It's that time of year again.....

Yes, it's time for the Annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week Awards. Much to our surprise, A Reader's Respite has been nominated in two categories this year and now we need your help in deciding what dress to wear for the ceremony.



This is Dress 1. We like the minimalist design (less to wrinkle) but are unsure if our granny underpants would work with this.

We're favoring Dress 2 because when the Awards Ceremony gets to the boring acceptance speeches, we'll have something to occupy ourselves.




Dress 3 would solve the problem with our granny underpants and allow us the freedom to eat too much at the after-parties. (Note, however, that A Reader's Respite isn't exactly pregnant.)



Dress 4 is a bit more edgy. If we could hide a book in the feathered collar, this one should win hands-down.



Now Dress 5 appeals to our sense of originality. Our only worry is that when we sit down, the balloons surrounding our butt would pop and let's face it, that's more embarrassing than a whoopie cushion.

Please vote for your favorite.

Splashing in Proximidade with Zombies

Diane at The Book Resort has thoughtfully awarded A Reader's Respite with the Splash Award. Given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive & inspiring blogs (whew, that's just too much pressure on us here), we have chosen to award ourselves a Splash Prize:

That's right. A nice, quiet bubble bath.

So for all our fellow bloggers in need of a hot bath, consider yourselves Splashed. And for pete's sake, don't drop your book in the tub.

Zombies are so cool.

Who started this Zombie Chicken Award? A Reader's Respite wants to kiss them (the creator, not the Zombie Chicken) because it is so cool. Did we mention we recieved three of these?

They were generously passed along by our best-est pals in Blogland:

Amy at Passages to the Past, Marg at Reading Adventures, and Sandy at You've GOTTA Read This! It's so cool to know that you all are as twisted as we are....those of us with a sick sense of humor have to stick together, don't you know.

And the Proximidade Award was passed along to us by The Alabama Book Worm. A Reader's Repite loves any award that is written in a foreign language. We may not be able to read it, but then again neither can most of you, so you'll just have to take our word for it when we tell you the award means someone likes us. So there.

Geez. Thanks, guys!

Drunkeness, Ruminations, Gratitude and a Free Book

A Reader's Respite has been missing in action for a while. Why?

Because, as it turns out, schlepping drunken teenagers the length and breadth of three countries while they drink, pass out, drink some more and film themselves for the next Girls Gone Wild video extravaganza is exhausting work.

Yes, guys and gals....the melee known as Spring Break sucks the very life out of airline employees. Bad things happen during this time. Airplanes break down, weather forces cancellations, planes have to divert when teenagers pass out from all the booze, police have to meet the flight when those same teenagers regain consciousness and decide to join the Mile-High Club in that nasty coach lavatory.








And the worst thing that happens? Your pilot ends up spending her daughter's very first birthday stuck in Toronto.

Spring Break sucks.

But all is not lost. After a short three days spent in the mental ward regaining our sanity (also known as a trip to The Quiet Room), A Reader's Respite was sufficiently recuperated to check our e-mail. Patiently waiting in our e-mail inbox were some awards sent this way.

Perhaps it was the emotional exhaustion, but these awards brought on an overwhelming sense of gratitude for not only those who sent the awards, but also for each and every one of you who stopped by and took the time to comment while A Reader's Respite was on her way to The Quiet Room.


So without further ado.....


The Friend's Award was thoughtfully presented by:



Wendi's Book Corner

Passages to the Past

Jo-Jo Loves to Read!!!




The Primio Dardos Award was sent our way from:



Betty Jo over at Movie Addict Headquarters

Alyce from At Home With Books





The Your Blog is Fabulous Award winged it's way to us from:


Jo-Jo Loves to Read!!!











Where Life Hands You Lemons Award comes from:

Misfit from At home with a good book and the cat....









The Sisterhood Award was bestowed on us by:



Mss Joss at Reviews of Young Adult Literature

Sandy from You've GOTTA Read This!

Amy at Passages to the Past (back at ya, babe!)





So I guess what we're trying to say here is THANK YOU, from the icy depths of our cold, black heart.

You all may have saved me from another trip to The Quiet Room.





Oh, and we were supposed to announce a winner for The Lost City of Z, by David Grann on Friday. We're only 3 days late this time, so progress is being made in that department!






Our randomly-drawn winner?


It's all yours, Julie at Outlandish Dreaming! Zap me your mailing address and I'll flag down the next Pony Express!

But wait....there's more!

Wow oh wow oh wow! From Rebecca at The Book Lady's Blog comes the Well Worth Watching Award!







And from Lady Tink, of Up Close & Personal with Lady Tink fame, comes a bit of the fairy dust....yay!





I'm honored, ladies....thank you!

The Best Part of BlogLand

Now many people might surmise that the best part of being a book blogger would be, well....books. Lots of books.


But they would be wrong.


The best part of being a book blogger is most assuredly the fellow bibliophiles you get to meet and the lasting friendships that are forged through a love of the printed word.

How A Reader's Respite envisions all of us in 10 40 years.

How do you know you've made some darned good friends in Blogland? Why the awards, of course!


This is the part where I mention a few of the wonderful friends I have.....



