Thebookdiva's Book Nook 2014 (pg.4)

Hi, my name is Abigail, and this is my first time joining the 75ers group. I am 18, and am loving being a part of this group. I don't really have a reading plan, I usually just read whatever catches my eye. I do love reading YA, paranormal, graphic novels, fantasy, historical fiction, and poetry. I will probably only review those books which I think are special or that I love. Although this is a book group, I take an immense interest in talking about the artwork of books and how the books compare to the movies and tv shows.

I read 170 books in 2013. I read a lot of graphic novels, and I reread a lot of books in 2013. I did discover several new authors last year as well. This year I hope to broaden my horizons even more. My top 10 reads (in order) from 2013 are:

1. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
2. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
3. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
5. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
7. Hyrule Historia by Shigeru Miyamoto
8. The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson
9. Blue Bloods GN by Melissa de la Cruz
10. The Fruits Basket GN series by Natsuki Takaya

Currently Reading:

The Art of Howl's Moving Castle by Hayao Miyazaki
Harry Potter Page to Screen by Bob McCabe
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Read in January:

1. Black Like Me by John Griffin
2. The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton
3. Library Wars:Love & War, vol. 10 by Kiiro Yumi GN
4. A Bride’s Story, vo. 5 by Kaoru Mori GN
5. Library Wars:Love & War vol. 9 by Kiiro Yumi GN
6. Library Wars: Love & War, vol. 8by Kiiro Yumi GN
7. W.I.T.C.H. an unexpected return vol. 8 by TK GN
8. Avalon High by Meg Cabot
9. Frankenstien by Mary Shelly
10. Locke and Key vol. 1 by Joe Hill GN
11. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs GN

Read In February:

1) Dance in the Vampire Bund vol. 1 by Nozomu Tamaki GN
2) Dance in the Vampire Bund vol. 2 by Nozomu Tamaki GN
3) Dance in the Vampire Bund vol. 3 by Nozomu Tamaki GN
4) Dance in the Vampire Bund vol. 4 by Nozomu Tamaki GN
5) Teen titans vol. 1 by Geoff Johns GN
6) Teen titans vol. 2 by Geoff Johns GN
7) Teen titans vol. 3 by Geoff Johns GN
8) Teen titans vol. 4 by Geoff Johns GN
9) Teen titans vol. 5 by Geoff Johns GN
10) Teen titans vol. 6 by Geoff Johns GN
11) Teen titans vol. 7 by Geoff Johns GN
12) Teen titans vol. 8 by Geoff Johns GN
13) The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare GN
14) Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind vol. 1 by Hayao Miyazaki GN
15) Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind vol. 2 by Hayao Miyazaki GN
16) Inuyasha vol. 17 by Rumiko Takahashi GN
17) Howl's Moving Castle vol. 1 by Diana Wynne Jones & Hayao Miyazaki GN
18) Howl's Moving Castle vol. 2 by Diana Wynne Jones & Hayao Miyazaki GN
19) Howl's Moving Castle vol. 3 by Diana Wynne Jones & Hayao Miyazaki GN
20) Howl's Moving Castle vol. 4 by Diana Wynne Jones & Hayao Miyazaki GN
21) The Hedge Knight (A Game of Thrones Prequel GN) by George RR Martin
22) Infinite Crisis by Geoff Johns GN
23) Witch and Wizard vol. 1 by James Patterson GN
24) Witch and Wizard vol. 2 by James Patterson GN
25) Artemis Fowl 1 by Eoin Colfer GN GN
26) The Captive Maiden by Melanie Dickerson
27) Inu Yasha vol. 18 by Rumiko Takahashi GN

Read In March:

1. Bride of the Water God vol. 1 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN (wonderful artwork, no plot)
2. Bride of the Water God vol. 2 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
3. Bride of the Water God vol. 3 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
4. Bride of the Water God vol. 4 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
5. Bride of the Water God vol. 5 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
6. Bride of the Water God vol. 6 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
7. Bride of the Water God vol. 7 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
8. Bride of the Water God vol. 8 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
9. Artemis Fowl The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer GN
10. A Bride's Story vol. 2 by Kaoru Mori GN
11. Cress by Marissa Meyer
12. Inu Yasha vol. 16 by Rumiko Takashi GN
13. The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare GN
14. The Arcana of Time vol.1 GN
15. The Arcana of Time vol. 2 GN
16. The Arcana of Time vol. 3 GN
17. The Arcana of Time vol. 4 GN
18. The Arcana of Time vol. 5 GN
19. Hyrule Historia by Shigeru Miyamoto
20. Bride of the Water God vol.9 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
21. Emma by Jane Austen
22. Bride of the Water God vol.10 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
23. Bride of the Water God vol.11 by Mi-kyung Yun GN
24. Bride of the Water God vol.12 by Mi-Kyung Yun GN
25. River Marked by Patricia Briggs
26. A Bride's Story vol.1 by Kaoru Mori GN
27. A Bride's Story vol.3 by Kaoru Mori GN
28. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
29. Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
30. Young Avengers by Allen Heinberg GN
31. Inu Yasha vol.15 by Rumiko Takahashi GN
32. Abandon by Meg Cabot
33. Library Wars vol.7 by Kiiro Yumi GN
34. W.I.T.C.H. vol.4 by hyperion GN
35. W.I.T.C.H. vol.5 by hyperion GN
36. W.I.T.C.H. vol.6 by hyperion GN
37. W.I.T.C.H. vol.7 by hyperion GN
38. Soulless vol.3 by Gail Carriger GN
39. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Books Completed This Year: 174

Audio: 5
Books: 169
New Authors: 18
New Series: 10
Books in a Series: 162
New Reads: 123

Read in April:

1. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
2. Barajou no Kiss vol.1 by Aya Shouoto GN (love this!)
3. Barajou no Kiss vol.2 by Aya Shouoto GN
4. Barajou no Kiss vol.3 by Aya Shouoto GN
5. Barajou no Kiss vol.4 by Aya Shouoto GN
6. Barajou no Kiss vol.5 by Aya Shouoto GN
7. Barajou no Kiss vol.6 by Aya Shouoto GN
8. Barajou no Kiss vol.7 by Aya Shouoto GN
10.Barajou no Kiss vol.8 by Aya Shouoto GN
11. I am here! vol.1 by Ema Toyama GN (very sweet, school romance)
12. I am here! vol.2 by Ema Toyama GN
13. I am here! vol.3 by Ema Toyama GN
14.I am here! vol.4 by Ema Toyama GN
15. I am here! vol.5 by Ema Toyama GN
16. I am here! vol.6 by Ema Toyama GN
17. I am here! vol.7 by Ema Toyama GN
18. I am here! vol.8 by Ema Toyama GN
19. I am here! vol.9 by Ema Toyama GN
20. I am here! vol.10 by Ema Toyama GN
21. I am here! vol.11 by Ema Toyama GN
22. I am here! vol.12 by Ema Toyama GN
23. I am here! vol.13 by Ema Toyama GN
24. I am here! vol.14 by Ema Toyama GN
25. I am here! vol.15 by Ema Toyama GN
26. I am here! vol.16 by Ema Toyama GN
27. I am here! vol.17 by Ema Toyama GN
28. I am here! vol.18 by Ema Toyama GN
29. I am here! vol.19 by Ema Toyama GN
30. Barajou no Kiss vol.9 by Aya Shouoto GN
31. Fairy Tail vol.1 by Hiro Mashima GN
32. Fairy Tail vol.2 by Hiro Mashima GN
33. Fairy Tail vol.3 by Hiro Mashima GN
34. Fairy Tail vol.4 by Hiro Mashima GN
35. Fairy Tail vol.5 by Hiro Mashima GN
36. Fairy Tail vol.6 by Hiro Mashima GN
37. Fairy Tail vol.7 by Hiro Mashima GN
38. Fairy Tail vol.8 by Hiro Mashima GN
39. Fairy Tail vol.9 by Hiro Mashima GN
40. Fairy Tail vol.10 by Hiro Mashima GN
41. Fairy Tail vol.11 by Hiro Mashima GN
42. Fairy Tail vol.12 by Hiro Mashima GN
43. Fairy Tail vol.13 by Hiro Mashima GN
44. Fairy Tail vol.14 by Hiro Mashima GN
45. Fairy Tail vol.15 by Hiro Mashima GN
46. Fairy Tail vol.16 by Hiro Mashima GN
47. Fairy Tail vol.17 by Hiro Mashima GN
48. Fairy Tail vol.18 by Hiro Mashima GN
49. Fairy Tail vol.19 by Hiro Mashima GN
50. Fairy Tail vol.20 by Hiro Mashima GN
51. Fairy Tail vol.21 by Hiro Mashima GN
52. Fairy Tail vol.22 by Hiro Mashima GN
53. Fairy Tail vol.23 by Hiro Mashima GN
54. Fairy Tail vol.24 by Hiro Mashima GN
55. Fairy Tail vol.25 by Hiro Mashima GN
56. Fairy Tail vol.26 by Hiro Mashima GN
57. Fairy Tail vol.27 by Hiro Mashima GN
58. Fairy Tail vol.28 by Hiro Mashima GN
59. Fairy Tail vol.29 by Hiro Mashima GN
60. Fairy Tail vol.30 by Hiro Mashima GN
61. Fairy Tail vol.31 by Hiro Mashima GN
62. Fairy Tail vol.32 by Hiro Mashima GN
63. Fairy Tail vol.33 by Hiro Mashima GN
64. Fairy Tail vol.34 by Hiro Mashima GN
65. Fairy Tail vol.35 by Hiro Mashima GN
66. Fairy Tail vol.36 by Hiro Mashima GN
67. Fairy Tail vol.37 by Hiro Mashima GN
68. Fairy Tail vol.38 by Hiro Mashima GN
69. Fairy Tail vol.39 by Hiro Mashima GN
70. Fairy Tail vol.40 by Hiro Mashima GN
71. Fairy Tail vol.41 by Hiro Mashima GN
72. Fairy Tail vol.42 by Hiro Mashima GN
73. Hiyokoi vol.1 GN
74. Hiyokoi vol.2 GN
75. Hiyokoi vol.3 GN
76. Hiyokoi vol.4 GN
77. Hiyokoi vol.5 GN
78. Hiyokoi vol.6 GN
80. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
81. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
82. Hiyokoi vol.7 GN
83. Hiyokoi vol.8 GN
84. Hiyokoi vol.9 GN
85. Hiyokoi vol.10 GN
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
87. Avatar The Promise part 1
88. Avatar The Promise Part 2
89. Avatar The Promise Part 3
90. Avatar The Promise Part 4
91. Avatar The Search Part 1
92. Avatar The Search Part 2
93. Avatar Short Storys
94. Dash and Lily's book of Dares by Rachel Cohn
95. Young Avengers: Children's Crusade
96. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
97. The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service by Hayao Miyazaki
98. Brightest Day vol.1 by Geoff Johns

First up methinks to wish you a wonderful Sunday and congratulations on your new thread, my dear.

Hey Abby love your thread topper and have a great day.

Paul - Yes, you win first place! Thank you, I had been thinking for some time that I needed to start a new one!

Rae - Thanks girl, you too.

Happy New Thread, Abby! Love the Dan topper! Glad you had a good time with your friend.

Happy new thread, Abby - I love that photo of Dan that you used as a thread topper!

Mark - Thank you! I took that pic on vacation last year, glad you like it. Seeing her was wonderful!

Mum - Thank you!!!

Happy New Thread, Abby!

Congratulations on a new thread, young lady.

Staking a place on your new thread..

Hey Abby, who's Dan? :) (that's his name right?) He was your best friend or something I read? I have to keep up with your threats!

I think I might read cress. If I can find it, I'll take a look at it.

Happy new thread, Abby.

Looking forward to seeing what you read this month!

>14 scaifea: Thanks!

>15 maggie1944: Thank You!

>16 mckait: Excellent, make yourself at home.

>17 MarjoleinL: Hello! Dan is my brother, the friend comments are because my best friend came and visited me this week from Indiana. It was wonderful to see her again. Cress is actually the third book in the series. The first book is called Cinder, and I highly recommend it. I have loved all three books.

>18 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you! Everyone is so sweet here.

>19 Kassilem: haha, hope I don't disappoint!

Well, it's Monday. Miserable Monday. Positively the worst day of the week. For me, I will spend the day doing schoolwork, reading, and then I might find time to do a bit of art. I am excited about starting Wuthering Heights this week. I have been waiting to read it for some time. I will be on later to give an account of what happened while by best friend was staying with us, and to post some pics. Happy last day of March everyone!

ohhh! I love pictures!

hahaha, we only took a few but you will be able to see all of us.

