nimrodiel

1. Anasazi Boys by Neil Gaiman
2. Wanted: One Sexy Night by Judi McCoy

1. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
2. On Mexican Time by
3. Half-Breed by Maria Campbell

1. Spirits in the Wires by Carles DeLint (audiobook)
2. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Just a few days late with last weeks books read.

1. Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan
2. Skinwalker by DeFilippis, Weir, Hurtt, and Dela Cruz (graphic novel)
3. Agyar by Steven Brust
4. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophia Kinsella
5. The Riders by Tim Winton
6. Thud! by Terry Prattchet (audio book)

1. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
2. Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery
3. The People's Republic of Desire by Annie Wang (ARC)

This is the review I am working on for the firstlook program.

In her First Book, The Madonnas of Leningrad, Debra Dean brings us a magical story. The main charecter, Marina serves as a bridge between the modern day and war torn Leningrad during World War II. The modern day Marina, is old. She lives in America, has raised a family, and is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimers. She has numerous problems with her short term memory. She keeps forgetting who her children and their families are, and comparing the things that she sees now to how she lived during the war. She is slowly retreating into her memories and becoming her younger self in thought. The younger Marina is a museum tour guide, is in love, lives through much hardship, and finds herself struggling to keep herself, her aunt and uncle and her unborn child alive during a time of very little food.

As an artist and a former art history student I was blown away by the descriptions of the Hermitage Museum, and of the paintings that are described as Marina builds herself a memory palace of the museum so it does not get lost after the war ends. This was a sweet and moving story of love and hardship both during World War II, and in the present day as Marina's husband and children struggle to cope with her moving away from them into the past.

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Not sure if I am done with it yet though.

1. The Pilots Wife by Anita Shreeve
2. Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay (currently reading)

1. Knitting Goddess
2. Trumpet by Jackie Kay
3. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (audiobook)

Yesterday we went to see Runin: Banished.Oh was it fantastically good.

I totally recomend it. Chicagoans, you can see it at Facets Cinematheque until January 22, 2006

I've been using left over coffee to dye paper for card making.

The scent of French Vanilla coffee follows me everywhere and makes my tummy hungry (along with the smell of the bean soup cooking in the slow cooker).