Header PromotionBooks can come from the oddest of places. I just found that out yesterday when I went shopping at my local JayC's grocery store. Grocery store? You got it. I mean, I expect book displays at Walmart and some of the bigger produce arenas, but at a store that's so small it doesn't even carry the brand of chips I like? Nope, didn't see it coming.
Well, there it was - a huge display table blocking my way to the milk. Well, maybe not blocking exactly.... but it was definitely hindering me from getting to the fridge section! Geez, what's a gal supposed to do when she's due home in just a few minutes and crosses a display of Harlequin, Mira, Zebra, and Avon books? Lots of familiar names - Nora Roberts, Diana Palmer, Linda Lael Miller, etc. My six yr. old DD was with me and helped search through the titles. I've given up trying to hide them from her (except some of the Blazes). The girl is bound to be a future romance reader herself. Her Barbies are always kissing and getting married to their Kens. Her ideas come from the Wedding Channel, which she watches every chance she gets. "Look, Mommy... here's a Jude Deveraux!" Okay, so she knows my favorite authors too. We ignored the 'looks' we got from some people who were probably more of those poor non-readers. And we smiled and struck up 'bookish' conversation with those who also stopped by to peruse.
Back to the store, of all the years I've shopped at this particular one I've never known them to carry all these books. Wow, talk about upgrading! I mean, they already had my business to start with.... Now, I'll be making excuses for more bread and milk! Scary! LOL 
So, have you ever been waylaid by books in unexpected places?
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Oh, I know just what you
Oh, I know just what you mean! I can't go into even a small grocery story without browsing their book sections. Even those stores that have the same books out for 6 months or more. lol
I've bought more books in the last couple weeks than I read in a month or two. Though I will say that a few came form the UBS i went to with my mom last weekend.
And I think it's great your daughter is a big reader-in-the-making! So cute about her watching the wedding channel and marrying her Barbie dolls.
That's Great,Amanda,
I also liked about your DD,good for her already recognizing authors. Keep up the good work!
My story is different,was cleaning out a spare closet the other day & when I opened a box there were over 50 books 
. Of course I was shocked but felt like jumping for joy as didn't even remember buying or getting any of these. Guess we are just destined to keep on reading,no complaints here.
Have a great holiday weekend,Cheryl
Cheryl http://peacefulpond.blogspot.com/
Aw, you and your DD make
Aw, you and your DD make such a cute pair!
Tracy....
Thanks about DD. I think with all the tv and movie influences these days kids need to be encouraged even more to read than in days past. I'm a big advocate for reading. But, hey, I suspect most of us here on Harlequin are!
I'm with you about the book piles growing too fast to keep up with! One good way of looking at it is, if I couldn't go to the library or buy another book, I could go for weeks reading the ones I already have! Of course, fat chance I won't buy more! LOL
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Aunt Cheryl....
Ooh, I like surprises like that! 50 books you forgot about? Cool! Kind of like Christmas in July, huh? H'm... now I'm curious.... if I went around my house looking would I find a box with fifty forgotten books? It's worth looking to see!
Thank you for what you said about my DD. My husband and I are both big readers so we were hoping she'd like it too. I think when kids see the adults around them reading, it just makes them want to do it too. They're big on imitation. And recently she's discovered that she really likes reading a story in her head, and not just out loud. I know I sound like a proud Mama.... Sorry if I get carried away....
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Janet....
I'm blushing. Thanks so much!
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Nice use of humor in this
Nice use of humor in this blog! My dd recognized my favorite author's at a young age, too. She now reads most of the books I read. LOL
Keep up the good work with her!
Nancy
Thanks, Nancy!
That's nice that you and your DD read the same books! I hope me and Katie are like that, too, when she's older. It'd be fun to swap!
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
marketing
geez those marketing people really know where to place things. Great book training in your daughter
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
LOL, Christa....
...and here I thought it was hard enough passing up the displays candy and cookies. Now they decided to try the book temptation! Talk about sneaky! <gg>
My reading habits are just sort of rubbing off on Katie, I think!
