The Cat in the Hat Turns 50!

I just came across this FoxNews article about The Cat in the Hat turning 50 years old. I remember my sisters reading that, as well as other Dr. Seuss books, to me when I was little. I also read it to my children.

What a trouble maker that Cat was! As a child I wished he'd come stir up some trouble in my house when my mother wasn't home. But if the truth be known, my true hero's were Thing 1 and Thing 2! I loved how they came out of their box and went straight to the job of having fun!

As a mother, I'm glad The Cat in the Hat never paid my kids a visit. Imagine the mess to clean up if he did! ;) And yet, he how to have fun. Shouldn't we also take that wisdom to heart?

I'm glad I found that article for the unexpected trip down memory lane.

I think the first Dr. Seuss book I ever read (or memorized) was One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. What was your first book?

Deathly Hallows Party

I mentioned previously that I planned to attend the Harry Potter party at Borders last night. There was a write up about it in today's local paper: A Frenzy for Potter.

There wasn't a frenzy, but the media always hypes things up. ;) There was a lot of people though. I waited in line for 45 minutes for a cup of coffee at the cafe. The check out process was organized and I got my copy just after 1 AM.

I read the first chapter and part of the second chapter when I got home. Today I am reading it as I can, but I'm still only on chapter four.

Online Bookseller Mails Out 'Deathly Hallows' Early - Gets Sued

As the Harry Potter sale date approaches, there are more and more discussions taking place both online and off. But nobody expected to get their book early. But that's what happened to a guy named Will Collier. His copy was on his doorstep more than four days early. So what does he do about it? He sells it on ebay of course!
Read his article: I was an eBay Voldemort.

Later, I was reading news headlines and I came across: Early Shipping of 'Harry Potter' Brings Lawsuit.

Looks like things are heating up! Do I dare mention the publisher-hacked digital copy that even Newsweek tried to download?

I have managed to steer clear of spoilers so far. I'll be attending the pre-release party tomorrow night and from that point I'll be reading and avoiding the internet as much as possible until I'm finished the book. ;)

PS- None of the articles I've linked to in this post contain spoilers.

Romance Writing Contest

I got an email a few days ago from Gather announcing a writing contest called First Chapters Romance. I thought I'd share it with my you since a lot of us readers also enjoy writing. The winner of the contest gets a guaranteed publishing contract with Pocket Books/Simon & Schuster.

If you've never heard of Gather, here's the faq's link.

Good luck! :)

Parents call 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' Pornographic

Did you ever notice that it's almost always the parents that get themselves in an uproar over the books that the schools find appropriate for our children to read?

Commack High School in New York has added The Perks of Being a Wallflower to their summer reading list for their incoming sophomores. The parents are having fits about it, calling it pornographic. I haven't read the book myself yet, but I looked up the review on Amazon. The book addresses many issues that teens face such as first relationships, sexuality, drug experimentation and suicide.

I'll be forever grateful that nobody tried to limit what I could read when I was growing up. My parents never balked or got upset about what I chose to read. (Or what the school's chose either for that matter). I grew up believing that reading was good, a pastime to be encouraged. And I still do.

What Will Happen to Harry

This being the biggest Harry Potter month ever, with the Order of the Phoenix coming out in theaters and the release of the final book, everyone is talking about Harry. The movie is said to be the longest and best one yet, but the only thing people want to talk about is whether Harry will die in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Of course we all hope he triumps and remains to be our hero, but no one knows for sure.

J.K. Rowling did an interview with BBC and she said this in reference to writing the ending:
"I was in a hotel room on my own, I was sobbing my heart out, I downed half a bottle of champagne from the mini-bar in one and went home with mascara all over my face."

But that doesn't necessarily mean that Harry is dead. Does it? It could mean that she is saddened by the end of Harry Potter, the series.

And then there's Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who play Harry Potter in the movies, who thinks Harry will be killed. Here's what he told the press: "I think I might die in [the final book]," before quickly adding: "That's just my prediction. I think so, but I've no idea at all; I have no inside hints."

Ugh! I can't wait to find out what happens! Another thing I'm dying to know....is Snape a good guy or a bad guy? I've always thought he was going to prove to be a good guy, but it's not looking good for him after the Half-Blood Prince.

Our local Borders usually has a Harry Potter Party leading up to the midnight release. I've never gone to one, but I might go for this one last time. What will you do?