Sunday Salon: A Reading Retrospective (August 2004) & A Big Thank You

I feel out of practice with this whole blog routine. Has it really been three weeks since I last posted here at Musings of a Bookish Kitty? I cannot say thank you enough to the wonderful bloggers who kept you entertained while I was away. They volunteered their time and talent. Many thanks to

Dar and Buddy - Peeking Between the Pages
Carrie - Books and Movies & Mommy Brain
Florinda - The 3 R's: Reading, 'Riting, and Randomness
Gautami - Everthing Distils Into Reading
Melody - Melody's Reading Corner
Nicole - Eagle Dawg Blog
Sandy Nawrot - You've GOTTA read this!
Sheri - A Novel Menagerie
Wisteria - Bookworm's Dinner

I would also like to extend my gratitude to those who stopped in and visited these outstanding bloggers while I was away. You could have taken a break from reading my blog since I was absent, but you didn't. Thank you.

Since thank yous seem to be the order of the day, I also want to thank those who nominated me for a Book Blogger Appreciation Week award. I was overwhelmed by the number of nominations I received. I often say that blogging is just a hobby for me, but it really is more than that. I spend a lot of time trying to make Musings of a Bookish Kitty a worthwhile place to visit--not just for me but for you as well. I especially value the community aspect of the blogging community: the friendships and connections I have made. I never imagined that anyone would want to read what I had to say about books. I appreciate every one of you.

Congratulations to all the BBAW nominees and also to those who weren't nominated. Just because you may not have received a nomination and most of us will likely not win an award, it does not mean you aren't worthy of an award. Blogging is time consuming, and while we all put different amounts of time and energy into it depending on our lifestyles, we each give a part of ourselves to the process. I think we all deserve a pat on the back for making the book blogging community what it is today. And that is truly what Book Blogger Appreciation Week is about. It is not about the awards or the prizes. It is about celebrating all of us.

Where's the book talk, you are wondering? Being that it is the end of August, it is time to step into my trusty time machine and take a peek at what I was reading five years ago this month. And here you were thinking you'd gotten off easy this month, didn't you?

August 2004 was both a good and bad month for me reading wise. I read my first J.D. Robb book and, well, I didn't like it. A futuristic mystery novel was bound to hold some appeal for me, I figured. After being told by so many fellow book lovers how great the series was, I thought for sure I would see the appeal. I wanted to like the book; heck, I wanted to like the series, but it was not meant to be. On the opposite side of the coin, I read my first Jodi Picoult book, My Sister's Keeper, which is a novel about a girl who seeks medical emancipation from her parents. The first word in my reading journal describing this book was "Wow." Even though it would not be my highest rated Picoult book, it is still my favorite.

I fell head over heels for Harlan Coben after reading No Second Chance, a stand alone thriller about a man whose daughter is kidnapped and wife is murdered, that same month. The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason was much less thrilling. Billed as "the next Da Vinci Code," it was anything but. Once I got over that expectation, I was better able to enjoy the book, but it still fell a little flat for me. The Body in the Cornflakes by K.K. Beck proved to be much more to my liking, although the main character got on my nerves at times. His girlfriend more than made up for it though, and I enjoyed the book quite a bit.

If you recall, I was on a Laurell K. Hamilton reading binge in July 0f 2004. That would come to an end when I finished reading Narcissus in Chains, the 10th book in the Anita Blake, vampire hunter, series in August of that same year. It was with this book that I could really tell what earlier fans of the series had been saying about the series. There was a definite shift from the more mystery driven story lines to that of romance--or sensual, some might say. My stop in the series at this point was only temporary. I would have continued on, I am sure, had the next book been out in paperback (fortunately, I didn't have to wait long).

One of the big highlights of my reading five years ago this month was Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. It was the beginning of what would be my growing interest in the Mormon faith and its offshoots, the fundamentalist sects. Krakauer set out to write a book about Mormonism and its past; however, as the author began to research and write, he found the book turning in a different direction. Instead he focused on the fundamentalist side of the religion and a horrible crime committed by those who said it was God's will. The story shared by Krakauer was revealing and informative. Mormonism is not the only faith with outlying extremist groups who will use religion as an excuse to commit unspeakable crimes. Even though Krakauer's focus was on one small group, many of the points he brings up can b e found in many other faiths as well.

August of 2004 was full of intrigue in every corner, whether it was grounded in fiction or truth. While some books proved to be disappointing, others more than made up for it. All in all, the month had been a good one book wise.

I have quite a few reviews prepared that I will be sharing with you this coming month. It is a good feeling to be prepared ahead of time, let me tell you! Be sure and stop by on Tuesday for my review of The Promised World by Lisa Tucker. Now to decide what movie to review for Monday's movie day . . .

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