead, Chelle!

Happy New Year, Chelle! May it be blessed!

A very happy New Year to you, Chelle!

Happy New Year friends!!
I hope everyone had a wonderful 2012 and wishing you all the best in 2013!!

Please join me here for another great year of reading!