Contest is closed! The winners can be found at the Slanket Winners post.

Have you ever put on your warm robe over your clothes, grabbed a blanket and put that over your body, and then sat down to read, watch tv, knit, or whatever? Or have you ever been reading with a blanket, trying to keep your arms as much under the blanket as you can, but the blanket keeps falling to around your chest because your arms have to be free to hold a book?

YOU WILL NEVER HAVE THESE PROBLEMS AGAIN.

I ordered a Slanket because I’ve had all kinds of problems with trying to keep my heating bill low but still stay warm while I’m reading or knitting. I’ve got a really warm robe…but it only comes down to my knees! I’ve got really warm blankets…but somehow they never keep my arms warm.

Oh, if you only knew how brilliant a Slanket is. It’s my blanket of choice now, no matter what I’m doing. My husband initially made fun of it, but now he uses it whenever I’m not. Who knew he’d need his own Slanket??

I love my Slanket. It’s huge, so my feet never start poking out if the blanket moves around. My arms are warm, but I still have freedom of movement. It’s made well, I love the fabric…it’s so warm and snuggly! OH! I could wax rhapsodic.

I obviously don’t want to bad mouth another company, but let me just tell you that someone who has a Slanket, then went out and bought basically the same thing that has a very similar name, was very embarassed by the poor quality of the non-Slanket product (she was going to give this non-Slanket to a friend as a gift but changed her mind after seeing the quality). Let the buyer beware: you get what you pay for.

Now to entertain you, here’s some pics of me in my Slanket.

I'm changing the blog name to Hey Obie-Wan!

This is my, Should I make a funny face or just smile? look.

I have TWO Slankets to giveaway: one I bought myself for you (which is royal blue just like mine so we can be Slanket twins) (which Dave is threatening to keep for himself, but I promise to pry it out of his hands), and the other the company will be providing. So not only do their products rock, but so do their peeps. Slanket, you’re rocking my world.

For one entry: Leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite blanket. I only ask you to do this because once you get the Slanket, that “favorite blanket” will get thrust in a corner and start collecting dust. If you leave a comment that does not talk about your favorite blanket, you will be disqualified. If you don’t have a favorite blanket, that’s okay, just say so.

For one additional entry: Either subscribe to this blog or let me know that you already subscribe.

For five additional entries:

• Tweet about this contest! Come back and leave a comment with the link to the tweet so I know you’ve done this.
• Stumble this post.

For ten additional entries:

• Blog about this giveaway. Putting it in your sidebar doesn’t count.
• Email five friends to tell them about this giveaway and cc me on the email. Here’s my email: trish.heylady {at} gmail {dot} com.

Good luck! The contest will be open until March 3rd, at which time I will close the comments, tally up your entries, and leave the fate of the winners in the hands of random.org.

ETA: WHOOPS! Forgot to mention that my slanket is only open to US and Canada. I haven’t asked Slanket about what they want to do with their half of the giveaway, so you can take a chance with them, but me, well, I just can’t send this thing halfway around the world. Sowy.

I’ve actually kind of stopped doing memes (though there’s a cool one about penmanship I’ve got coming up) just because I get tired of talking about myself. I know. What’s wrong with me?! Well, blogs can tend to be all about the navel gazing, but I like to think that I do a fair amount of looking out at the world and not down at my belly button. Maybe I’m wrong and that’s more proof of how much I look at myself because I can no longer see it.

Like the 25 things about me meme that’s floating particularly around Facebook? Ugh, gag, really, what could you possibly want to know about me that I might divulge there? You already know I eat cake batter. I’m pretty sure I’ve told you I used to eat Crisco. And we’ve already discussed my insistence that food I’m eating not touch. You know from my blog I like to read (dur). If there’s anything you want to know, just leave the question in the comments. Because really, there’s few things I won’t talk about.

BUT, there’s this meme that Dooce did, and I liked it because it’s about you and your spouse! And since I’m a newlywed, I thought it would be fun to answer the questions, and then in five years I can come back and laugh at my naivety.

What are your middle names?
My middle name is Linley. Dave’s middle name is Charles.

How long have you been together?
We’ve been together for three-and-a-half years, married for 8 months 1.5 weeks.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Dave asked me out right after we met. Too bad he hadn’t told his friends that months before he’d broken up with his girlfriend, because when I talked to a mutual friend about Dave, he was very insistent that Dave had a girlfriend, while I was insistent he didn’t since he’d asked me out.  

Who asked whom out?
Dave asked me out. We worked in similar industries, so he got the phone number of the law office I worked at by looking (I assume) in the phone book, and he called me up and asked me out to lunch. Cute, huh?

How old are each of you?
I’m 30, he’s 41.  

