Read-A-Thon Day #4 – Book Spine Poetry & Tears on My Pillow

Okay Dokey folks, time for some book spine poetry brought to you by Oh, Chrys!! I thought about going through my library and amassing this amazing poem…then I decided that would feel like cheating. As my Summer Reading List is always evolving – based on what we get from the library primarily – I tried to do the best with the actual books on my list. So, as sad as this may be (much like my real poetry, which is why I would never share it) here is my Read-A-Thon Book Spine Poetry Challenge!

Delirium in the woods,

Gulp.

The shinning girls double feature,

The good nurse.

Wow, that was painful! Hope you’ll stay with me through the second part of this post after that atrocity! Just trying to stay authentic, that’s how I roll! 🙂

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›››› Tears on My Pillow ‹‹‹‹

• 

  The Girl in the Green Raincoat

  Author: Laura Lippman

• Style: Quality Paperback
• Genre: Mystery/Thriller/Suspense
• Length: 158 pages
• ISBN: 978-0-06-193836-8
• Year: 2008
• Publisher: Morrow
• Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Share a quote from your current read or tell us about a book that really pulled on your heart strings. What was it about that book/quote that made you cry?

She knew what it was like to fight for her own life, but this had been different. She was defending her daughter. Now she could only hope that she hadn’t killed her in the process.

Page 147

Obviously this quote was at the end of the book just by looking at the page number. I had invested hours of my time becoming immersed in this story – invested in the characters. Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan novels are of course part of a series, so this book brought me back to characters I have followed for years. I have been following Tess through all sorts of painful and dangerous shenanigans in Baltimore, so when this novella came out after being published in The New York Times Magazine I jumped on it.

In this book, my Tess – after years of rejecting the idea of settling down – is seven months pregnant and on bed rest. Firstly, I was amazed that Lippman went this direction with the character, as a private detective a baby just didn’t seem to fit. I went in a bit weary but Lippman didn’t disappoint me because Tess was as wary of it as I was!

This quote pulled at my heartstrings and indeed made me tear up because I understood, at a very personal level, the idea of protecting your unborn child no matter the consequences. She was so worried about becoming a mother, her lack of motherly instinct, but when the time came it just kicked in. I’ve been told that is how it really is when you have a child. We have never gotten to the baby part, and I was holding my breath to see if Tess did. Want to find out if she got there? Well…READ THE BOOK!

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award…For Me?

I don’t think that I could possibly hide my surprise when Movies, Silently sent me this nomination. I love her blog, the magic and mystery of the silent movie era are described in such a vibrant tone everyday – I look forward to reading each and every post. Old souls are far more common here in the blogging community than I imagined, and she is this wonderful, inspiring writer reminding us of the golden age of movies. My thanks to her will never be enough.

There is a small part of me that hopes that this award is true, that somehow I have inspired at least one person who has read this blog. Maybe a knitter wanting a new pattern, a reader wanting a new book or someone up against the odds who can find some sort of strength in what I write…and more importantly all the wonderful comments that come through this blog. The readers of this blog have made me a better person, and I mean this. I hope this doesn’t come off as pompous or pretentious – hells bells it comes straight from my heart!

So, now let’s get down and dirty with the awards rules!

1. Display the award logo on your blog. (√ CHECK!)
2. Link back to the person who nominated you. (√ CHECK!)
3. Nominate 10 (yes, I changed it – it used to be 15 but I hate to bombard people with the need to post awards. Also, I figure with less nominees the chances of having their blogs discovered is higher.) other bloggers for this award and link to them. (√ CHECK!)

4. Notify those bloggers of the nomination and the award’s requirements. (I will get right on it – with great pleasure I might add!)

 

** So, here are my wonderful, amazing, talented, super awesome bloggers! **

1. lollyknits – Lolly has shown me the wonderful world of artist expression through her spinning, knitting and writing. She is also a wonderful source of encouragement and support to her fellow bloggers.
2. Cross(stitch) Your Heart – Another blogger that is always willing a helping hand, her blog boast beautiful pictures, rich prose and a wry sense of humor. Yes – I know you already got this award but I want to give it to you because you inspire me. Deal with it 😉
3. A World Created – There are just not enough good things to say about Hannah Rose and her huge, inspiring heart. My advice, go see for yourself!
4. Intricate Knits – I have been personally inspired both by her blog and her comments. She takes her time,  you never feel like she is rushing to get through her posts or her conversations with other bloggers.
5. Rob’s Surf Report – My daily dose of writing and brow furrowing thinking comes for his brain to my computer screen every day. He is a joy to converse with and his blog is incredible! If I had half his writing talent I would just up and quit my day job.
6. jelliefishcrafts – She is a relatively new blogger on my list but I just love how her mind thinks. She has these amazing to-do lists she plans to conquer and she has been quite helpful with my quires on my blog. I wish I could give her the Amazing Team Member Award as well.
7. Sara Crafts – When I first started blogging and was struggling with getting it all together, she almost (at the time) single-handedly kept me from throwing in the towel. If that isn’t inspiring I don’t know what is.
8. feelgoodknitting – Inspiration comes from this blogger because she really reminds you that it DOES feel good knitting! Forget frogging, socks that are too big or sleeves that aren’t the same length – take strength from someone who loves what they do!
9. knitrun4sanity – (@knitrun4sanity – you know you are totally deserving of this award twice over). To the rest of the readers, this runner/crafter awesome blogger is not only a great read but a great reference. I love her posts, I love the convos we’ve had and I love that she reminds me to keep up – no matter what!
10. Through a Cracked Lens – Want to talk inspiration? This blogger talked me into sharing my photos on my blog – something my particular Panic Monster was keeping me from doing. Her photos, her writing, everything about her blog resonates with me. I love seeing it in  my reading queue and throughly enjoy our commenting back and forth.

Still with me? ACES! There is one more bit of fun that Movies, Silently has set up for us!

But it wouldn’t be fun to just give this award out without a little bit of a challenge so here are three questions:

1. What is your favorite post on your blog (please include a link): My favorite post is actually one I did just a few days ago – A Quick Call to Knitter, Crocheters and Designers! This post was asking how to go about writing a pattern for my niece and received a whopping 153 response! Everyone came up and wanted to help, to share, to contribute. Since I don’t curse on my blog (often) I am going to pretend to be British for a moment…It was BLOODY AWESOME!

2. Did you consider blogging about any other subject? If yes, what? I have wondered a great deal about blogging about my families genealogy, there are so many wonderful stories to tell that I think people would get a real kick out of!

3. Is there a particular time or place when inspiration strikes you? If yes, when and where? When I go to bed, my mind starts racing with ideas of what I want to write about next. The best time for me to write however is late at night, the house is quite and I can focus of what I am doing – from there my mind just takes over and I just try to keep up!

Thank you friends and neighbors, thank you so much for making blogging this much fun. As a bonus for getting through 1,000 words – ANY COMMENTER TO THIS POST IS FREE TO NOMINATE ONE PERSON IN THE COMMENT SECTION AND PING IT BACK. LET US NOT HIDE HOW WE FEEL ABOUT OUR FELLOW BLOGGERS – LETS SHARE THE LOVE!