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Book weakness
I am so glad that I am not the only one with book weakness out there. I blogged yesterday about the 65 (I think) books I have bought in the last two weeks. But hey, we have a three day weekend down here and what's a gal to do!?!
Bonsal
grocery store layout
I've noticed a lot of grocery stores they put the milk at the furthest corner of the store so you have to go through the whole store for it
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
LOL, Bonsal....
And I just added a comment to your bad bad book buyer blog!
I think we're in the same boat here, don't you?
Even my DH is happy about his three day weekend because he has some more books to read.
What the heck would we do without books?
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Christa....
Yeah, and they put the candy bars at the checkout. Those people are sneaks. But, at least my books won't make me gain a single pound! LOL
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Yeah well they're not going to put the books at the checkout
are they
- we'd never leave, you don't need a traffic jam INSIDE the store! 
A forgotten box with fifty books?
No, I know about the four boxes in my living room and the piles under the aquarium and on the treadmill, I know about all the boxes in the bedroom, I know about all the boxes in the attic
No the only "forgotten" box (in that it's inaccessible at the moment) is in Texas, and it's far from forgotten!
Readaholic? Who? ME?
Mais bien sûr!
Hugs
Sadhbh
Dream Team 2008 Challenge blogs
No more excuses, just READ!
Sadhbh....
If they ever put books at the checkout lanes...watch out! Sometimes the lines are already backed up enough as it is! LOL
Boxes of books? I've got those too. There might be one or two books I've forgotten about, but a whole box, I doubt. Would be a good surprise though!
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
About the forgotten box of books
can I blame it on the medication fog I lived in for years? How about age? Or because when we moved 2 of my DD and 1 SIL "helped" pack and put away things?
Anyway, I was so happy to see one of the books was THAT SUMMER PLACE which is 3 stories in one and I just read it is to be re-released,so yes,I had to read it. 
Now to catch up on my book reviews
Have a great weekend,everyone,
Cheryl
Cheryl http://peacefulpond.blogspot.com/
Aunt Cheryl....
I doubt your forgotten box has anything to do with your age or any kind of 'fog'. I'd say it's just a sign of being a bookaholic! Too many books is a good thing - LOL! I'd LOVE to discover a whole box I forgot.
Fact of the matter is, if I continue buying the way I've been doing here lately, that's likely to happen to me in the future. I'm buying far more than I can possibly read in a month! I'd get help for my addiction except... I don't WANT to stop! 
Thanks for joining the blog, Cheryl!
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Bookaholic,yes,that's me
Amanda,you are so right and like you I don't want the cure
. In fact,put in 2 orders this week,couldn't pass up the free shipping and discount
. Hope your weekend was a very good one. Got to babysit Granddaughter yesterday,highlight of my week
-we spent alot of the time reading
and learning songs. Have a wonderful week,Cheryl
Cheryl http://peacefulpond.blogspot.com/
Reading and singing songs?
Sounds like you had a great time with your granddaughter, Aunt Cheryl! Children are so precious. And what better way to spend cuddle-time than to read a book together! Katie still wants me to read to her every night before she goes to bed, even though she is reading independently now. That one-on-one contact just can't be replicated in any other way! It gives us a chance to connect and bond.
So we readaholics should do our utmost to pass down the passion of reading to the youngest generations! LOL
Training in action, so to speak. And it's just so much darned fun, too!
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Children are so precious.
"Ha!", I say. And "Ha" again. I had thirty people at my house on Saturday, and the three youngest kids (of about 10 ranging from 3 to 14) drove me crazy. First they broke branches of my lilac. then, the "picked" a flower from my Lavatere. Then they discovered the paving stone (big ones) that we had piled under a tree, and started throwing them in the rain runoff ditch that runs along our property. Did I mention the plants that were growing on the bank, which recieved a "meteor" shower? Then they amused themselves by throwing their coke bottles up in the air and spray the coke all over the grass. Hope we don't get ants from the sugar.
SO, The statement "Children are so precious." makes me laugh in frustration. I'm glad I only have a cat.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
LOL, Frenchie, obviously
LOL, Frenchie, obviously those children are not readers.
Or like so many children, they are precious except when they are not. 
Nancy
Fake Frenchie....
