*Giveaway is closed* Affiliate links used

I've probably mentioned a few times that I love to read. My pile of 'to be read' books is getting so big I'm afraid it's going to topple over. But, if I find a book on the clearance rack or in my library book store, I have no problem adding it on.

When I went into my Google Reader this past Tuesday night and saw that Bossy's theme for Ten Word Tuesday was summer reading I think I drooled a little.

Several of the comments mentioned wanting to see all the suggestions compiled into a list. I, being a total book whore, offered to put it together. I apologize if I messed up or forgot to link anyone's blog. I haven't read many of these titles. I'm excited to add some to my list.

Win It!
Have you read anything on this list? Did you love it? Hate it? Have any really good suggestions to add? Leave a relevant comment and win a $10 Amazon gift card! (rules at the bottom of the post)

Suggested summer reading submitted by fans of I Am Bossy 
to Ten Word Tuesday

Have the T-shirt said: The Spellman Files (and the two follow up books) by Lisa Lutz
Michele P said: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane
dgm said: Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Marjorie of Connecticut said :Still Life by Louise Penny (1st in a series of 5 thus far)
Chookooloonks said: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
SueBoo said: Hold Tight by Hal Coben

leslie said: The Pact by Jodi Picoult
Marjorie of Connecticut said: Folly by Laurie R. King
Leslie said: The Pleasure of My Company Steve Martin
Meg at the Members Lounge said: The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
KM said: Katherine by Anya Seton or The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Amy and Ellie said: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewskij
Lora said: She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb
Jamie said:
-The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz
-Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard
Jenny said: When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris or On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwen

Amber Star said: The Berrybender Narratives series by Larry McMurty
hollygee said: Welcome to Temptation, Jennifer Crusie
Jamie said: Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon (this was suggested many times and I agree, it's one of my favorites, I've read it at least 6 times)
confused said: Middlesexby Jeffrey Eugenides

Owengirl79 said:The Noticer by Andy Andrews
heather said: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Jamie said: The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts, by Tom Farley Jr and Tanner Colby
vuboq said: Deep Economy by Bill McKibben
Meredith said: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (this was also suggested many times and I agree, it's excellent)

Rae said: Freddy and Fredericka, by Mark Helprin
Elizabeth said: Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson (very, very good; she's becoming one of my favorite authors)
Heide said: Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen's Union
Lauren said: The Road, Cormac McCarthy
Stephanie said: When the Wind Blows and The Lake House by James Patterson

Leslie B said: The Tender Bar by JR Moehringer
Michelle and Skeller said: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Domestic Goddess said: [anything by]
-Jane Austin
-The Bronte Sisters
-Thomas Hardy
-Edith Wharton

Leslie B said: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Maryjo said: Audrey Niffenegger, The Time Traveler's Wife(suggested multiple times, a must read!!!)
Debbie said: An American Childhoodby Annie Dillard
Marnie said: Wildflower: An Extraordinary Life and Untimely Death in Africa, by Mark Seal

Kate said: American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld
Lance said: Infidel - Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Renee in Seattle and Dr. Liz said: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet
David said: One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish - Dr. Seuss
Jean said: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (True Blood fans, this is part of the Sookie Stackhouse series)

Caro said: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (movie coming out soon)
POD said: The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life by Ben Sherwood
Fiona Picklebottom said: Beach Music by Pat Conroy (loved it!)
Tammy said: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Dharmamama said: Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculée Ilibagiza

Dharmamama said: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
kd said: The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Michael Lewis
Methodpam said: Foolby Christopher Moore
Amanda said: Rhett Butler's Peopleby: Donald McCaig
Eileen said: Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
Elle said: Conversations with God, Neale Donald Walsch

Jenna said: A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews
Jacquie said: The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
Donna said: Cane River by Latita Tademy
rockle said: Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore

The Great Getzby said:
-Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov
-July's People by Nadine Gordimer
-The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
-Libra, Don DeLillo
-Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
-Archie Comics Double Digest
-South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami
-To The Lighthouse, Viginia Woolf
-The Dead, by James Joyce, from “The Dubliners”

Amelia said: Pretty in Plaid - Jennifer Lancaster (reading now, love it!)
sara said: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
KimA said: The Bookseller of Kabulby Asne Seierstad
Dee said: Any of the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evonovich - One for the Money up through Finger Lickin’ Fifteen

