Curled Up With a Good Book and a Cup of Tea

It's time for the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Jennifer at Crazy For Books .  Today is the end of the first week back to school.  And the end of my first week waking up at 6:30am to get my daughter off to the bus on time!  So it's safe to say I've been tired all week long!  But I think now I'm starting to hit my stride and it will get easier from here. This weeks question for the Hop is: What book series do you never want to see end? I've never really been much a book series person.  I'll read them, but nothing I've become attached to the way people have with say, Harry Potter or Twilight.  But there are a few that enjoy that I hope continue to put out books for years to come.  These include The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, the Annika Bengtzon mystery series by Liza Marklund, and of course the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. What series do you hope will never end?

Canadian politics may not get as much attention as American politics but we sure have our fair share of drama.  In fact in the last eight years, we had four federal elections, something that is supposed to occur every four years.  You can imagine that things haven't exactly been business as usual when it comes to our government.  And the citizens haven't exactly been thrilled with this either. If you want to find out exactly what's going on in Canadian politics and how everyone feels about it, you have to look no further than Rick Mercer.  The easiest way to explain his television show, The Rick Mercer Report , is to say he's Canada's Jon Stewart.  A fine comparison, but Rick's show isn't just about the humorous side of politics, it's about discovering what is great about Canada and showcasing our best and brightest…while taking a glimpse at the humorous side of politics. And a unique part of the show is Mercer's rant - a short, on the mo...

I have been waiting for this day for a few months now!  The long list for the Scotiabank Giller Prize was announced this morning.  The Giller Prize is Canada's most prestigious literary prize and is awarded to the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English.  It's also a bit of a kick off for the literary award season in Canada.  Past winners include Alice Munro, M.G. Vassanji, Michael Ondaatje, Mordecai Richler, and Margaret Atwood. The past few years I've tried to read through the entire long list, but never made it through (though I do get through the shortlist.)  This year I've got a bit of a jump as I've already read a few of them.  Here is the list: Y - Marjorie Celona Our Daily Bread - Lauren Davis My Life Among the Apes - Cary Fagan 419 - Will Ferguson Dr. Brinkley's Tower - Robert Hough One Good Hustle - Billie Livingston The Sweet Girl - Annabel Lyon Inside - Alix Ohlin Everybody Has Everything - Katri...

Hazel Hayes has just moved from Toronto to New York City to study as a graduate student.  She hasn't had time to put down any roots in the city when strange things begin to happen.  Random deadly attacks are occurring throughout the city and elsewhere in the world, all of them committed by blondes.  What seems as a strange coincidence turns out to be much more deadly, a strange illness that turns blondes into rabid killers. Just as this begins to happen Hazel discovers that she is pregnant, the result of an ended affair with a married professor.  As the killings become more frequent, Hazel decides to flee the city and return home.  But her light-hued hair puts up flags and she soon discovers that the home she knew has changed forever.  So to save her baby she searches out the one woman she thinks might be able to save her, but who isn't prepared for what Hazel brings into her life. The Blondes by Emily Schultz is a mix of humour and apocalyptic...

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey .   It's a weekly meme that helps you get organized for the week ahead and find out what other book bloggers are reading. Tomorrow is the first day of school!  My daughter is really looking forward to it, my husband...not so much.  It really seems to sneak up on him!  This past weekend I participated in the Ready, Set, Readathon.  Even though it was a busy weekend, I managed to read two books so it was a great success! Last week I read: One Way or Another by Rhonda Bowen A Nation Worth Ranting About  by Rick Mercer On The Island  by Tracy Garvis Graves What I'm reading now:   Goodbye For Now  by Laurie Frankel Love, Sex, and Happily Every After  by Craig Groeschel What I'm Reading Next: I haven't decided yet.  The long list for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada's most prestigious literary prize, will be announced tomorr...

Molly thinks her little brother Sam is a fantastic catch...but she wonders why other women can't see the same in him.  Sam's average relationship is seven weeks long and Molly finally decides that enough is enough.  She begins to coach him on the subtle points of dating.  Along with a wardrobe makeover, she whips Sam into shape, sends him back out into the dating world and before she knows it, he's off travelling the world with his fiancee. When desperately single friends see the wonders Molly worked with Sam, they begin lining up for her help.  And Molly, who has been going from one disaster business to another, sees the potential for profits and opens up The Bad Boyfriends Bootcamp . Together with her fashionista friend Rachael and bootcamp instructor Josie, Molly begins to turn the lonely men of Manchester into eligible bachelors.  Business is booming but things begin to get complicated.  Clients begin to fall for the girls and vice versa, Molly be...

The Ready, Set, Readathon begins now!  It's hosted by Danie at Booktacular and Faye at A Daydreamer's Thoughts and runs from now (midnight on Friday) until the end of Sunday.  The goal?  Read as many books as you can for three day straight.  You can also keep up with it on Twitter through the hashtag #RSReadathon. My plans for the readathon?  Well first of all, Friday and Saturday are going to have to be my big reading days as I have plans for Sunday.  I'm hoping to finish these two books for sure:   After that I have a large pile of Canadian books I took out of the library in anticipation of the Giller Prize longlist announcement on Tuesday.   I'm not sure which one I'll start with but I hope to also finish one book from the pile. Day 1 Progress: Pages Read: 254 Books Read: 1 A Nation Worth Ranting About  by Rick Mercer was delivered to me today and I had to start it!  Rick Mercer is to Canada what Jon Stewart is...