I love long weekends and I especially love when I take the Friday off to make it an extra long weekend. It is the simple things in life, my friends, that can make it all worth while. 

I'm not sure if you have have noticed but society these days has an appreciation for "fails" - what is this, you ask? Anything that someone is trying to do right but ultimately fails at it and getting it caught on camera makes it even better. Believe it or not, Cake Wrecks by Jen Yates was part of the Mother's Day display (clearly someone has my sense of humor). 

I'm sure you can guess that this book is filled with well wrecked cakes and you would be right. These are cakes that people have made and there are some cakes that are down right disturbing but most of them are hilarious because the whole time you are thinking "What would made a person do that!?!" Also the spelling and grammar mistakes are priceless. 

This book is based on Yates' blog where people continue to send in their pictures of wrecked cakes. If you'd like to smile, laugh, and even give a little gasp of horror please visit it here: http://www.cakewrecks.com/

The ladies in my book club have been talking a lot about the book we have to read for June, A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy. Apparently, Mrs. Binchy has written a lot of books but she has also recently passed away so reading this book, her last book, is of great significance... but only if you enjoyed any of her other works which I had not. 

I didn't know what to expect. Every one seemed to have read more then two of her books and when they raved I just looked at my shoes because I had no idea who they were talking about. But now I do. And now I know why they raved because she was an excellent writer. 

I was picked up and carried along in the story of the opening of a new bed and breakfast where all the characters have something important to be worked out during the week they stay at the new house. 

Every chapter in the book is someone's life and Mrs. Binchy weaves their tales dramatically, and with a little humor, through time and through the other characters lives. 

I was a really great read. Both books were and I'm glad to have had such a positive read week to share with you...

The Wakeful Dreamer

You know it's been a long time since you blogged last because you can't recognize the main website to get to your said blog. 

I know. It's my fault. But let's move on, shall we? Personally, I'd like to blame the incredible and partly-still-hovering-around-the-edges winter we are having. Though I'm fighting the good fight by wearing shorts today... with slippers... 

I've read a few books since I last blogged. I may have slacked on the blogging but not on the reading! 

I've been trying to get my hands on the Artemis Fowl Series for a long time, because some people don't feel like they need to return library books back on time. I guess late is better than never and I'm glad I waited because they are good books. I've only been able to read the first two: Artemis Fowl and Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident but they are about the main character, Artemis Fowl, who is a mastermind criminal and only a teenager! He is trying to regain his family's fortune and find his father while getting into some very magical areas. It's a good juvenile fiction read. 

Castle has to be one of my favorite television shows. It's a crime drama where a writer tags along with a homicide detective because she is the muse for his new crime novels. And just what did ABC do? They made the fictitious novel into real fiction (try to say that three times fast)! Heat Wave is the first book of four books that the broadcasting company has released along side the show. I liked it because there are a lot of parts that coincide with the show. Other than that it is not the best written book out there but there is enough going on that you do have to think about who the murderer is.

Indian Horse is a book that I had to read for my book club and I actually liked it. I felt like it had good pace and was well written. It is about an aboriginal boy who started out by growing up with his family but was later placed in a residential school. To escape the horrors of what happened at the school, he pours himself into being a great hockey player. It actually has a hopeful ending which I was not expecting having read similar Canadian books and I think that is what made me like it more.

Looking back now I see the wide range of books that I've read in the past month. A little bit for everyone, I think. Until next time...

The Wakeful Dreamer