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January 2, 2013 / Leslie

Cute Little Gadget for Audiobook Listening

Almost Wordless Wednesday

While doing my holiday shopping online I came across this cute little portable speaker for my mp3 player. While I wouldn’t recommend it for music, it’s perfect for listening to downloaded audiobooks when I don’t want to use earbuds. Also, I’ve discovered my bird, Charley, enjoys listening to audiobooks with me.

MP3 Player Mini Speaker

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More Wordless Wednesday.
Mini-Speaker purchased by me. This is not a product endorsement.
© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

January 1, 2013 / Leslie

2012 Reading Round-Up

2012WrapUpAnother Year Has Ended

2012 was a good year in reading. I finished 108 books exceeding my personal goal of 100. Sixty of those books were audiobooks, a new high for me.

I completed six of seven challenges. This year I am only participating in a couple of no-pressure challenges so that I have time to join readalongs and other events throughout the year without worrying about whether the book fits into a category.

10 Favorite Books Read in 2012

These are based on the year I read them, not when they were published.

Fiction:

The Dog Stars by Peter HellerRedshirts by John ScalziBeautiful Ruins by Jess WalterWhere'd You Go Bernadette by Maria SempleShoemakersWife-printChaperone-print

The Dog Stars
Redshirts
Beautiful Ruins
Where’d You Go, Bernadette
The Chaperone
The Shoemaker’s Wife

 
Non-Fiction:

I just finished the Steve Jobs book and haven’t posted my review yet. When I went to link to my review of The Bluebird Effect I couldn’t find it and realized I had never written it. It was a fantastic memoir, and I rarely rave about memoirs. I’ll post about it soon.

Cover of The Bluebird Effect by Julie ZickefooseSteveJobsThe Violinist's Thumb by Sam KeanMWFSeekingBFF

The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds
Steve Jobs
The Violinists’s Thumb
MWF Seeking BFF

Happy New Year

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to read and comment during 2012. I appreciate every one of you. I wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

December 31, 2012 / Leslie

Mailbox Monday

BirdhouseMailboxMailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.

Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. The December host is Susan at Suko’s Notebook .

Another year of Mondays has ended. I hope everyone had a nice Holiday Week.

I didn’t ask for any books for Christmas this year but I did get one on birds from my brother which should be a fun read. I also got a Nexus Tablet that I can use as an e-reader although for now I still prefer paper books.

From the publicist for review and giveaway:

Gathering Strength: Conversations with Afghan WomenGathering Strength:
Conversations with Afghan Women

by Peggy Kelsey

Professional photographer, Peggy Kelsey traveled to Afghanistan in 2003 and 2010 to photograph and interview women. In Gathering Strength, these interviews come together under different topics creating conversations that illustrate the women’s different stories, concerns and issues. Peggy’s own story and comments serve as a bridge between the reader and Afghan women. Although the book addresses intractable issues and situations that the women face, it is ultimately hopeful.
 

A Christmas gift:

Good Birders Don't Wear WhiteGood Birders Don’t Wear White
Edited by Lisa White

In these 50 light and fun original essays, the biggest names in birding dispense advice to birders of every level, on topics ranging from feeding birds and cleaning binoculars to pishing and pelagic birding. Whether satirizing bird snobs or relating the traditions and taboos of the birding culture, each essay is as chock-full of helpful information as it is entertaining.
 
 

From the publisher for review:

Madman's DaughterMadman’s Daughter
by Megan Shepherd

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true. Inspired by H. G. Wells’s classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman’s Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we’ll do anything to know and the truths we’ll go to any lengths to protect.

From the publisher for review:

MidwinterbloodMidwinterblood
by Marcus Sedgwick

An archaeologist who unearths a mysterious artifact, an airman who finds himself far from home, a painter, a ghost, a vampire, and a Viking: the seven stories in this compelling novel all take place on the remote Scandinavian island of Blessed where a curiously powerful plant that resembles a dragon grows. What binds these stories together? What secrets lurk beneath the surface of this idyllic countryside? And what might be powerful enough to break the cycle of midwinterblood? From award-winning author Marcus Sedgwick comes a book about passion and preservation and ultimately an exploration of the bounds of love.

What are you reading?

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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

December 30, 2012 / Leslie

The 2013 Science Fiction Experience

13sfexp2300While I consider myself an eclectic reader enjoying many genres and usually willing to experience something new, science fiction has always been my first love. If I had to move to the proverbial desert island with only one genre to choose from, Science Fiction would be my choice.

