Weapon of Mass Instruction

Argentinian art-car maker Raul Lemesoff drives around the streets of Buenos Aires distributing free books to all – titled Arma De Instruccion Masiva, or Weapon of Mass Instruction, Raul will pull over for anyone asking for a free book! Motorcyclists and pedestrians will even take books off his car while he’s stopped at lights.

Bookshelf

As much as I love books...and I do, I adore unique bookcases and shelves.  That lead me to my new favorite blog, Bookshelf.

No wall space?  No problem.

"Take a spin through this blog dedicated to clever creative bookshelves and (didn't realize this existed) bookshelf culture. From what's on the shelves of famous thinkers to one-off shelves, book storage never got so concentrated an examination. Plenty here as well for those who want a good does of interiors eye candy."

A new take on reading by the fire



 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 
  Unbalanced perfection

Even a Tardis or two for my fellow Geekoids

19 Fun Facts about Children's books Spotted at the Library

From why Alice in Wonderland was banned to which  favorite series was compared to satanic yoga, here are fun facts about the books and authors of some of our most recognizable children's books.

Top 10 Most Read Books

I have (suprisingly) read 4 of these titles. And half of another 4 of them.

How many have you read?

14. The Time Time Stopped by Don Gillmor

Ten-year-old Tristan Burberry has endured many hours of unpleasantness lately. Time spent pinned under the disapproving gaze of his new teacher, time spent trudging though the mall after his older sister, and time spent sitting with the school bully on the bus. Tristan hates time. So he makes it stop. Or so he thinks… 


When the world comes to a confused standstill, Tristan thinks it's his fault. In actual fact, time has stopped because the Time Keeper, who has been making time for centuries, has quit, fed up with people's lack of appreciation. Then, unfortunately, the Time Keeper gets kidnapped by the nefarious Time Bandits. Tristan, along with his sister Bella, sets out on a long and complicated journey to find him, hoping to get time back.




Well, I think I may be officially too old for a book.  Students at my school seemed to enjoy this entry in the Silver Birch club.  They wrote that it was funny.  To be honest I had a very hard time getting through it.  This was just not a book I was interested in, so of course, I didn't enjoy it. I'm going to stop here because there was really nothing wrong with the book, it simply was not my taste. 

13. Viking In Love by Sandra Hill

All Lord Caedmon of Larkspur wants, after nine long months in the king's service, is a bit of peace...not five bothersome Viking princesses who invade his keep, especially not the fiery redhead, Breanne. He has half a mind to kick her tempting arse out the door...but wait...he has a much more wickedly delightful plan for this thorn in his...um, side.

Princess Breanne of Stoneheim is shocked at Larkspur's rundown condition with servants and children running wild whilst Caedmon lies abed after a night of mead and, no doubt, wanton bedsport. Breanne must endure the loathsome lout to protect her four sisters. She can hardly imagine what this knight will demand of her in return.



Fun. Witty. A humorous historical romance with feisty women, tall, strong, handsome and occasionally befuddled men. With a nice mixture of adventure, romance and comical situations, Viking in Love delivers a light afternoon away from the stresses of daily life. Sandra Hill delivers bodice ripping fun and lively characters.

"Goodbye Earl."
Excerpt from Chapter one:

Breanne's back went rigid with anger.  Truly, she would gladly kill the brute all over again for what he had done to her gentle sister.  She could only imagine what a nightmare Vana's one-year marriage had been.  If only they had left the Norselands earlier to visit her in her Saxon home!

There was a light knock on the door.

Everyone stiffened with alarm.

They must needs dispose of the body, but Breanne had no idea how they could manage the feat in a keep filled with housecarls and servants, all loyal to the beastly nobleman.  Now it was too late.

Breanne stood and motioned for Vana to step forth.  Despite her condition, Vana would have to answer.  Limping toward her, Vana stood bravely and faced the closed door.  "Who is it?"

"Rashid.  Let me in."

Five sets of shoulders sagged with relief.  Rashid was the assistant to Adam the Healer, a physician, her sister Tyra's husband.  With a snort of disgust, Tyra--who was extremely tall for a woman and very strong, having once been a warrior--jerked the door open, grabbed Rashid by the arm, and yanked him inside, shutting the door behind them.

Breanne had the good sense to lock it after them.

"What are you doing here?  Following me?" demanded Tyra, hands on hips.

"Allah be praised, it is good to see you, too, Tyra."
Rashid spoke in heavily accented English, though he still, after all these years, wore the traditional Arab garb of hooded robe with rope belt, over Saxon tunic and braies.  "Your husband asked me to follow and see what you were up to...I mean, to offer you protection in the event of..."  He slapped a hand over his heart as he noticed the nobly clad body lying in a pool of blood on the stone-flagged floor.  "For the love of a camel!  What have you done?"

"When we arrived for a visit, unannounced, we found the spineless lout beating our sister with his fists and a whip," Tyra explained.  "When I broke his whip, he came at me with a knife, which I turned on him."

They all glanced at the knife, which still protruded from
his belly.

Some of her sisters began to weep.

Oh, good gods!  Not the tears again!  Breanne stepped between Tyra and Rashid.  "It wasn't just Tyra.  We all played a part.  I for one hit him over the head with a poker when Tyra's knife thrust did not immediately fell him."

"And I kicked him when he was down," Ingrith said on a sniffle, her blue eyes sparkling with fury.  So hard was she shaking her head that strands of golden blonde hair were coming loose from her long braids.

"I kicked him, too.  In the head.  Just to make sure he was bloody well dead."  Drifa paused.  "Is he dead?"

Rashid went down on one knee and put his fingertips to a certain spot on the earl's neck.  "Dead as a fly on a cobra's tongue."

Rashid always had a way with words, especially proverbs, one of which he spouted now as he stood to his full height, wiping his hand on his robe with distaste.  "Death is a black camel that lies down at every door.  Sooner or later every man must ride the camel.  Like yon earl."

12. When You Dare by Lori Foster

Professional mercenary Dare Macintosh lives by one hard and fast rule: business should never be personal. If a cause appeals to him and the price is right, he'll take the mission he's offered. But then the lovely Molly Alexander asks him to help her track down the men who'd had her kidnapped—and for the first time, Dare's tempted to combine work with pleasure.

Fiercely independent, Molly vows to trust no one until she's uncovered the truth. Could the enemy be her powerful, estranged father? The ex-fiancé who still holds a grudge? Or the not-so-shy fan of her bestselling novels? As the danger heats up around them, the only anchor Molly has is Dare himself. But what she feels for him just might be the most frightening thing of all…

This is the first book that I have read by Lori Foster and I really enjoyed it.  It's a Harlequin Romance novel with more action, clever banter and strong-minded men and women.  From the first page the action began. A few turns later the hot romance began.

I did have a problem or two with the book which, in the end, was easy to overlook.  The immediate attraction between Dare and Molly...okay.  I can see that.  But they seemed to graduate to a full blown relationship very quickly.  Within pages they knew details about each others personalities, beliefs and way of life that should have taken them weeks even months to learn. For the most part, the novel tells the reader what they will need to know about the characters and how they interact rather than having the characters show it through their actions.  It was like they were on fast forward so that the awkward getting to know you stage wouldn't interfere with the investigation or action.  The other bit that bothered me here and there in the book is the heavy handed manner that the men deal with the women.  There is a need for protection yes, but at times the control they demand bordered on overbearing for this reader.  This is a light, sexy read, not meant to be anything more than entertaining.  As an adventure romance, it achieves that easily.

This book is full of mental eye candy.  So here is a trailer with more.