Did nothing in particular and did it very well. -- W.S. Gilbert
This sums up my Thanksgiving holiday. I hung out with the family and boys. We lounged. We watched movies and tv. We read. We just enjoyed each other's company. And it was glorious...
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Title: Mythology
Author: Edith Hamilton
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company 1942
Genre: Mythology
Pages: 352
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Telling Tales; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading
How I Got It: I own it!
Since its original publication by Little, Brown & Company in 1942, this author's Mythology has sold millions of copies throughout the world & established itself as a perennial bestseller in its various available formats: hardcover, trade paperback, & mass market paperback. Mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern readeer the Greek, Roman & Norse myths & legends that are the keystone of Western culture - the stories of gods & heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present.
This is definitely a book I've been meaning to read for years. Years, I tell you! And finally I got around to it. The book did not disappoint. Hamilton's tome is the definitive source for Greek and Roman myths. Unfortunately, at times the prose becomes a bit convoluted. Maybe it's just the time period the book was written. I found myself skipping the commentary passages to get to the stories. Those I loved! That said, I wanted an actual commentary on some of the stories; maybe more history on the stories. At any rate, I did enjoy my time reading through the stories. After reading, I had the urge to watch a good movie based off of the stories, but unfortunately there aren't many. Maybe I should just watch a cheesy version... like Clash of the Titans.
Top Ten Tuesday -- Winter TBR List
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We’d love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers’ answers. Everyone is welcome to join. If you can’t come up with ten, don’t worry about it—post as many as you can!
I'm cheating this week. The real topic is "2013 New Releases I'm Looking Forward To," but here's the thing: I don't usually keep up with new releases. Sure, I grabbed them from time to time, but it's usually because someone else recommends. I don't sit and wait for the new releases. Instead of the real topic, I'm sharing my Winter TBR list. The topic seems to have been left off the list for this season. These books are all those that I need to read by the end of the year to knock out some reading challenges.
2012 Still Need to Reads
1. The Magician King by Lev Grossman
2. The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan (about halfway through)
3. Mythology by Edith Hamilton (currently reading)
4. The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins
5. The Firemaster's Mistress by Dickason
6. Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes
7. Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
8. The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees
2013 First Up Reads
9. The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
10. Rest of Neil Gaiman's Sandman series
Fall TBR Recap -- How I did based off of previous TTT post. Pretty close to reading them all! (20/27)
- As the World Dies trilogy by Rhiannon Frater
- Feed by Mira Grant
- Deadline by Mira Grant
- The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
- The Maiden's Hand by Susan Wiggs
- At the Queen's Summons by Susan Wiggs
- P.S. I Love You by Cecilia Ahern
- A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn
- Mythology by Edith Hamilton
- The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison
- The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
- The Girl from Junchow by Kate Furnivall
- The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall
- The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees
- As You Like It
- King Lear
- Pericles
- Cymbeline
- Othello
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? by Philip K. Dick
- Snow Crash By Neal Stephenson
- Outlander series
- HP 7
- A Wrinkle in Time by L'Engle
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Arthurian Romances by Chretien de Troyes
Music Monday -- Counting Crows "A Long December"
One of my old favorite songs. I can't not sing along when this song pops up on my shuffle. It's a beautiful song. Plus you get a beautiful video and a live version to enjoy.
Lyrics (my favorite lines in bold):
A long December and there's reason to believe Maybe this year will be better than the last I can't remember the last thing that you said as you were leavin' Now the days go by so fast And it's one more day up in the canyons And it's one more night in Hollywood If you think that I could be forgiven...I wish you would The smell of hospitals in winter And the feeling that it's all a lot of oysters, but no pearls All at once you look across a crowded roomTo see the way that light attaches to a girl And it's one more day up in the canyons And it's one more night in Hollywood If you think you might come to California...I think you should Drove up to Hillside Manor sometime after two a.m. And talked a little while about the year I guess the winter makes you laugh a little slower, Makes you talk a little lower about the things you could not show her And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe Maybe this year will be better than the last I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself To hold on to these moments as they pass And it's one more day up in the canyon And it's one more night in Hollywood It's been so long since I've seen the ocean...I guess I should
Day Zero Project Update: Week 59-62
Instead of daily posts, I thought it would be a lot easier for me and you if I did weekly update posts. These will track my progress each week. I will highlight what I’ve done, what I want to do, and any interesting tidbits. Sometimes I’ll add pictures and/or links. Hopefully these posts will keep me accountable to me list…