Liz in Virginia said: The Solace of Leaving Early, by Haven Kimmel
bechtoldlifework said: The Wife, by Meg Wolitzer
deedle said: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Franca Bollo said: Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks
Surcie said: I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti(Non-fiction) Giulia Melucci

BirdBrain said: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Sara said: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Debbie said: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Deborah said: The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig, anything by James Lee Burke
Suburban Turmoil said: War and Peace
Sugarpie said: With Bold Knife and Fork; M. F. K. Fisher

Bossy's Mom said: Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
JC said: Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Laurellee said: East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Cupcake Murphy said: The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen and The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami

Lianne said: The Memory of Running, by Ron McLarty or The The Sound of Butterflies, by Rachel King
Elizabeth said: James Patterson’s Women's Murder club series or Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Series
Catherine McP said: [Any of the] 4 cookbooks by Kit Wohl
Abbey said: The Correctionsby Jonathan Franzen. Also, Jonathan Safran Foer: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Sugarpie said: Speak, Memory, To The Lighthouse, and Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole

Kait said: Jenna Blum’s Those Who Save Us
Suburban Kamikaze said: Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife
Marinka said: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Amanda said: The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
Maria said: Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade, a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis
Carrie said: My Life in France by Julia Child
Lissa Lou said: My Life in France by Louise Erdrich
Jen said: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (The Almost Moon was really good too)

Ren said: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Beth said: Lolita, and [anything by] Edith Wharton and Jane Smiley, (House of Mirth, A Thousand Acres) and Housekeeping by Marilynn Robinson
ErinH said: The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews and A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Cinthia said: Any of the “No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency ” books by Alexander McCall Smith and Patty Boyd’s Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me

martha said: Glamour and Sparkles, both by Louise Bagshawe
Sven said: Anna Karenina, Tolstoy
deborah said: Any mystery by Ian Rankin (especially Resurrection Men)
judy said: Naked by David Sedaris

Guess what? You can print the entire list here.

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED
To enter:
1. Leave a relevant comment on this post answering any of the questions above - (enter me! and I want to win! aren't gonna cut it) required.

2. I MUST have a way to get in touch with you! I will have to delete comments with no contact info.

3. Comments will close on Friday, June 26th at 11:59pm CA time.

4. I will use random.org to draw the winners and post the results/notify winners via email and in a "Winners" post.

5. The prize is in the form of an emailed gift card. International entry OK as long as Amazon is allowed where you live.

6. For two extra entries: (not required) Tweet, and/or blog about this contest and leave each of your links in a separate comment (three contest entry opportunities total). You will need a free Twitter account.

7. You do not have to follow or subscribe to this blog as a method of entry (but you're more than welcome to!). Tweet as often as you like, but only one Tweet will count as an extra entry. Leave one comment for each entry. Here is the URL to this post: http://tinyurl.com/n3wj7m

Random Thought: Bar Fight

Is it just me, or would anyone else get slightly turned on watching your husband get in a fight?
Not that I'm condoning violence or anything. But all that physical, brawny male-ness? Would light me up, just a little.

Delicious photo from here.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Disneyland's Magical Fireworks

The new fireworks show is amazing! The score is great and the pyrotechnics are choreographed to the music, which blows me away. There's even shapes within the fireworks (Mickey head, smiley face).



You Tube doesn't allow more than 10 minutes of video so the whole 12 minute show isn't here.
For more Wordless Wednesday visit 5 Minutes for Mom, Mom Dot, What's That Smell

Would You Buy Your 5-Year Old an iPod?

1/7/2010 Update at the end of the post

I was flipping through O Magazine and saw a small piece where the reporter asked a fashion designer what he'd be packing in his beach bag this summer. One of the items he'd include is an iPod Touch for his five-year old. Five. Not 12 or 15. Five.

Um, what's a little person barely out of toddlerhood doing with an iPod Touch? That's quite a hefty piece of technology to be buried in the sand. I let Tyler use mine occasionally but would never consider getting him his own. Even if I had the money (and I don't, mine was purchased with birthday money), I wouldn't buy him one. He's just too young.