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Dave’s family is much closer than mine, so we see his more often.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Gosh, after 8 months of marriage, things aren’t too bad. I suppose money is a stresser, but I think we’re handling things well. We’re working hard to pay off debt, meaning we don’t have much spending money, so that’s difficult…but it makes us proud.

Also, I’m not a good communicator, so I’m pretty sure any problems we’ve ever had with communicating have been my fault. I’m working on it, though, and sometimes I go see a therapist so she can gently guide me in the right direction. I’m not saying Dave’s perfect, but he behaves like a healthy partner, whereas I often feel like I’m fumbling.

Did you go to the same school?
No. Remember the age difference? Yeah.  

Are you from the same home town?
No, but we’ve both lived in this area for a long time, so it’s nice knowing this is home for both of us.

Who is smarter?
Dave is smarter, but I’m more driven. I really like this combination. We balance each other out well.

Who is the most sensitive?
Definitely me. Dave likes to joke around and I’m just, well, sensitive Sally.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
There’s this little Mexican taqueria near our house where the staff barely speaks English and for months we were the only white people we ever saw in the restaurant. It’s fantastic.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Las Vegas.

Who has the craziest exes?
I only have one ex-boyfriend, but Dave has a bunch of ex-girlfriends. None of these exes are crazy, nor has any of them surfaced in the whole time we’ve been together.

Who has the worst temper?
Dave gets mad at his video game and my psycho dog, but other than that he’s very mellow. I, on the other hand, can get absolutely insane over small things, especially when I’m hungry. I worry more about my temper than his.

Who does the cooking?
HA! I do. Before Dave and I got married, he had a regular rotation of PB&J sandwiches, Round Table personal pizzas, and fast food for dinner. I cook, he does the dishes.

Who is the neat-freak?
If you could only have seen the house that he moved out of when we got married, you would not ask this question.

Who is more stubborn?
Dave.

Who hogs the bed?
MY DOG. My little seven pound dog takes up more room than she needs. It’s ridiculous.

Who wakes up earlier?
I do. Dave’s a night owl. I’m neither a night owl nor an early bird. I’ve average. *sob*

Where was your first date?
We had drinks at a local bar.

Who is more jealous?
Dave. Though he’s getting better.

How long did it take to get serious?
We got serious pretty fast, and then Dave basically broke up with me (even though he doesn’t remember this AT ALL), and we stayed together and just took things slower.

Who eats more?
Dave. He doesn’t seem to think that milkshakes are filling. He likes to have one after dinner. When I ask him if he’s full, he says it has nothing to do with being full or not. I don’t get it at all.

Who does the laundry?
Dave does his own laundry. WHO’S JEALOUS OF ME NOW.

Who’s better with the computer?
Me for sure, but my spending every waking moment on it may account for my superior knowledge.

Who drives when you are together?
Usually Dave because he can’t help but be a backseat driver.

If you’d like to do this meme, go ahead! I’d love to hear your answers!

Or, if you want to ask me more questions, you can do so in the comments.

She really is that cute in real life.

I met Diana Spechler at the Book Group Expo a little over six months ago. I had so much fun talking to her that I made sure I got a copy of her book. I loved it and thought it would be fun to interview her, so here we are!

Hey Lady: Welcome, Diana! First, I’m curious how you came up with the premise of Who By Fire?

Diana Spechler (DS): The novel sort of bloomed from a short story I wrote in grad school. I was mainly inspired by the time I’d spent in Israel in college.

Hey Lady: In Who By Fire, Bits was such a flawed character. The behavior she engaged in just made me cringe. You said in the interview that appears at the end of the book that your background and experiences definitely make their way into your writing: “It’s in there. All of it. It wears many full masks and thin veils.” What parts of you are in Bits?

DS: Bits is more isolated than I am. I keep a lot of people in my life. She doesn’t have even one real friend. And she’s a little more reckless than I am, too. But we’re similar in our desires to “help” the people we love. Sometimes I have to sit on my hands to keep from doing it.

Hey Lady: Even though it bloomed from a short story you wrote in grad school, it’s my understanding that Who By Fire took you four and a half years to write from start to finish. I’ve noticed that for the first book of most authors, that kind of time to write a book is pretty standard. Why do you think it takes authors so long to write their first book?

DS: I had no idea what I was doing. That was the first thing. I had read a lot of novels, but no one had ever sat me down and said, “Here’s the formula. Just plug in your characters and plot.” That’s because there is no formula. (Or if there is, please tell me, because I’m working on my second novel now and I’m open to any and all assistance.) I’m not sure if the writing process gets faster after the first book. My guess is that it doesn’t. So far, it hasn’t. Of course, I learned a lot from writing Who By Fire, but there are all kinds of other things I have to learn now that I’m writing something else. My guess is that it never ends.

