Pages read today: 448
Pages read total: 448
Time read today: 2 hour 37 minutes
Time read total: 2 hour 37 minutes
Comments: Started and Finished This Book is Overdue and Haunts of San Jose. I'm working of the reviews now but they won't be up until tomorrow. On to Shakespeare (again).
As part of my Day Zero Project, I am answering “50 Questions to Free Your Mind” (Google it). I had originally thought to do these in my personal journal, but then I thought, why not put them on my blog. So get ready for some rambling answers. Don’t say I didn’t warn you… Here's my post for questions #1-5. And here for questions #6-10. And here for questions #11-20. And here for questions #21-26. And here for questions #27-34.
35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?
Misconstrued need to be included. Many religions have a "us" or "them" mentality that taken to extremes can lead to war. Instead of a love and understanding approach they take a militant convert everyone approach.
36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?
No. Society collectively decides what is good and what is evil. We generally adhere the standards, but of course there are those that deviate. Thus, we have a societal system of promoting what is good and punishing those do what is evil.
37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?
Considering that right now I'm unemployed, this doesn't really apply. Yet, let me answer as if I had a job. No I would not quit my job. First of all a million dollars really isn't that much. It could make life easier temproarily. It could pay off debts/mortgages/loans. If could provide some instant entertainment. It could pay for future endeavors. But a million dollars isn't going to make you life-long no worries rich. Secondly, I have gotten super bored when not working. I need something to occupy my time daily and help organize my life. Left to my own devices, I blog and surf the web for hours a day. (I'm actually working of two projects that could pay me for doing just that.)
38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?
More work that I enjoy doing. I never minded the long hours of teaching as long as I was getting something out of it.
39. Do you feel like you've lived this day a hundred times before?
Yep. Reading, housework, blogging, surfing, eating... This is my life currently.
40. When was the last time you marched into the dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly beleived in?
Never? I just don't think I've ever really marched into the dark, the twilight maybe, the sunset definitely. I think I would like to jump into the unknown with passion, but at the same time, I am a big scaredy cat.
41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?
My children. Although it would take most of the day to get there (damn non direct flights!)
Title: Antony and Cleopatra
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Classic Plays
Pages: 139
Rating: 4 / 5 stars
Reading Challenges: Shakespeare
I admit that my view of this play is colored by the amazing tv production that was Rome. I can't ever hear about Marc Antony or Cleopatra now without thinking of those specific portrayals. It was definitely a problem going into this play.
I did find some interesting aspects of the play. There is such a difference between the Roman characters and the Egyptian characters. Rome is all business without any flowery language. We get many more descriptive pieces from Cleopatra's side. And speaking of Cleopatra... she's such a complex character. One minute I hate her, the next I sympathize. I didn't think I could have such conflicting feelings for a notorious historical figure. Ultimately I see her as a ruler trying to hold onto her power any way she can. First with Caesar, and then with Antony, she tries in vain to keep Rome from displacing her from the throne. Even through that, I see a woman stuck in a much larger battle centered in Rome but being fought in Egypt. Maybe that's why I feel for her. At any rate, I loved Shakespeare's complex portrayals of the characters. It's not one of my ultimate favorites, but it's a good history/tragedy. And it's definitely a much better tragedy than Romeo and Juliet.
My Facebook status today: While in the bathroom, I glanced into the dirty laundry basket. 3 out of the 5 items are striped shirts... I may have a problem. I think this sums up my life lately. I am ridiculously scattered brained. I can't focus on anything for more than 5 minutes. I keep staring off into space instead of, say, doing the dishes. I think that miscarriage seriously messed with my brain. So I'm off to La La Land to live with the wifferbots and the snuglets. Wish me luck!
So my mom bought a flower shop... Yeah! Craziness. Or maybe not that crazy. She was a florist for years before getting into the medical field. Now all they need to do is incorporate, redecorate, set up a website, set up a blog, hire some people, get networked... Did I miss anything? I've been charged with helping do some research on flower shop networks and and websites. Did you know that almost all the flower shops I'm finding are linked directly to teleflora.com or FTD.com? And that they pay those companies to do business? And that all their websites look the same? Boring!!! There has to be a better way. So how do we keep the business we already have and court new business? I was thinking of adding social media and a blog to the business. But the website still baffles me. Can we do it on our own? Suggestions?