Bunnitaz from Worth Reading It? sent me another of those beautiful, grammatically messed-up Butterfly Awards. I've taken a shine to this award, mostly because the grammar makes me smile every time. (Does anyone know where this one originated? I'd love to know.)






Lezlie from Books 'N Border Collies (and one very awesome gal) sent me the Great Buddy Award....this one touches A Reader's Respite's cold, black heart!







TexasRed Books thoughtfully send me the Lemonade Award for blogs with great attitude. Based upon my attitude as of late, I am assuming this is a gentle reminder not to be so cranky this early in the year. :)







Sandy, that taskmaster over at You've GOTTA Read This! who tricked me into reading Wuthering Heights (ha!), sent along the Fabulous Blog Award. Very Audrey Hepburn of her, no? Maybe someday I'll be as chic and thin as the gal on the award. Until then, someone get me another Hershey bar, please.


So thank you, Ladies!

Prémio Dardos

Dar at Peeking Between the Pages and Beth at Beth Fish Reads have ever-so-thoughtfully awarded the Prémio Dardos Award to A Reader's Respite!


My italiano is a tad rusty non-existent, so I had to employ a translator for Prémio Dardos. As it turns out, it means Prize Darts.

So I'm thinking that Dar and Beth have thrown down the gauntlet.

Any time, any place, you two. I'll kick your butts!

But in a bizarre twist that can only occur in the blogging world, The Prémio Dardos is actually given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing.

How cool is that?

Truth to be told, Dar and Beth could have awarded me The BlabberWocky Award and I'd have been flattered (the whole negative attention is better than no attention thing).

Courtesy of Stop & Wander blog. Don't any of you DARE turn around and try to give this to someone!

This award is supposed to be passed along to 15 (!) people. I don't know 15 people.

And because I'm at risk of being blacklisted by my usual tag-ees, I decided to pass this award along to some of the new-to-me blogs that I've been enjoying lately.

• Naked Without Books
• The Lit Connection
• Outlandish Dreaming
• Misadventures of the Monster Librarian
• Reading and Ruminations

Both Dar and Beth have blogs I greatly admire and am ecstatic they thought of A Reader's Respite.

I'd still kick their butts in darts, though.

Maybe. I haven't actually ever played.

But Mr. Reader's Respite can attest to the accuracy of my aim. *Ahem.*





URGENT UPDATE! Smash at Great Books and Fresh Coffee has sent me the Premio Dardos Award as well. I can only assume this means she wants in on the great dart tournament we are spooling up for. (Thanks, Smash! I love it! But how good are you at darts?)

Boosting A Reader's Respite's Self-Esteem

Ever since our unfortunate experience with Technorati and their nasty little blog-value program, A Reader's Respite has relied more than ever on you, gentle reader, to boost our minimal self-esteem.

Wouldn't it be easier to just accept the fact that there are people out there who are better looking, smarter, wealthier and happier than you?

With that in mind, a heartfelt THANK YOU goes out to Rhapsodyinbook's Weblog for sending us this Butterfly Award. Pretty, isn't it?




I'm passing it on, so here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3. Award up to ten other blogs.
4. Add links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message for your awardees on their blogs.


Who gets this one?

1. Giving Reading a Chance. Because Veens reads anything and everything and I love that!
2. Books 'N Border Collies. Because Lezlie tackled Faulkner and won.
3. The Literate Housewife Review. What can I say? I love the reviews!
4. My Friend Amy. Because of Amy's dedication to helping the publishing world.
5. Peeking Between the Pages. Because Dar is still the best Secret Santa. Ever.

Another huge THANK YOU goes out to Veens from Giving Reading a Chance (and who is currently off doing things much, much more important than blogging!) for bestowing upon us the Great Buddy Award. Blogging friends are awesome, aren't they?




Who gets tagged for this one?

1. Amy at Passages to the Past, of course. If you ask her nicely, she'll be your buddy (but not BFF, because as already mentioned, that position is taken by ME).
2. Carey at The Tome Traveller's Weblog because she is my partner in crime at 35,000 feet. Yes, I know, the oxygen deprivation explains a lot in my case. Carey, however, is still relatively sane.

Awwww, I'm blushing!

Proving, yet again, that book bloggers are without a doubt the friendliest community in cyberspace, Avis over at She Reads and Reads has sent me a bloggy award! (Thank you!) Now in return I have to nominate 7 other blogs that I read and love (no problem there!) and make sure you all have links to them so you can go check them out. So here are 7 blogs that I read religiously everyday and would like to nominate for the I Love Your Blog Award -- you can link over to them from this post or use the links listed under "Places Where I Hang Out" on the right hand side of the page.

1. Passages to the Past
2. Historical Tapestry
3. Tanzanite's Shelf and Stuff
4. The Luscious Literary Muse
5. Reading, Raving and Ranting by a Historical Fiction Writer
6. Reading Adventures
7. Reading the Past

All of these blogs are wonderful resources for readers, especially my fellow historical fiction fanatics.

PS....I think this bloggy award comes with very good karma. The award arrived in my e-mail and just like magic, both kids fell asleep for naps at the same time (!), the stars aligned, and peace descends upon the household. *sigh* Thank you, Avis!