TSS: April Reading Pile

I've decided that April -- my birthday month -- will be super-mega-reading month.  I'm dying for some time to read.  I have a half-day off on my birthday (April 27th) and it is Readathon time on April 21st.  I'm hoping that this will give me some time to really dig into some books.

I'm actually writing this post a few days ahead of time and at this point I'm looking to use the weekend to finish The Hunger Games and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.  We'll see how that goes.

I have most ambitiously stacked up my TBR pile for April with 12 books.  Hopefully I'll finish most of these as I'm not where I want to be with my various and sundry reading challenges (that, however, is a different post).

April To-Be-Read Pile

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The Bronte Myth by Lucasta Miller

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katherine Green

Zelda: A Life by Nancy Milford

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

Richard the III by William Shakespeare

The War of the Roses by Alison Weir

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset

This Rough Magic by Paul Alexander

Happy April Reading!

A Quick Update...

My week off of work ended heavenly.

Sam finished my owl tattoo.

I squeezed in reading and coffee.

I baked whole wheat banana chocolate chip muffins.

I also had lunch with my Dad and he came over to help us build our raised bed for the garden.  I went on a few walks and I enjoyed a lot of sitting back and relaxing.  It was lovely.

Now it is back to work.  I'm tired.  I'm always tired after a vacation.  It is hard to get back to the go go go go go.  I've mountains of work to catch-up on, a huge strategic planning meeting on Thursday (retch), and it is about time to round up graduation holds for folks who have crazy unpaid library fines.

I promise, honest to blog, that I will post my nerdy bookshelf post next time I blog.  I'm hoping that will either be tomorrow or Thursday.  We'll see how things go.  

A Bookish Miscellany

Reading Plans:

The first day of momcation was a success:  a bit of tidying, watching DVDs, organizing embroidery floss, stitching, baking a loaf of pumpkin apple bread that ended up sucking, exercising, and -- of course -- reading.  I read the first hundred pages of Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.  Today I plan on tackling some more of the Charles Dicken's biography.  I'm having a difficult time reading it; for some reason, Atticus doesn't want me to read it.  Every time I crack it open something is broken, thrown, or there is a mighty tantrum.  Also, I'm enjoying it, but in small bites.  I find myself wanting to look other things up while reading (mainly historical events and people). 

What I've Read:

I haven't updated you all on my reading because I haven't finished anything.  Okay, I finished one book this month, The Dead Alive and A House to Let by Wilkie Collins and Friends. It sucked.  I read a rather slim book containing two stories (one short story and one novella).  The first story, "The Dead Alive", was by Wilkie Collins.  *YAWN*  A mystery story set in America.  It was dull and predictable.  Then I started "A House to Let" -- this is a short story written in turns by Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Charles Dickens, and Adelaide Anne Procter.  I thought it would be a ghost story, but it isn't.  Each chapter was written by a different author and the result is a choppy story filled with choppy tales that ends in heights of ridiculousness.  I struggled through it -- after all Collins, Dickens, and Gaskell usually give me bookgasms.  There is even a chapter filled with abominable verse.  So I finished a book and then I was angry I wasted my time.  GRRRRRR.....

A Readathon:

Tomorrow is the last day in February and I've decided to do a Leap into Reading day.  I'll exercise, cook dinner, and spend some time with the kiddos in the evening, but the rest of the day will be devoted to reading.  I plan on taking a chunk out of the Dickens bio, finishing the Christie novel, and starting something new.  My goal is to spend twelve hours out of the day reading.  I'll probably check-in once or twice on Ye Olde Blog.  I'm going to clock my times and the number of pages read.  Here's hoping that March will be a better reading month.

The Woman in Black:

Did y'all see this movie?  I've seen it twice.  The first time I went with a friend and it SCARED THE LIVING BEJEEZUS OUT OF ME!!!  I saw it on a Thursday and managed to sleep fine that night because Sam was off work at the tattoo shop.  That Friday Sam was at work, Hope was at Grandma's house, and Atticus was asleep.  I was sitting at my dining room table reading and I happened to look up, across the room, and out of the sunroom.  I saw a ghostly white hand and a pale, scowling face.  I screamed.  Literally, screamed like a little girl.  Then I realized I need to clean the glass and get a tan.  I can't believe Atticus slept through that.  Speaking of Atticus, HE HAS A ROCKING CHAIR IN HIS ROOM.  Those of you who have seen the movie or read the book will understand the creepiness.  I've also banned winding up his owl music box and musical teddy bear at night for the time being. 