From Letters Inside Out:
Earlier I was driving and thinking “I need to do a Read-a-Thon this weekend”. I’m so behind on reading and what better way to spend my holiday weekend? Since I couldn’t find one, I decided to put on one myself.
We are going to do it nice and laid back! That’s the best way, eh?
It’s going to run Friday to Monday night (11:59pm) – Four full days of reading.
Read as much or as little as you’d like!
Then daily I’ll post an update linky – you won’t have to update daily, but some of us like to see the progress! (It helps me stay accountable. )
When you are all done, return Monday at midnight to link up your final post.
Don’t have a blog? That’s fine! Link up whatever you will be updating on. (or just use my comments).
One participant will win a prize to be determined. (It’ll be INTL! And as soon as I pick something, I’ll let you know.) To be eligible for the prize for participation, you will have to do at least the starting post and finishing post.
Sounds simple enough, right?
I didn't get to do my Bout of Books readathon this past month, so why not join another readathon? I love that this one is only 4 days (enough to get something read, but not long enough to lose steam). I have a great stack of books to knock out over the weekend. While J is off on Monday, I am sure he will be busy throughout with his work and side projects. That leaves me time to read.
TBR Pile:
Goals:
Quote Wednesday is back. I didn't mean to take a break, but with the medical issues, it just seemed to be too much of an effort. My brain was so fried with the worrying and uncertainty and pain that I just couldn't read much less write. But I'm back and trolling my old high school quote notebook for inspiration. Yes, I have one of those. Actually I have two high school to college quote notebooks. I thought these would be great resources when I don't have a new weekly quote find. Now, on to the quote...
Love is not what we become, but what we already are. -- Stephen Levine
What does it mean to love? How do you love? Is it something we aspire or already possess? Interesting questions. Might I suggest that we already possess the ability to love and a way to love inside of us. We must bring it out to the forefront to be successful in loving someone. Relatedly, we cannot change to love and we cannot change others to love We must strive to find someone to love completely and someone who loves us completely. I would be lying if I didn't want to change a few things about J, but that must not be my aim. I must accept and love him as he is. Just as he must accept me, quirks and all...
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Title: The Importance of Being Earnest
Author: Oscar Wilde
Genre: Classic play (1895 play / 2002 movie)
Pages: 92
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Classics -- Play; Mount TBR; Books2Movie
How I Got It: Own it
Play:
I absolutely adore this play. The back and forth between Algy and Jack keeps me going. I love their battles of wits. And the mistaken identity aspect adds way too much fun. Plus, Wilde is the best at turning a phrase. This play is full of great lines and comebacks.
Some choice quotes:
"When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people." - Act 1
"All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his." - Act 1
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple. Modern life would be very tedious if it were either, and modern literature a complete impossibility!" - Act 1
"Relations are simply a tedious pack of people, who haven’t got the remotest knowledge of how to live, nor the smallest instinct about when to die." - Act 1
"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train." - Act 2
"I could deny it if I liked. I could deny anything if I liked." - Act 2
"Oh! I killed Bunbury this afternoon. I mean poor Bunbury died this afternoon." - Act 3
"The chin a little higher, dear. Style largely depends on the way the chin is worn. They are worn very high, just at present." - Act 3
"Gwendolen, it is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he has been speaking nothing but the truth. Can you forgive me?" - Act 3
"I've now realised for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest." - Act 3
2002 Movie:
The movie adds things here and there, but overall keeps the spirit of the play. I love all the actors. Rupert Everett plays he best scheming Algy. Colin Firth is divine as Jack/Ernest. Dame Judi Dench always plays the stiff Brit. And Reese Witherspoon plays the perfect innocent, but not really innocent, Cecily. The addition of Cecily's governess/tutor. Does anyone else think that Archer's manservant is modeled after Algy's manservant Lane? I think so.