Okay, after reading your comment, I understand how you feel. If my house was trashed or mutilated in any way, I'd feel like pulling hair out, too (but not my own). I imagine the children you're talking about are simply the by-product of their parents. So if I was you, I'd take another look at your friends to see if maybe it might be their fault they let their kids mess up your house.
And, yes, before you ask I do have friends that have rowdy kids. Truthfully they get under my skin. There is no excuse for a parent to allow their kid to wreck havoc! For the life of me I can't figure out why people won't teach their kids to respect other people's property. However, an accident every now and then is understandable - we're all prone to them. Next time, if I were you, I'd set the rules down for the parents - tell them to bring their kids at their own risk, and make sure they behave.... or don't show up at all. Simple as that.
As a parent I take raising my daughter seriously. She's very polite, says thank you and please. And if you were to meet her you'd see what I mean. I fully agree that some kids are holy terrors - but it's more the parent's fault than the kids. Discipline does not have to be overly drastic - I find that taking away what a kid loves most for a while usually teaches a lesson to Katie, ex: putting a halt on games, DVD's, visiting friends, etc.
Children simply grow up into big people. And we were all kids at some point in time. And I still think that if kids are taught to love reading and the arts, they make for a more behaved, quiet, and content bunch - at least before and after their teen years!. LOL
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Well, my friends think the
Well, my friends think the children need to play and have fun. And since I don't have any kids and was a very quiet kid myself, I don't understand their definition of fun. I mean, we have a 1/2 acre of open land and they have to find the places where it would be better that they don't go? I would bring a book to parties at my parent's friends or at family, and I sit in a bedroom and read.
Thanks for letting me vent! I needed to rant. The kids are generally quite well behaved, but they are kids and not adults. And even as a kid, I preferred the company of adults. They were quieter!
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
Fake Frenchie....
I was the same way when I was a kid! My mom used to get mad at me sometimes because I'd much rather sit around and listen to the adults talk than to run around and play all the time. So I really do know what you mean. And it's okay to vent... I have to do it sometimes myself.
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
I get the impression you've vented about those particular
friends before, and I'm still wondering why it's they who visit you rather than you bringing your cat to visit them
Some French parents are like that, when they're in their own home they're relatively strict but when they're elsewhere "on holidays" they seem to abdicate all responsibility
I prefer people to visit me while the boys are still young because they do have a lot of energy and we have a big child-friendly house and garden. If not DH goes on his own and I stay home "minding" the kids and reading
Vent whenever you like (and you do remember I'm bringing the boys to stay next week, don't you?
)
Hugs
Sadhbh
Dream Team 2008 Challenge blogs
No more excuses, just READ!
My Dearest Gnat!
Who? What? Who? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Amanda, Well, we only have the two youngest once a year. And they were better this year than last. And I like the parents. But they have different standards than I do. They are not as worried about things. And if it's an accident, I'm not terribly worried about things. But I really don't understand why they have to practice that particular brand of "fun". Still, my brothers were like them. *sigh* That's why I enjoyed my month at my grandparent's house.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
they seem to abdicate all responsibility
It's not that especially, but the mother is from a village in Latin America, where everyone takes responsibility for looking after the children when there is a party. But in France, if people take responsibility,it's for their own offspring. The others can go to H*ll in a handbasket. And they are very Active. So 2 people can only do so much. Unless they put the kids on a leash. Now, there's an idea.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
I love where this blog
ended up going. I am strict on my kids when they are not at home. (Okay at home, too.) I never want people to say here come those rowdy boys, etc. Because we know women do talk!
Angel
"I can fix a bad page, but I can't fix a blank one." Nora Roberts
www.angelinabarbin.blogspot.com
It's all about setting some
It's all about setting some boundaries.
I would have gone nuts if my own kids tore apart my house, so they learned outdoors was for rowdy behavior and indoors was for quiet, inside voices and quieter behavior. My daughter who is now in seminary tells me that some of the older seminarians have told her, "we love your parents." They haven't even met us. LOL
Nancy
Angel....
I know exactly what you mean - it has definitely evolved.
