From her blog:
We all leave our “footprint” on the world, in one way or another. We each, individually, do something or are someone that makes the world a little better just by being here. I created this weekly meme to get to know the blogging community I love just a bit better. To know what makes them tick, outside of books, that is. Each week I will post a question to be answered in the following week’s “A Bit of Me(Me)”. Check back each Saturday to get the info for next week’s post and link up with your current post right here.

The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst
Published by Doubleday
ISBN 978-0-385-52769-9
At the request of Doubleday, a HC was sent, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion.
  Synopsis (from book’s jacket): Octavia Frost is a former bestselling writer in the winter of her career. In the opening pages of this dynamic novel, she arrives in New York to deliver her latest manuscript-a revolutionary new book-to her editor. But as she walks through Times Square , she sees a news crawl announcing that Milo, Frost, her rock-star son, has been arrested for the murder of his girlfriend.
  Octavia and Milo haven’t spoken in years, an estrangement stemming from a horrific tragedy the two of them endured when he was a child. Yet Octavia cannot help but drop everything and fly to San Francisco to try to make sense of the situation.
  The book Octavia was supposed to deliver contains rewritten versions of the final chapters of all her previous novels, in which she has changed her character’ outcomes and removed pieces of her personal life that had been hidden within, especially concerning that terrible days years ago, These “last’ chapters” and their new revisions are interspersed throughout Carolyn Parkhurst’s The Nobodies Album-the scattered puzzle pieces of the troubled past Milo and Octavia share.
  Did she drive her son to murder? Did Milo murder anyone at all? And what exactly happened all those years ago? As the novel builds to a stunning reveal, Octavia must consider how her own story will come to a close.
  My Thoughts and Opinion: I had a hard time with the beginning of this book. I felt that at times it was very “wordy” and “dry”, and not sure where the plot was headed. There were eight (8) chapters that had been written by the character of the author and her ground breaking concept of her newest manuscript, whereas it had the original ending of one of her prior novels and then a new and different ending. Another thing that I felt was hard to relate to, which was stated in the synopsis, and that was the many years of estrangement between the characters of mother and son. It appeared to this reader, and this is my opinion only, that son’s response, was unrealistic and too nonchalant when they were reunited after many years of bitterness and being apart. On the other hand, the suspense of trying to piece together the clues of finding the murderer in the cast of characters, what was the underlying reason for the estrangement and a few other issues that I won’t mention due to it containing spoilers, is what kept my interest and had me turning the pages. Since I found this novel to be a 50/50 read I will rate it accordingly.

It happened again!!!….you know what I mean…..getting that warm and fuzzy feeling….

PKReeves from Aisle B presented me with this award:

The rules for this award are:
Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
Share 7 things about yourself.
Pass the award along to 15 5 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order…)
Contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.
BORING…I won’t mind if you skip this part…..
1.  I am technologically challenged.
2.  I anxiously await mail delivery to see if I received another book.
3.  I collect Hallmark Christmas ornaments.
4.  I have dimples.
5.  I will be an empty nester come October with both boys living out of state   🙁
6.  I am a very early riser…usually between 5-5:30am
7.  I am so enjoying this new world of blogging/reviewing and meeting so many nice bloggy friends.
And now I will pass the award to, in no particular order:

From An Island Life:
  In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
  If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

  In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!
  The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don’t have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!
  Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.
  If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

This week’s twist:
Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?
My Response:
No.  I find it distracting for some reason, which I really don’t understand, because I always have the tv on.  I am a Cable News junkie and always have it on with the volume low in case there is breaking news.  On the weekends, hubby turns on music from when he gets up and I find that if I hear a song that I like, I can’t focus on reading.

1. Life is short, so make the best of it.
2. I love the days that I have so much energy that I get a lot accomplished and just  keep going.
3. My last text message (or IM) ended in these three words: call me later.
4. Linguine and shrimp sauteed in white wine is what I’m thinking about for dinner sometime soon.
5. On the 1st day of August I made changes on my blog and then went to sit by and in the pool with hubby.
6. My grandmother, at 95 years old was still lively and energetic.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to relaxing and spending time with hubby, tomorrow my plans include my weekly computer to-dos then sitting by pool, with hubby and a book and Sunday, I want to do the same!

From An Island Life:
  In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
  If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

  In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed! So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start HOPPING through the list of blogs that are posted in the Linky list below!!
  The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don’t have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!
  Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.
  If you start following someone through the Hop, leave a comment on their blog to let them know! Stop back during the week to see other blogs that are added! And, most importantly, the idea is to HAVE FUN!!

This week’s twist:
Do you listen to music when you read? If so, what are your favorite reading tunes?
My Response:
No.  I find it distracting for some reason, which I really don’t understand, because I always have the tv on.  I am a Cable News junkie and always have it on with the volume low in case there is breaking news.  On the weekends, hubby turns on music from when he gets up and I find that if I hear a song that I like, I can’t focus on reading.