Title: Richard III
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Classic Plays
Pages: 158
Rating: 4/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Shakespeare; Book2Movies
Play
History or tragedy? Even Wikipedia doesn't know. I am going to all it a history. While there are definitely tragic elements, we aren't supposed to identify with Richard. The villainous villain of all of Shakespeare... and he's the main character. I can not get over it! He does have the most amazing monologues throughout the play. Shakespeare is known for his monologues, but these are over the top. I especially love the scene on the battlefield after the ghosts have visited Richard. Oh how the mighty have fallen! Not one of my favorite plays, but a very interesting history.
1955 Movie Adaptation
Before I say anything about the content, I must remark on the ridiculous costumes. they are so comical and colorful. They look like something that belongs in Disney World. I Just can't get past them. On to the content. Laurence Olivier is just amazing. He exudes villainy and treachery. And that wig is just perfect for the nasty king. I was a bit unnerved at his monologues directly into the cameras. It's a bit odd for a movie. It made me feel that I was part of Richard's evil plan to get the crown. But the performance is just right. Last note... I love how unrealistically people from old movies kiss. That just looked awkward.
Title: Much Ado About Nothing
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Classic Plays
Pages: 98
Rating: 5 / 5 stars
Reading Challenges: Shakespeare; Books2Movie
Play
I love the interplay of characters in this one. We get some interesting pairs and foils. While I don't find the laughs like I do in A Midsummer Night's Dream, there are some good moments. Most of those moments come with banter between Beatrice and Benedick. Beyond the content and characters, I do find it fascinating that this play in written mostly in prose. We get Shakespeare's fun with verse occasionally, but most of it is straight verse. And I do love that it's set in Messina on Sicily. The setting gives the play a different feel than many of his northern settings.
Movie Adaptation
I decided to watch the 1993 Kenneth Branaugh version as Emma Thompson and Branaugh are amazing as Beatrice and Benedick. Overall, their love story is the one that I watch. Hero and Claudio's is too "love at first sight" nonsense leading to (in my opinion) Claudio's false accusation of Hero. Of course, that is just my issue with Shakespeare's story. I do love the blocking and sets in the film. The rustic charm is to die for. I want to visit. And the costumes are appropriately wore in. Overall, I think this is one of favorite adaptations of any Shakespeare work.
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!
A round of bookish confessions. I am a bit ashamed at some of these...
1. I am woefully behind on my original 2012 TBR list... I've read 116 books this year, but I'm somehow behind. As J keeps bugging me, I haven't read many of the books that I said I would read back in January. I really need to to get back on track for the last few months of this year.
2. Sometimes I don't want to read, I'd rather watch TV or some movies... Is this a horrible thing for a book blogger to say? At times I tire of reading, and I just want to rot my brain in front of the TV. And so I do.
3. I've seen many movie versions of books before reading the book... Thankfully I have gone back to read the book in many cases. It's been on of my unofficial rules to read the book before viewing the movie, but it just hasn't happened in every case.
4. I have a library addiction... I have hundreds of book in my Mount TBR list, but I still find myself patronizing the library for more books to read. I need to get this under control.
5. I own too many bookmarks... I have dozens of bookmarks and yet i only read on book at a time. So why do I need so many bookmarks? I have no idea.
6. Stories I read find their way into my dream... I rehash some plot lines, but I star in them instead of the original heroine. And sometimes my brain makes changes here and there to make a slightly different story.
7. I add ~20 books a week to my TBR list... I think this has gotten a bit out of control. I now have thousands of books on my TBR list. I don't think I'll ever get through all those books.
8. I prefer physical stores for book browsing... I love the serendipity moment of stumbling upon a great looking book in the stacks. I just don't get the same thrill looking at online retailers.
9. I read in spurts... I'm not a consistant reader at all. Sometimes I read 5-6 books a weeks and other times I fail to complete one.
10. I love literary paraphernalia... I would love to decorate my house complete in literary crap. Etsy is my downfall.
As part of my ongoing celebration for my 30th birthday, I am highlighting some popular songs from throughout my years. Songs were picked based off of a list of Grammy award winners and Billboard Top 100. Then, I chose my favorites to highlight.
Year: 1986
Book: Unknown
Music Selections:
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 -- I have almost completed getting all my music onto the server so I can start sorting through them to find my favorites...
