I also promised to give you my own list of personal favorites.

So, here they are along with the books that inspired them. I heart these more than I can say….

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien–the words at the base of her neck are elvish for “dream” (from Pinterest)

We wants it, Preciouses.

“I shall not live in vain” by Emily Dickinson (from Pinterest) 

An incredible poem. A dainty tattoo.

“Radiant as the sun” from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (from College Candy)

So simple. So lovely. So powerful.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (from Pinterest) 

I’ve seen one like this with glow-in-the-dark ink. Awesome, no?

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (from Miyazaki: A Beautiful Mind)

My dearest, gorgeous, perfect Howl… *girly sigh*

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (from Tumblr) 

I want to tattoo this on my children…

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (from Pinterest)

Um, seriously how adorable is that?

“And days went by like paper in the wind” (from Pinterest)

Okay, so this last one might be from Tom Petty, but still…fabulous, yes? Methinks I need the dress to go with it.

Well? What do you think, Preciouses? They are quite fancy dancy, yes???

Just a thin thread of an ivy strand I got when I was eighteen and away at college. It encircles my ankle and makes me smile whenever I notice it’s still there. They say that once you get a tattoo, it’s like an addiction and you want more, covering your skin with art and poetry and pictures of loved ones. But not me…

At least, not usually.

Every once in a while, though, I’ll come across a tattoo that charms my whimsical heart–such as my sister’s, which is written in pretty, elvish words and translates “Shall we dare the dragon?”  (Are you thinking she’s awesome? Because, yes she is. In fact, ten points to whoever can tell me what book that’s based on…) And while I’m totally convinced my sister’s tattoo is the coolest ever, I came across a link from Publisher’s Weekly for some other literary tattoos yesterday when I was flitting around the internet kingdom. (Thanks to one of my Book Blog friends, Mary at Bookhounds!)

Check out these ones of The Little Prince, Alice in Wonderland, and Where the Wild Things Are (which my kids liked best)! What do you think, eh?

Next week I’ll give you MY best-of-the-best list of literary tattoos. But in the meantime—do any of YOU have tattoos? *stares intently until you ‘fess up*

And if not, have you ever wanted one? What would it be of???

What’s the mood noise of the moment? Christina Perri:  The Lonely

Likewise, if you see the ingredients for this cake and have a hissy fit that’s it’s not *GASP* made from scratch (I totally store-bought everything), I offer no defense. I simply suggest that you hitch up your big girl panties and belly-flop into what will be the best dessert you’ve had in an uber long time. (Which, let’s face it, shouldn’t be hard seeing as it’s got gobs of chocolate and a cup of alcohol in it.)

It’s my new favorite for parties, meetings, and book clubs. That’s actually how I stumbled upon it—my book club went for the Southern theme this month (thanks to our reading of Kathryn Stockett’s “The Help”), and since it was at my house, I needed to come up with a better-than-fabulous dessert (those ladies are hard to keep up with—they’re serious about their books, but nearly rabid about their cakes).

So like any good book club hostess, I pulled out my recipe book for Southern funerals (which, incidentally, my mother gave me) titled “Being Dead is No Excuse, The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral,” and there within discovered this tasty gem. If you don’t own the book, I suggest you buy it. A good trove of recipes that work for both book clubs AND funerals is hard to find.

Did I mention this cake’s got vodka, Kahlua, and chocolate in it?

I’ve pasted the recipe link below, but before you rush off, leave us a comment on what new book (or foodie) treasure YOU’VE been into these days. ;0)

Here’s how you make it: A Recipe for Vodka Cake

 Today’s mood noise? Miss Hannigan played by the fabulous Carol Burnett

SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi

Juliette has been locked away in 144 square feet of isolated space for 264 days. She sits. She counts. She writes on private pages, with a pen, in her secret notebook. She tries to keep herself from going insane in an asylum where she was incarcerated in order to protect her parents and society. A society devastated by pollution, wars, and population control, newly-presided over by a totalitarian regime—The Reestablishment. And while Juliette thinks she’s been locked up because of her dangerous “disease,” The Reestablishment has plans for her. They’re about to use her as a weapon of power. A weapon that can kill with one single touch.