I enjoyed the Cinder, Scarlet and Cress series, also. Very lively!

I am in love with all of those books, I can't wait until Winter comes out! I must read it!

This is my best friend Toni and me. She is a lot taller than she used to be, which was surprising, but other than that she was exactly as I remembered her. We all had a fabulous time while she was here. We talked a lot, played video games, and we all watched Catching Fire together which was really fun because Toni and her mom hadn't seen it yet. They also taught us how to play a very fun card game called Kemps. I loved seeing her again, and it was hard to say good bye. We do have a promise that they will stay with us again, and for a longer period, over the summer. This summer can't come fast enough. She is truly family to us.

Beeeeee--uuuuu-tiful young ladies, and terrific picture :) You look so happy!

Handsome brother, Abby. And you and your friend are very gorgeous!

Happy new thread!

Nice picture, Abby! Glad you had a good time.

What a lovely pair of young women and how nice to have such a strong bond.

>27 mckait: Thank you, we were so excited to see each other again.

>28 connie53: haha, thanks. You are so sweet.

>29 katiekrug: Thank you! We had a wonderful time!

>30 RebaRelishesReading: I am so lucky to have her as a friend. Thank you so much for the compliment.

Wonderful photo, and I'm so glad that you had a good time!

My best friend and I, who met in about 1964, are still in touch and still love each other like we did way back when. I hope the same for you two, too!

Happy Week, Abby.

Amber!!! Wonderful to see you here! Thank you, and my mum took the photo.

Maggie That is soooo sweet, I hope that she and I are like that too. You have a great one as well!

Good Morning everyone! It's almost afternoon, but oh well. Not much planned here today. My mum took two of the dogs to get groomed this morning, so the place is a bit less crazy than usual. Dan is unfortunately feeling under the weather and has staked claim to the sofa in the living room. As for me, I will be starting the audiobook of Wuthering Heights, starting a new sketchbook (as I just finished sketchbook #4 last night), doing some work out on the deck (hopefully with my mum to keep me company), and reading. I am reading Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey which is absolutely fascinating! I love everything about it. It's a good thing that my family loves Harry Potter as much as I do, or else they probably would have been annoyed by now at all the Harry Potter movie facts I keep telling all of them. As it is, they love hearing them, and fortunately for me, they always spark off a conversation about Harry Potter. This is looking like it is to be a very good week.

Hi, Abby! I've been MIA of late, but wanted to swing by and say hello! I'm glad you got to spend time with you bestie. Friends like that really are more family than friend, aren't they?

David! I wondered where you got off to! Nice to see you back. They are definitely more like family. I'm really happy you stopped by!

Morning! This time it really is morning. Unfortunately, Dan is still feeling under the weather. We all knew he was sick when he hardly ate anything the other day. Dan is an extreme lover of food, especially bacon, and it is always startling when I don't see him eating. Luckily, he seemed to feel slightly better last night, so I hope he will feel better as the day progresses. Rae and I did spend some time in the pool yesterday, and with a bit of luck we will be able to do the same today. I need to update my reading here, and then I might post some art picks. Hope everyone is having a good day!

>35 Thebookdiva: That Potter book looks fascinating! I may have to look into that!
I hope you can get some time in the pool...have fun :)

Rating: 3 stars

This GN is about a young girl (Soah) who is sacrificed to the water god in the hopes that it will bring much needed rain to their village. Upon arriving in the God's lands, she is saved by the water god (Habaek) and brought to his kingdom as his wife. She is surprised to find that Habaek, the feared water god, is only a small child. She is caught in a world she knows nothing of, with only her senses to tell her what is real and what is false.

These books are my guilty pleasure books. The storyline is complicated with the reader being completely confused as to what is going on in the first few books. Soah is not the brightest, but she has courage, and she is willing to fight for what she wants. There is not much of a storyline, but the artwork is amazing. It is beautiful to look at, and it is the main reason I read these books. The mythology is also interesting to learn about.

>39 mckait: It is fascinating! It's also huge. I am absolutely loving it. Thank you for the pool wishes, hope you have a good day yourself!

>21 Thebookdiva:- Amen, my young friend! I could not have put it any better.

>26 Thebookdiva:- Love the photo with your friend.

Hope the week is going fine.

Thanks Mark. Your comment brought a smile to my face. There is just nothing good about Mondays, I wake up on Tuesday thinking: "Thank goodness, Mondays over". It's ridiculous, my Monday hate. Glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.

That looks like awesome artwork. :)

I like that artwork in Bride of the Water God, too, Abby. Congrats on the great-looking thread. Lovely photo of you and your pal Toni. I'm glad you're going to get a longer visit in the summer.

I don't know whether you'd like it, but Mark and I have been impressed by the new Saga gn series by Brian K. Vaughan, which is sci-fi-y and well done. The third volume just came out, so I'm going to track that down.

How goes the Wuthering Heights ear-read?

Melissa I am purely reading it for the artwork. I just find it gorgeous.

Joe Thank you! I will be thrilled when she comes back down this summer. I will try almost anything, I will be sure to give it a look!

RD I am loving it! I was only supposed to read to chapter 4, but I ended up listening to chapter 14. That family is so deliciously messed up.

And the Heights keep on a-wutherin', never you fear.

Oh good! I'm loving the drama. I don't know what that says about me, but oh well.

I am not at my most articulate at this time of a Friday (without my normal splurge to energise me) but I have decided this is the best place to start my weekend. Have a lovely weekend yourself my dear and your best buddy pictured above looks as sweet as candy.
What happened to Dannie Abse and John Berryman?

Caught up with your thread, Abby, and it was a lot of fun. Very nice review of Bride of the Water God. I am hoping that today works it's Friday magic and that the weekend is full of fabulous!

Paul I'm honored! Thank you, I hope your weekend is lovely too. I was happy to hear that you got a new driver, maybe you can get some reading done now. Unfortunately I had to return both books as they were requested by someone else, and haven't gotten them back. It could take months to get my hands on them again, but I will hope for the best. I did like what I read of them though.

Mum Thank you! I feel the same way, even though it's supposed to rain we could get some serious reading done.

Abby next time I do my Book Depo ordering I'll send you something that you don't need to return to the liberry. I have your address through sending prezzies to your mum before. Can't promise it will be Abse or Berryman but it will be a poet as appreciators of the lost art of scribbling are a fading breed!

