Happy late Thanksgiving everyone!  Getting my post up a bit later today since I just finished working a 12 1/2 hour day in retail.  *phew*  Guilty Pleasure Friday will be back again in two weeks, but for now, I leave you with my favorite reads from the prior week!

On Writing:

Alica McKenna Johnson guest blogged at Myndi Shafer’s with great writing advice about how to add more diversity to your writing.  She’s honest and open about the tips she uses to write characters from different countries and ethnicities.  Check out her guest post Don’t Bleach and Iron Your Work.

On Reading:

Jillian, a literary student who blogs at A Room of One’s Own, informed me of The 2012 To Be Read Pile Challenge!  For all you bookworms with that evergrowing list of books to get to, take this challenge along with me and see yourself accomplish some great books you’ve never given yourself the time to get through.  The only real catch is they need to be at least a year old in publication.  I’ll be posting my list and hope you’ll share your own!

Thanksgiving is still in season and August McLaughlin shared the Books I’m Crazy Grateful For and sparked a fun conversation in her comments.  Share your own books that shaped your life and made you grateful you’d read them!

Tim L. O’Brien posted an awesome blog about Why Books are Important.  This is part three in his series and focuses on getting kids to read.  He’s got smart advice and an awesome link to a site where you can check out the perfect titles for your kid of any age to read and have them glued to the page rather than to the screen.

On Women:

If you don’t regularly follow the Life List Club blog hop every other friday, you missed an inspiring post by fellow co-founder, Marcia Richards all about long distance swimmer Diana Nyad.  She’s a courageous woman who will inspire us all to do our own Xtreme Dream challenges.  So after you’ve read Marcia’s post, check out Diana’s own blog about her recovery process from her attempted swim from Cuba to the Florida Keys after being attacked by box jellyfish.

What’s in a Name…:

If you haven’t been following Nina Badzin’s baby naming debacles, you’ve been missing out.  She recaps the long nine month journey and also reveals her newest addition’s long awaited, and well thought out, name in Finally, His Name.

Because Humor is Necessary During the Holidays:

I love Sara Grambusch’s blog.  She’s got the spunky and self-deprecating humor that I adore in a person, and she also provides delicious healthy recipes.  In this post, Household Things I Do Wrong, she recounts the number of times she’s unsuccessfully mastered the art of housework.  Let’s all pray she and I never become roommates; angels will weep for society.

The Good Greatsby will have you stitches with his headlines: Starbucks Announces: Come for Joe not John.  Must read for coffee drinkers and users of public bathrooms everywhere!

Jenny Hansen serves up More Cowbell when she asks Is Adulthood Stealing Some of Your “Grooviness?”  Dance parties are a known reaction to Jenny’s posts; you’ve been warned.

Charles Gulotta relives his edible memoirs in his entertaining tale toward intelligence; he calls it Chew on This.

Enjoy your weekend!  See you all again Monday!