Changes and 101 Book Ideas

Summer's given way to autumn, and reading books is good in any season, so I wanted to share an interesting book list that might help you find your next great read.  

101 Books We Can't Live Without: The Daily Candy Roundup

If you're returning to the site, you may have noticed some changes. In keeping with the changing seasons, I have updated the blog format and added a fun Twitter feed located on the right. 

Brew some coffee or tea and curl up with a story you love!

Experimenting with Google+

I've been trying Google+ out. It's new. It's good. It's adding to my tech time, though, which cuts into my writing projects, but I'm dealing. So, if you're out there in the ether, tweeting, FBing or on Google+, raise your virtual hand or give a shout and let us know how you balance work and the rest.

Success or Mess: Fruit vs. Chocolate Conclusion

When I started this challenge, I had every intention of finishing it. The thing is, I’ve made some great fruit desserts and my family loved them.  An occasional fruit crumble topped with streusel or ice cream is great; however, my family prefers chocolate.

This weekend we went to a local festival and I knew it was time to call it even. Lovely autumn weather surrounded us as we walked the park and took home an amazing apple pie. That night we warmed some and topped the pieces with ice cream. That’s when I knew we were finished. It was that good. Plus, my husband said it was a great fruity dessert. That’s all I needed.

Now that we’re done, I just have to say whatever dessert you choose, fruit is good and chocolate is good, sometimes better. Today though, I’m just waiting and salivating until we can grab a couple forks and dig into that last sliver of sweet cinnamon apple goodness. I’m trying to hold off until tonight, but talking about it is making me hungry, so I better go. 

Worth a second post: E-Books – My (Not So) Secret Addiction *Guest Post by Debbie Sears*

When Amazon first introduced the Kindle I had mixed emotions.  My first reaction was, “I have to get one of these right away!”  Immediately followed by, “It cost how much?!!!”  My last reaction in those first three seconds was, “It will never replace real, paper books.”

I believed I was a purest and would never get sucked into the whole e-reader thing.  I was wrong; very, very wrong.  I held out until I got my iPad.  The e-book app was the kiss of death for me.  I was hooked, like an addict who had absolutely no intention of ever going to rehab.

My dear friend, Kristen, got me involved in a werewolf/vampire series by Patricia Briggs.  I finished the first book about 1:00 on a Saturday morning.  I really wanted to start the next book but Borders wasn’t open 24 hours so what was I to do?  I looked over at my iPad and thought; “I wonder just how easy it is to download a book?  I wonder how long it will take?”  So, taking a deep breath, I plugged in the information for the next book in the series and hit “Purchase.”  Within 15 seconds my book was downloaded and ready to read.  Holy smokes, could that have been any easier?  I don’t think so.  And so, my addiction began. 

The convenience of e-books is wonderful.   Your library is at your fingertips wherever you go.  My only regret is I don’t get to share my books with family and friends.  I believe books are treasures that should be shared with everyone; and I truly enjoy sharing my books.  Unfortunately I can’t do that with e-books; at least not yet.  I hope that issue will be resolved in the future.  I do know you can borrow e-books from many libraries but I haven’t tried this and don’t know the procedure.

For now, I’m going to hunker down with my iPad and enjoy the marvels of this new technology.  I just LOVE living in the 21^st century!