Juliette has not been touched in 6,336 hours.

Until a boy enters her 144 square foot space of aloneness and single-handedly shatters her world into one million breathtaking pieces.

What I liked:

1. The Writing. Between penning unbelievably beautiful prose, breaking a host of grammar rules, and employing gorgeous metaphors, Ms. Mafi has created some of the most exquisite passages I’ve ever read.  As a writerly type person, I have a habit of dog-earing  pages (yes, I dog-ear—don’t hate me) that contain a phrase or simile I wish I’d written. In the case of “Shatter Me,” roughly ¼ of my copy is dog-eared. No joke.
2. Mafi’s use of strikethrough strikeout (<– yes, that thing), which is applied quite heavily early on in the novel, then lessens as the story progresses. Not only is it unique (in the book world) but it’s effective at showing the gradual growth of Juliette from a self-doubting, emotionally-interned girl to an individual discovering freedom and power. Love it.
3. The protagonist, Juliette. She’s a beautiful balance of sweet vulnerability and a passionate conduit for power. She’s frank. She’s timid. She’s healthy. She’s broken. Oh, and the numbers thing… Juliette counts everything.
4. The use of landscape as a character. The world surrounding Juliette’s cell is a heartbreaking reflection of her core. Stark. Slightly insane. Starving. Devastated by self-inflicted horror. Mafi’s use of the dystopian setting and bleak landscape to highlight Juliette’s emotional brokenness makes us love our heroine more.
5. The superhero conflict. Juliette holds the power to do good and also harm, both of which tempt her in their own ways.
6. The villain, Warner. So intriguing. So yummy. So creepy.
7. James. Perfectly precious.
8. The fact that the book has the dystopian feel of Lauren DeStefano’s “Wither” blended with the powers (and outfits) of X-men.
9. The ignition of Juliette’s emotions in proximity to being touched. Left without physical contact, she’s wilting. With it, she’s a lighting rod. Very psychological. And, from a writerly perspective, it’s an excellent way to build sexual tension.  Speaking of creating sexual tension, Mafi writes some incredibly sexy scenes without the main couple ever actually consummating anything (although they try too, which is why I’d agree with another reviewer who said she’d recommend this book to older teens on up).

Um…did I mention I LOVED it?

How about you, Preciouses? Have you read it? Thoughts??? ;0)

Next we place the entry names into a fancy dancy hat and add pixie powder.

We swishes them around wildly while magical six-year-old child closes eyes tightly…until his face scrunches up.

Then magical child pulls out a name…

Congratulations Cathe Olson!!! The $25 Amazon gift card is yours! I’m sending you a note by email and will ship the card off asap!!!

Thank you again, Preciouses, for goofing off with me week after ridiculous week! You guys keep me grinning and learning and laughing (and finding more excuses to talk about that tea-sipping old hottie, Lord Peter Wimsey). Here’s to another fabulous year!!!

Officially, I have written eloquently TYPED LOUDLY from this little blogosphere space for exactly two years. I love it more today than when I first started. I love the books more. I love writing more (which is hard to imagine). And much of this is due to you, my Preciouses. Your comments, insight, and opinions have encouraged me to grow as a book reader, writer, and all-around weirder-than-your-grandmother’s-toupee-wearing-cat-type-person.

Basically, what I’m saying is that if I’d never started this blog, and you’d never visited this blog and encouraged me to keep frolicking around on it, I never would’ve made such lovely new friends, nor talked about books so frequently with old ones.

I also never would have:

Helped save billions (rough estimate) of marriages by posting a Rabid Fan Girl Status test and providing a list of Twilight Support Groups. That’s not to mention all the lonely guys I coached on how to get girls with my Twilight Dating Savvy advice.