Paul, that is the sweetest, nicest, most wonderful thing to do. Thank you so so much. I will be more than happy to read any poet you pick out for me. *smooch*

>54 Thebookdiva: :D

>26 Thebookdiva: I'm a bit behind on my threads, but that's a lovely picture of you and your best friend :-)

Thank you. Feel free to skim and skip if you want.

Abby, I am jealous of you having your whole life to read all the good books you will hear of while here on LT. Have a great weekend. We too are having that rainy weather which makes reading just the right thing to do.

Happy friday! I know this is an important day for your clan :) Do you help to cook Big Breakfast?
Darn it, now I am craving pancakes...

Hello, Abby. Wishing you a great weekend!

>52 Thebookdiva: The wait to get them back after returning half-unread books to the library is the worst! I had to do that with Game of Thrones and the wait was a long one.

>58 maggie1944: You have a great weekend too! I love reading on a rainy day, I hope you pick out a good book to read.

>59 mckait: I most definitely help cook Big Breakfast. I love cooking with my mum. I'm usually in charge of the pancakes, french toast, or muffins. My mum always cooks the meat and the breakfast casserole. Just talking about breakfast food is making me hungry...I guess we are the same on that count huh?

>60 katiekrug: Katie!! Hello! You have a great weekend as well.

>61 ursula: I know! It's been happening so much to me lately that I've stopped requesting books. I'm just working my way through my own library. It might be a good thing as I have a lot of books still to read. Game of Thrones is one of the books I'm most looking forward to reading this year! Everyone has such high praise for it. Sorry that happened to you.

Happy weekend, Abby. Loved the photo of you and Mercy doing laundry :)

You too, and thank you. I just love that kitty to death.

Hi Abby- I hope you have a nice weekend planned with books featured heavily.

Hey Abby popping by to see you.

Oh no

no no no

not another poultry person

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh *flees poultry-friendly miasma*

>65 msf59: That is exactly what I have planned. I mostly read today too. Any special plans for your weekend?

>66 GeezLouise: Always nice to see you Rae!

>67 richardderus: Yes, I am a lover of *poultry*, but I love a lot of other things too. I know that it is not for everyone, so I have no qualms with people who have differing opinions on the matter. I also read quite a bit of shakespeare, and a lot of people my age find that strange and sometimes horrifying too, but I like what I like. I cannot promise that this will be a poetry free zone, sorry Richard. I like to mix a bit of everything on my thread.

Happy Saturday Everyone! All I have planned this weekend, as it is to rain, is reading. It should be glorious and relaxing. I do have somewhat of a funny story to tell though. Last night my dad and my older brother went out to run some errands and they decided to stop at pets mart before they came home. Now, my father, although he won't admit it, is in love with Mercy. He has already come home several times from work with a new cat tree or some new toy or other. I don't know who he thinks he's fooling. Last night I went out to help the boys unload the van and to my great astonishment I saw that they had bought the tallest cat tree I had ever seen. This thing is huge. It took up from the drivers seat to the trunk door, and we own a mini van. If this is not enough of a statement, let me just say that it is taller than I am. My dad was so proud of what he had bought; he had the brightest smile on his face. When he walked in the door he immediately had Mercy's attention. She knew that it was for her, and to my dad's great delight she spent the rest of the evening playing on it. I am sure she will spend the majority of her day on it today as well. I will post some pics of it later.

I love big cat trees! I look forward to seeing your pictures. In fact, when I saw >69 Thebookdiva: I said "that girl is good with her camera". Perfect composition, I'd say.

I will be sure to post them later today then. Thank you so much! I love photography. That is my sweet dog Barnum.

Oh, a giant cat tree! I want to get one for our cat, but we haven't found one that's affordable just yet.

Barnum is ADORABLE in the above photo... just like a little sausage, all curled around himself! GAH I just want to smoosh my face in his face... LOL...

Somehow my dad is always finding them on sale. I love Barnum to death, and snuggle with him quite often. And he is just as soft as he looks.

LOVE the Barnum photo and the cat tree/Dad story. Looking forward to the photos.

Thank you, I'm glad you liked them.

Happy Saturday, Abby! Reading a lot today sounds good. We're getting sorted out after returning from our trip, with laundry to do and groceries to get, that kind of thing. I'll be watching the NCAA Final Four basketball tonight.

Happy Saturday to you too! It's always exhausting I think to come back from a trip and start on the to do list. I hope you have fun watching your basketball.

Hi Abby, I have also fallen a little behind here but now have gotten caught up on your thread. You had already gotten me interested in The Bride of the Water God, but that artwork has totally sealed the deal. As soon as both my eyes are in tip-top shape I plan on starting that series.

Lovely to see you. The artwork won't disappoint, it's truly beautiful. I hope you enjoy them. I have been reading quite a lot of manga recently, so I will have to review some of those as well.

Ok, as promised here are the cat tree pics. This one is when she was first presented with her new prize:



And this is her enjoying it today: (the cat tree leans a bit to the left)

That's an awesome cat tree! I'm in the market for a cat tree but I can't find one that is just right. Everything is either too small or has a HUGE footprint.

I love that cat tree! Of course it is funny seeing how big it is in relation to small Mercy. Something she can grow into. ;-)

baaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwww Barnum is so precious! And as Karen44 noted, it's a lovely photo, all the textures clear and the framing done with panache. Peaceful and simple.

>82 norabelle414: I'm sorry to hear that. I'm pretty sure my dad could be pleased with any cat tree, he just likes giving Mercy things. I think it would be harder to find one for a bigger cat; Mercy's so tiny that she can use anything. I do hope you find one that is the right size.

>83 lkernagh: that is very true! She spent most of her day on it yesterday.

>84 richardderus: thank you. It was mostly luck, I just walked out and he was in the perfect spot with just the right amount of lighting. He didn't even look up at me or stir when I was snapping his photo because he is so used to me doing it by now. He's actually sitting on my lap as I'm typing this.

It's rainy, I'm sleepy, and I spent the entire morning playing Super Mario Bros. on the Wii with Dan. I was very, very bad at this, but it was fun all the same. I am nearing the end of Frost Burned so I will probably finish that later today. I also started the manga Fairy Tale, which I am liking so far.

Well, today I'm off to get my hair cut. I have been growing it out for some time, but I need a trim. After that we will walk to the little coffee shop that near the hair dressers and get some coffee.

