What I'm Reading

Right now I'm reading Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting and so far, so good. I'm definitely enjoying the author's writing style; she does a great job of mixing statistics and facts with fun anecdotes and personal stories. It's written in an entirely engaging way, and I feel like I've learned a lot, even though I wasn't reading this book as a parenting book. And I don't really think the author intended for it to be one, anyway! Bringing Up Bebe is more so a look at one woman's experience as an American mother living in France, taking us on her entire journey and sharing what she's learned along the way in a humorous, page-turning tone. It's an easy read- totally approachable, quite fascinating, and if the first three-fourths are indicative of the rest of the book, enjoyable from cover to cover. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who spends time with little ones or really anyone who's interesting in learning more about cross-cultural parenting.

So how about you- what are you reading right now?

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Books & An Upcoming Online Pink Tag Sale

When I spotted this fabulous image over at My Notting Hill blog the other day it really struck a chord with me.  Sometimes when I am searching for something in an old book or magazine from my library at home, our bedroom can turn into something which pretty much looks like the room above.  I have books all over my bed, floor and bedside table and let me tell you it's not much fun when it's time to put them all away again!!

In other news I have decided to clear the decks at Black & Spiro so I'm having an exciting online Pink Tag Sale here on the blog early next week which should be lots of fun.  I am such a hoarder so it's time to move some things on and make some space for the new things I will be purchasing on an upcoming overseas buying trip.

So make sure you click back early next week as there will be some wonderful bargains to be had.  If you have ever been to one of our annual Black & Spiro sales at the store you will know that I'm pretty ruthless when it comes to my markdowns!!

xx

Anna

image 1 - via my notting hill blog - room by mimi weddell from casa vogue 2005 - photo by tim walker

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Happy Monday to ME!

I woke up, and thanks to a few of my Facebook friends, noticed that there was a new Hunger Games trailer available to watch. And unlike the first one that barely showed anything, this one sheds light on so much, and so many characters. I am beyond excited for this, and from what I can tell, it's going to be absolutely amazing.

I read the first Hunger Games book a few years ago and since then I've persuaded almost everyone in my life to read all three of them, including most of my students. I'm such a book-pusher.

Let me know what you think! Happy Monday!

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The Library & E-books

Maybe I missed the memo when this first happened, but I only just discovered via my Mom that you can check out e-books for your Kindle (or other e-reading devices) via the library! WHOA, WHAT?! Yes. It's true. It's simple too. Go ahead and visit my local library's fabulous website and then choose your reader of choice. If you're a Kindle user like me, you'll be directed to watch a very helpful video that demonstrates how easy it is...or you can just watch it right here.

I am so, so excited about this. I love to download books to my Kindle, but because I read them so quickly I often get annoyed having to pay $9.99 or so for each title. This way I can read until I'm blue in the face...for free! And what's better than supporting your local library.  I still feel guilty from time to time about not buying paper copies of book (although I still buy ones I really love for our library), but this way I feel like I'm at least supporting the library, which is something I wholeheartedly believe in.

Happy reading!

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Books, books, books!

{click the photo to visit original source}

I don't know what it is, but with this cooler weather comes a new and refreshed love for reading.  By nature I am a total bookworm; my undergrad degree was in glorious English Literature and some of my most favorite memories from college involve fall days in one of my Lit. classes, talking about books and authors and all things reading. Because most of my classes were in the same part of campus, I would often sit out front of the liberal arts building with a book and a chai tea from the union, sipping away as I got lost in one story after another, looking up only to notice someone passing by on a bike or a lonely little fall leaf skipping down the Autumn walkway. I loved college.

But even better than college? Having an hour or two to myself in the evenings to curl up in bed with a mug of Sleepytime tea and read until my eyelids get heavy. College was great, but nothing beats the feeling of reading just for fun, with no other purpose than true curiousity and the desire to learn or be entertained.

