The Painted Veil By W. Somerset Maugham

Publisher's Summary

read by Kate Reading (Unabridged)

First published in 1925, The Painted Veil is an affirmation of the human capacity to grow, change, and forgive. Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s, it is the story of the beautiful but shallow young Kitty Fane. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to a remote region of China ravaged by a cholera epidemic.

Stripped of the British society of her youth and overwhelmed by the desolation around her, she is compelled by her awakening conscience to reassess her life. She takes up work with children at a convent, but when her husband dies, she is forced to return to England to her father, her one remaining relative, to raise her unborn child. Though too late for her marriage, she has learned humility, independence, and how to love.

My husband picked this one out. He is a great fan of Maugham's. I was only aware of him from old movies made from his books. I liked this pick. I found his characters real and relatable even from this time period. Kitty is very believable as are her situations. It's not a light read (or listen) but definitely well worth your time!

ps As a rule i only listen to unabridged books as i have found i don't like the way some things are cut in the abridged versions (plus i want all of the author's words...his/her voice)!

Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

From Margaret’s website:

FEARLESS IN BATTLE

His surcoat still bloody from battle, William FitzAlan comes to claim the strategic borderlands granted to him by the king. One last prize awaits him at the castle gates: the lovely Lady Catherine Rayburn.

TENDER IN BED

Catherine risked everything to spy for the crown. Her reward? Her lands are declared forfeit and she is given this choice: marry FitzAlan or be taken to the Tower. Catherine agrees to give her handsome new husband her body, but she’s keeping secrets and dares not give him her heart. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

Thanks to Anna at Hachette, i got to read Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory.

I liked the book, not just for the fun story, but also for the history lesson about a piece of time involving the English kings Henry IV and V. It is a time of war between the Welsh and the English. What? I've read lots of novels about the Scottish vs the English but the Welsh. So i had to go from the light reading for pleasure into some quick on line research into the two kings and the Welsh Tudors. Those side line bits made the reading even more fun for me.

If you are like a good love story with your bits of history (or you just like the trials a tribulations of a love story), go get Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory.

Next up Jennifer Haymore's A Hint of Wicked.

Win The Entire Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray

where? at the book butterfly. so if you like historical fiction,you better get on over there. go on. scoot. you don't want to miss the chance, do you?!

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (Gemma Doyle Book #1)

Rebel Angels (Gemma Doyle Book #2)-

The Sweet Far Thing (Gemma Doyle Book #3)

Ohio Girl Talk's: Back To Nature Goat Milk Soap GIVEAWAY July 17th- August 3rd

Ohio Girl Talk's: Back To Nature Goat Milk Soap GIVEAWAY July 17th- August 3rd

MILK: It does a spinner good!

Interview with roo of moonwood farm about milk fiber. looks kind of creamy doesn't it. so now you want to read the interview do ya. ok. go over to here...which is the site for phat fiber. this is one of my favorite sites (o, even if you aren't a spinner, it is interesting and her giveaways hold all sorts of things for nonspinners as well.) check it out!

Photos are of hand dyed /handspun Milk Fiber from several Phat Fiber Artisans

from scotland

this was a sunset before before my friend went on paddle steam ship. isn't it breath taking?!?

I received the Kreativ Blogger Award!

Rules of this award:

1.

Thank the person who nominated you for this award.

thanks to ms leslie of live, love, laugh with leslie, i now have a blogger award. poor lady, she had so much 'splaining to do! she has a fun site and gives away nice things. so you go give her a visit and say "hi" for me.

2.

Copy the logo and place it on your blog.

3.

Link to the person who nominated you for this award.

good, i already did that one! if you click on the name of her blog, you will be in!

4.

Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

1. i am a yarnoholic...i seem to have a ton more yarn than i can knit in a life time!

2. i love celebrating my birthday...i will be 64 next month! want to help me? leave me notes all month of august with silly notes anywhere in my blog.

3. i love reading book (do you think that is why i keep entering those book contests?)

4. i love my dogs (which is why oscar wild is my avatar).

5. when we got married in los alamos, nm, my darling dh said it seem like the most appropriate place

6. i love photography! other people take me places that are so wonderful (and unaffordable to me) and i share them here.

7. i want one of those 'bake me a wish cakes' for my birthday (in august) and i just can't seem to win it...but i am going to keep trying!

5.

Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

oh dearly me...i enjoy so many bloggers' sites. i know i am going to hurt someone's feelings!

1. j leigh designz i've not won anything from there. i think because so many other people like her site as well as i do.

2. mom start i like here site as well. lots of goodies and she shares well with others. she also has one of the loveliest button around.

3. sweeps 4 bloggers if she doesn't have an offering you like, she surely will point to one you will!

4. the giveaway i've been following her for so long. she has good reviews and contests.

5. mommy? i'm hungry this is another of my favs but you have to watch it because besides good giveaways, she has some of the best recipes and pictures of food that you have ever seen. she has caused me to drool all over my keyboard more than once!

6. bookin with bingo for really good reviews and chances to win some that she has reviewed, this is the place to go!