Books Completed This Year: 107

Audio: 3
Books: 104
New Authors: 13
New Series: 6
Books in a Series: 99

Some time at the little coffee shop sounds good, Abby. I suspect the weather feels pretty balmy in your neck of the woods right now. I tried the Mercy Thompson series, but for some reason never got caught up in it. Does it get better as it goes along?

Have a terrific week Abby.

Photo of the new haircut...?

107 books? That is mighty impressive. You go girl! Hope the week is going well.

>88 jnwelch: I love the coffee shop. I am the biggest coffee drinker after my mum in the family. I am a very big fan of Mercy Thompson, i think, in answer to your question, that the books ranked pretty much the same for me. There is a lot of character development and a ton of new information about the magical world that gets revealed in the later books.

>89 GeezLouise: Thanks Rae!

>90 scaifea: I haven't taken one, but I can if you want me to. It was more of a trim than anything. I am very happy that my bangs aren't at my chin level anymore though, I have been growing my hair out for quite some time.

>91 msf59: Thank you! I usually not such an obsessive reader, but I am completely addicted to the website mangareader. Caro gave me the link last year and now I'm on it constantly. My week is going quite well, lots of schoolwork and reading (of course), but I have also been walking with my mum and I like to do yoga so I started doing that again as well. It's been really great.

Hi Abby!!! I've been awfully bad at keeping up with threads these days, but I'm caught up here as of now...

I love the picture of you and Toni! I saw the one of the whole gang on your mom's thread, but this is a closer shot and it really captures how gorgeous you both are!

I LOVE the story of your dad and his *secret* love of Mercy! He's too sweet! I love that huge tree he bought her! I wonder what my furkids would do if I bought them one that size??

Hello Abby! Just checking in to make sure you are behaving yourself!

Your cat is having so much fun with the tree!

Sorry I have been so absent! I will be better about getting on here next week as this week has been quite busy.

>93 TinaV95: Hello! I love to see you whenever you have time, no matter how far the intervals in between may be. Thank you for the compliment! Glad you liked the story, he never fails in amusing me. Mercy spends most of her days now on it.

>94 katiekrug: haha, I'm behaving myself, mostly. Things have been busy, but it's been a pleasant kind of busy.

>95 thornton37814: She just loves it. I like that everytime I pass by her she is on a different level on it. We can't even see her when she curls up on the top tier.

Hi Abby! I am popping back in after being gone for a while. I can't keep up with everything that's happened here but I had to comment on your super cute pictures of that super cute kitty, Mercy. And also, sweet Barnum. Lots of cute hanging out at the Pecan Paradisio these days!

Hope you have a lovely weekend Abby.

Enjoyed looking at the group page and seeing the three Pecan Paradisio ladies all in a line together at the top of the page. I can just imagine the three of you with your computers/laptops browsing the threads together.

Have a lovely Sunday, Abby.

>99 PaulCranswick: Too funny, Paul - Rae and I are on the screened-in porch with our laptops as I type, and Abby is just inside in the kitchen area, cleaning her area for the week and listening to music.

Turn up that music a bit, please, Abby!

>100 Crazymamie: I think it is wonderful that you can share your experience of the group and trust us all enough to introduce your two lovely daughters into our fraternity (Birdy is lovely too of course and we await her entrance in due course).

Turn the music up just a tiddy bit more, Abby (but not enough to have the nuts falling from the trees).

Just stopping by to say hello, Abby. >101 PaulCranswick: I echo Paul's comments. What a treat to have the three (and some day maybe four) of you on LT.

Usually saying Happy Monday for me would not be possible, but as I am having quite a good Monday I will make an exception. So Happy Monday everyone! Today I finished Wuthering Heights which I really really liked. I also finished reading the series Fairy Tail (which is a manga) and now I must wait for the next one to be published to read it *sob*. It is probably a good thing I finished reading what was printed because I have been completely obsessed with it and have been neglecting LT. I will catch up here in just a few minutes!

Happy Monday, and a wonderful week ahead, Abby dear.

>97 rosalita: Lovely to see you; I'm really glad you liked the photos! It's almost embarrassing how many photos I have taken of Mercy since we found her. She is still one of my favorite models. I've been taking pics of Barnum since I got my camera, so I don't take nearly as many of him now. Only when he's being incredibly cute.

>98 GeezLouise: Thank you! I wish you the same.

>99 PaulCranswick: Thank you, most of us were on our laptops though I was cleaning at the time.

>100 Crazymamie: You know I like my music blaring. I never turn it up as high as I want because I don't want to annoy anyone, so I was very pleased when you told me to turn it up!

>101 PaulCranswick: haha, that would be a sight to see. If you can still hear the person talking next to you, then it's not loud enough. Just kidding.

>102 jnwelch: Hello! I don't know if Birdy has any intention to join the 75ers, but that would be quite fun if she did! She has a snarky sense of humor that I just adore. Plus she is not afraid to whip her opinions out there, I admire her for that.

Well, now that I have caught back up I think I will either post some recent artwork or a review...

>104 richardderus: Richard! I missed you last week as I was absent (my own fault for being obsessed in Fairy Tail). I hope you have a wonderful week as well!

As I was too lazy to write a review, I decided to post some artwork instead. Here is something I did recently. The first pic is a piece that I never finished from about 2 years ago. The Second one is a drawing I did recently off of the old one. My mum says that she likes the eyes of the first one better. I did the second one in a different style just for fun. Neither of them were supposed to be realistic (I don't really do much realistic), they were just me playing around with looser lines and density of lines. It was fun to redo an old piece.

Nice artwork, Abby! Have to agree with Mamie/mom. I like the overall look of the second piece, but the eyes in the first one are striking! I'd have to vote for that one just on eyes alone!

Hi Abby- Love the drawings. Your Mom said you finished Wuthering Heights today and loved it. Yah! Now, you'll have to watch the classic film version with Laurence Olivier. Do you like the old movies, like your Mom does?

Aw, those drawings are lovely, Abby! Well done, lady!

I'm glad that you liked Withering Blights, uh, I mean Wuthering Heights. That makes one of us. Ha!

Hi, and happy Tuesday to you! I am so glad you are with us in the funny, crazy, wonderful group. It is very interesting to read what you've been reading, and what you've been doing!

It's raining today. But instead of being gloomy I am going to take today to get a lot of work done. I'm hoping to get all of my schoolwork for the week done today so that I can just relax the rest of the time. I will try to pry my eyes away from mangareader so that I can get some serious art done. Next time I post art I will try to do something that's colored. I've been playing around with markers, but I'm not very good at them yet. I used only colored pencils for years, so branching out into different mediums has been tough to get used to. Still, I want to be a better overall artist.

