Poetry Works

1. It was beautiful...
(Vail)
(Glenwood Canyon)
(Colorado River)
(Mt. Sopris -- seen from the top of Sunlight)

2. We had tons of fun as a family...
(at the top)

3. The hot springs were amazing -- seriously, I could live there (especially in the thermal pool)...ahhhhh.

4. We did sustain a few minor injuries (the bad) -- DH dived into the pool and tweaked his back; D crashed when his ski popped off (which it did numerous times, but only once while he was actually on it -- the other times happened as he got on the lift) and hurt his neck a little; I injured my big toe in the pool (not sure how)...and then (see the Ugly half hour, below)

5. We took a wrong turn and ended up on a run which was way too hard for E (and really, for me too). E took off her skis and slid down on her back (crying and complaining the whole time about how scared she was) -- and I had to side step down most of it. It took at least 30 minutes, and it was sheer torture (between the steepness and E's reluctance to move -- which I had to motivate her beyond). Near the bottom, once E was safely down, I tried skiing a little -- and the soft snow made it challenging for someone who had little technical skill (yes, that would be me), so I caught an edge, crashed, and twisted my back a bit. (sigh) But...

Did I mention it was beautiful? This was right before the steep hill...so we got something out of it ;)

Happy first weekend of April!

For those of you who happened to Google your title and ended up here, please know that one star is not a bad thing in Robin's world -- just the fact that I picked up your book and started it means that somewhere it's getting good buzz (or that your blurb was really cool). 'R' means it's a re-read. Different colored font means it's an ARC for 2011 (and I'll try to remember to put the month it's released, as well). I'm linking to Tattered Cover's pages for the ARCs.

* I didn't make it beyond the first 20 pages.
** I made it to the end, but I either skimmed or skipped large sections.
*** I might have skipped/skimmed, but I liked it and might read it again.
**** I read at least 95% of the book and it was good -- probably will be reread.
***** I read every word, and I loved it! A favorite and definite reread.





Secrets and Shadows, by Shannon Delany ***+ This was enjoyable, although the first part of the book spent a little too much time (for my taste) on the love triangle. I liked the increased tension in the plot, though. I'll definitely look for number three in August, even though I kind of felt like a paranormal bomb went off near the end of the book (where suddenly, a billion paranormal creatures and happenings surfaced). The story: Jess hoped that Pietr would turn from Sarah after his birthday (when Jess witnessed his full-fledged turn into lycanthropy), but instead, he pulls even further away. Jess reacts by finding someone else, though she's not sure why Derick suddenly holds her attention, and anytime they're together, her memories seem fuzzy and distant. Although Pietr won't date her, she's still involved with his family, and as more secrets about their condition (and how they got that way) are revealed, Jess learns that it's not only Pietr's life at stake. (YA urban fantasy, released 2/11, publisher: St. Martin's Griffin)

Bumped, by Megan McCafferty ** The premise of this is interesting, but the slang -- yikes! I'm just not big on books which rely on slang, and when it's mostly made-up slang (and has two or three made-up words per line)...well, I couldn't get into it. I skimmed to see how it ended, but I felt inundated with teen speak from the future, and although it could appeal to some teens because of that, for me, it was simply off-putting. The story: In a future where everyone over 18 is sterile, girls are being hired to play surrogate moms. Twins Melody and Harmony just turned 16 and are now available, but although identical, the two have lived their lives apart until now. As each falls for the 'wrong' guy, both deal with their roles in this strange world: one embracing what their world offers, and the other shunning it -- but somehow, they find each other. (YA dystopic, releases 5/11, publisher: Balzer&Bray)

Currently Reading: The Long Sleep (and e-ARC, which also has a bit of slang, but not nearly as much)
On Deck: well, you know...a bunch ;)