What I Did
5. Make a playlist of my favorite 101 songs -- Narrowed down to 101, prepping posts for January.
9. See 101 new movies (84/101)
- We are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists -- Awesome documentary chronicling the history of hacktivism with an emphasis with Anonymous. Beautiful piece of film.
- Tim Minchin: Rock n Roll Nerd -- J absolutely loves him and has been wanting me to watch this documentary about him for awhile. Very entertaining and poignant.
- The Five Year Engagement -- Not so great. A little too awkward weird.
- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World -- Beautifully uplifting for an end of the world movie.
- Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter -- Pretty disappointed as I loved the book. I updated my book review to include a movie review.
- Safety Not Guaranteed -- This movie was great. I loved the mystery of it. And the characters were amazing. Must see.
- The Campaign -- Very relevant look at our political spectrum told with laughs.
- Skyfall -- Amazing Bond film! A must see. Really enjoyed all the nods to the previous films.
- Wreck It Ralph -- Took the boys, a very good animated movie!
24. Keep a journal for this project
28. Blog 1001 times 39 post this period. (659/1001)
30. Finish 100 creative writing prompts (8/100) -- I joined Michelle @ Stories Inside for Sit Down and Write 2 (ending today). This allowed me to focus on my writing for two weeks. And of course, I failed miserably. Being away from home and back in Indiana distracted me with everything else. I only got 4 prompts completed...
32. Finish 30 reading challenges (17/30)
- Shakespeare Reading Challenge
Overall Progress
25/101
Black Friday Shopping
Remember the time years ago when you would faithfully make a Christmas list. For me, I loved going through the Sears catalog circling the items I wanted. My boys love doing that to the Toys R Us catalog. At some point, all of us stop making Christmas lists. At least we stop writing them down. Well I am reviving the tradition. I'm making a Christmas wish list and it can be found on Amazon. Just search for my name. *Hint hint*
The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Title: The Martian Chronicles
Author: Ray Bradbury
Publisher: William Morrow 1950
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 288
Rating: 4 / 5 stars
Reading Challenges: Science Fiction; Mount TBR; Fall Into Reading
How I Got It: J owns it
Bradbury's Mars is a place of hope, dreams and metaphor-of crystal pillars and fossil seas-where a fine dust settles on the great, empty cities of a silently destroyed civilization. It is here the invaders have come to despoil and commercialize, to grow and to learn -first a trickle, then a torrent, rushing from a world with no future toward a promise of tomorrow. The Earthman conquers Mars ... and then is conquered by it, lulled by dangerous lies of comfort and familiarity, and enchanted by the lingering glamour of an ancient, mysterious native race. Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles is a classic work of twentieth-century literature whose extraordinary power and imagination remain undimmed by time's passage. Inconnected, chronological stories, a true grandmaster once again enthralls, delights and challenges us with his vision and his heart-starkly and stunningly exposing in brilliant spacelight our strength, our weakness, our folly, and our poignant humanity on a strange and breathtaking world where humanity does not belong.
For the first 20 pages, I was thoroughly confused. I didn't realize that this was a collection of related short stories. Once I readjusted my perspective, I found that I really enjoyed these stories. The reader has to look at Earth and Mars through an alien viewpoint. We see Mars and its inhabitants as they are. And then we see how the humans from Earth see Mars. Such strange little stories. But if put into a 1950s era mindset, they completely make sense. Not my favorite science fiction, but a good collection.