Sam decided to go with me to see the movie.  He is a horror movie fan and once he knew Hammar was involved and it wasn't "just a Victorian ghost story" he wanted to see it.  He promised to make jokes through the movie so I wouldn't be scared.  It wasn't as scary the second time around because I knew when there would be a "jump" scene and so I could hide my eyes at appropriate times.  I was still creeped out.  Then Sam told me whenever I get freaked out to just picture the Woman in Black as a muppet.  Try it.  Yup.  Not scary, just funny looking.

Hope wants to see the movie, but I think 12 is too young.  I showed her the trailer and I thought she'd be creeped out.  She was unimpressed.  Her only statement was, "why does the Woman in Black look like Darth Vader without his helmet?" 

Apparently I am the only wimp in the family.

I'm off to ponder a bookshelf quandary which I will ask you bookish folks about later and to assemble Readathon books. 

The Night Circus -- A Recipe

I had every intention on posting my reaction to The Night Circus yesterday but between an evening shift at work, a sick little boy, and an inability to clearly articulate my thoughts it just didn't happen.  I feel a bit silly even posting about The Night Circus; endlessly reviewed on book blogs, this novel of magicians in love and war has been hovering on the periphery of my reading for ages.  I finally decided to delve in and tried my best to push aside all preconceived notions and expectations.  I cracked open my book on New Year's Eve and prepared to "read in the New Year".  I believed I could finish that book in one night. Oh I could have finished the book in one night, but I stopped myself.; I simply couldn't bring myself to let the book end.  It was that good. Besides the gorgeous images, my favorite thing about The Night Circus was that it reminded me of many of my favorite novels, movies, and authors.  Let me make it clear that this wasn't a case of Morgenstern's novel being a pale imitation of a favorite novel, rather it was more like she took the mythology of a myriad of magical things I love and made something new, but with a nod to the old.

Sounds delicious, eh?  It is.  And I've included the recipe for The Night Circus to better sum up my reading experience:

The Night Circus:

Ingredients:
4 Cups Angela Carter's work
2 Cups wonderfully atmospheric color palette of black and white
Dash of red
3 Cups of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
5 Tablespoons of Geek Love
4 Cups of damn fine writing
1 Cup of The Prestige
1 Quart ingenuity 
Pinch of Harry Potter
Dash of Neil Gaiman


Mix Angela Carter's work with the color palette and dash of red.
Blend in Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Geek Love, damn fine writing and The Prestige.
Create a well in the center and pour in ingenuity, fold in.
Sprinkle with Harry Potter and Neil Gaiman.


Bake at 387 pages.  Serve with nighttime, cup of tea, and page-turning dazzlement.

There you are, your very own Night Circus recipe.  Needless to say as my first read of 2012 Morgenstern's novel has set the bar quite high for my other reads!

War and Peace, Volume 1

I'm participating in A Literary Odyssey's reading of War and Peace and today marks our first check in date.   We're all supposed to have completed volume one, but I'm about 50 pages shy of completion.

I have a good excuse:



No, this isn't Atticus!  Its...



Leo!  Coincidently, War and Peace can wear a size 3-6 month onesie.   My problem is that since this book is as large as my baby, I have a difficult time getting to read.  I read a bit at night when Atticus goes to bed, but I can't take advantage of reading while nursing.  I'm afraid it is just too much!

When I do get a chance to read, I find myself truly immersed in the Napoleonic world of War and Peace.  I have a second confession to make, this will be my second reading of War and Peace.  I read the novel the summer of 2006; I liked it, but didn't love it.  I thought it a bit wooden.  Then I learned that I picked a bum translation!  Ack!

Gratefully, a wonderful friend bought me a lovely hardback copy of the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation.  This reading is going much better.  The dialogue flows more smoothly and the personality of the characters really shine.

I am finding that I really wish I knew more about Russian history; especially about the Napoleonic wars.  I'm searching for a non-fiction book with a good overview and I'm open to recommendations.

How's the read going for everyone else?