From my earliest reading days I devoured books on astronomy, the science fiction section of the library was always my first stop, and I was thrilled beyond belief when Star Trek, a show that portrayed the future in a realistic, hopeful manner, hit the airwaves. I would make popcorn and my family would gather around the TV to watch each new show. Seriously, we did that back then in the days of one color television and no cable!

Which brings me to the 2013 Sci-Fi Experience hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.
 

Not a Challenge but an Experience

The 2013 Science Fiction Experience runs from January 1st, 2013 through February 28th, 2013. There are no rules. Signing up isn’t required, nor is posting your reviews although there will be a linky for those who wish to do so. Carl explains:

A few years back I decided I would like to invite other readers to spend time together to:

a) Continue their love affair with science fiction
b) Return to science fiction after an absence, or
c) Experience for the first time just how exhilarating science fiction can be.

This is as good a reason as any to put a few of my science fiction books at the head of the pile.

Vintage Sci-Fi MonthJanuary is Vintage Sci-Fi Month

Little Red Reviewer is hosting Vintage Science Fiction Month in January. Vintage is anything written before 1979. I have more than a few of those that I picked up at book sales and accumulated over the years.

My first book for the experience and not-a-challenge will be The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. And of course I can change my mind and choose a different one because this is not a challenge!

Are you planning on joining or trying some Sci-Fi?

It’s an exciting genre and has something for everyone. Give it a try. Check last year’s Sci-Fi Experience review links for recommendations. Have fun!

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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

December 29, 2012 / Leslie

Saturday Snapshot: A Bloom in the Winter

My Gerbera Daisy, with no encouragement from me, decided to bloom. Yesterday I found this bright red flower. A nice winter surprise.

Gerbera Daisy

I bring some of my garden plants indoors every winter. I put them in a sunny window, give them a little water, and pretty much forget about them until spring. Rarely do these plants bloom in the house, plus they don’t get enough sunshine in the winter. I’ll enjoy spring in my laundry room window while it lasts!
 


Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce at At Home With Books. Visit her blog to see more great photos or add your own.

© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

December 28, 2012 / Leslie

Giveaway Winners

Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter my giveaways last week. Here are the winners which were selected by random.org.

Midwinter Hop

Winner: Leah CB

2012 MidWinters Eve Hop

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Saving Each Other

Winner: Beckey

Saving Each Other

More Giveaways

I currently have a giveaway for a copy of 7 Years Younger, The Revolutionary 7-Week Anti-Aging Plan. More giveaways will be coming up in the next few weeks including the book I’m currently reading, Gathering Strength: Conversations with Afghan Women.

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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.

December 27, 2012 / Leslie

2013 Challenges

I’m only joining a few challenges for 2013. I want to leave some reading time free to join readalongs and other events throughout the year such as The SciFi Experience, Magical March, The Stephen King Project and RIPVIII.

While I love audiobooks, I’ve decided not to join the Audiobook Challenge this year. I listened to 60 books in 2012 and, to be fair, it’s no longer a challenge for me. I’m also not joining any TBR Pile challenges after failing miserably in 2012.

I joined What’s in a Name, a fun favorite, and the Reagan Arthur Books and Amy Einhorn Books perpetual, no pressure challenges. I added one new challenge this year: War Through The Generations.

What’s in a Name 6

The What’s In A Name Challenge is hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

WIN6Between January 1 and December 31, 2013, read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with up or down (or equivalent) in the title
2. A book with something you’d find in your kitchen
3. A book with a party or celebration in the title
4. A book with fire (or equivalent) in the title
5. A book with an emotion in the title
6. A book with lost or found (or equivalent) in the title

War Through the Generations

2013AmRevReadingChalWar Through the Generations 2013 reading challenge will be the American Revolution. The challenge will run from January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2013. The challenge is hosted by Anna (Diary of an Eccentric) and Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit).

Participation Level:
Dip: Read 1-3 books in any genre with the American Revolution as a primary or secondary theme.

Perpetual Challenges

I plan on reading 2 or more books from each of these challenges in 2013.

Reagan Arthur Books ChallengeReagan Arthur Books Challenge hosted by Kathy/Bermuda Onion and Julie/Booking Mama.

The basic idea of the challenge is really simple — to read Reagan Arthur Books. Reagan Arthur Books is a new imprint from Little, Brown & Company.

 

Amy Einhorn ChallengeAmy Einhorn Challenge hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

This is a no-pressure challenge to read through the Amy Einhorn Books imprint in any order with no time limit.
 

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© 2012 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.