9. See 101 new movies (58/101)
10. Spend a day in PJs watching movies -- I was feeling particularly crappy. Thankfully I needed to watch The Wizard of Oz and Tin Man for my book review and I added the mini series Lost in Austen for a bit of fun. √
12. See all of IMDB's Top 250 movies (14/250)
20. Reread all of Jane Austen's novels (1/6) -- Finished Northanger Abbey as part of Austen in August event
24. Keep a journal for this project -- ongoing
28. Blog 1001 times -- 35 times this period. Not a huge amount, but a respectable number. (523/1001)
32. Finish 30 reading challenges (12/30)
33. Read my height in books (65/68in.)
37. Pass 250,000 pages read for my 1,000,000 pages challenge (84,418/250,000)
65. Save $5 for every task completed ($65)
72. Complete "50 Questions that Free Your Mind" (34/50)
100. Scrapbook 100 pages (100/100) -- completed, but I'm still behind on my scrapbooking...
What I Plan to Do Next Week.
17. Reread all of the Harry Potter books (6/7)
35. Join or create a book club -- Still waiting to find a good one.
72. Complete “50 Questions that Free Your Mind” (20/50) -- I'm getting through them very slowly
Overall Progress
19/101
I didn't post a Sunday Salon last week due to my ill health. Thankfully I'm getting back on track.
Health Note: I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. I've been off pain medication for almost a week now and I haven't felt like taking any for a few days. My constant headache has abated yet it hasn't completely left me. Overall I have had more energy, less fatigue, and less severe mood swings. My next goal is to get back on an exercise regiment. My last walk about killed me, so I should start slow. I'm thinking 15-30 minutes on the stationary bike and then adding in the elliptical/treadmill/weights/more bike.
Listening To: I've added 8tracks to my phone and iPad. It's like Pandora but people submit playlists. I have been checking out all kinds of weird/fun sounding lists. I only wish that I could see the entire playlist before playing...
Book finished: The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass; Northanger Abbey
Reading: Much Ado About Nothing
On the Nightstand: Lots of Shakespeare
MakingLists: Grocery lists. After weeks of not really eating and not feeling like cooking, we had no food in the house to make any meals. I spent a ridiculous amount of time creating a grocery list. Once I went, I was left with a full fridge and comically long receipt.
From the kitchen: Besides prepping for actually cooked meals for the coming week, I washed out most of the fridge.
On the Web: I got back into the habit of checking out other blogs.
Farmer's Market Finds: Made it in time to grab some of my favorite seller's nectarines, raspberries, and sausages for lunch. I plan on using the nectarines and raspberries for hand pies and the rest of the nectarines for my yummy bacon, gouda, nectarine sandwiches.
Crafting: I have been a crafting maniac lately. I reorganized by crafting stash. I separated out all the Christmas stuff to make cards. I scrapped a ton of pages checking the boys up with me. I finally finished the Disney trip. I had a great card class before my medical emergency. Very cute things. The last one is actuallythank you card from my Stampin' Up demonstrator.
And I had a Christmas card themed class today. Great ideas for my own cards.
Finally I grabbed this idea from A Turtle's Life for Me. Originally I was going to make it for the baby's nursery to use to record notes and feedings. Obviously that's not going to happen. But I thought I would make it anyway for the boy's room.
Watching: Children's Hospital (way to funny and full of people); The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret; White Collar; Suits; and tons more Stargate (SG1 and Atlantis)
From Nature: It's been a bit cooler around here lately; definitely helping my walking and sitting outside
Shopping Scores: I grabbed some more clearance items at Michael's. Some of them were for my mystery Christmas project. Loving how it's turning out.
Project: I restarted my project of prepping my blog for the rest of the year. I want to get posts scheduled or at least templates readied.
Title: Northanger Abbey
Author: Jane Austen
Pages: 239
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Classics - Romance; Mount TBR; Book2Movie
How I Got It: Own It!
Northanger Abbey is fast becoming my second favorite Austen (after Persuasion, of course). I love Catherine Morland. She may be young and naive, but she grows. She becomes a woman right in front of the reader. I love the progression more than anything. I see an early version of Emma in Catherine. She's not as well defined as a character, but the idea of character so wrong in her worldview comes through. This volume doesn't have the recognizable quotes that Pride and Prejudice does, but it does have some good discussions between Tilney and Catherine about life and literature. And the novel doesn't have the extensive social commentary so prominent in P&P and Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park. But that's okay. This is more of a nice story of a girl growing into a woman and falling in love.
