Ilios's Bookshelf
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Extended Profile
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I am what the French call a "rat de bibliothèque" (a "bookworm"). Books have been my passion since I was a little kid. Besides scavenging for books in thrift stores and used books stores and avidly reading them, I love to cook, to run, to travel, to knit and spend as much time as possible with my husband. I also love writing (and receiving) letters and I collect postcards and stamps from around the world.
I am a behavior analyst and work with adults with developmental disabilities and children with challenging behaviors. Oh, and I did have a pet hedgehog named Bernardo! He crossed the rainbow bridge on 10/25/07 after a short illness and broke my heart. We are still mourning and missing him very much. He was preceded by Philomeno, our male tarantula, who lived a long life (for a male), thanks to my hubby's loving care. My other "babies" are a ferret (Penelope) and a stray female cat that hubby and I adopted (Phoenix). The current picture on my profile is Leonardo Da Vinci's Lady with Ermine (it is actually a ferret, if you look closely). I love all animals, but unfortunately I do not have enough room for anymore furry friends at the moment. When I grow up I would like to own an alpaca and sheep farm so that I can combine my love for animals, knitting and nature. Of course, all animals would be extremely well-behaved because their mommy is an excellent behavior analyst. :o)
I like collecting cookbooks and recipes. Now that we moved to a place with a backyard, I found a new interest: I want to learn as much as possible about gardening, especially about plants that attract wildlife such as hummingbirds and butterflies. So gardening books are becoming new favorites, especially those related to Florida native plants. I moved to the US on December 31st, 2001, and I love to learn more about US and Florida History.
I've always preferred reading literature in its original language. Because I have been lucky enough to live in four countries, I speak four languages (I am working on the fifth). In order to feel close to those countries, I enjoy reading books in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and now, English. I am trying to participate more frequently in the French, Portuguese and Spanish fora and sign up for some bookrings to keep my "languages" sharp. I usually only ship within the US and to Canada because I am on a tight budget, but international rings seem to be the only way to get my hands on books in other languages, so I make some exceptions for those.
| What van Gogh painting most suits you?
Blossoming Almond Tree (Feb. 1890) Bright and full of life, this is arguably one of van Gogh’s most optimistic works. |
| Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests. |
The books marked "PC" in my bookshelf are mostly reference books (either cookbooks or gardening books) RABCKed to me by generous bookcrossers. Although I want to continue enjoying them, I am willing to lend them for a period of time, so those bookcrossers can get more journal entries and we all become better cooks and gardeners! :o)
If you are interested in recipes, check my cookbooks. I usually post the recipes that I tried and were successful.

I'm
a Gryffindor!
IMPORTANT NOTE ON PMs:
I am a Hotmail user. From time to time, PMs are lost in cyberspace and get to my mailbox several days later. If you PMed me and I haven't answered you within a week, chances are I didn't get your message. Please try again. You can also post a message for me in the forum. I usually check Book Talk and the one on Bookrings/rays every other day. I'll appreciate your persistence! :o)
My Wish List

You are the Aqua Marine Mermaid. You are pure and
brave. Strong and True. Your best friend is
your seahorse, your steed. You have fought many
battles in your own life and in the sea. No
matter what challenge you overcome it.
Congratulations there are very few of you.
Would you rate my quiz for I am brave too?
What kind of mermaid are you? (Gorgeous Pics)
brought to you by Quizilla
STATISTICS:
True Wild Releases: 40
My Wild Releases caught by others: 6 (15% catch rate)
Wild Releases I caught: 1 (on 1/05/05)
Bookrings/Bookrays: as of March 2010, I have successfully participated in 160 bookrings/rays.
Bookrings/rays I have organized and have returned home safely: 7
Bookrings/Bookrays I have organized: 9
| What kind of bookcrosser are you
Your Result: ring in bundles
They come and come. Ringbooks come in herds, that's what you say! You made a basket on your mail box, otherwise the frontdoor woldn't open when you return from work. You know your postman by christian name. |
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| Playfull RBACKer |
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| Talk of the toy |
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| Thematic dropper |
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| Obsessive releaser |
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| Love to meet |
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| lucky lurker |
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| strange looking bystander |
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| What kind of bookcrosser are you Quiz Created on GoToQuiz |
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CHALLENGES AND READ-ALONGS:
Challenges:
2010: A-Z Challenge and 5-5-5 Challenge
2009: A-Z Challenge (13 out of 26) and 5-5-5 challenge (9 out of 25) - NOT VERY SUCCESSFUL YEAR, HUH? I'll do better in 2010!
2008: A-Z Challenge (16 out of 26) and 5-5-5 Challenge (17 out of 25)
2007: A-Z Challenge (14 out of 26 books) and 5-5-5 Challenge (14 out of 25 books)
2006: A-Z Challenge (20 out of 26 books read) and 5-5-5 Challenge (12 out of 25 books read)
2005: A-Z challenge (16 out of 26 books read).
Read-Alongs:
2007: Gone with the Wind
2006: A Christmas Carol
2003: To Kill a Mockingbird
BOOKRINGS THAT I AM HOSTING
Griffin and Sabine rings: CLOSED
Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence
Sabine's Notebook: In Which the Extraordinary Correspondence of Griffin & Sabine Continues THESE RINGS APPEARS TO BE LOST >:o(
1st to Die: A Novel (Women's Murder Club), James Patterson CLOSED