Poems of Emily Dickinson
Title: Collected Poems
Author: Emily Dickinson
Genre: Poetry
Pages: 212
Rating: 5 / 5 stars
Reading Challenges: Mixing it Up - Poetry; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading
How I Got It: I own it
I've always liked Emily Dickinson and her poetry. I think there's something about her morbid outlook that speaks to me. I am not an optimist and I have a feeling she wasn't either. Her poetry itself is often disjointed, but it all seems to go together. This is one of those volumes that I pick up every few years. It's a comfort read, an old friend, a reminder of my past. Dickinson is not for everyone, but she's definitely for me.
My favorite: Hope
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
It's Turkey Day!
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Title: A Wrinkle in Time
Author: Madeleine L'Engle
Publisher: Bantam Doubleday 1962
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 198
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Classics -- Award Winner; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading
How I Got It: I own it
Fifty years ago, Madeleine L’Engle introduced the world to A Wrinkle in Time and the wonderful and unforgettable characters Meg and Charles Wallace Murry, and their friend Calvin O’Keefe. When the children learn that Mr. Murry has been captured by the Dark Thing, they time travel to Camazotz, where they must face the leader IT in the ultimate battle between good and evil—a journey that threatens their lives and our universe.
This is technically a re-read but it's been a while since I read it. This is one of those books from childhood that I enjoyed, but didn't love completely. I thought it was a bit fantasy adventure fun. Reading it now, I see the whole story as a more interesting discussion about destiny, good and evil, science, and philosophy. What do we make of Mrs. Which, Whatsit, and Who? Are they good beings or just self-interested beings? What about It? Is It completely evil or having the potential for good? I think this brings in a ton of questions. I've never read the rest of the series. J tells me that the next two are decent reads, but the last two are throw aways. Reading this volume again, I am interested in reading the rest of the series. Maybe next year...
Time Quintet
- #1 A Wrinkle in Time
- #2 A Wind in the Door
- #3 A Swiftly Tilting Planet
- #4 Many Waters
- #5 An Acceptable Time
Quote Wednesday - Sands
It is extraordinary how music sends us back to the memories of the past, and it is the same with smells. -- George Sands
Some of my favorite smells:
- Grass after its cut
- Right before rain storms
- Tea (chai or mint)
- Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies
- Clean laundry
- Dirt (potting soil)
- Babies
- Sandalwood
What are some of yours?
Book Bloggers Holiday Card Exchange
Care to join me? Click the picture above!
This year, the Book Bloggers Holiday Card Exchange is organised by me at Leeswammes’ Blog and by Courtney of Stiletto Storytime. Anastasia of Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog has passed the baton on to us. Anastasia is the originator and ran this very popular event for two years. Courtney and I were sorry to hear Anastasia wasn’t running it this year, so we’re very pleased she allowed us to take over. As we’re a little late announcing this event we’re more or less taking Anastasia’s text from last year, with her permission (thank you so much, Anastasia!).
The Book Bloggers Holiday Card Exchange is an event in which book bloggers send each other a holiday card around the Christmas period (the end of December). This isn’t just for people that celebrate Christmas, though! Everyone is can join in the fun.
Info
1. Sign up for the exchange by November 30, 2012.
2. Emails with partner info go out December 3, 2012 (please check your spam folder if you didn’t get the email, then contact us).
3. You have until December 13, 2012 to send your card(s).
4. Since it’s a book-lovers card exchange you have to include something book-related in your card. Some ideas:
- Write about a book you’ve read recently.
- Give a few book recommendations to your partner.
- Tell a book-related story.
- Something else book-related that you think up yourself.
5. Since this is a book blogger holiday card exchange, you need to be a blogger who blogs at least sometimes about books to participate.
6. The swap is open internationally. It’s too cumbersome trying to pair up people who do/do not want to send internationally, so everyone must be willing to send internationally.
7. You can exchange up to five cards. You won’t always get a card from the same people you send your cards to. It will nevertheless be an awesome thing.
Some Things to Remember
1. You HAVE to send a card. A card is something like this. You can make it yourself or buy it at the store. Everything you write must be contained in the card itself. Letters are not cards. The card doesn’t have to be book-themed OR holiday themed (but it might be nice if it was). We suggest you refrain from sending specifically religious-themed cards, because that sort of thing tends to offend people, even if you didn’t mean to offend them.