Nor would I have been allowed to talk about how sexy a seventy-eight-year-old man (Lord Peter Wimsey) is without coming across as totally creepy. Okay, maybe it was creepy, but that doesn’t diminish the impressiveness of having managed to wheedle the indomitable Lord Peter Wimsey into a blog post and three separate interviews. Yeah. That’s right. *discreet fist pump*

I also never would have:

Recovered the suppressed, childhood memory of consistently being elected for the part of Han Solo’s wookie, Chewbacca, (rather than Princess Leia) by my “childhood friends” (ahem, MMA fighter Tim Kennedy) during our Star Wars games. Although, on a side note, I’d like to think Tim may never have stumbled upon his true calling of Cooking with Tim had we not bullied prompted him into it on this blog, right Preciouses?

I also never would’ve discovered that Joanna Volpe and I share a mutual affection for all things Steampunk, which, consequently, led to my pursuing—and her giving—a helpful piece of writing feedback. Thanks to her for that.

And, of course, I never would’ve met Jay Asher (along with the wonderful JM and Isaiah) and discovered what an incredible writer he is, and even more so, what a sincerely kind friend. Thank you, Jay.

Nor would I have met Jonathan Maberry (Wolverine, zombies, and King of Plagues), or connected with Mary Pearson (The Adoration of Jenna Fox), Catherine Ryan Hyde (need we say more?), and Laurie McLean (agent savant), or become blog friends with Anne R. Allen (her books just released!), or had the pleasure of interviewing super-silly authors such as Chuck Sambuchino (who can best me at pop culture references on any given Twitter day), Carolyn Mackler (who can best Jay Asher at spork fencing), and Lauren DeStefano (who makes me wish I possessed half of her wit as well as her preying mantis, Sarsaparilla).

Also, I never would’ve gotten to show you this.

Or this:

Oh, and last but not least, I never would’ve had the opportunity to dote on you with this:

a $25 Amazon gift card

Which I will send to one of you in celebration of your wonderfulness.

So this is how the gift card giveaway is going to work, okay, Preciouses?

(1) You must be a follower of this blog either through email or RSS (the cute icons at the top of the page—one orange, the other a white envelope), or Google Friend Connect or Facebook (those two icons on the right of this post that show all the pictures of happy faces and people’s cats). So if you’re not a follower yet, it’s about dang time you became one.

(2) Link to THIS PAGE one time via Twitter  OR  Facebook  OR  Google+  OR  from your own blog, and then come back and leave a comment (on this page) saying which one you did. (For your convenience, you can use the stylish icons below or–if the FB one is being finicky–go ahead and copy this page’s URL and paste it to FB manually.) Your link and comment must be posted by 11:59 pm (PST) on Monday, January 2, 2012.

(3) I will take all the names from the comments (no matter how many times you comment or link, you only get counted once) and place them in a hat; then I’ll use my magical six-year-old child to randomly pull one as the winner.

(4) The winner will be announced next Wednesday, January 4^th, 2012. After which, I’ll contact that individual and mail them their gift card.

(5) There you have it.  Thank you for following me and my blog, and for loving books as much as I do, Preciouses. ;0) May the odds be ever in your favor.

You know you want these:

Books as trees.

iPhone Book Cover.

 Book covers for the Kindle. Seriously, how adorable is this?!

 Same with this Giving Tree iPad decal.

The next time you go camping, you can wave your BookNerd flag loud and proud with this Book Tent from Field Candy. It sleeps two. Perfect for the bookish canoodling pair.

Or you could just stay home and kick back with this creative bookshelf…

But if you DO go out, be sure to take this Hunger Games handbag.

Or this Alice in Wonderland tote.

Oh, and someone should buy me these BookNerd bookends from HolyCool for my desk.

Happy Christmas, everyone! May your holidays be peaceful and bright (and full of good reading)!

What’s the mood noise of the moment? Sixpence None the Richer

Being my husband, he sweetly just nodded and tried to conceal the look on his face that said, “Uh-huh. Our CHILDREN need it? Riiiight.” So, of course, we bought the book. And I read it to our cute children, who loved it (so much so that one of them promptly reread it).