My mom used to always tell my two brothers and I (when we questioned how strict she was) that the last thing in the world she wanted was for someone to call her kid's 'brats'. Worse still if they had a legitimate reason for saying so! LOL
Sure, kids should just be kids, allowed to play and be happy, but there's a respectful way for them to do so. And there has to boundaries. Of course when they get older they'll make their own decisions, but when they're young they need definite guidelines.
I tell you... sometimes it's hard being a mommy, don't you think?
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Nancy....
You have a daughter in seminary? Wow - that's awesome. And it's nice that her teachers think so highly of her, and in turn of you. Of course, like I said to Angel, kids will make their own decisions when they're older - but the fact that your daughter is polite and very respectful of others can definitely be accredited to the way you raised her. Now, in case anyone is reading this and doing some head-shaking, I'm not saying it's not possible for a person to be polite even when they weren't taught manners by their parent(s), I just think it's not as likely. Then on the opposite side, I know a few people who's parents are extremely polite and nice people and yet they have turned out to be... well... quite frankly, rude.
So I say kudos to you for being a good mother, Nancy! In fact, kudos to ALL the parents who care how their kids behave and treat others around them!
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Sadhbh...
I'm definitely more comfortable with people visiting my place too, rather than going to their house. This is for two reasons - because accidents do happen in spite of being careful, and also because I know my house is set up for a kid (childproofed and all that jazz). But when we do go visiting others, my DD knows to treat the residence as respectfully, if not more so, than our own house.
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
neat desk
Wow is your computer desk ever neat.
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
Thanks, Christa!
I wasn't sure if you meant neat as in cool or neat as if 'Gosh it's organized'. If you meant the latter, you should see the other half of it (it's an 'L' shaped desk). The papers and books are stacked a mile high. Thank God the mess didn't show up in this pic my
DH took - LOL!
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Hi Amanda--just got back
Hi Amanda--just got back here and yes, I have a daughter in seminary. She is such a cool young lady. She also works (in the summer) at the preschool I work at and her co-workers love her.
Nancy
neat as in organized
sorry I should have been more specific. Mine is a corner desk so even a few things not in their place makes it look messy. Did you direct DH to take the picture that way?
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
That's awesome...
...that you and your daughter can work together, Nancy. I didn't even know you work at a preschool. Bet that's a lot of fun. Probably keeps you on your toes, huh?
Is you daughter attending seminary for mission work or for something at home?
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
Christa....
You don't have to apologize. The story behind the snapshot is that instead of using our digital, my DH used our regular camera for our vacation (it usually takes better pictures), and he had one shot left before taking in the roll when we got home. So he took this one of me. I actually barely had time to get ready, because I really was writing. He's always trying to catch me off-guard. It's a joke with us. We're goofy! Anyway, I caught him in time and grinned. Because of the writing part, I thought it fit eHarlequin. Well, it kind of does anyway....
P.S. I cropped it so the papers and books don't show! LOL
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
- Mark Twain
(No subject)
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
Amanda, sometimes it takes
Amanda, sometimes it takes me such a long time to wander back to a blog I had posted on. It has been a very neat experience having a job that my daughter can do during the summer months. I have a middle child with a disability and I work in the preschool she attended years ago. When my oldest wanted a summer job the year between her jr and sr years in high school my boss hired her. Heck, she has known my family and watched my kids grow up since the 1988-89 school year.
Nancy
Now the market has a new meaning!
Hey girl!
I used to work at a local market and they had a great book selection! Not alot of HQN of any,but alot of Romance authors. Nora Roberts,etc. And the prices aren't bad! They do like 30% off the cover price. I don't know if I ever told you,but my Local Library does this thing where they have alot of used books people donate {there's a huge selection,all kinda of books},there's alot of HQN and Sillouette,random series though,that's what I like though,you can get a bunch and mix them up.
I have a bunch of love inspired,some superromance,etc. And you can fill up a shopping bag for $1!!! I think all libraries should do that. I think you'll be buying bread and eggs alot more now?? LOL! Thanks for all the nice comments!!
Happy reading Ladies!! xoxox
-Candace
"All you need,is Faith and Trust,and a little bit of Pixie Dust".
-Author Unknown.