Changes Coming Soon, Plus An Upcoming Giveaway

I want to thank everyone who stopped by and commented on the changes I've been thinking about making. It means a lot to me that other bloggers/readers are willing to offer advice and encouragement, especially since this blog is less than 6 months old still.

Some of the changes I've decided on are as follows, though none will happen until the first of the new year.

1. The Library Thing widget will disappear.

2. While I will continue to accept and pass on awards, I will no longer display them. I was considering doing a separate post or a tab since they were some great ideas I got from the feedback, but I just don't have the time to do it right now. Maybe when works slows down I will end up doing it.

3. All challenges I join will be posted together without the graphics. I will still give the links back to the challenge site but having so many pictures on my sidebar is distracting me.

There may be some smaller tweaks coming up, not that these are major by any means, but I haven't quite made up my mind yet.

Now for the fun news. I will be starting a new giveaway on January 1st to celebrate the new year and reaching 100 Google followers. I'm still fleshing out the details but I think you guys will like it.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Synopsis From Dust Jacket:

Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That's just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on Hemlock Street without a rooftop Frosty; they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree. They won't need one, because come December 25th they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences-and isn't half as easy as they'd imagined.

This is the 3rd year I've read this book and I'm still not tired of it. Skipping Christmas is a light, quick read that always reaffirms my love for the holiday and reminds me not to take it too seriously.

Now normally I don't read this book and come away with any moral questions about the meaning of Christmas and I'm still not doing that, but one question that does come to mind is, would a family who makes this decision really get ridiculed by their friends and neighbors this much? Now I live in the city, not the suburbs, and I'm almost positive that a family going on a cruise for Christmas would be envied not looked down upon. Maybe it's different in the suburbs or small towns. Maybe the neighbors there really would harasses and condemn someone wanting to take it easy a particular year. I hope that's not the case but I could easily see it happening.

As much as I love the book I still haven't seen the movie version, Christmas With the Kranks, and probably will not any time soon. While I love Jaime Lee Curtis, Tim Allen is not one of my favorites and I tend to get annoyed when I see him on screen. There are a lot of you out there that love this movie though and I'm sure I would as well if someone else were in it.

This was read as part of two different challenges this year. The 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge sponsored by Nely at All About {n} and the Christmas Reading Challenge thrown by Michelle at The True Book Addict.

Mailbox Monday for 12/14/2009

Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page

Hell's Bells by Paul Magrs is a book I won from Carolyn at Book Chick City.

I bought The Fireside Book of Christmas Stories edited by Edward Wagenknecht from the Friends of the Library Bookstore for $1.00. It's the original hardback from 1945 in great condition.

OwlKnight by Mercedes Lackey was another book from the used bookstore I bought in hardcover for $2.00. I already own it in paperback but figured why not own it in a perfect hardcover.

The last book is another find from the used bookstore. I bought Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert L. May for $.25. This is the second printing of the book from 1967 for Montgomery Wards. I've already skimmed through it and the poem is a lot longer and fleshed out than the song.

Word Verification Balderdash

Word Verification Balderdash is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through a World of Books.

Here is what you do. You write down all the word verifications you come across as you are commenting on other people's blogs. Then you play balderdash with them. Now for those of you who don't know how to play, you take a made up word and come up with an authentic sounding definition of it. Do this for a week and post your best ones on Thursday.

Here are mine for this week:

Monoplot: Derogatory term that refers to an author who constantly uses the same plot line in all their books. There would be a few authors mentioned in this entry but death threats have been issued by overly sensitive authors.

Crivice: Small red spiders that live in the crevice between the toes of cows. They are microscopic and generally not noticed by humans. The only time they cause an issue is when the cow steps in diesel gasoline which causes the spiders to grow to the size of golf balls.

Qoatile: Mayan god of language and writing. He is depicted as a coal black Ocelot with wings. His priests would sacrifice live chickens and goats to appeal for wisdom and enlightenment.

Chaider: Wisconsin white cheese infused with organic chai tea. It is rather delicious with apples and pears.

