Lavender & Coffee Stains

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


* Grab your current read.
* Open to a random page.
* Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!



Here are my chosen teasers:

"Granted every baby comes with his or her own personality, but I'm amazed at how many solemn, serious babies are the offspring of moody, serious adults. Happiness is contagious."


~ page 124, I'm Too Sexy for My Volvo: A Mom's Guide to Staying Fabulous by Betty Londergan

Dear Me,

It was not so long ago when hubby bought these two book cases for me.



And I was already on my toes shopping for more books:



The Deep End of the Ocean by Jacquelyn Mitchard
One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty


Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot by John Callahan
Trick of Nature by Suzanne Matson
The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls by A. Powell Davies
My Point and I Do Have One by Ellen DeGeneres


Echo Park by Michael Connelly
Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowen
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve


Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
Dave Barry Does Japan by Dave Barry
Jewel by Bret Lott
Tight Squeeze by Debbie DiGiovanni

And these were bought for me by hubby a week after:



Blood Work by Michael Connelly
When in Rome: A Novel of Piazzas and Passion by Gemma Townley


Bloodlines by Jan Burke
Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

In My Mailbox was started November 2008 and initiated by book blogger Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Books featured maybe the ones you bought, picked up from the library, received for review.

Please pop by at The Story Siren's initial entry on IMM for more details. Also, don't forget to visit other posts by IMM participants.

Have a great Sunday!

Dear Me,

I'm reading my first book for year 2011.




Here's my chosen tears:

At that moment Ramona coughed, which she had been trying to avoid, because any movement aggravated the postoperative pain. When she coughed and expectorated into a tissue, she saw something that alarmed her even more.

~ page 208, Critical by Robin Cook





This book has been lying in my TBR for a while and since I am needing a book to pump up my reading momentum, I thought a medical thriller would do it.



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


* Grab your current read.

* Open to a random page.

* Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Dear Me,

With all the flurry of activities brought about by lots of things in-between -- being a mom, being your own nanny and househelp, running errands, doing a little part-time job and with the upcoming holidays, I declare that I have been so laxed in reading my books.

But I just picked a book days ago. And I'm currently loving it.



Here's my chosen teasers:

Gotta love these chain cafe bookstores that let you read the books in the store, right? They're like public libraries minus the homeless people. They are great!

~ page 152, The Broke Diaries: The Completely True and Hilarious Misadventures of a Good Girl Gone Broke by Angela Nissel



I chose these teasers because the reference made reminded me of the same bookstore here in the Philippines. In fact, I love it because when I happen to come across a book I like, I can flip all the pages, check it out and later on, buy it. But some friends I know can even get away reading the whole book just by staying there for hours. LOL.



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


* Grab your current read.

* Open to a random page.

* Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


I'm almost done with this book. I'm hoping to make a review of this one soon. Meantime, I have to do some errands at the bank. A happy Tuesday to everyone! :)

Dear Me,

I signed up in a couple of publishing sites and there were two particular books that I would love to grace my bookshelves.



On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

Well, it just seem perfect that I highlight them all here.



This is one of the books I would to read in leisure. My interest in ancient Egypt stretches throughout - from its mythology to its earliest civilization and powerful rulers.

The Scroll of Anubis

authored by T. Patrick Rooney

published on November 29, 2010 by CreateSpace

paperback, 300 pages

ancient Egypt (?)

Book Synopsis:

Ages. Centuries. Millennia. Human essence trapped withing dead flesh. These are the things that rest within our tombs, that have waited for the day to come when they could finally rise from the depths of the underworld. These are the creatures that man always intended to rise. Their time has come! Featuring 29 terrifying tales of the undead, The Scroll of Anubis takes you to places you could never imagine. From the depths of Egypt to the streets of the suburbs, enter a world where the dead have risen, where terror walks the Earth.

Like any other Egyptian being who held Egypt in their hands, Cleopatra never failed to enthrall and intrigue me at the same time.

Cleopatra: A Life

authored by Stacy Schiff

published on November 1, 2010 by Little, Brown and Company

hardcover, 384 pages

biography and memoir

Book Synopsis:

Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator.

Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, among the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a child with Caesar and--after his murder--three more with his protégé. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Antony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of the age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends. Cleopatra has lodged herself in our imaginations ever since.

Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Shakespeare and Shaw put words in her mouth. Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. Along the way, Cleopatra's supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. Rich in detail, epic in scope, Schiff 's is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life.

If there are other books about ancient Egypt, please kindly let me know in the comments. I ought to start my newest collection. :)

Dear Me,

Mommy Journey is featuring the 'before and after' looks of our kids while growing up via Mommy Moments. I'm sharing the photos of my little angel, Carlos Miguel. :)




Carlos Miguel @ 3 months old
enjoying rolling over and crawling

Just turned 3 years old earlier this month
all dressed up and ready to go out

And yes, Mommy Chris! He grows up so fast that I was amazed while browsing our digital photo archive. I had a hard time combing through folders and subfolders for there were a lot of them to choose from.