2. You HAVE to write something book-related in your card (see above). You can’t just say “happy holidays.” You COULD just write a list of books and that’s all, but I don’t think that’d be a lot of fun, do you?
3. You DON’T have to send anything else but the card, but if you want to stick in something else that’d be fine. A bookmark, for instance, would be really nice. Whatever you send: it has to be flat enough to fit in the envelope– no upgrading into package territory, here.
4. The most you should spend is $5. The point of the exchange is that it’s cheap enough for us money-less people to participate in, so everything should cost $5 and under. I don’t know if you can even buy a card that costs more than $5. Can you?
Oh, and the Twitter hashtag is #bkcardex.
Pericles, Cymbeline, and Othello by Shakespeare
Title: Pericles, Cymbeline, Othello
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Classic Plays
Pages: 147, 137, 163
Rating: 3/5 3/5 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Shakespeare; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading
I finished three Shakespeare plays this week, and I have to say that I need a Shakespeare break. The first two plays were just so-so for me. Othello is brilliant, but I already knew that as I read it back in college and loved it. Besides the brilliance of Othello and especially the character of Iago, I can't find much to say about the plays. Does that make me less of a bibliophile? I think I'm craving more time with interesting characters and maybe more action. I don't know... I do know that my next selection is finishing The Wrinkle in Time that I started before flying out.
Music Monday -- Third Day "When the Rain Comes"
Here's an uplifting song for you today. I hope that every day you feel down there's some one there to stay with you until the rain passes. I added an audio track from the album and a live version.
Lyrics (my favorite lines in bold):
When the rain comes it seems that everyone has gone away When the night falls you wonder if you shouldn't find someplaceTo run and hideEscape the painBut hiding's such a lonely thing to do I can't stop the rain From falling down on you again I can't stop the rain But I will hold you 'til it goes away When the rain comes you blame it on the things that you have done When the storm fades you know that rain must fall on everyone Rest awhile it'll be alright No one loves you like I do When the rain comes I will hold you
As You Like It by Shakespeare
Title: As You Like It
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Classic Plays
Pages: 133
Rating: 3 / 5 stars
Reading Challenges: Shakespeare; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading
I must say that isn't my favorite Shakespeare play. It was good, but something just didn't click with me. After thinking on it awhile, I think I've decided that these aren't the best characters Shakespeare ever wrote. I couldn't get behind the naiveté of Celia or the goody good of Rosalind. They just weren't the best characters. And I'm sure that I've seen this story too many times by this time in my life. I just didn't really enjoy this one as much as the others...
The Sunday Salon #35
I'm writing this Sunday Salon on Saturday as I will be traveling all day Sunday. I'm heading back east in case you missed the post yesterday. Going to see the family and enjoy the holiday week. I will probably not post next week since I will be deeply entrenched in family activities.
Listening To: I finished going through our iTunes account for possible 101 Favorite Songs. I narrowed down the list. I've actually gotten it down to 101 (with some major culling rules). Now I'm separating them out into categories for easier posting. Besides listening to those songs, I updated my computer's iTunes account. Basically I wiped everything to the server and then pulled about 2400 songs that I really love for traveling. Plus I updated my iPod for traveling music. So I should be set with tons of Mumford, Florence, Lumineers, Lady Antebellum, Josh Groban, etc.
Book finished: The Jewel of St. Petersburg, An Offer You Can't Refuse, Flower Fables
Reading:Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
On the Nightstand: The iPad is loaded with Shakespeare, fantasy, and science fiction ready for traveling. First up: As You Like It.
MakingLists: Final packing lists. I've had all my clothes packed for a few days. I just had to get my media, tech, and toiletries. Thankfully I only have four Apple products to take (as opposed to J's mountain of tech) and two cords. And because of the iPad, I only have to bring two physical books (for take off and landings).
On the Web: Getting excited for 2013 reading challenges. People are finally putting out their sign up posts. Now I have to decide which ones to do and which ones to pass on...
