Fairy Tale Challenge

So I'm a little bit late in the game with signing up for reading challenges for 2011 as my blog didn't really get up and running until March, but this one caught my eye. Isn't that picture so whimisical?
This contest is being held by TIF Talks Books and it runs until December 31st 2011. Here are the levels you can participate in:

Fairy (Level 1): Read 1 original tale. Read 1 modern tale. Watch 1 film. (Total of 3 selections.)
Dwarf (Level 2): Read/watch any combination of original tales, modern tales, or films, resulting in 6 total selections.
Royal Prince or Princess (Level 3): Read/watch any combination of original tales, modern tales, or films, resulting in 9 total selections.
Happily Ever After (Level 4): Read/watch any combination of original tales, modern tales, or films, resulting in 12 total selections.

Personally, I'm going to try for the Dwarf level! You can see my progress with this challenge by looking under Features at the top of my blog :).

To find out more about this challenge or to sign up, click the picture above!

This 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


• Be sure to include the title and author of the book too, so that if others are intrigued by your teaser, they can add the book to their TBR pile as well

My Teaser: "Then I realized the man was holding the newspaper with his right hand while petting Dewey with his left. One of them was purring; the other was smiling. That's when I knew Dewey and the town had fallen into a comfort zone, that the general outline of our lives had been set, at least for the next few years."

From Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron p. 171

This weekly meme is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading! This week's Musing asks us...

In MizB's local community, the Catholic schools have decided to close their schools' libraries as a result of budget cuts. The librarians have lost their jobs and all of the books that used to be in the library have been moved to the classrooms instead. Parents, students and teachers are in an uproar. What do you think? Is it a good solution for schools to be without an actual library room?

My answer...

First of all, I wanted to make a quick mention of Blogger being down last week. This caused some of my posts to be rearranged and for some of my comments to be deleted! :( If you have entered my giveaway, please make sure that your entry is still there and make sure to re-enter if it got deleted. Thanks to all for your entries...giveaway ends on May 31st, so there is still time to sign up if you haven't already!

Now to my Musing answer. My first thought is wow, that is really just SAD! I agree with MizB's response that libraries are not just "rooms" or "places" but instead, are treasure troves where magical books are held. I feel sad for the children who don't have a quiet place to go now, where they can check out books, learn about books, read books, study, or just rest and be quiet.

I have definitely loved and utilized libaries from an early age...I remember the excitement of signing up for summer reading contests at my local library when I was little to scouring out quiet nooks to spread out and study while in college.

Having said all of this, though, in this economy, hard decisions do have to be made and I'm sure the school board really had a tough time making this one. Maybe everyone in your community, MizB, can put their heads together and hopefully come up with a better solution!

Review of Marley and Me by John Grogan

Synopsis in a Sentence: Dog owner and writer, John Grogan, tries to navigate life with his rambunctious and fun-loving Labrador Retriever, Marley.

My Thoughts:

First of all, this book was so much fun to read! The misadventures that Marley finds himself having are hilarious and endearing. Any dog owner and lover, will be able to find humor and appreciate this touching memoir...and see glimpses of themselves and their own pets in owner, John and dog, Marley.

Perhaps my favorite Marley misadventure is when he fails out of puppy class for behaving badly, but then years later, after being trained more thoroughly by John, is able to finally complete obedience class successfully! Also, it is so sweet at the end of the book when John is describing Marley's legacy and says, "He may not have been the best behaved dog in the world, but he knew exactly what it was to be loyal, and to be man's best friend." How can you not love a story about a big, drooly, loyal pooch?! I did, and I think you will too :).

What I liked most: I loved how this book was not just about Marley, but about the story of the Grogan family. It is truly the portrait of a family growing, changing, and learning to love life and eachother. Of course, as pets do, Marley is there to support, love, and add entertainment every step of the way!

What I liked least: Grogan possibly drags out the book a little bit too long. I also got the feeling that every once in awhile, he was exaggerating or even making up a few stories about Marley for comedic or dramatic effect. Oh well, only he knows for sure...you still finish the book with a warm, fuzzy feeling in your heart. Warning: if you are not currently a dog owner, be prepared to have a sudden, undeniable urge to drive straight to the nearest animal shelter to bring home a new, furry friend! ;).

MizB of Should Be Reading hosts this weekly meme. To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions...

• What are you currently reading?



• What did you recently finish reading?



• What do you think you'll read next?

My answers...

I am currently reading Marley and Me by John Grogan. Having two dogs, it's really fun reading about another dog's antics and comparing it to what my own do!

I recently finished reading Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg. Enter my first giveaway to win a brand new copy of this book!

Staying in the same vein as reading about animals, I think I'm going to read Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron. I can't read a book about dogs, and then not give cats any love, can I? You know how cats are...they might take offense to that haha. But in all seriousness, it really does look like a cute, cozy read :).