And they are here today to review it for you.

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

(as reviewed by Rilian, Avalon, and Korbin)

Our Summary: Castle Glower is full of fun personality, especially on Tuesdays when it decides to grow another room or secret passageway. Eleven-year-old Princess Celie, daughter of King Glower the seventy-ninth, likes to explore the changes and add them to her atlas. When Celie’s parents go missing and some unwanted visitors try to take over Castle Glower, Celie and her brother and sister must defend the Castle at all costs until they discover what has happened to their parents and older brother, Bran.

What We Liked:

• “I liked everything, especially when the girls are in the tower.” (Korbin, age 6)
• “My favorite parts in the book were the pranks.” (Avalon, age 9)
• “Mine too!” (Rilian, age 12) “I thought the author wrote the story so well—the excitement kept up the whole way through.”
• “Yeah, I thought the book was exciting and fun and full of action! And I loved Castle Glower, especially how Celie could talk to it and it would do stuff. I like that it had feelings.” (Avalon, age 9)
• “I loved that the castle was alive too. That made it so much cooler than if they’d just lived in a regular old castle.” (Rilian, age 12)
• “My favorite room in Castle Glower is the throne room.” (Korbin, age 6)
• “My favorite character was Celie.” (Avalon, age 9) “I loved her relationship with the castle. I also liked her and Rolf’s relationship.”
•  “My favorite character was Prince Lulath. He’s so humorous, and his accent makes it even better. Oh, and his affection for his dogs. I liked Lulath’s dogs.” (Rilian, age 12)
• “My favorite part is when the dog pees.” (Korbin, age 6)

So, basically, we’d recommend it. ;0)

And now Dear Readers, we’d like to know: What was YOUR favorite book as a child?

What’s the mood noise of the moment? Sarah Mclachlan: Happy Christmas

Sincerely, a Hobbit Girl at Heart.

(via Middle Earth News)

P.S. Can mine come with a real hobbit inside? Or a wizard. Or a wood elf even. I’m sure you’ve got a few to spare… ;0)

Okay, we move along…

One of my standard recipes I keep stashed away is a spicy little spin-off of my sister-in-law’s incredible scalloped potatoes: CHIPOTLE SCALLOPED POTATOES. They’re simple and pretty-much un-ruinable (<– not a real word, but it should be). Nothing need be exact, a little more of this, a tad less of that—they’ll still taste amazing. I made them last week for a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner (had to brush up my rusty holiday skills, but really it was just an excuse to eat Thanksgiving dinner twice), and they were as smoky-cheesy-tasty as I’d remembered. Which, of course, meant that I had to immediately type the recipe out to share with you. So, here you go. See below.

And while they’re cooking, check out this fun quiz that flitted across my Twitterfeed last week. See if you can match the Famous Protagonists to the Correct Novels (but be fast cuz it’s timed)! Then leave a comment telling us how you scored! (And no cheating by taking it twice. Yeah, you know who I’m talking to…. I’ve got my eye on you.)

A Recipe for Chipotle Scalloped Potatoes

•  
• 3 pounds potatoes (thinly sliced)
• ½ pound gouda cheese (shredded)
• 4 cups sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 1 onion (thinly sliced)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
• 1 (of the Cream of Mushroom size) can of milk
• 4 chipotle peppers (in adobe sauce) chopped

Spritz with oil a 13X9 inch pan and cover the bottom with thinly sliced potatoes. Lightly sprinkle over the potatoes with salt, pepper, and onion slices, followed by 1/3 of each of the cheeses. Add another layer of potatoes and duplicate with the salt, pepper, onion, and cheeses. Repeat this process (potato layer + ingredients) a third time. In a bowl, combine the Cream of Mushroom soup, the milk, and chopped chipotle peppers and blend. Pour the Cream of Mushroom mixture on top of the potatoes. Bake on 350 for 60-70 minutes, then allow to sit for 15 before serving. Enjoy!

*lovely photo taken from photobucket