Update

I'm still getting a lot of comments on this post so I wanted to share my feelings now.  When I wrote this Tyler was a few months shy of turning 7. At the time, he was not mature or responsible enough for his own iPod Touch. He's 8 now and I'm still not sure *I* would spring for him to have one of his own.

He sorta kinda tricked his Grandpa into buying him a Nintendo DSi. He's had for about half a year. He's been very careful with it in that he has not mishandled it, but he couldn't find it for a few days and we all thought it was lost. He forgot he'd put it in his Ta Kwon Do bag.

As some people have pointed out, the games for the iPod are much more affordable than Nintendo. I totally agree. Downloading an app for $1.99 versus buying a cartridge for $30-40 is a no brainer. It really is up to each family. If your 5 year-old is responsible enough to have $200 worth of technology, go for it. I think buying something in that price range for that age sets a bad precedent.

Now that Tyler has his DSi, we've told him we're not buying games for him (except for birthday gifts etc.) He's had to earn and save up money to buy what he wants. He's learned how much things cost, how long it takes to save for something and how long it takes him to earn money with his allowance. Those are concepts I think a 5 year-old is just starting to grasp and can't really put into practice yet.

Tyler would have been waiting a long time for us to buy a DSi. We have very strict usage rules with it (and the TV, Wii and computer). He can't sit in front of a screen all day. If he chooses to spend his morning watching TV, he can't play the computer at night too. This is another issue I have with kids and technology; how they encourage couch potato-ness and limit imagination. Again, 5 is a little young to start this behavior pattern.

I did buy an MP3 player for a Christmas gift but it's not a name brand. Tyler is perfectly happy with it and if he loses or breaks it I'm only out $12 ($22 on Amazon but I had a $10 credit). 

Every family is different. Do what feels right for you. I still think 5 is too young (I agree with Anonymous below about maturity and milestones), but if your kid is more mature and responsible than mine was at that age go for it.

Characteristics of a Leo

Leo is always center stage and full of flair, they enjoy basking in the spotlight. Leos are full of energy that acts like a magnet for other people. They always make their presence known. Leos tend to live life straightforwardly and with a flair for drama.


One thing most Leo women never fall short of - male attention. She will most probably be the center of attention everywhere and if you are trying to woo her, be ready to get lots of competition.


Leo women are not very careful with money and will have to be restrained in this respect. She can indulge in extravagance to fulfill her desire for exquisite furnishings, home décor, gifts for friends or her own clothes.


Leo females make affectionate mothers. They love and pamper their children silly, but also demand respect from them.


Leo woman is perfect for the man who is affectionate and has a strong character but not too controlling.

She needs someone who is passionate about everything in their life and who strives for the best in everything, because so does she.


Thanks Roy! I love it!

Astrology info pieced together from here, here and here. Leo symbol from here. Roy works here.

Would You Ask if There's a Gun in the House Before A Playdate?

I read a lot of magazines, some of them the parenting kind. Years ago one had a poll about guns in the home and if you would ask the parents of your child's friends if they have one before you'd let your child go over to play. Stories like this one from Tuesday's USA Today make me think abso-frikin-lutely.

From the article:"An 11-year-old boy in Mississippi accidentally killed his 9-year-old brother with a shotgun blast Tuesday as the two struggled over the gun after arguing about a video game, authorities said."

My brother, Phil and I had a heated argument about this topic one night when were at a bar (my bother's girlfriend wisely chose to stay out of it). We started out talking about Tyler playing with toy guns and turning his other toys into guns, and the conversation turned to guns in the home, nature versus nurture, men versus women, the role of a parent etc. etc. I believe my brother even said, "men are genetically designed to spread their seed as much as possible." Oh yes he did! But I digress.

I grew up around guns. My father is and has been in law enforcement since I was little. If someone were to ask me if we had a gun in the house, I would have said, "sure" in the same way as if they'd asked if we had a TV. It was no big deal. My dad's gun was just another thing on the table next to his wallet and keys. I could touch or hold it anytime I wanted to, all I had to do was ask (that's what she said. sorry, I couldn't leave that one just lying there). It held no mystique for me and I'd get tired of friends (mostly boys) asking me about it because it was no big deal. My dad and my uncle (former LAPD) used to take me to the shooting range. For awhile I kept all my targets so I could track my progress.



