That's me. Only less frazzled looking!
Sorry. No My Town Monday post this week. :(
I have to read the galleys for I So Don't Do Makeup. This is my last chance to make changes. Gulp.
I'm still wrestling with the outline for I So Don't Do Famous. The resolution doesn't feel resolved enough.
We refinanced and have to sign docs this week.
I'm going to Ann Arbor, Michigan on Friday for water polo with Child #3.
Ack.
Welcome one and all to the TENTH get-together of The Book Review Club. The TENTH! I can't believe it! Although considering that last month, I posted it was the NINTH meeting, you'd think I would've realized where we were headed!
Anyway, please pull up a comfy chair. Inhale deeply; the room is filled with the friendly aroma of coffee and sugary donuts. Gaze around. Our shelves are stocked with books. Exceptional previous reviews are only a click away. Oh, but it's great to be here.
SEEING IS BELIEVING. It's the 6th book in this annual Ripley's Believe It or Not series.
How did this book go over in my house?
Well, here's child #4 reading it.
And here's Child #3 following suit.
And here's child #...oops...It's my DH (darling husband)!
The hardcover book is filled with colorful photos and odd and obscure facts. Way-out-there obscure facts. And yet I managed to relate a few of them to my own little life.
Did you know that... "the World Cube Association holds an annual contest for solving a Rubik's Cube--while blindfolded. In 2008, the winner solved the puzzle in just 48 seconds." To give you a little perspective, I once solved a Rubik's Cube by peeling off all the little colored squares and sticking them back on the right order. It took way longer than 48 seconds.
Did you know that... "at O. Noir restaurant in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, customers dine in total darkness. There are no lights, no candles, and all cell phones and glowing watches must be removed." I once went on a blind date that might've gone better in this restaurant.
Did you know that... "a dental technician from Utah is one of the world's best tooth artists, having illustrated teeth for more than 20 years...Customers can have anything they want to display on their teeth, including many famous faces from the worlds of sports, politics and entertainment." Oh, oh, oh! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?! Book covers! I could have my book covers tattooed on my teeth!
In my family of four children, three of whom are boys, Ripley's Believe It or Not! SEEING IS BELIEVING is....a coffee table book. And there really is nothing odd about that!
Onto to our brilliant reviewers and their brilliant reviews...
PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS
Sarahlynn of Yeah, but Houdini didn't have these hips: AN APPLE PIE FOR DINNER retold by Susan Vanhecke and illustrated by Carol Baicker-McKee
YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
Stacy Nyikos: BUTT WARS: THE FINAL CONFLICT by Andy Griffiths (middle grade)
Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: FORTUNE'S FOLLY by Dave Fagan (middle grade)
Kaye of the Book Review Forum: THE BLUE STAR by Tommy Earley
Thao of serene hours: TEACH ME by R.A. Nelson
Linda McLaughlin: BABY BE-BOP by Francesca Lia Block
Keri Mikulski: THE NAUGHTY LIST by Suzanne Young
Patti Abbott: ROCK 'N ROLL SOLDIER by Dean Ellis Kohler and Susan Vanhecke
Jody Feldman: FROM THE MIXED-UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E.L. Konigsburg (middle grade)
ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
Sarah Laurence: THE CONFESSIONS OF EDWARD DAY by Valerie Martin (literary/thriller)
Sandy Levin of Peaceful Heart Stained Glass: STILL ALICE by Lisa Genova
Scott Parker: HEAT WAVE by Richard Castle (adult mystery)
Jenn Jilks of My Reflections: LOST IN THE BACKWOODS by Catherine Parr Traill (1802-1899) (biography)
Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: HOME TO BIG STONE GAP by Adriana Trigiani (women's fiction)
From the Desk of Bee Drunken: THE GREAT LOVER by Jill Dawson
NONFICTION REVIEWS
Kathy Holmes: GODFATHER OF NIGHT: A GREEK MAFIA FATHER, A DRUG RUNNER SON AND AN UNEXPECTED SHOT AT REDEMPTION by Kevin Pappas
Note to Reviewers: Our desktop computer was carted away, comatose and ill with a trojan, to the Geek Squad. So, if I missed anyone's review, it's due to technology! Well, maybe I can't blame it all on the sick computer! So, if I missed you, leave me a comment and I'll rectify the situation straight away. And award myself one less cookie today!
