Struggling Reader

My goal today is to write 2,000 words, so instead I decided to write a post. I'm a procrastinator. I can't help it

So most of you know that I have set a goal to read 100 books this year. So far, I'm on track. According to Goodreads.com I am four books ahead of schedule. I'm impressed.

Thanks to Goodreads.com, I have found several new to me authors. Some of them I just love. Kristan Higgins. Love her. Karin Slaughter. LOVE HER.Sue Ann Jaffarian. LOVE HER! Thenthere are other authors that I have found that I won't mention cuz that's rude. Let's just say that I have stopped reading 3 books so far this year, THREE BOOKS, that I just couldn't get into for one reason or another and a fourth book that I pushed my way through because I was determined not to stop reading a fourth book.

I'm beginning to wonder if it's just me. What is my problem? One of the books that I stopped reading was by one of my favorite authors. It was just getting too freakin' weird for me. Says the girl who reads paranormal and fantasy. *sigh*

Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever gone through a spell where you just kept picking books that you couldn't get through? Is there a cure? Am I not going to reach my goal this year because I can't finish a book any more? WHAT'S GOING ON????

I also wanted to mention that part of my 100 books this year is to not reread any book that I've read before. Ever. What have I done?

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. Andof course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! This week's Library Loot is at Marg's.

My library card is maxed out, so to save you all from the gigantic list I'll only list a few. You can thank me later. ;)

Black Ice by Anne Stuart

Living paycheck to paycheck in Paris, American book translator Chloe Underwood would give anything for some excitement and passion--even a little danger. So when she's offered a lucrative weekend gig translating at a business conference in a remote chateau, she jumps at the chance to

shake things up.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot

Gossip columnist and single New York City girl Mel lives lives in the most exciting place in the world, yet she's bored with her lovelife. But things get interesting fast when the old lady next door is nearly murdered. Mel starts paying closer attention to her neighbors—what exactly is going on with the cute boy next door? Has Mel found the love of her life—or a killer?

Crazy In Love by Lani Diane Rich

Flynn Daly is turning thirty. And thirty is the age where she has to, gulp, get a job. Not just any job, but a job working for her real estate magnate father, a man who's tired of supporting his daughter through her many careers. So when their great-aunt Esther Goodhouse, proprietress of a historic inn nestled in Nowhere, New York, dies, Flynn finds herself smack dab in the country, contending with a hotel staff that's unsure of their new boss, a scruffy, sexy ex-policeman named Jake Turner who's convinced that Esther's death wasn't as natural as it seemed, and the ghost of Aunt Esther herself, who starts showing up in Flynn's dreams and undoing all the personal touches that Flynn tries to make to her new home.

Forget Me Not by Vicki Hinze

Crossroads Crisis Center owner Benjamin Brandt was a content man—in his faith, his work, and his family. Then in a flash, everything he loved was snatched away. His wife and son were murdered, and grief-stricken Ben lost faith. Determination to find their killers keeps him going, but after three years of dead ends and torment, his hope is dying too. Why had he survived? He’d failed to protect his family.

Now, a mysterious woman appears at Crossroads seeking answers and help—a victim who eerily resembles Ben’s deceased wife, Susan. A woman robbed of her identity, her life, of everything except her faith—and Susan’s necklace.

The connections between the two women mount, exceeding coincidence, and to keep the truth hidden, someone is willing to kill. Finding out who and why turns Ben and the mystery woman’s situation from dangerous to deadly. Their only hope for survival is to work together, trust each other, and face whatever they discover head on, no matter how painful. But will that be enough to save their lives and heal their tattered hearts?

Can I be a good writer?

I have been debating about whether or not to continue on with my dream of writing. Life keeps getting in the way and I have thus far been unsuccessful in my endeavor to finish a story.

I don't want to go into all the why's and how for's of why I'm not getting anything done because it's very personal and I don't feel like sharing quite that much with the entire world wide web; however, it's been on my mind. What makes someone a good writer?

Do you have to be able to wax poetically like say, Jane Austen? Do you have to be able to scare the bejeebers out of someone like say, Stephen King? Do you have to be able to write a best seller like say, Danielle Steel or John Grisham? I don't think so. I think that as long as you have a story to tell and a pencil (or writing implement of your choice) and paper you can write.

One of my favorite writers is Erma Bombeck. She left us way too soon and took her talent and her humor with her. She had a way with words that always brought a smile to my face or a tear to my eye. I'd like to share with you all some of my favorite Erma Bombeck quotes and one column. She reminds me that we don't all have to be Charlotte Bronte to be a writer.

I hope you all enjoy these as much as I do. Here's Erma....

“Housework can kill you if done right.”
― Erma Bombeck

“Sometimes I can't figure designers out. It's as if they flunked human anatomy.”
― Erma Bombeck

“No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed. I have known mothers who remake the bed after their children do it because there is wrinkle in the spread or the blanket is on crooked. This is sick.”
― Erma Bombeck

“Cleanliness is not next to godliness. It isn't even in the same neighborhood. No one has ever gotten a religious experience out of removing burned-on cheese from the grill of the toaster oven.”
― Erma Bombeck

“My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.”
― Erma Bombeck

“There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, 'Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams.' Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they're still there. These are great dreams, but they never even get out of the box. It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up and say, 'How good or how bad am I?' That's where courage comes in.”
― Erma Bombeck

“When God Created Mothers"

When the Good Lord was creating mothers, He was into His sixth day of "overtime" when the angel appeared and said. "You're doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And God said, "Have you read the specs on this order?" She has to be completely washable, but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said. "Six pairs of hands.... no way."

It's not the hands that are causing me problems," God remarked, "it's the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have."

That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. God nodded.

One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks, 'What are you kids doing in there?' when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldn't but what she has to know, and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. 'I understand and I love you' without so much as uttering a word."

God," said the angel touching his sleeve gently, "Get some rest tomorrow...."

I can't," said God, "I'm so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger...and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower."

The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.

But tough!" said God excitedly. "You can imagine what this mother can do or endure."

Can it think?"

Not only can it think, but it can reason and compromise," said the Creator.

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek.

There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model."

It's not a leak," said the Lord, "It's a tear."

What's it for?"

It's for joy, sadness, disappointment, pain, loneliness, and pride."

You are a genius, " said the angel.

Somberly, God said, "I didn't put it there.”
― Erma Bombeck, When God Created Mothers