Hey Lady: Since it took you years to complete Who By Fire, how did you know when it was ready to submit?

DS: I sent it to the agent who wound up signing me a couple of years before she actually sold it. It took her some months to get back to me. When she did, she said, “I’d like to work with you” (and I practically fainted), and then she gave me her suggestions, and I did some revisions, and then she gave me more suggestions, and I did more revisions, and so on, until finally she said, “Okay, it’s ready to go.” I thought, It is? Well. Whatever you say. Then she sold it. And I screamed.

Hey Lady: LOL. I scream when I get comments on my blog. I know it’s not the same…but it’s as close as I’ll ever get to real writing! :-) When people find out you’re an author, do they ask you if they’re going to be in your next book?

DS: Sometimes. Or they say, “Like J.K. Rowling?” Or they say, “Will you remember me when you’re famous?” Or “Do you write for adults?” Or “You should hear my life story. You would make a billion dollars writing my life story.”

Hey Lady: Do you have a special place that you write? An office in a bedroom? A corner of your apartment?

DS: I just moved into a new apartment. In my old apartment, I wrote on the love seat. In the new apartment, I write in bed. I’ve never been a desk person.

Hey Lady: Okay, so do you write everything by hand or use a laptop? I only ask because I recently read that Joshua Henkin hand writes his work.

DS: Laptop! Always!

Hey Lady: Do you ever look back at old writing? Does it make you cringe or are you impressed?

DS: Impressed? God, no. Yes, it makes me cringe. Of course. It’s like looking at pictures of guys I was in love with in the ’90s. I think, But he had a feathery mullet! I used to write his name on the side of my shoe?!

Hey Lady: What books are on your nightstand right now?

DS: I’m actually reading an unpublished (although not for long, I’m sure) manuscript for a friend right now, the novelist Greg Williams, author of the amazing Boomtown.

Hey Lady: If you like Boomtown, I’ll be sure to check it out. Who was an author you were most excited to meet? Would you tell us about it?

DS: I met Curtis Sittenfeld before she was Curtis Sittenfeld. This was nearly six years ago in DC. She was working on Prep. After I met her, I couldn’t wait for her book to come out because I thought she was so cool. Then I read Prep and lost my mind over how amazing it was. I met her again last spring at BookExpo America in LA, and I was so excited to see her and gush. Maybe that doesn’t count as “meeting,” since I’d met her once before, but I had to remind her about the first meeting, so I think it counts. The only reason I got close enough to talk to her in LA was that we were both at a party for “emerging leaders,” which I guess was a euphemism for “young writers.” She’s really cool and down to earth, the kind of person who asks you a lot of questions and seems genuinely interesed. The kind of person who allows you to talk about yourself ad nauseum. Who doesn’t love that?

Hey Lady: What are some of your hobbies? What do you do in your free time when you’re not writing?

DS: Um…feel guilty that I’m not writing? I also work several jobs, do Bikram yoga, and spend a lot of time with friends.

Hey Lady: HA! I could say the same thing about blogging. On average, how much time do you spend writing every day?

DS: It really depends on the day, but I try to make it my day’s main focus.

Hey Lady: And finally, I assume you’re working on your next novel…can you tell us about that?

DS: I’m writing a novel set at a weight-loss camp for kids in North Carolina. I’m writing about lots of people who have lots of secrets.

Hey Lady: That sounds like a great premise! Right up my alley. Diana, thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed! You’re a blast to chat with.

Check out Diana’s website. Diana’s also on Facebook, and if you join her fan page, you can stay posted on all her events, news, etc.

Jeanne at Necromancy Never Pays had a great (and brief!) post about the economic crisis. “…what more can any of us non-experts do than continue to take care of the things important to us, including our children?”

Here’s a great discussion on the saturation of the same book in the book blogging community, and whether that’s a good or bad thing.

The Book of Unholy Mischief is sitting on my desk and Swapna really liked it!! SQUEEE!!!

Beth Fish got me to put The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly on my wish list. I love legal thrillers, and she doesn’t like legal thrillers but loved this book. That’s one of the highest recommendations a book can get, in my opinion.

Amy did an excellent post on How to Spot a Christian Fiction Book. It’s a really great post, but be careful what you avoid, because while I don’t seek out Christian fiction, one of my favorite books of all time is Christian fiction. So if you avoid it, you may miss out on some really great reads.

Marta is giving away a copy of The Terror by Dan Simmons. She says it’s “stupendous”. HOW CAN YOU NOT ENTER. She also says, “The story combines sci-fi, thriller and historical fiction all in one incredible story.” This book sounds awesome!