>108 TinaV95: Thank you! I love the feedback, I am not afraid of criticism. Different opinions help me get better. Maybe if I combined the hair of the second one with the face of the first...I'll have to think on it.

>109 msf59: Thank you so much! I did love Wuthering Heights! It was sooooo good. I will definitely have to look into the movie, and yes, I am a big old movie fan. I love movies like The Big Sleep, Casablanca, Christmas in Connecticut, and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

>110 scaifea: Thank you, I've been trying a lot of different art styles lately. I'm sorry you didn't enjoy Wuthering Heights.

>111 maggie1944: Hello Karen, lovely to see you. I am just loving this group and everyone I have met in it. Everyone is so sweet and I have received tons of great book recommendations. I hope you are having a good start to your week!

Ok, so Mark got me thinking about old movies. I am a big old movie lover, as is most of my family. Here's the question of the day: What is one of your favorite old movies and why? Any movie and any reason goes.

As for me....one of my top 10 favorite old movies is Breakfast at Tiffany's. I love Audrey Hepburn (as much as I love Humphrey Bogart & Cary Grant) and I find this movie Charming. I first watched it with my mum, who was the one that created my love for old movies. It's funny and cute and I love the scene where she lights the woman's hat on fire with her cigarette. It is one of my deepest wishes to eventually have a huge black and white framed photo of Audrey Hepburn starring in this movie.

>114 Thebookdiva: My favorite old movie is Some Like it Hot. The epitome of hilarious, I think.

I'm not a huge Breakfast at Tiffany's fan, but I still covet this giant canvas print from Ikea: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50216371/

>115 norabelle414: I have not heard of that movie, I will have to look it up. That is a very cool canvas, it's striking with the black against an all white background.

Ok, I looked the movie up. I am going to have to see that. I saw Marilyn Monroe in How to Marry a Millionaire and really liked her.

Some Like It Hot is fantastic! One of my favorites is another Audrey Hepburn movie - Love in the Afternoon. I also love Suspicion with Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine.

As you know, I love The Big Sleep and Notorious and Casablanca and... They just don't make movies like that anymore. I think the reason that I love those old movies is that the dialogue is so smart. And there is a plot.

Some Like it Hot is a gem, and I think we have a copy of it around here somewhere...

I've always loved The Philadelphia Story, Abby. Great cast, love the quick-witted dialogue, and Katherine Hepburn is a force of nature.

Nice drawings up there! >107 Thebookdiva:. Have you visited Ilana's thread? You might enjoy her work: http://www.librarything.com/topic/171927#4639893

>117 katiekrug: I will have to watch Some Like It Hot. I am willing to watch anything with Audrey Hepburn in it, she is amazing. I think I might have watched Suspicion, Cary Grant is great no matter what he's in.

>118 Crazymamie: I LOVE The Big Sleep! And Casablanca. I agree that they don't make movies like they used to. The dialogue is completely different. We Do?! Excellent. I still need to watch To Catch a Thief, I'm dying to see it.

>119 jnwelch: I like that movie as well. It's too funny. Thank you! I haven't visited her thread, thanks for the link, I'll go over there right now.

*ok, I just went and checked out her thread. Man is she amazing! Thank you for the link, I'll have to follow her thread now.

Isn't she? And she's a lovely person, too.

Well, I have starred her thread and plan on following it now. Thank you so much!

Hi Abby, I love old movies and have a special fondness for Humphrey Bogart. I have trouble limiting my favorites but today I am thinking about "The Treasure of the Sierra Madres", and since I also love Bette Davis, I will add the classic 'Now, Voyager" and I would love to curl up right now on the sofa and watch "Rebecca".

My favorite old movie is Casablanca, I just love the story and the characters in it. Have a wonderful Tuesday Abby.

Hi Abigail, I see you read quite a bit of Manga (and Mahnwa). I do (or did) too, though more of Action/Comedy/Sports/Slice of Life; so while I recognise a few titles, I am afraid I haven't read any of those. I don't log my manga or mahnwa reads here at LT though, they are maintained in an excel sheet.

If you love Audrey Hepburn, you must have watched My Fair Lady too, that one is one of my all time favourites; I liked Breakfast at Tiffany's too, but it probably wouldn't feature in my top 50 movies.

>123 DeltaQueen50: I like both of those actors! Especially Humphrey Bogart. Wonderful choices.

>124 GeezLouise: Thanks Rae. That is one of my favorites too. Favorite line: "Out of all the jinjoints in all the world, she had to walk into mine." -Humphrey Bogart as Rick.

>125 PiyushC: Hello. I love manga, and it really inspires my artwork. I have loved everything I have seen Audrey Hepburn in. Another movie of hers that I liked was Sabrina. My Fair Lady is a fabulous choice.

Here is an update on my reading:

Books Completed This Year: 162

Audio: 4
Books: 158
New Authors: 16
New Series: 8
Books in a Series: 153

Books read so far in April:

1. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
2. Barajou no Kiss vol.1 by Aya Shouoto GN (love this!)
3. Barajou no Kiss vol.2 by Aya Shouoto GN
4. Barajou no Kiss vol.3 by Aya Shouoto GN
5. Barajou no Kiss vol.4 by Aya Shouoto GN
6. Barajou no Kiss vol.5 by Aya Shouoto GN
7. Barajou no Kiss vol.6 by Aya Shouoto GN
8. Barajou no Kiss vol.7 by Aya Shouoto GN
10.Barajou no Kiss vol.8 by Aya Shouoto GN
11. I am here! vol.1 by Ema Toyama GN (very sweet, school romance)
12. I am here! vol.2 by Ema Toyama GN
13. I am here! vol.3 by Ema Toyama GN
14.I am here! vol.4 by Ema Toyama GN
15. I am here! vol.5 by Ema Toyama GN
16. I am here! vol.6 by Ema Toyama GN
17. I am here! vol.7 by Ema Toyama GN
18. I am here! vol.8 by Ema Toyama GN
19. I am here! vol.9 by Ema Toyama GN
20. I am here! vol.10 by Ema Toyama GN
21. I am here! vol.11 by Ema Toyama GN
22. I am here! vol.12 by Ema Toyama GN
23. I am here! vol.13 by Ema Toyama GN
24. I am here! vol.14 by Ema Toyama GN
25. I am here! vol.15 by Ema Toyama GN
26. I am here! vol.16 by Ema Toyama GN
27. I am here! vol.17 by Ema Toyama GN
28. I am here! vol.18 by Ema Toyama GN
29. I am here! vol.19 by Ema Toyama GN
30. Barajou no Kiss vol.9 by Aya Shouoto GN
31. Fairy Tail vol.1 by Hiro Mashima GN
32. Fairy Tail vol.2 by Hiro Mashima GN
33. Fairy Tail vol.3 by Hiro Mashima GN
34. Fairy Tail vol.4 by Hiro Mashima GN
35. Fairy Tail vol.5 by Hiro Mashima GN
36. Fairy Tail vol.6 by Hiro Mashima GN
37. Fairy Tail vol.7 by Hiro Mashima GN
38. Fairy Tail vol.8 by Hiro Mashima GN
39. Fairy Tail vol.9 by Hiro Mashima GN
40. Fairy Tail vol.10 by Hiro Mashima GN
41. Fairy Tail vol.11 by Hiro Mashima GN
42. Fairy Tail vol.12 by Hiro Mashima GN
43. Fairy Tail vol.13 by Hiro Mashima GN
44. Fairy Tail vol.14 by Hiro Mashima GN
45. Fairy Tail vol.15 by Hiro Mashima GN
46. Fairy Tail vol.16 by Hiro Mashima GN
47. Fairy Tail vol.17 by Hiro Mashima GN
48. Fairy Tail vol.18 by Hiro Mashima GN
49. Fairy Tail vol.19 by Hiro Mashima GN
50. Fairy Tail vol.20 by Hiro Mashima GN
51. Fairy Tail vol.21 by Hiro Mashima GN
52. Fairy Tail vol.22 by Hiro Mashima GN
53. Fairy Tail vol.23 by Hiro Mashima GN
54. Fairy Tail vol.24 by Hiro Mashima GN
55. Fairy Tail vol.25 by Hiro Mashima GN
56. Fairy Tail vol.26 by Hiro Mashima GN
57. Fairy Tail vol.27 by Hiro Mashima GN
58. Fairy Tail vol.28 by Hiro Mashima GN
59. Fairy Tail vol.29 by Hiro Mashima GN
60. Fairy Tail vol.30 by Hiro Mashima GN
61. Fairy Tail vol.31 by Hiro Mashima GN
62. Fairy Tail vol.32 by Hiro Mashima GN
63. Fairy Tail vol.33 by Hiro Mashima GN
64. Fairy Tail vol.34 by Hiro Mashima GN
65. Fairy Tail vol.35 by Hiro Mashima GN
66. Fairy Tail vol.36 by Hiro Mashima GN
67. Fairy Tail vol.37 by Hiro Mashima GN
68. Fairy Tail vol.38 by Hiro Mashima GN
69. Fairy Tail vol.39 by Hiro Mashima GN
70. Fairy Tail vol.40 by Hiro Mashima GN
71. Fairy Tail vol.41 by Hiro Mashima GN
72. Fairy Tail vol.42 by Hiro Mashima GN
73. Hiyokoi vol.1 GN
74. Hiyokoi vol.2 GN
75. Hiyokoi vol.3 GN
76. Hiyokoi vol.4 GN
77. Hiyokoi vol.5 GN
78. Hiyokoi vol.6 GN
80. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
81. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
82. Hiyokoi vol.7 GN
83. Hiyokoi vol.8 GN
84. Hiyokoi vol.9 GN
85. Hiyokoi vol.10 GN
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

One of the best things about LT 75ers is that we can disagree on significant ( or less significant) matters, and just carry on.

I have never seen Casablanca... hard to believe huh? Especially since I really love old movies. I have started watching it a time or two.. and just sort of wandered off mentally. I know it is popular around these parts and that is one of those things we might disagree on.

:)

Abby- I love old black & white movies but my favorite films are in glorious color, The Godfather I & II, Vertigo and Lawrence of Arabia. But Casablanca would be very high on that list too.
I love talking old movies with your Mom. We haven't done that in awhile.

Have you read Dare Me? A very dark YA, that I just finished.

Me likes Casablanca too! And a score of other black & white movies.

I misspoke when I said that there are no common mangas between the two of us, I read Fairy Tail too, though I have only read the first 10 volumes so far.

Your artwork looks great, I am quite the creatively challenged one. My father had a line while I was growing up, "You cannot draw a straight line, even with a ruler!"

Happy Easter!

Hope you're setting up for a good weekend, Abby. That's an awesome group of April reads!

104 new posts! so i skimmed a lot

Happy Easter!

Like Piyush, I love "My Fair Lady." It is one of my very favorite older movies. "The Sound of Music" is another of my favorite older movies too, but that's more along the musical lines and you didn't ask for that genre, but I can't help adding it in since I mentioned MFL already. ;)

It's hard for me to think of an older favorite movie that isn't a musical. Hmmm. A conundrum. I'll have to think on that one.

So... wishing for you and the whole Pecan Paradisio clan a wonderful and

Happy Easter, Abby!

Oh, my! Old movies. There are many I've loved. The Seattle Art Museum used to have a series of showing old black and white movies such as Bette Davis made. I became a huge fan of Katherine Hepburn, and Lauren Bacall, and the like. I really need to write up a list of movies I have loved and see if I can see some of them again.

Right now I am finding that I've become a huge fan of Alan Furst's novels about World War II spies as they have much the same atmosphere as the old black and white films!

I hope you have a wonderful week. I have today "off" from my usual duty of driving to my niece's and helping her youngest kids get off to school. I hope to focus on some work I must do this week so I can focus on reading later in the week although as a part of my deck is being repaired today it may be hard to concentrate. I will do my best.

Have a wonderful week Abby, I hope you are able to reach your goal of 100 books this month.

Hello Everyone! So sorry that I have been absent here for about a week. I got sick and hardly felt up to anything. I'll get caught back up today and hopefully get some reviews posted this week.

>128 mckait: I agree about that, it is wonderful to just have a conversation about stuff even if we don't agree. Some movies aren't for everyone. I love Casablanca, but if it's not your cup of tea then you shouldn't force yourself to watch it.

>129 msf59: You will probably be horrified by this...but I have never seen the Godfather. Dan and my parents watched it the other night, but unfortunately, I was sick and so was up in my room. I love color movies of course as well. All my favorite movies are in color as well. My mom and I talk movies every so often; our biggest disagreement is about The Maltese Falcon. It is one of Mum's favorite movies...I am not it's biggest fan. I have not read Dare Me, I will have to check it out. I love reading suggestions.