Xerdu: The ancient Greek city that was the sister city to Xanadu. Xerdu was destroyed after a earthquake rattled the entire Mediterranean coast and fell into the sea. Xerdu was famous for it's high culture and architectural accomplishments.

Winner of Christmas in Connecticut DVD

I just picked the winner using random.org and the lucky number was 3. Well according to the order of entries, number 3 was Michelle of The True Book Addict.

Congrats Michelle! I will email you and you will have 48 hours to email me your mailing address or a new winner will be picked.

Favorite Fictional Characters --- Frosty the Snowman

Well it's the 2nd post of my Favorite Fictional Character series in the month of December and as you can tell I'm sticking with the holiday theme. Frosty the Snowman is up next and how I love this chubby man made all of snow.

Frosty started as a Gene Autry song in 1950 and he has remained in our hearts ever since. This is still one of my favorite songs and my son can be heard singing it for hours after he hears it on the radio.

Like Rudolph before him Frosty was quickly picked up for TV and his first starring role came in 1953 in a 3 minute special from the same studio who gave us the Suzy Snowflake video. It ran on WGN for years and can still be found there every once in a while. I hadn't seen this video in years and I was delighted when I ran across it while doing this post. This is a pretty upbeat jazzy version of the song and Frosty moves the way you would think a snowman would if he were wearing boots.

Now must of us know Frosty from the 1969 TV special, Frosty the Snowman, that was produced by the wonderful team of Rankin & Bass. This is the Frosty that would captivate me as a child. This was the Frosty that I wanted every time I made a snowman as a kid. What kid wouldn't want his snowman to come to life and play with him? When I watch this movie now I still feel like that 6 year old who believes that anything is possible and that one day magic may actually happen.

Now being the Christmas freak that I am I not only own it on DVD but I also own Frosty's Winter Wonderland where Frosty meets his wife Crystal, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July which pairs our two heroes into a feature length movie (Frosty has kids of his own in this one), and Frosty Returns from the early 1990s which is not my favorite as I think the animation is a little weak.

So my challenge to everyone is this. Sometime between now and Christmas watch this movie with your kids or by yourself and allow yourself to become a kid again. Feel the magic and wonder like you did before.

10 Of My Favorite Christmas Songs

Anyone who is around me for any length of time will quickly learn I'm a Christmas music fanatic. There are days in the middle of Summer that I will wake up and want to listen to songs that make we miss winter and Christmas lights. I thought I would share ten of my favorite songs with you though trust me when I say this, these 10 songs are just the tip of the iceberg. One of them I could not find a link to share with you but trust me when I say that Linda Eder's version of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" is phenomenal.

These are in alphabetical order by artist so first up is "Sleigh Ride" by Air Supply. This is a catchy version that never fails to bring a smile to my face.

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"Cool Yule" as song by Bette Midler is just plain fun. When I listen to it in the car I can't help but sing along even when it gets on my son's nerves. By the way the video I found has some sexy Santas in it for those of you who like that sort of thing.

Bing Crosby singing "White Christmas" is a seasonal must for me. Between the song and the movie I can never get enough.


The Dean Martin version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is still the best rendition around. Between his cocky attitude and is sexy voice, you can't go wrong with this one.

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Though Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is not one of my favorite musicals it does give us the fantastic song of "Hard Candy Christmas". There is just something about this song that makes me feel hopeful about the future.

No one can sing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" better than Judy Garland. I have yet to see Meet Me in St. Louis but I have been in love with this song for years.

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"(Everybody's Waitin' for) The Man With The Bag" by Kay Starr is just a happy, bouncy song by a singer I have loved for years.

"Do You Hear What I Hear?" by Linda Eder is a powerhouse of a performance by one of the best female vocalists of her generation. I'm really sorry I can't find a audio clip for you guys but please try to find it on your own, you won't be disappointed.

Nancy Wilson has that voice that makes you want to enjoy a slow dance in front of the Christmas tree with you partner. "The Christmas Waltz" would be the perfect song for it.

Now my favorite "kids" song is "Snoopy's Christmas" by The Royal Guardsmen. I heard it for the first time a few years ago, though it's a lot older than that, and I can never get enough of it.

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