Watching: I've made it a point to finish some series and get caught up on others before starting anything new. I finished S8 of Weeds and with that the series. I was okay with the ending, but the reunion of tons of former characters felt a little cheap. J and I finished S2 of Fairly Legal and then found out it was canceled. Boo! I am really going to miss Leo, but I guess the ending was okay. We are making our way through S4 of The West Wing and S2 of Stargate Universe (last season). Plus, I am resolved to finish finish Heroes. I kept getting stuck in the third season. I finally made it out and started S4. So far, it's much better than S3. I might actually finish this during the Thanksgiving break as I can watch it on Netflix instant streaming.
Shopping Scores: I have resolved to wait until after Thanksgiving to do any major holiday shopping. Plus I need the boys' Christmas lists. So far, I am doing really good not spending any more. Although I am eyeing Stampin' Up's current deals. Hmm....
I'm heading east to the cold...
I'm off to Indiana to see the family for the holiday season. I'm sure there will be lots of food, lots of laughs, and lots of flowers (in the shop). I'm excited to see everyone, especially the boys, but hesitant about the cold. I think I'm acclimating to North California weather and this will be a shock to the system. I'm packing tons of layers, basically whatever's left of my winter wardrobe and hoping for moderate temps. If you are traveling, be safe!
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
Title: Kidnapped
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Genre: Classics
Pages: 218
Rating: 2/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Classics -- International; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading
How I Got It: I own it
The young orphan David Balfour is sent to live with his Uncle Ebenezer. When he discovers that he may be the rightful heir to his uncle's estate, he finds himself kidnapped and cast away on a desert isle. A historical adventure novel originally intended for a young-adult audience, Kidnapped deals with true historical events relating to the Jacobite Rising, and has won the admiration of an adult audience.
This may be considered a classic, but I just didn't love it. I couldn't really get into the adventures. I didn't feel anything for David. I thought he was naive and silly at many times in the books. Not that I wanted Uncle Ebenezer to win, but David just wasn't the easiest hero to like. Overall I thought the writing was stilted and pretty dry. Maybe it's the time period. I just am not a fan of Stevenson's writing at all. Not my cup of tea.
In library paradise
I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library. -- Jorge Luis Borges
You know the library in Disney's Beauty and the Beast? Yeah, that's heaven to me. I've always dreamed of living in a house just big enough for a proper library room. A room filled floor to ceiling with bookcases, a comfy leather chair with ottoman, a small side table with reading lamp (just big enough for a cup of tea), and possibly a fireplace. That is heaven to me. I've been thinking about that a lot lately. I have an iPad. I am trying to read more digital books (save space and for travel purposes), and yet I keep going back to the old physical library. I still want that room. I fear that the old libraries of the past will slowly disappear in our newly digital world. I don't want to lose that comfort, that little piece of paradise in our chaotic lives.
Flower Fables by Louisa May Alcott
Title: Flower Fables
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Genre: Classic fairy tales
Pages: 140
Rating: 2 / 5 stars
Reading Challenges: Telling Tales; Mount TBR; Fall into Reading
How I Got It: I own it!
Flower Fables is a treasury of six different stories penned by Louisa May Alcott. These old-fashioned fairy tales have been compiled and edited by Daniel Shealy, who has done editing on several Alcott books. The text is very readable, and has magic flavor added via the font's joining together of several letters. Today's children, like many children of the past, will enjoy meeting Alcott's fairies, sentient flowers, and other real and imagined characters. Illustrator Leah Palmer Preiss has filled the book with delightful and interesting fairies and other creatures. The illustrations are bright and full. Readers may want to watch for the bonuses of quotations and tiny portraits of those who influenced Louisa May Alcott. This book would make a good bedtime storybook, and like many tales of old, has good morals that children could take away with them perhaps without even realizing there was a lesson involved. The afterword is also interesting as it shares interesting details about Miss Alcott. For example, she wrote these tales when she was 16. Another bonus at the end of the book is the biographies that go along with the quotations and miniature portraits. -- FromIndependent Publisher --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Bored. That's my initial thought after reading this volume. I'm bored. These tales just aren't interesting or exciting to me. I don't want to read anymore. And I love old fairy tale stories. These just lacked any oomph. That's all. Boring.