>130 PiyushC: Excellent! I read Fairytale over the course of the week and am now sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one to be printed. I was quite obsessed with reading it. Thank you, I will have to post some of my characters soon, I do those in a different style. Aww, that's so sad, all it takes is a bit of encouragement and some determination. I started really applying myself after we moved down to Georgia, and my art is hardly recognizable to that of before the move.

>131 wilkiec: Thank you, those bunny's are super cute! I want to scoop them up and kiss them about a million times. I hope you had a good Easter yourself.

>132 jnwelch: The weekend wasn't as good as I was hoping due to sickness, but Easter Day was very fun. My Mum and Dad bought us kids candy and we watched movies all day while eating chocolate. As I got my hands on the remotes first, we watched two of the Harry Potter movies first thing in the morning.

>133 connie53: Skimming is fine! Thanks, I hope you had a good one as well.

>134 TinaV95: Any old movie counts. I like The Sound of Music myself, though it has been several years since I last saw it. Thanks for the Easter Greetings! We all had fun.

>135 Crazymamie: Hello Mum. That pic made me laugh out loud.

>136 maggie1944: Lauren Bacall, she was sooo talented. I couldn't believe that her movie debut as a teenager was in The Big Sleep (another favorite of mine). I haven't read many novels about either of the World Wars as I read mostly fantasy, but my Mum often reads books that sound like old movies. I'm glad that you're enjoying them so much. Is there anything better than finding a good book? I hope you got your work all done and can now relax. So far my week has been pretty good.

>137Thanks Rae! Me too! I'm so close... only 5 more to go! I did reach 171 books read for this year, so my goal of reading more books this year than I did last year has already been completed!

Hi Abby! Just checking in. I hope the week is going well.

Hello Mark! Everything is going pretty well, almost over the sickness so yay for that. I've gotten quite a bit of art done this week as well. Hope your week has been good as well.

Hi Abby, sorry to hear that you had the plague over the Easter weekend, hopefully you are now on the mend.

Hi Judy! I am feeling loads better today. I am sure I will be completely better in a day or two. Luckily I was the only one who got sick.

Happy Thursday Everyone! I am hoping that everyone has had a good week so far and that they are looking forward to an even better weekend. Things have been sloggish here in Georgia as I haven't been feeling up to much. I have gotten quite a bit of reading and artwork done, which is good. My schoolwork is going fine, but I am disappointed with the book we are currently reading for english. It is not as interesting as I would prefer. Hopefully I will finish quickly and will be able to start something better suited to my tastes. I will spend the rest of today doing work and catching up on the threads (yikes!).

>146 Thebookdiva: - That's a tease, Abby! What book are you reading that is so disappointing?

It's called A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken. It's well written, I just can't seem to get interested in the story. The last book I read for school was Wuthering Heights, which I loved, so that might be part of the problem.

Hello Abby, have a wonderful weekend.

Thanks Rae! I hope it's good too. I'm feeling sick again today but hopefully that will pass quickly.

Seriously?! It's been two weeks since I was here last?!? Yikes. Well, happy and healthy weekend, sweetie.

You can stop by whenever you want. I have been absent for nearly a week, so you didn't miss much. Thanks, and I hope you have a great weekend yourself.

Hope you're feeling better now!

Thank you. I am actually feeling sick again today, but as I foresaw this coming I'm not too put out. I am still determined to get work done and some reading time in today.

Happy Saturday Everyone! It's finally the weekend! The weather is looking nice out and most of the family is already up and busy. I just got up, so...I'm not so busy yet. Yesterday we spent a nice evening out by the pool. Us kids got in and Mum read in a comfy chair beside the pool. It was great. When my dad came home he got in too! After the pool we ordered some mellow mushroom (my favorite restaurant) which was, of course, delicious, and while we ate we watched The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug. All in all, it was a wonderful evening. And to make the day even better, two books arrived for me from Amazon! I received: The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service by Hayao Miyazaki and Sword Art Online vol.1 which was just translated over into English. I have been waiting a very very long time for Sword art Online to be translated into English, so I am over the moon that I now have my hands on a copy.

I love that picture in >155 Thebookdiva:

When I saw it, I just had to post it.

>155 Thebookdiva: I love Miyazaki's work. I hope to visit his studio at some point.

I hope you're feeling well today, Abby.

Nice to get some books that you have been waiting for! Take care and I wish you some fun in your day :)

>158 Oberon: Miyazaki is my art idol. Seeing studio Ghibli would be fun. I was so sorry to hear that he was retiring this year-I will not have any more of his fabulous works to look forward too. I have not yet seen The Wind Rises, as our movie theater has not and will not be playing it. I plan on buying it when it comes out. It's still saddening though.

>159 mckait: I am feeling a lot better today. I think that the sickness has past. Unfortunately, I now think that I gave it to Mum. Getting books is always exciting! Thank you for the fun wishes. I wish you a fabulous day as well!

Happy (or at least Not-So-Awful) Monday wishes, Abby!

Have a nice Monday and spectacular week Abby.

>160 Thebookdiva: I saw The Wind Rises. It was very good although I prefer his more fantastic films better.

It is really a shame that he is retiring - I have been looking forward anxiously to each new movie and it is sad to not have that to look forward to.

>161 katiekrug: Thanks Katie!

>162 GeezLouise: Thanks Rae, same to you.

>163 Oberon: That's good that you liked it. I hadn't heard many people's opinion on it. I look forward to seeing it, although Kiki's Delivery Service will probably remain my favorite.

I know. It's hard to believe that there won't be any more movies with his iconic stamp on them. I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote some more in his retirement. I hope he does at least.

Hi Abby- Hope the weekend went well and you have an effortless week ahead.

Hello! The weekend was quite fun. We were invited to a group 'fun day' at my dad's partner's church, so most of us went to that. I have to admit that I had my doubts about going, but it turned out to be very fun. The only downer was that I twisted my ankle while playing volleyball. It's quite sore today, but my dad says that it will heal in a few days. This week is looking up with nice weather & some fun art projects I'm about to start.

>166 Thebookdiva: Sounds good, Abigail. Except for the twisted ankle of course. Just give it some rest.

That is exactly what I did, and it is feeling much better today.

The new Book Nook is up, Come on Over!