So I ask you; what is the last great book you've read? If you could suggest one book to a friend (me!), what would you recommend?  I'm looking to fill up my Kindle and bookshelves as these days get cooler, and I'd love to know what you've been reading! I like all sorts of writing, from fiction to non-fiction, memoirs to sci-fi, girly books to YA lit.  I can't wait to see what you share.

xoxo

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Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie

I've been a reading machine lately, and I wanted to talk about one book in particular that I really enjoyed last month: Matched by Ally Condie. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I am a fan of dystopian literature and a few of my favorite books in the past couple of years have been the Hunger Games series. On a related note, if you're also into this kind of literature, I HIGHLY recommend The Handmaid's Tale by Margaraet Atwood, which is one of my most favorite books ever, in the whole entire world!

But back to the novel at hand. Matched was recommended to me by Amazon, and I promptly ordered the sample to my Kindle upon reading a snippet of the plot.  Two things you should know about me and my reading habits: one, I really love my Kindle for one reason in particular outside of its portability and convenience.  I'm obsessed with the sample feature! One of my favorite things to do is browse Amazon and order sample upon sample to my Kindle. When I go to turn it on later it's like Christmas, and the promise of finding at least one new book to love really makes me happy. And two, I really dislike reading in-depth reviews or summaries of a book. I typically just glance at it to get the main idea and that's it!  In a perfect world I wouldn't know anything about any book ever, and just go off recommendations. I really enjoy going into both books and movies with a completely unbiased opinion. So that's why when I review books I stay very vague and never, ever give spoilers.

So to give you a very brief idea of what Matched is about, here's a small snippet from Amazon:

For Cassia, nothing is left to chance--not what she will eat, the job she will have, or the man she will marry. In Matched, the Society Officials have determined optimal outcomes for all aspects of daily life, thereby removing the "burden" of choice. When Cassia's best friend is identified as her ideal marriage Match it confirms her belief that Society knows best, until... 

See? I gave nothing away. But if you're intrigued even a little bit, I urge you to avoid reading any more of the summary on Amazon and just go get the book, or order it! I definitely enjoyed it and it was an incredibly quick read. I did feel like some of the writing was a bit "fluffy," but at the same time it is a YA book and that part of the charm.  I did like the main characters, but I thought that they were lacking just a touch in depth. I would have loved to gotten to know them a bit more. All in all though, none of these things were large enough flaws that would prevent me from very eagerly awaiting the next book (to be released November 2011) or recommending it whole-heartedly to a friend.  I read it in two sittings because the author did such a great job of keeping everything moving and her writing definitely has an appealing flow to it. Two thumbs up!

So, if you're looking for a great book, in the same vein as The Hunger Games, then definitely try Matched by Ally Condie! And if you do, please let me know what you think! Happy reading.

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Book recommendation!

 So, call me crazy, but I got Tina Fey's new memoir, Bossypants, a day ago and already finished it within 24 hours. It's just that good! A few pages in and I was laughing out loud, and that continued throughout the entire book. It's the perfect mix of wit, sarcasm, humor...and I thought the writing was just excellent.

The book is a memoir, so it's chock full of tales from her youth, all the way up to today. It's funny, it's personal, it's the kind of book you can't put down. Quite simply: if you like to laugh, then this book is for you!

If you get it, let me know what you think. Happy reading!

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A Charmed Life & A New Book

Australian born Author and fellow blogger Vicki Archer seems to live a charmed life in the South of France, the place she has found and now calls home. Like many, I adored her first book "My French Life" and her new book "French Essence", continues to drag me into her dreamy world. The photography by Carla Coulson is divine and Vicki's styling is second-to-none. I have posted my absolute favourite page in her new book above. I decided on this one page as I don't want to spoil it for you. This book is definitely one to add to the Christmas wish list! Congratulations Vicki on another huge success!!

Nb. French Essence is available now in Australia & New Zealand and will be sold on Amazon later this year.

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