Mail Call & Friday Fill Ins

I will be venturing out in the rain soon to run a few errands. I have the day off of work to spend however I want. What could be better than that? Just add in a book and a steaming hot mug of hot cocoa and I'm all set. But first, the errands.

I am going to try to avoid stopping in at the bookstore while out and about this morning. It will be a test of my will, let me tell you. With the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books just two weeks away, I am trying to be good and refrain from spending too much extra money before hand. Several of us bloggers have plans to meet up at the festival and it would be great to see you there too! If you are planning to go, please let me know.




Dare to take a look inside my mailbox for this week's Mailbox Monday on Friday? I was quite pleased with what I found.




Shanghai Girls by Lisa See ~ I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was when this arrived in the mail. Kisses to Library Thing's Early Reviewer Program for granting me my book heart's desire. At least one of them.

The Surest Poison by Chester D. Campbell ~ A mystery that sounded too good to pass up. This is the first in a new series by the author of the Greg McKenzie mystery series. The author was kind enough to send me a copy for review.

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel ~ This book came to me by way of the Unbridled Virtual Book Tours, for which I will be a stop along the way in June. I was intrigued from the description, " . . . a story of love, amnesia, compulsive travel, the depths and the limits of family bonds, and the nature of obsession."

Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino, Ronald Cotton with Erin Torneo ~ Everything about this nonfiction book captured my interest and now has me eager to read it.

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1. (The opening for this fill-in was "Anonymous . . .", however, I decided to approach it differently by shifting the beginning of the sentence to the end. Barbara from Heidi's Books passed away early this morning and I instantly thought of this poem.)

Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

by Anonymous

2. Today is a sad day.

3. "Let me embrace thee, sour adversity, for wise men say it is the wisest course." ~ William Shakespeare

4. The warming of the temperatures, seeing my cats and dog lazing in the sunspots around the house as well watching them take pleasure in playing with the birds (the cats from behind the glass windows) are what I look forward to most about Spring. You can be sure I don't look forward to the allergies that come with the season!

5. Who needs therapy when I have chocolate, books, cuddly animals by my side and friends like you to talk to?

6. A big solid chocolate Easter bunny MUST go into the Easter Basket!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to getting a great big hug when my husband walks in the door this evening; tomorrow my plans include going to see the L.A. Galaxy and Chivas play (professional soccer); and Sunday, I want to sleep in, curl up with a book and travel the world in its pages, trying desperately to forget that I'll be suffering through a root canal come Monday morning.