Snow Day 2011

I snapped a few pics of how our snow day went.  Sam was home from work and Hope was home from school.  Alas, Hope didn't get to go out and play in the snow.  She woke up this morning with an upset tummy and seemed pale.  I'm of the old school mothering stock; if you are sick you must have blankets piled on you and eat soup.  End. of. story.  Despite our lack of snowmen and snowballs, today was a wonderful day with the family.

This is what 8am looked like:

I spent the early morning hours writing letters and drinking Earl Grey:

Then I went out in my teapot pajamas and bright blue boots to feed the birds:

I had some tummy time with Atticus the Drooler:

Meanwhile, Hope was camped out.  We rolled the tv stand into her room and she watched The Two Towers AND Return of the King:

Then I made a reading nest -- tea, Tolstoy, and my favorite blanket:

Then I made a huge pot of soup:

Hope was going to spend her evening reading The Hobbit, but she conked out the minute her head hit the pillow:

I realize I didn't take any pictures of what Sam was up to, but when he wasn't holding the baby he was 1). watching anime on the laptop or 2). playing video games.  He is kinda sick of me hovering with the camera, so if he isn't holding a kiddo I don't take his picture.  Also, I didn't photograph the laundry or the baby crapping up the back of his pajamas.  You can thank me later.

Tomorrow is another snow day:  no work and no school!

 

And its May

I read a paltry amount of books, spent far too much money, and spent very little time at home. It was wonderful hanging out with my college friends, workish friends, and new friends. Even so, I am quite glad it is May. There are many changes coming up this month and plans for new things.

All through April I've been making plans for May. Primarily because I knew that in May my roommate and partner in crime Nicky would be moving out and that the library would be going to summer hours. Both of these things mean that I will be spending significantly more time only with Hope or by myself when Hope goes to grandma's.

So what are my grand plans for the month of May? What will I do with an entire month full of less work and less going out?

• My first goal is to plunge headlong into my role as Georgia Gypsy Queen secretary. I just found out today that I was chosen for the position. For those of you who aren't familiar, the Gypsy Queens are a national tattoo promotional sisterhood. Part of my duty is to construct a GAGQ newsletter. I already have plans in mind and would like to publish the first one this month.
• Not surprisingly, my second goal is to read like a motherfucker. I have a towering pile of books to read and am itching to spend a day in the sun reading. It would be most kick-ass if I could manage to read 10 books this month to make up for my lack of reading last month.
• Fix up my apartment. Alex and I broke up in September and a few weeks later roommate Nicky moved in to help me out with Hope. She is leaving next week, and this will be the first time that it has been just Hope and I living alone since 2002. I just signed a new lease on my little townhouse apartment and am completely ready to spruce things up. I have plans to repaint the downstairs and upstairs, jazz up the kitchen, get up some more bookshelves, and generally work on making it look less like a college student apartment and fool folks into thinking a real grownup lives here.
• Teach myself to sew. I can knit. I can crochet. I can embroider. Hell, I can make you some pasties! But the SEWING MACHINE scares the bejesus out of me. I'm going to conquer that damn thing this month. I have plans for skirts and aprons and owl pillows that must not be delayed.
• Tame my Netflix queue. I having an insanely large Netflix queue. 491 movies. Did you know that that is the maximum number of movies Netflix allows in a queue. I have DVDs like Wristcutters and Sweeny Todd (new), Akira (anime), the Legends of Horror films (old b-horror movies), and In the Realms of the Unreal (documentary).
• Plant a small garden. I am already so poor that I've had to cut out buying meat excepting on the rare occasions when chicken is on sale. Produce is INSANELY high as well. I'm clearing out some containers and preparing to grow my own veggies. Let's pray I don't kill the poor plants.
• Learn to crochet a shawl. I tend to only crochet blankets as there is very little effort and thought in crocheting a square. I've pulled out some patterns for shawls and have a terrific sparkly mohair yarn.
• Thrift store smack down. So far I haven't used a credit card all year (go me). I would like to continue my giant "fuck you" to Corporate America by buying most of the things I use at home from thrift shops. And by thrift I mean the Salvation Army and Goodwill, not overpriced-hipster-I-paid-$100-for-my-vintage-sundress place. I will be totally slumming it and hunting for furniture, curtains, and decor from the unwanted bins of rubbish.

Ya think that will keep me busy enough during May?