Category X - The
Changeling
Witty, amusing and a bit weird, you're welcomed
into most social groups, even though you don't
'fit in' perfectly .
What Type of Social Entity are You?
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2010 A-Z CHALLENGE
I participated on this challenge for the last five years. Although I didn't complete the challenge, I did discover several interesting authors, so I am going at it one more time. I will follow the same rules from the previous challenge (BreakEveryRule's challenge for 2005: "read one Author I had not read any books by before from as many of the letters of the alphabet as I could in a year start with A, B, C etc as see how many in one year I could get through in just one year"). I'll post the books I read as we go. I might change a title if a ring or ray coming my way fits one of my missing letters. Wish me luck!
Olympic Reading Challenge 2009 - 5 books, 5 countries, 5 continents
This challenge involved reading 5 books from 5 different countries from all 5 continents as a celebration of the Olympic Games. The Olympic Games are behind us now, but I still think ir's a great idea to challenge everybody to just go out of their comfort zone and read authors from different countries. I did this challenge for the last three years and although I didn't complete it, it made me discover the literature of different countries and made me actively seek authors from all over the world. I expect to get a boost for this challenge by signing up for rings and rays in the Spanish, Portuguese, and French fora.
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BOOKRINGS/RAYS THAT CAME AND WENT:
BOOKRINGS/RAYS CURRENTLY TRAVELLING OR READY TO TRAVEL:
The Year of Pleasures mailed out on 1/8/08
Le Guerrier Solitaire mailed out on 2/25/08
O Canto da Sereia MAILED OUT
Le bal WAITING FOR NEXT BXER'S ADDRESS
___________________________________________________________________________
BOOKRINGS/RAYS HERE NOW:
Le Huge et son Bourreau waiting for next BXer's address
L'Office des Vivants - CURRENTLY READING
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BOOKRINGS/RAYS I AM SIGNED UP FOR:
Lullaby
The Keys of Egypt: The Obsession to Decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphs
El Tunel
La Trégua

My inner child is six years old!
Look what I can do! I can walk, I can run, I can
read! I like to do stuff, and there's a whole
big world out there to do it in. Just so long
as I can take my blankie and my Mommy and my
three best friends with me, of course.
How Old is Your Inner Child?
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Argentinian Horned frogs seem to have been designed for the sole purpose of eating as much as possible. They appear to consist of two main parts: a mouth and a stomach. This is probably where they got the nickname "PacMan". Their needs are fairly simple, a warm habitat in a simple plastic box or aquarium with some shallow water and a few rocks so that they can laze around all day suits them just fine. They don't mix well with other frogs, even in their own species, as they are just as likely to eat them.
Click Here

You are the Sun card. The light of the Sun reveals
all. The Sun is joyful and bright, without fear
or reservation. The childish nature of the Sun
allows you to play and feel free. Exploration
can truly take place in the light of day when
nothing is hidden. The Sun's rays fill you with
energy so that you may live life to its
fullest, milking pleasure out of each day. Such
joy and energy can bring wealth and physical
pleasure. To shine in the light of day is to
have confidence, to soak up its rays is to feel
the freedom of a child. Image from: Stevee
Postman. http://www.stevee.com/
Which Tarot Card Are You?
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You Are From Mercury |
![]() You are talkative, clever, and knowledgeable - and it shows. You probably never leave home without your cell phone! You're witty, expressive, and aware of everything going on around you. You love learning, playing, and taking in all of what life has to offer. Be careful not to talk your friends' ears off, and temper your need to know everything. |
Visited Countries Map from TravelBlog
Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence |
![]() You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator. |
You Are a Hunter Soul |
![]() You are driven and ambitious - totally self motiviated to succeed Actively working to acheive what you want, you are skillful in many areas. You are a natural predator with strong instincts ... and more than a little demanding. You are creative, energetic, and an extremely powerful force. An outdoors person, you like animals and relate to them better than people. You tend to have an explosive personality, but also a good sense of humor. People sometimes see you as arrogant or a know it all. You tend to be a bit of a loner, though you hate to be alone. Souls you are most compatible with: Seeker Soul and Peacemaker Soul |

You're a Jellyfish!
It seems that no matter how hard you try to conceal yourself and
your thoughts, everything is still in plain view for others to see. Nonetheless,
you have a knack for keeping people from exploiting this advantage by using your
sharp wit and disorienting charm. You have long limbs and you know how to use
them. While you frequently seem drawn to the beach, you should avoid it at all
costs.
Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??

Athena
Take this quiz!
Which Classic Novel do You Belong In?

Darling, it seems that you belong in Gone with the Wind; the proper place for a romantic. You belong in a tumultous world of changes and opportunities, where your independence paves the road for your survival. It is trying being both a cynic and a dreamer, no?
Take this quiz!

I'm a Porsche 911!

You have a classic style, but you're up-to-date with the latest technology. You're ambitious, competitive, and you love to win. Performance, precision, and prestige - you're one of the elite,and you know it.
Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.







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