7. dk mommy spot is really good for natural stuff and if you haven't read about her no poo challenge, you have to check it out! she is a lovely writer and has a great sense of humor.

6.

Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.

oh, good i did that already. all you have to do is click on the site names and you are there

7.

Leave a comment on each of the blogs, letting them know they have been nominated.

did it.

i won it...finally

this is so cool! and i won it from a new friend on book blogs, Sheila McKinney DeChantal. her site is one person's journey through a world of books. she is warm and funny and has the most beautiful smile. sheila does great reviews as well so you really ought to check out her website. and read her review of the imposters daughter so you will know why i wanted to win it to read! go here for the review.

But wait – there is more.

… I also have the winners for The Imposters daughter by Laurie Sandell

Trisha

Carol M

Sandy

Reagan

couchpapaya

do you see it...Sandy...that's me!!!

hey, moms dads aunts uncles grandparents

i have a book review i want you to read. it's not mine. it's william bentrim's. (he's not the author but is an author.)

so go here, and read his review of "pollen and the ring of harmony" by francis t. perry williams. you'll be glad you did. promise!

save money, make your own hairspray

my "no poo" friend, dkmommy at dkmommyspot, has been at it again.

this time she's gonna tell you how to make your own hairspray. you're gonna love this one and save the environment and your wallet too! i bet you have all the ingredients in your house.

check it out! as my daddy used to say, you have to save pennies in order to spend dollars! just click on the name of her blog and you are there.

3 things you might not know about me.

i dislike slimmy (snot) foods (ie, boiled ocra, boiled spinach, and eggs where the whites not not cooked.

i love to take pictures of clouds, and flowers, and...

i am a yarnaholic (this is different from a knit/crochetaholic as they are into projects). i yarnaholic is into yarn...they love to cuddle, look at, fondle yarn. they generally have more yarn than they will ever be able to knit/crochet up.

another book for me - soul survivor

THANKS TO KELLY AND THE

HACHETTE BOOK GROUP FOR

SOUL SURVIVOR

by Andrea Leininger,

Bruce Leininger, and Ken Gross

THE WINNERS ARE:

#43 CherylS22

#59 Upper West Side Writer

#66 Darcy

#6 HODGEPODGESPV

see it, that's me! i am sure lucky today! booking at bingo is a lucky site for me. book lovers really should visit this site!

i won a book about decisions/update review

CAUGHT BETWEEN DUTY AND DESIRE . . .

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, has finally moved on. After seven years mourning the loss of her husband, Garrett, at Waterloo, she has married his best friend and heir, Tristan. Sophie gives herself to him body and soul. . . until the day Garrett returns from the Continent, demanding his title, his lands-and his wife.

TORN BETWEEN TWO HUSBANDS . . .

Now Sophie must choose between her first love and her new love, knowing that no matter what, her choice will destroy one of the men she adores. Will it be Garrett, her childhood sweetheart, whose loss nearly destroyed her once already? Or will it be Tristan, beloved friend turned lover, who supported her through the last, dark years and introduced her to a passion she had never known? As her two husbands battle for her heart, Sophie finds herself immersed in a dangerous game-where the stakes are not only love . . . but life and death.

now i get to find out what she decided and how she decided it. what would you or i do in the restrictiveness of the times?

this one i won from carrie of seductive musings. she has a lovely blog that is easy to read, well laid out, good reviews and book giveaways. do go visit her at her site and see what is good to read and vi for.

thank you carrie, expect to see more of me!

i know the answer...but i'll never tell. i really loved the book right up tp the end which to me seemed rather quick and with too many loose ends. that's just me. i guess i just want it wrapped up with a bow instead of just wrapped.

it's a mystery and i won it

To celebrate the up coming blog tour you have a chance to win One Scream Away by Kate Brady. This is a suspenseful thriller that I will be happy to tell you more about soon.

this is so much fun. another book to keep me out of the sun. this one is thanks to trin of bloody bad. trin's site is a fairly new site for me. i like her reviews and giveaways, so i had to enter several of her contests. this is a site i will be visiting often. check it out for yourself here!

thanks trin!!

i won a book for good escape from summer heat

MY FORBIDDEN DESIRE

WINNERS

#20 HODGEPODGESPV

that's me!! another fun book for summer reading! this time my benefactor is bingo (aka karen) of booking with bingo. i visit her site for good reviews as well as giveaways. i mean, you wouldn't want to win a book you didn't think you would like. she also gives you information about the authors. check her site out! find out if she has a book you want to win and then enter. easy peasy!

i won one for charlie!

Petzl: Tikka Plus Headlamp Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed with 235 comments. Thank you to all who entered. Congratulations to the lucky winner ~ HODGEPODGESPV!