And here we are again--another My Town Monday post!
We're back in Hollywood. Fair warning--I crammed so much into my recent weekend away in LA/Hollywood/Beverly Hills that I could write SEVERAL My Town Monday posts on this area!
Today, we're at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (circa 1927) where I dragged Famous Author and Newbery Winner Susan Patron and Mary Hayward, Employee Extraordinaire of the Yellow Book Road (the children's indie bookstore near me in San Diego).
Susan and Mary were uber helpful and patient as we poked around the hotel, doing research for Sherry's fourth adventure, I So Don't Do Famous. I can be quite embarrassing and relentless with my camera (after all, I'll need all sorts of details for the book and have a memory like a sieve), but they were good-natured and helpful about it. We had A LOT of fun.
me, Mary Hayward, Susan Patron (The Higher Power of Lucky, Lucky Breaks and other wonderful books)
In this photo, we're lunching at 25 Degrees (a 24/7 restaurant at the Roosevelt). Here's the description from the hotel website: "....whose name refers to the temperature difference between a medium rare and well-done burger, has a playful 'Bordello meets Burger Bar attitude..."
Is the Roosevelt haunted?
Apparently so. Marilyn Monroe's spirit lives in a mirror there, and she occasionally dances in the ballroom. Montgomery Clift plays his bugle on the 8th floor. Also, there are a couple of room with ghosts.
Guess what the staff at the front desk did?
THEY DIMMED THE LOBBY LIGHTS AND TOLD US HOTEL GHOST STORIES! It was wild!
Will the Hollywood Roosevelt be featured in I So Don't Do Famous?
Oh, I think so.
Click here for links to more My Town Monday posts. (Thanks Clair for hosting) Also, if you're even mariginally thinking about writing a My-Town-Monday post, please do! Fair warning, though, it's addictive! Write your post, then leave a comment here and we'll link to you.
Please check back Wednesday when I'll be hosting The Book Review Club. We have some great reads lined up!
Sources:
http://www.hollywoodroosevelt.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Hotel_(Hollywood)
When I woke up this morning, there was a note waiting on my nightstand.
It's from Child #4 who knows and shares my love of candy and jewelry.
Happy Halloween back at you Child #4! We are going to have buckets of fun today. You will be a beautiful Cleopatra this evening. And I will be a scary pirate.
Happy Halloween to all of you!
This morning, there was a knock at my door. When I opened it, a large cardboard box sat on the stoop.
My author copies of the paperback version of I So Don't Do Mysteries! They'll be in bookstores around Nov. 10. For now, they're in my living room. And in my kitchen. And in my office. I'll probably carry them around with me for a few days, showing them the house, making sure they feel welcome.
I'm really excited about the paperback and the new cover.
But I'm also a little sad to say goodbye to the Sherry on the hardcover of I So Don't Do Mysteries. Of course, she'll always be on the hardcover of Mysteries, but that's the end of the line for her. She won't be featured on the hardcover of I So Don't Do Spooky or I So Don't Do Makeup or I So Don't Do Famous. Sigh.
And then I remembered a post I meant to put up back in September when I got back from Oklahoma. A post that really shows the old Sherry in a great light.
Take a gander at the size of that cover!!
Who created this amazing masterpiece?
MARYANN WALLS! She's a talented artist, mother, and volunteer at Oakdale Elementary in Edmond, OK. Here's Maryann Walls' website
Here's a shot of Artist Maryann Walls standing next to Sherry.
