Alison Dare Adventures In town

Recently we had the pleasure having Alison Dare to our house. We thought that this would be a pretty uneventful visit but we were quickly mistaken. Apparently Alison seems to attract adventure where ever she goes.

On this one particular morning I had left to take Michael to the bus stop. Alison was in the shower. While in the shower she heard the door bell, thinking I had forgotten my key she quickly rushed to the door to discover that it wasn’t be but someone running away.


When She looked around she noticed this red envelope in the mailbox. Alison quickly jumped up to retrieve it.

What could this envelope be? It was addressed to Alison.

We quickly opened the envelope to reveal a treasure map. She was to look for the flat blue diamond that was hidden in my area. She had to retrieve it before the “Odd Lookers” did.


Can Alison do it in time? The Odd Lookers are pretty close.

I have to thank Michael for coming up with this storyline. I figured he was old enough and creative enough to pull this off. What do you think?
Alison is packed and off to her next adventure.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
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March Break

Last week was March Break for my son and I managed to get him into four library activities last week. Our library is really good about organizing events for kids during spring break, the summer reading program, and basically any time of the year be it holidays or weekends.

Michael started the week off by listening to Chief Topleaf (He went to Michael’s kindergarten last year) talk about Indians. Chief Topleaf is a Mohawk Indian from our area.

It was only a hour but it was very well done. Chief Topleaf is a great speaker. Kids asked him about the paint that they wear and he said he doesn’t wear it because it burns his skin and he told the kids that when you see a Indian wearing yellow and red it means a friend for life. He spoke about his name and what it was like to be a Indian 500 years ago.

I think the highlight of the week was on Tuesday afternoon when Michael finally got to meet Geronimo Stilton. I actually got the chance to see him in October but at the time Michael didn’t want to go but after seeing my pictures and video he wanted to go and he was really happy to hear that the library was going to bring him over Spring break.
Michael admitted that he found this activity hard because it was 100% in French and he is only learning french. He did say it was alot of fun. It was an added bonus that he was able to get his books signed.


The first picture is of Michael waiting to get books 3, 4 and 5 signed. Then when everyone was done he sneaked back to get 6-7-12 and a Xmas book signed. Plus he nabbed two signed postcards for himself.

He was so happy to get his books signed as you can see by the picture.


Of course no author event is complete without a picture with the author. We also got to meet Linda’s Better With Books sister. She came in to get her books signed. It was really nice to finally meet her.

Another activity that was planned at the library was Lego Club. They just started this this year and they were so overwhelmed that they had to open a second time which was great because Michael was on the waiting list. The theme this meeting was Space and you can see all the things he managed to make in 2 hours. He loves playing with lego.
Thursday we had nothing and Friday was a Wii game which Michael said was okay.
That was our spring break how was yours? Did you have it yet?
copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Book Blogger Hop

I have been reading April’s blog Cafe of Dreams for several months now and I really enjoy reading her blog. If you haven’t checked it out you really should. I first discovered her blog one day on twitter and quickly added her to my Follow Blogs.

Today she posted about Book Blogger Hop that Jennifer from Crazy For Books is putting together. Its basically like what they do on twitter called Follow Friday. Where you list a bunch of people that you should follow.

I love to discover new blogs and when I am on someone’s site and they mention a blog I always click to check them out, or if I take part in book tours I always click on the people taking part what better way to discover new bloggers.

If you are interested in taking part all you have to do is check out Jennifer’s blog Crazy For Books and find out how to do so.

What a great way to discover new blogs and bloggers.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

New Look

As you may have noticed Cindy’s Love of Books has gotten a new look. What do you think?

I have been thinking about this for a while now realizing I wanted something fresh, new and different. I think has something to do with going to BEA in May.


Thanks to the very lovely and talented Cindy from Tynga’s Reviews for helping me out on this. She spent countless hours this week working on the new look.

If you haven’t checked her blog, you really should. Cindy is another local blogger. I love reading her blog.

She also is available to do work on your blog if need be you can contact her through her blog to see what she can do.

I am very excited about the new look and looking forward to hearing what you guys think. So please let me know.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

The Second Anniversary

Today marks the second anniversary of that tragic accident that happened just outside of Bathurst, NB that claimed the lives of seven young boys and a teacher from my old high school.

I am not quite sure what is planned in Bathurst for today but I know that these boys won’t be forgotten.

Just recently in the news the company Loblaws was suing the BHS coach for $40,000 in damages that they suffered from this accident (IE replace the transport and for oil spoil) but thankfully everyone in Bathurst and myself included spoke up and the lawsuit was dropped. I personally thing that Wayne Lord has suffered enough not only loosing his own wife but the lives of seven young men. This is something that he has to live with on a day to day bases and then Loblaws deciding that they are going to sue was just the knife in the back that he didn’t need. It was an accident.

