This week’s Sunday Salon post has a ton of goodies on the new Summer Series television which aired this week and last.  If you’re a TV Junkie like me, you might like some of the links and videos below!

This Week’s Reads

This week, I read and reviewed: 

In My Mailbox for Review

I received The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by  Elizabeth Leiknes, Live Relationally: Lessons from the Women of Genesis by Lenya Heitzig & Penny Rose, Live Deeply: A Study in the Parables of Jesus by Lenya Heitzig & Penny Rose, I’m So Happy For You by Lucinda Rosenfeld, and Hollywood is Like High School With Money by Zoey Dean.

Contests 

I’ve announced my winners for all contests.  Congratulations to my winners! 

I’ll be giving away a copy of Sunnyside Blues by Mary Carter this week and The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff in June.

Reading Challenges 

On J. Kaye’s 100+ Reading Challenge…  I’m at 72 books done.  Therefore, my statistical update for this challenge is that I’m 72% completed with 41.67% of the year completed.  This puts me ahead of schedule by 30.33%.   I have a feeling that I’ll have this challenge done by the end of summer!

I did get off my butt and pick my choices for The Classics Book Challenge!  I also joined the Book Awards III Challenge and have identified the books that I’m going to read.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Book Awards Challenge because it gets me to read incredible books that I wouldn’t have otherwise ever considered reading.  I’m going to read Gilead and Half of A Yellow Sun as well as Middlesex.  I’m excited!

Lainey Grace Update

Lainey Grace and Lori are back to the hospital for their 4th round of chemo.  This is an expected longer stay for them, however SO FAR things are going well for them.  Lori reports in her Caring Bridge Journal that they are eating and getting more rest than usual!   They got brownies in the mail and visitors… NICE!  My prayers have been for a better hospital stay for the two of them this time around and it never ceases to amazes me when The Lord answers your prayers, no matter how big or how small!  

For all of you who have kept this family in your prayers, I personally want to thank you, again!  In case you haven’t read Lainey Grace’s story, you can access it by clicking  HERE. 

At Home & On TV 

American Idol

I know that the show is over but… what is the deal with the daily news on Adam Lambert’s sexuality?  I thought that everybody kind of knew by now what was up with him.  God knows I’ve ranted about it enough.  Clay Aiken is getting involved and now Adam is publicly stating that it’s “okay” if Aiken “rides his coat-tails.”    Huh?  And, yet in more news, Ryan Seacrest is partying it up with a buxom blonde in Vegas and everybody is shocked that he’s a boob-guy.   Why?  He’s rich and famous… if he’s into hotties, well I say “go for it, Ryan!”   

The Spelling Chronicles

This week Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood aired.  Now, I am secretly addicted to that show.  I loved all the previous seasons and read her book sTori Telling.   However, now I’m all grumpy about Tori.  First, I can’t get a review copy of her book if my life depended upon it.  I guess she’s just too popular for little ole’ me.  I know that we all can’t get review copies just because we blog… but, I was really hoping.   I may avoid buying it and checking it out from the library.  Well, the season’s first episode was disappointing.  Let’s outline her problems:

These are problems?  She lives an enchanted life and if she continues to “boo-hoo” about it she will end up looking like a complete idiot.  Be careful Tor-Tor!

Although, I have to give her MOMMY HUGS for doing a charity event for The Ronald McDonald House at Build-A-Bear.  WONDERFUL, Tori!

Now with her mother writing her own book, Tori is freaking out just a bit.  Keep in mind that she continually bagged her mother in this first episode of the season claiming that she has absolutely no idea how to parent because she had no example to learn from.

So now, it’s all over the headlines that Candy Spelling is claiming that Tori’s absence from the family killed her own father.  She states, “My daughter one day decided that she wasn’t speaking to my husband, myself and my son, and that’s how it’s continued for the last, oh gosh, four or five years.”   She then goes on to say, “And it was sad, that’s what killed my husband, actually. He just didn’t want to live after that. He [had] just done everything he could possibly do for his daughter, and she wanted no part of him once he couldn’t do anything for her.”   Well, well, well. 

I sense this is just the beginning!

So You Think You Can Dance

I think that I’m in HOG HEAVEN!  Four hours of SYTYCD!  Oh, the pitter patter of my beating heart!  I love this show!  Since this is Season 5 and I’ve watched all prior seasons, one of the beloved contestants is this guy who has nick-named himself “Sex.”  He’s not a trained dancer and he brings his mother to auditions.  This week we saw a dance-off between Sex and Leo.  It was hysterical!  I think that Nigel is actually developing a soft-spot for him and he let Sex go to choreography.  And, although he didn’t dance it well, it looked like he really tried.  Good for you, Sex!  Check out this great video (below) for the Sex-Leo Dance off!  If nothing else, you’ll get some good laughs out of it!

This week is Vegas Week and I’m going to be glued to the tv watching the dancers try to learn the choreography, especially that of the talented Mia Michaels!

The Bachelorette 

I’ve held a little voting contest on the “hotties” and Jake is, by far, the leader.  Oh, he’s so cute!  Here’s my post on this week’s episode and please continue to visit me on Tuesday for weekly updates!

Here Come The Newlyweds 

This is just a sweet program.  It’s several couples competing for a boatload of cash.  It comes on after The Bachelorette and gives me a very well-rounded Monday night.  It’s just a fun, game-showish reality show that I like. 

Wipeout Wednesdays!

My daughters and I love THEM BIG BALLS!  This show is so completely brainless and we just love the commentators on this show.  DeeDee was rooting for “Cheap Date Guy” on this week’s season opener.  And, he won!   I actually think the commentary is funnier than the wipeouts!  I can’t even imagine trying to run these obstacle courses, especially with the new catapult in the $50,000 final round.  SCARY!

The Goode Family

ABC promoted the HECK out of this show.  Every time I was watching another show, they were advertising this show at the bottom of the screen (which drives me crazy).  But, I am a HUGE Family Guy person, so I thought I’d check it out. 

It’s about a vegan, earth-conscious family who are all about being politically correct, earth-wise.  It’s a dad (college professor), mom (wine loving wanna-be best mom ever),  teenage daughter (whatever, MOM!) and an adopted “African American” son (from South Africa and named UmBuTu).  The problem with this show is that they aired WAY too much of the funniest stuff in the promos all week.  So, there wasn’t much funny to watch in the actual episode.  I think I’ll give it another spin next week and see if it’s any better.  If not… I’m going to give it a thumbs down and ditch it.

As always, my thanks to all of you for reading not only this post, but the others as well.   Your readership means the world to me!  AND, your comments are invaluable to me!

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