This is Robbie Wheeler, School Librarian Extraordinaire, who set up the school visit. There are many things to love about Robbie. She's friendly, organized, laughs at my jokes and brought me lunch. Not to mention that she loves putting students and books together.
Thank you, Robbie Wheeler for inviting me for a school visit. Thank you, students and staff of Oakdale Elementary for a fun time. Thank you, Maryann Walls, for this larger-than-life Sherry!
I was at the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association Authors' Feast this weekend. I got to hang out with lots of indie booksellers and lots of authors. Can I just say--people who love books know how to have a good time!
While up in that neck of the woods, I returned to HOLLYWOOD.
Hollyweird, oops, I mean Hollywood figures heavily in book #4, I So Don't Do Famous. So, armed with notebook and camera, I headed out to do some research. And,yes, Uncle Sam, I will be writing this trip off come tax time.
I took a tour of Grauman's Chinese Theater. The theater opened in 1927 and premiered The King of Kings. After a visit to China, Sid Grauman fell in love with the culture. He imported all manner of Chinese artifacts for the theater and even had Chinese artisans come and produce pieces. Today, this theater continues to be much sought after for movie premiers. Also, three Academy Awards have been held here.
And now for some trivia I picked up on the tour.
As you all know, outside the front of the theater are concrete blocks with celebrities' signatures, handprints and footprints. There are 247 of these blocks. According to Tour Guide Levi, they won't run out of room for 45-50 years. So, for those of you with this particular dream, THERE IS STILL TIME.
One fine day in 1927, Silent Movie Actress Norma Talmadge was walking in front of the theater when they were pouring concrete. By accident, she stepped in said concrete. Sid Grauman saw this, had her add her signature and handprints and a tradition was born. Lucky for Norma that she walked through Sid Grauman's wet cement and not mine. I would've yelled at her for messing up my new sidewalk.
Hugh Jackman is the most recent addition to the forecourt (April 2009). Levi the Tour Guide may have shared with me who's next. Send me $100 and I will tell you whether or not I know.
Marilyn Monroe wanted a diamond to dot the "i" in her name. The powers of the time refused on the grounds that the diamond would be stolen. Instead, they inserted a rhinestone. Within three days, someone tried to pry it out and succeeded in breaking off part of the stone. You can still see the knife marks. Not sure why anyone thought a rhinestone would be a safe bet!
Anyway, I had a very fun weekend. My family, of course, missed me dreadfully and fell apart at the seams. Okay, fine, they had a fun weekend themselves back in San Diego with the school's Fall Carnival, a few water polo games, and a Brownie activity. Dorothy the Dog, however, really did miss me because no one fed her dinner for two nights! Lest you be tempted to call the Humane Society, let me assure you that she did have food and water, just not her FAVORITE dinner fare.
Click here for links to more My Town Monday posts. (Thanks Clair for hosting) Also, if you're even mariginally thinking about writing a My-Town-Monday post, please do! Fair warning, though, it's addictive! Write your post, then leave a comment here and we'll link to you.
There was a bit of a scuffle in the chameleon cage this morning when she ACCIDENTALLY stepped on him. He swiftly turned and bit her on the arm.
Here is my lecture to him:
If you don't want to get stepped on, quit making yourself look like a ficus leaf. Also, I understand that in the wild you two wouldn't choose to mate for life. Here in the Summy cage, though, we're all about monogamy. So, play nice, share the crickets and remember the golden rule. She's the mother of the 47 eggs currently basking in the incubator. For that alone, she deserves some respect.
And here he is, looking all contrite and apologetic.
Sorry for the absence. I'm "swamped." (a little chameleon humor....they live in rainy places) Although I truly am crazy-busy.
I have a library visit at 5:30 - 7pm at the Santee Library. I'll be there with Cindy Pon and Laura Preble. Should be fun. I have a joke gift for them. I can't tell you what because you never know who's lurking. Mwaaaaa!