Since then I have decided that I will not give Loblaws or Maxi Inc my business.

Gone but not forgotten: Nathan Cleland, Justin Cormier, Daniel Hains, Javier Acevedo, Codey Branch, Nickolas Quinn and Nick Kelly. Teacher Beth Lord.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

Taking a break

I just wanted to inform everyone who reads my blog that I am going to be offline for a little while. Its a forced sick break.

Shortly before Christmas I got sick and the dr thought it was bronchitis and gave me a prescription for a pump. Which honestly was starting to work and was feeling a little better before Christmas. Things were going good until the 29th-30th and then I was hit with a whooper of a cough and other systems.

I guess with the busyness of the holiday season made me relapse so anyway now its confirmed I have bronchitis and possibly the beginning of pneumonia. I am on a high does of antibiotics with my pump and was ordered to rest as much as I can. I go back in a week to the dr.

So bascially the only content that will be appearing on my blog is First Wild Card Tours that I am taking part in and all those reviews will be appearing when I am feeling better to write them.

Thanks everyone.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.

2009 In Review

Happy New Year Everyone!

I find it hard to believe that we are wrapping up the year and a decade. Where did the time go?

I have been seeing this on a few blogs today and seriously where did the time go? It just felt like we rang in 2009. Its was a busy and crazy 2009 for me that is for sure.

So many good things and bad things happened for me both personally and blogging wise. Personally for some reason my sinuses having been acting up alot this past year which made me feel like it was practically every other week I was sick. Then just before Easter I ended up burning my hand, thankfully nothing to serious.

I didn’t get to go to BEA in May like so many other bloggers did and I guess my whining and pouting did me good because I managed to convince significant other to let me go in 2010.

This was my first full year of blogging and what a year it has been. I have received so many great books from authors and publishers, there are way to many to name but you all know who you are and I want to say thank you so very much for contacting me and sending them to me. If I haven’t reviewed them yet they will be done in 2010. I am commited to reviewing all the books I have received.

If maintaining one blog wasn’t enough I went and started a children’s blog called Books Upon A Wee One’s Shelf and that is solely children’s books but I am sure it will soon be chapter books as my son who is 6 years old feels he has outgrown some picture books.

As for the new year with books I am going to be a little more selective in what I will accept to read. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. In my own personally opinion I wasn’t prepared for what happened. This is something important for any new blogger as nice as it is to get emails asking for you to review books its okay to say no. I learned the hard way. I am now okay with going a week without getting a book in the mail.

I have met some many great bloggers this past year and I am looking forward to meeting you all in real life in May. I have been fortunate this past year to form some real life friendships with fellow local bloggers Donna, Avis, Tina and Linda. They are truly exceptional friends and I am truly honored to be able to call them my friends. I love our monthly meet ups at that great little tea shop where we can talk about anything and everything. Plus swapping books is great.

Blogging wise I have to admit that at times I feel behind and it was hard to catch up. I think I learned that I really need to write my reviews as soon as I finish the book and not let it pile up because we all know there are times its hard to sit and write a review for the book.

As for challenges I am honestly pleased with my 110 books read for the 100+ Reading Challenge that was hosted by J.Kaye. I was really surprised that I read that many books. I have to say that a majority of that was new to me authors.

I also took part in Buy One Book and Read It hosted by Amy and that was a failed challenge for me. I think I only read two out of twelve books I actually bought. I had no problem buying the books it was just reading them.

There are a few other challenges that I am taking part in that are still going and that is: The Sookie Stackhouse Challenge being hosted by Beth Fish Reads. I am done 1 of 9 books and that will wrap up June 30,2010.

The other challenge is the Middle Grade Book Challenge and you can either read 12 or 25 books and I am so far 3 out of 12 books and that wraps up August 31, 2010. The host for that one is Bambi Reads.

As for 2010 and blogging I usually don’t make goals but I just want to maintain equal time online with blogging and life. To keep ahead and not fall behind. I think I might have signed up for a little too many challenges but the good thing is they can all be connected with each other. I am thinking of a few changes for my blog but not really sure yet. There will be some added content and some stuff I am thinking of doing away with. I want to try and have daily content on the blog.

I am looking forward to reading alot of great books in 2010, going to NY and BEA to meeting some of the bloggers I speak with all the time.

Lastly I would like to thank everyone who has stopped by my blog and left comments, I tried to comment back on yours and I am sorry if I didn’t. Also if you added me to your blog roll and noticed that I haven’t added you please let me know and I will ad you to mine.

Happy New Year and all the best in 2010.

copyright 2010, Cindy (Cindy’s Love Of Books)
If you are reading this on a blog or website other than Cindy’s Love Of Books or via a feedreader, this content has been stolen and used without permission.