BBC Miniseries :
I love this movie. I love the leads, Felicity Jones and JJ Fields. I love the Abbey. I love Bath. I even love Isabella Thorpe, that snake. (Carey Mulligan is equal parts likable and killable...) Every part was perfectly cast. I don't even mind the dramatization of Catherine's gothic stories. It fits with her character even if Jane Austen didn't write them in there. In fact, this is fast becoming my third favorite movie adaptation of Austen (after P&P BBC version and Persuasion new BBC version).
I found this wonderful meme idea on Ruby Bastille. I thought it would be a great way to share my life with my readers. This week's thankfulness... Medical emergency addition. After my medical issues last week, I have some thanks specific to those events.
1) Paramedics -- I had to travel to the hospital in an ambulance and it was one of the scariest things I've ever had to do in my life. Thankfully my two paramedics were very calming and efficient.
2) Nurses -- Every nurse that I dealt with was just awesome. They each had the right mix of efficiency and caring to keep me calm and collected for most of my stay.
3) My doctor -- While I didn't see my doctor during the ER visit, he did perform my surgical procedure last Thursday. And I must say that I love how he handled it. I've heard some horror OB stories. And I've even had some bad OBs (in the past), but my current is great.
4) Random OB nurse at outpatient procedure center --The center is very efficient and pretty straight forward, but I loved my prep nurse. She actually took the time to talk to me about how I was feeling (not just the physical) and what was going to happen. I don't remember her name, but she should be commended for her work.
5) Friends and family -- Throughout all this ordeal, I have had great support of friends and family. It's been so great to hear other stories. I'm not alone in this situation. Thank you for being there. And hopefully my next medical situation will be a happy one.
Title: The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials #3)
Author: Philip Pullman
Publisher: Alfred Knopf 2000
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pages: 518
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reading Challenges: Fantasy; Mount TBR; My Years -- 2000
How I Got It: I own it!
The Amber Spyglass brings the intrigue of The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife to a heartstopping close, marking the third and final volume as the most powerful of the trilogy. Along with the return of Lyra, Will, Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel, Dr. Mary Malone, and Iorek Byrnison the armored bear, The Amber Spyglass introduces a host of new characters: the Mulefa, mysterious wheeled creatures with the power to see Dust; Gallivespian Lord Roke, a hand-high spy-master to Lord Asriel; and Metatron, a fierce and mighty angel. And this final volume brings startling revelations, too: the painful price Lyra must pay to walk through the land of the dead, the haunting power of Dr. Malone's amber spyglass, and the names of who will live—and who will die—for love. And all the while, war rages with the Kingdom of Heaven, a brutal battle that—in its shocking outcome—will reveal the secret of Dust.
Good graciousness... I could not be more blown away by this trilogy. And I have no idea how these novels can be classified in the children's section. These have so many layers. We get a bit of adventure, some romance, some theology, some philosophy... It's just so layered that I had to pause every chapter or so to ingest what I was reading. The moment that Dr. Malone finished the spyglass and saw the Dust flowing was a beautiful revelation. I'm still processing this novel over 12 hours after finishing. I think this trilogy will be one of those that we be reread every few years. Read this for a challenge to your worldview.
His Dark Materials
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!
This week's post highlights my favorite book reviewed on the blog. I decided to limit my list to books I first read for the blog. Otherwise the list will be full of Harry Potter and Jane Austen books.
1. At the Scent of Water by Linda Nichols
3. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
4. The Prestige by Christopher Priest
5. The Fables series by Bill Willingham
7. The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
8. The Magicians by Lev Grossman
As part of my ongoing celebration for my 30th birthday, I am highlighting some popular songs from throughout my years. Songs were picked based off of a list of Grammy award winners and Billboard Top 100. Then, I chose my favorites to highlight.
Year: 2006
Book: Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
Music Selections:
Day 7 Update:
My goals:
My TBR pile:
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 13th and runs through Sunday, August 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 5.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. -From the Bout of Books 5.0 team