If your family loves the outdoors, Petzl offers terrific headlamps for any activity that requires hands-free lighting. Whether you hike, fish, sail, or run, Petzl offers a wide variety of headlamps, gear and technical advices for many outdoor sports.

thank you funky monkey! if you want a chance to win a great giveaway,, go visit here! it is really a good site. i know, i visit often..

i want it! you'll want it!

what is it? a steamboy! where can i get it? at blessings abound! this is the product you have seen advertised on tv and you can win it! or, better yet, i can win it! (i like the last part best!) but you can't win it if you don't inter it. you can find it here or by clicking on the blog name.

i won a gift certificate for vintage body spa

this is so very cool! what more could a girly girl (me) like better than stuff to pamper her body! just look at some of the things i can choose from. whahoo! now i need to figure out what i want from vintage body spa.

i need to thank dwan perrin of mommadjane, as it was her site that posted the giveaway. do go visit her site, she has good giveaways. just click on her name or the name of her blog site and you are there.

another audiobook for me

i love this! another audiobook from readaholic! this on is "the juror" by george dawes green. if you are curious about this book, you can open it and read a bit. so how am i winning all these books? i keep entering contests for books that i want to read or listen to. and that is all you have to do. you want good books, go visit bidget. read her reviews so you know if you want to read the book before you enter the giveaway. (her reviews really great in giving me help in knowing which book contests i want to enter.) to get there in a hurry, just click on her name or her blog name.

an audiobook win

i love audiobooks. they are great on road trips or if you need your hands for other purposes...like knitting or crocheting....or cleaning the kitchen or other things that do not need your total attention.

my thanks go to bridget of readaholic. you really should go read her reviews and enter get in on book giveaways of books that interest you. that is what i do.

o, what did i win? "swimsuit" by james patterson, a good mystery writer. so charlie is as excited to listen to it as i. by the way, if you want to see if you might like this book too, you can open it and read it a bit.

the no poo update still sane or just dirty hairy

Go Ahead - Make My 'Doo

if you still want to follow dk mommy spot and the no poo challenge, go here for the latest and greatest...and read the comments... lots of good stuff there!

a cool win from romano's macaroni grill

you know how much i like food, so thank you mom reviews (aka elizabeth)! go visit her and see what you can win! you'll be glad that you did and so will she! (thanks a lot elizabeth!)

this is what i won: "Thanks to Coyne PR and Romano’s Macaroni Grill, I have three prize packs to give away! Each winner will get a colander, a cheese grater, a serving spoon, and four boxes of Romano’s Macaroni Grill Restaurant Favorites."

a book win

this time from falling of the shelf, i won "off season" by anne rivers siddons! how cool is this!? thanks jenni! hey, if you like wining books and reading good reviews, go visit jenni...soon!

Contest Winners : Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons

Congratulations!

• jtcallaway
• ChristyJan
• HODGEPODGESPV (THAT'S ME!!!)
• etirv
• Pam

The Bon Bon Gazette: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Desserts Giveaway

for people who want to give kids and selves desserts that must be glutten free i have a giveaway for you! and from the name we were all brought up with...betty crocket! head on over to The Bon Bon Gazette: Betty Crocker Gluten Free Desserts Giveaway

i won the farm fruit snacks give away!

UPDATE: the package arrived. i immediately had to try one. it was love a first crunch! i had to use self restraint to keep from eatting all 3 right then and there. but i did and over the next 3 days thy were gone.

which one did i like the best? sorry folks. i just can't say. i loved them all! but then you have to understand, i love fruit! i loved the crunchiness and the different flavors. and one other silly point, you know how sometimes dried fruit will stick in your teeth? my lovely gift didn't. (told you it was silly.) will i buy this now that i have tired it? you bet! and in all 4 flavors!!!

this is so cool! why? because i like "dried fruit" but have found out that with i pig out on regular dried fruit, i end up with a tummy ack as they rehydrate in my tummy. with freeze dried fruit, i do not have the same problem. so i thank val (who has great giveaways! lots of variety (like books too))! o, if you want to have a chance to win one of her giveaway go give val a try at sweeps 4 bloggers.

Giveaway - Today's Farm Fruit Snacks - 3 Winners - Ends 7/5/09

Today's Farm

All the Goodness of Fresh Picked Fruit!

100% Natural Freeze-Dried Snacks

from Justus Foods

Yum Yum Yum!!!! I am loving these freeze-dried snacks!!!

* Pineapple

* Strawberry

* Peach

* Apple Cinnamon

a book, i won a book! how wonderful!

i love books and i just won another. it is from bridget of readaholic. she does wonderful book giveaways! the book is "a hint of wicked" by jennifer haymore.

it is the story of a woman torn between two husband. both loved. what will she do?

i don't know but i will as soon as the book arrives and i read it! go check out bridget's website. if you are curious, like i, go get this book!

Etsy 4th of July Bash: Presenting KimberlyRose Photography Giveaway!

this is an example of the giveaway at j leigh designz today. it is the art work of photographer kimberly rose. i spent about 30 minutes over there looking at each picture trying to decide which one i liked best. trust me, it was not a easy task! but you scoot on over there and see for yourself! i mean have you ever seen clouds like this?!?!? (o, and look at some of j leigh designz other giveaways! she puts up some good ones!

KNITTERS CROCHETERS LOOK

darcy, the knotty knitter, is having a giveaway here. whose products is she giving away? the knit witch's!!! so get on over there and check it out!