But there is one thing that I realize, time really passes by so fast! While he is still young, I will spend more quality time with him and enjoy the things a little boy like him loves to do.

Dear Me,

It's Aloha Friday over at An Island Life. Hosted by Kailani from Hawaii,

Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too.

I'll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you'd like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don't forget to visit the other participants! It's a great way to make new bloggy friends!

We only have seven days a week to do the things we need to do. But if we are granted one more day, what would you do? The condition: that extra day will be solely and exclusively for yourself only.

Given that, plus all conflicting factors considered, I would definitely be in a zen-like place trying yoga and tai-chi; or I can also be engaging myself in an adrenaline-rush situation like having a mega zipline adventure or whitewater rafting experience. It would be such an intoxicating and well-spent day!

Dear Me,

Yes, it's my favorite day of the week. Here we go and be wordless on a Wednesday.



my little boy, Carlos Miguel reading with...

For more Wordless Wednesdays,
take a peek at the WW Hub and 5M4M.


View More Wordless Wednesday Participants

Dear Me,

It's Aloha Friday over at An Island Life. Hosted by Kailani from Hawaii,

Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too.

I'll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response. If you'd like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don't forget to visit the other participants! It's a great way to make new bloggy friends!

During your free time, what do you love to do? Do you read a book, go shopping, hook up with friends, etc?

I will definitely read a book. I accumulate books faster than I can read them. My tbr is forever growing and I am absolutely wishing I have a big library where to store them since all my bookshelves are full already.

Dear Me,

Yes, it's my favorite day of the week. Here we go and be wordless on a Wednesday.



my 2-year old son, Carlos Miguel
with his lovely cousin, Khloe

For more Wordless Wednesdays,
take a peek at the WW Hub and 5M4M.


View More Wordless Wednesday Participants

Dear Me,

Like every book-loving person out there, I not only have overflowing bookshelves and towering book piles scattered all over the place but also a legion of lists of books I want to read, own and collect. I have them listed in a database then I got bored and moved on. And because the desire and the restlessness of liking a book and yet it is not available makes the urge to have it in my hands all the more exciting and frustrating at the same time. The wishlist started with just five books and I didn't even know how many they were. I even lost a number of them because I had them scribbled in a tissue paper from a coffee shop, noted them in a grocery receipt, typed them in the notes tab from my pda and worst of them all, jotted in the palm of my hand.

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

My book wishlist does not only comprise my books-to-covet but also includes the books-I-want-to-covet for my two-year old reader. As much as I am a self-confessed book-lover, children's books are not my forte. But when Miguel started holding and flipping the pages of my paperbacks and hardcovers, I realized that I might need to start liking and reading the books meant for his age. After all, I want him to grow up enjoying every book that comes his way.

With that, here's my wishlist:



Although this book is more appropriate for ages 4-6 years old, I think there's no harm in reading this to him and explaining about the ill effects of throwing trash in the ocean. He practically knows what trash is and what this body of water is like. I think he will love pointing the beautiful creatures in the ocean.

I Can Save the Ocean:
The Little Green Monster Cleans Up the Beach

authored by Alison Inches and
illustrated by Viviana Garofoli

published on March 9, 2010 by Simon & Schuster

hardcover, 24 pages

children's book
Book Synopsis:

Max the Little Green Monster is a cute, furry green monster that loves the outdoors, especially the beach! But Max and his friends don't like cleaning up after themselves and after a picnic on the shore, they leave a big mess behind and go scuba diving. While Max is excited to meet lots of new ocean-swimming friends from crabs to colorful fishes to ink-squirting squids, when he learns how his carelessness and littering may have harmed the beautiful ocean, the Little Green Monster goes on a quest to clean and protect the beach and finds out what it means to be environmentally green.

Kids can join Max the Little Green Monster's journey to environmental awareness and learn tips on how they can become little green monsters themselves. The interior pages of this book will be printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper that's FSC-certified.

Knowing Frances Mayes was an accident. Thanks to her book-turned-movie with the same title (Under The Tuscan Sun), I would not have hunted and read the book sooner and discovered that both were equally beautifully written. If not for the movie (which I loved, by the way), I would not have known the joy of reading her other works. For that, I have to thank my hubby most of all, for bringing this movie into my attention.

I cannot get enough of Mayes' chronicles about Tuscany and her enchanting experiences there. I am truly envious.

