The Beginning

I've thought about starting a blog for a few months now, and I've decided to take the plunge. Books play a big part in my leisure time, so they'll be a significant focus. I'll also write about scrapbooking, one of my other hobbies, and whatever else comes up.

I took the day off work today. I woke up feeling tired, though "tired" is too mild a word. So I called in sick. I'm looking forward to taking a nap in a few hours. After making the call, I went back to bed and finished a book I started last night: Mr. Family by Margot Early. I made a trip to the used bookstore yesterday, and this was one of my purchases. It uses a modern spin of the mail-order bride theme in a Hawaiian setting. Though I don't know much about Hawaiian culture, it seems to be authentically portrayed in this book. The hero is compelling. I'd rate this book at 4 out of 5.

Speaking of ratings, I'm a reviewer at The Romance Reader website. I've been reviewing books for a little more than a year. I enjoy it most of the time, though there are weeks when work is so demanding that the thought of writing a review--or doing anything related to writing--is almost painful. That's not the case now, however. Summer tends to be the busiest time of year for me at work, and now that fall has arrived, I feel like I have a little more free time. I should finish a review in the next few days. The book is Linda Lael Miller's Don't Look Now. Despite its improbable suspense plot, I really enjoyed it. I particularly like the hero, Tony Sonterra, so I was pleased to learn that he and Clare (the heroine) will be the focus of two more books. The second in the series is available now, and I have it on hold at the library.

I've been trying to read Christine Feehan's Mind Game for the past week or so. I read about 20 pages or so and then put it down again, which is unusual for me. I'm just not getting into it. I'm hoping to finish it this week--I like to finish books that I start even if that means I have to skim the rest. I'm not planning to skim Mind Game, but I'm ready to put it behind me.

I spent much of the weekend scrapbooking. In August, I went to Maryland for three days to attend a book signing, then spent another three days in Minnesota to visit a friend of mine. I went to the Utah Shakespearean Festival over Labor Day weekend, so I have a number of vacation photos to "scrap," a term that confuses people who don't scrapbook. "Scrapping" is the process that starts with photos and ends with completed scrapbook pages. I did 6 vacation pages. I haven't scanned them yet, but I have scanned a few pages from the book signing:

Book Signing, Page 1
Book Signing, Page 2

Hope you enjoy!

Alyssa