When kids would ask about my dad's gun, I'd tell them the story about my dad cleaning his gun in bed one night after I'd gone to bed (I think I was 6 or so). My dad was in the bedroom and my mom was in the bathroom. The bed faced my parent's closet and the bathroom was on the other side of the closet. When the gun went off, my mom said it was so loud she thought she'd been shot. She was frozen in the bathroom. then she thought my dad had shot himself and she called out to him. He ran into the bathroom to make sure she was OK.

The bullet took a chunk out of the closet door knob. It looked like a small animal bit a piece off. The bullets my dad was using at the time weren't the typical kind. Most bullets are capable of leaving an entry and exit wound, but these were designed to penetrate then explode. So after it went through the closet door it exploded and tore up several of my dad's suits. But I digress again.

Not once did I feel the need to sneak around and look for the gun so I could hold it. For one, Dad didn't hide it, it was usually on his dresser. He also told me he'd break all my fingers if he ever caught me, but mostly it was because I didn't care. Having a gun in the house hardly ever crossed my mind unless someone else brought it up. And I never, ever thought about getting his gun when I was angry or sad let alone think to threaten someone with it.

My brother and I knew that guns aren't toys because it was drilled into us over and over. And my brother's argument was the popular, "guns don't kill people, people kill people." To some extent, I agree. But in this instance, and in so many other instances, the "people" involved are children. Fighting over a video game. For some reason, one of them thought going to get a gun was an appropriate way to deal with the situation. That 11-year-old boy is going to have the specter of having shot and killed his brother hanging over him for the rest of his life.

My main point to my brother was that not everyone was raised the way we were. It seems to me that there's still an aura about guns that's attractive to kids. It seems that the stories we read about involving tragic deaths like this one it's usually about one kid telling another, "hey, look what my parents have," and then one of them ends up dead.

I'm not saying people shouldn't have guns in their homes so all the card carrying NRA can simmer down. I don't know what the solution is either, I just feel that if families who keep guns would do more to take the mystery and curiosity about them away, and teach proper handling and basic safety, maybe children won't end up accidentally killing one another.

What do you think? Would you, or have you asked another parent if they have a gun in the house? Will you let you child play there if they do?
 
(photo from Google Images)

Wordless Wednesday: Proud As A Peacock Part Deux

Look who came to visit! I saw something out of the corner of my eye that looked much bigger than the birds I'm used to seeing. These two must be escapees. They hung out behind my house until my neighbor's dog scared them off.

At Least He Was Honest

Phil: "Tyler, are you ready to go yet?"

Tyler: "No."

Phil: "We're waiting on you. Why aren't you ready"

Tyler: "Because I was messing around."

Well okay then.

General Motors: Preventable or Inevitable?

I'm following General Motors on Twitter and caught I some of the President's televised speech about GM filing for bankruptcy. I won't pretend to understand all the politics and implications of the decision as it relates to the state of the auto industry. I changed my major from business to journalism after sitting through a semester of economics, but it seems this is a simple case of supply and demand. Consumers demanded more fuel efficient cars and US auto makers failed to supply them.


I'm sad for the workers who will lose their jobs. I'm sad for their cities and towns because their economies will suffer too as will that of the supporting industry's like steel. There will be many ripples in this pond. There's a lot of history and tradition in the US auto industry and it's sad to see it come to an end this way.

But I think US auto makers needed a big Ty-from-Extreme-Makeover standing-outside-their-offices-with-a-bullhorn sized wake up call.

When we were shopping for Phil's car we test drove at least 10 mid-sized SUV's, including the Ford Escape, but feature for feature the US cars fell short. We wanted to Buy American but in the end we just couldn't sacrifice performance and price for patriotism.

I know there are plans in the works to save some of the brands that fall under the GM umbrella, like Saturn, and to speed up the development of their electric and hybrids, but doesn't this seem like they're using sippy cups to bail water from their sinking ship? Shouldn't they have been pushing the other options well before now? If I'm wrong, or missing something vital, I'd love it if you could explain it me.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: Artsy

My attempts at artsy black and white for a photo contest. I entered the bottom pic. Vote for me here (thank you!)