Every Day In Tuscany: Seasons Of An Italian Life

authored by Frances Mayes

published on March 9, 2010 by Broadway Books

hardcover, 320 pages

travel memoir
Book Synopsis:

In this sequel to her New York Times bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany, the celebrated "bard of Tuscany" (New York Times) lyrically chronicles her continuing, two decades-long love affair with Tuscany's people, art, cuisine, and lifestyle.

Frances Mayes offers her readers a deeply personal memoir of her present-day life in Tuscany, encompassing both the changes she has experienced since Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany appeared, and sensuous, evocative reflections on the timeless beauty and vivid pleasures of Italian life. Among the themes Mayes explores are how her experience of Tuscany dramatically expanded when she renovated and became a part-time resident of a 13th century house with a stone roof in the mountains above Cortona, how life in the mountains introduced her to a "wilder" side of Tuscany—and with it a lively engagement with Tuscany's mountain people. Throughout, she reveals the concrete joys of life in her adopted hill town, with particular attention to life in the piazza, the art of Luca Signorelli (Renaissance painter from Cortona), and the pastoral pleasures of feasting from her garden. Moving always toward a deeper engagement, Mayes writes of Tuscan icons that have become for her storehouses of memory, of crucible moments from which bigger ideas emerged, and of the writing life she has enjoyed in the room where Under the Tuscan Sun began.

With more on the pleasures of life at Bramasole, the delights and challenges of living in Italy day-to-day and favorite recipes, Every Day in Tuscany is a passionate andinviting account of the richness and complexity of Italian life.

I always have a thing for crime fiction with suspense and thrill to boot. Because of this, I am always in the look-out for new authors (at least for me) to excite me. The synopsis seemed interesting enough for me to include this in my wishlist.

The Dante Killings: A Thriller

authored by David Hewson

published on April 27, 2010 by Random House

paperback, 544 pages

police procedural thriller
Book Synopsis:

On a warm, golden evening in Rome, celebrities and paparazzi gather at the Villa Borghese as a legendary director premieres his long-anticipated film version of Dante’s Inferno. But minutes later the scene is chaos: A man lies dead, the film’s star is missing, and a priceless relic has vanished.

As the premiere shifts locations—from Rome to San Francisco—detective Nic Costa finds himself on U.S. shores for the first time, charged with protecting a trove of rare Italian artworks and artifacts, as well as an American film actress, Maggie Flavier. When a killer indeed strikes, and with Flavier in danger, Costa races to unravel the chilling clues that connect Dante’s nine circles of Hell to the shattering revelations of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. But he may be too late. For a cunning plot is closing in around Costa, guided by a poet’s ancient vision of sin and punishment and a killer’s genius for terror.

Dear Me,

It's been a while since I joined a book meme. Life kinda took over and I had to set things aside. And while at it, I made sure that I would be reading again. :)


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
  
• Open to a random page.
  
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
  
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
  (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From the covers to the synopsis, I think I am loving Polly Williams.




Here's my chosen teasers:

It's hard to believe that I've been away for a week rather than just popped out during a lunch hour. This place shrinks time to nothing, swallowing meetings, mornings, weeks, years...


~ page 275, A Good Girl Comes Undone

Dear Me,

This is the first time that Miguel & I will be celebrating Father's Day without hubby. He is now based overseas for work. I guess we will just celebrate the occasion with my folks.

I miss him and I'm certain that my little boy does, too.



Being frequent SM mall shopper, we never fail to visit Toy Kingdom. Most often than not, the little boy takes home a new toy courtesy of his father.

The photo above was taken during one of our toy-shopping visits at the store. I am not just sure if that mascot was that of Toy Kingdom. He was more like a mascot from Eveready battery. LOL.



Taken last holiday when both of my boys opened their gifts from me. Hehehe. See the smile of glee from Miguel when he saw that he had new shoes? :)



And for the big guy? Few sets of long sleeve polo shirts. Well, he was with me when we bought it in the mall. I just had it wrapped. Hehehe.





These last two photos were actually the last shots they had together before hubby flew abroad the following day.

It is just less than five months since he 'went away' and yet, I can see how fast the little boy has grown (basing on the photos).

To you honey, happy Father's Day! We will always be here loving and waiting for you! :)

Dear Me,

I'm picking out a new book to read today. I just finished reading The Killing Art by Jonathan Santlofer.


************

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
  
• Open to a random page.
  
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
  
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
  (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

From my shelves in the bedroom, I picked a new book to read, authored by Cornelia Funke. She's a German author of children's fiction and known for her Inkworld trilogy.



Here's my chosen teasers:

They were all very tired, but none of them fell asleep quickly. And even when they did, the bad dreams were already lurking underneath their pillows.


~ page 267, The Thief Lord

Dear Me,

This was taken two Sundays ago. I had been trying so hard to take a decent snapshot and finally after so many attempts, I shot a nicer one. Such a beautiful phenomenon.