Bermudaonion has started a new meme called Wondrous Words Wednesday. You list words that you came across in your reading that you were unfamiliar with and give their meaning. Are other readers just as much of vocabulary geeks as I am? And can I get an “amen” that she has the cutest button evar for this meme?

Wendi not only reviews The Husband Project, but is also DOING The Husband Project.

Seeing as how I’m obsessed with author interviews lately, Write for a Reader does a great job of interviewing Barbara Worton, author of Too Tall Alice.

Reviewer X has a great post on blog stats. Wondering if you measure up? No matter your stats, she’ll make you feel good about yourself.

This handpainted Pooh journal is the cutest thing evar. I wish my mom was half as cool as hers.

 The winner of The Help  was Lindymc! Congratulations!

I’ve had my eye on The Help by Kathryn Stockett for a couple of months now. I don’t remember where I first saw it, only that when I read the premise (two black maids and one white young woman in 1962 Mississippi “…come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk.”), I knew I’d love it. Do you ever get that feeling when you read about a book that you’ll just love it? There’s not really any doubt in your mind, and it’s almost like a premonition (even though I don’t believe in those things)? That’s what I felt when I read about The Help.

I know, I know: enough introduction, right? Okay, whatever! I’m getting on with it. Sheesh.

The Help is about three women: Skeeter, who’s 22 and a college graduate; Aibileen, who is middle aged, is a black maid and nannying her 17th white child; and Minny, who is in her late 30s, is Aibileen’s best friend, can’t help but tell people what she really thinks, so even though she’s the best cook in her whole area, she’s just about run out of people who will hire a sassy cook.

This book takes place in 1962 in Jackson, Mississippi, which is right around the time that Martin Luther King, Jr. was giving speeches and the civil rights movement was gaining momentum with desegregation.

Skeeter wants to be a writer, and somehow she gets it into her brain that there should be a book about what it’s like for black women who work for white families: how they’re treated, the bonds that form, and the truth of these relationships. Some stories are heart warming, and some are heart breaking.

But the best characters? Well, that would be Aibileen and Minny. They’re night and day of each other, but oh, the personalities those ladies have! I thought I might be able to turn to one while I was reading and just starting talking to her, they were so real.

Here’s Minny. She’s just gotten another job, and she’s very relieved:

I sit in the sagging seat of the Ford Leroy’s still paying his boss twelve dollars every week for. Relief hits me. I have finally gotten myself a job. I don’t have to move to the North Pole. Won’t Santy Claus be disappointed.

HAHAHAHA!! That passage made me guffaw out loud. Santy Claus? I’m still giggling over that.

The authors descriptions are vivid and often comical. Here, Skeeter is describing her room at her parents’ house:

My childhood bedroom is the top floor of my parents’ house. It has white-frosting chair rails and pink cherubs in the molding. It’s papered in mint green rosebuds. It is actually the attic with long, sloping walls, and I cannot stand straight in many places. The box bay window makes the room look round. After Mother berates me about finding a husband every other day, I have to sleep in a wedding cake.

“I have to sleep in a wedding cake.” Brilliant.

This book is about the book that Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny write, each of them contributing to it in some way. It is about Skeeter growing and changing as a person at a time and in a place where civil rights were not what the white people wanted. It is about Aibileen and Minny having a method of telling their story and facing down their own demons.

As I was reading this book, I couldn’t stop talking about it. I was telling everyone about it. The bus driver. Co-workers. My husband. People on the street. Book club members. I was giddy with the knowledge that I was reading something wonderful. I loved the friendships, the characters, and the situations. I loved the dialogue. I loved the writing. I loved that each character had a unique narrating voice. I loved that I had the feeling over and over that the author “gets” people, human nature. I loved the various friendships and relationships; some of them good and healthy, some bad and destructive.

I loved it, and I know you will, too.

Rating: 98 out of 100

Check out Kathryn Stockett’s website here.

Buy the book from Amazon.

Buy the book from Powell’s.

Other reviews:

Booking Mama

The Book Lady’s Blog

Book Room Reviews

medieval bookworm

For the giveaway! I loved this book so much, that in an effort to support bookstores, I will buy a copy of this book for you. Even better, Kathryn Stockett is coming to Book Passage on March 25th, and I can get your book autographed for you. If you don’t want to wait that long, that’s fine. I’ll send you the book autograph-less.

To enter the contest, answer this question: Have you ever had “help” in your house? Whether it be a maid, housekeeper, nanny, cook, etc. If you do not answer this question, you will not be entered in the contest.

To gain four extra entries, you can either Twitter about this contest, stumble this post, or send an email to five friends, cc’ing me on the email. Make sure you leave a link to anything extra that you do. Good luck!

Contest will be open until February 28th.