For more Wordless Wednesdays,
take a peek at the WW Hub and 5M4M.


View More Wordless Wednesday Participants

Dear Me,

I'm writing this entry out here in the veranda. It's only a few minutes after six o'clock in the morning. I'm trying to catch up with the coolness of the early morn for I know in an hour or so, the summer heat will welcome itself in the house.

************
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read.
  
• Open to a random page.
  
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
  
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
  (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Another new author who is engaging me with his book right now is Jonathan Santlofer.



Here's my chosen teasers:

She hung up, adding frustration to her paranoia and fear, and when she got into bed she could not stop replaying the image of the two men coming out of the mist, and the identities she had attached to them -- Leader and Lifschultz -- and when she finally managed to exhaust that, she replayed the things Daniella Resnikoff had said about her father leaving the New York art scene because he could not take the jealousy and competition, that there wasn't room for another figure painter, and his comment about Zander: "He is dead to me."


~ page 300, The Killing Art

Dear Me,

I am supposed to post this in my book blog over at Bookish Adventures. But it's hard to manage more than one blog when you're trying to be consistent in blogging regularly in just one blog. *hmm* Did I just make sense in that statement? *hmm*

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read.

* Open to a random page.

* Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
(make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

The new author who is enthralling me with his book right now is Joel Rosenberg.



Here's my chosen teasers:

"But what intrigued Costello most was that Allegro explained that he believed the Copper Scroll was no legend. He believed that it was real and fully expected the treasures to one day be found."


~ page 246, The Copper Scroll

Dear Me,

There are times when you're hearing nice music over the air waves that you feel like capturing those songs in your heart. It is either you can relate to it or simply, you love the meaning behind the lines. It can also be that you are a great fan of the artist or merely, the music suits your current mood.

I was watching one of my favorite tv series, CSI Miami when I heard this song:

UNSTOPPABLE
by Rascal Flatts

Yeah yeah yeah..
Hey

So, so you made a lot of mistakes
Walked down the road a little sideways
Cracked a brick when you hit the wall
Yeah, you've had a pocket full of regrets
Pull you down faster than a sunset
Hey, it happens to us all

When the cold hard rain just won't quit
And you can't see your way out of it

CHORUS
You find your faith has been lost and shaken
You take back what's been taken
Get on your knees and dig down deep
You can do what you think is impossible
Keep on believing, don't give in
It'll come and make you whole again
It always will, it always does
Love is unstoppable

Love, it weather any storm
Bring you back to being born again
oh, it's a helping hand when you need it most
A lighthouse shinning on the coast
That never goes dim

When your heart is full of doubt
And you think that there's no way out

CHORUS
You find your faith has been lost and shaken
You take back what's been taken
Get on your knees and dig down deep
You can do what you think is impossible
Keep on believing, don't give in
It'll come and make you whole again
It always will, it always does
Love is unstoppable

Like a river keeps on rolling
Like the north wind blowing
Don't it feel good knowing
Yeah

CHORUS
You find your faith has been lost and shaken
You take back what's been taken
Get on your knees and dig down deep
You can do what you think is impossible
Keep on believing, don't give in
It'll come and make you whole again
It always will, it always does
Love is unstoppable

Love is unstoppable
So you made a lot of mistakes
Walked down the road a little sideways
Love, love is unstoppable

My adjectives: country, ballad, powerful, moving.

Cheers to my first Music Monday participation!


Come and join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge. Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Dear Me,

I have been wanting to do some food-tripping lately. I'm not sure if my cravings are due to the summer season we are having right now.

Anyway, when I saw this week's PhotoHunt theme, I jumped at the chance of featuring my flavor of the week. :)



This week's theme: COVERED

.
Doesn't this look uber-yummy to you? It's our favorite banana-mango choco crepe COVERED with vanilla ice cream! It was supposed to be "topped" with ice cream but my little boy wanted us to take a photograph of him with this delicious dessert. It took a number of clicks before he decided that snapping shots was over. :)


Want to join the Saturday fun? Participate and grab the code here!

To view this week's participants, check here.

View more Saturday Photohunters!

Dear Me,

I have been thinking last night of what to photograph for this week's PhotoHunt theme. What came to mind were veggies and fruits, air, flowers, water from a brook, etc. Unfortunately, those were not available for any snapshots.


This week's theme: FRESH
And so I just wandered outside this morning and this caught my attention:




The morning dew as evidenced in this big leafy plant rendered a FRESH perspective. As the day amazingly unfolds before me, it gives a whole new meaning of being alive.


Want to join the Saturday fun? Participate and grab the code here!

To view this week's participants, check here.

View more Saturday Photohunters!