I Buy Books

Goodbye and Hello

2007-09-14T13:29:00.001-04:00

So I think I've got the hang of this blogging thing now. Enough that I want to expand what I write about. And I didn't really think I could do that here. So my new blog is called On An Even Keel.

While this blog was mostly about books and reading, I'm going to be writing about a lot more now. And it just seemed a good occasion to start a new blog.

I hope you'll visit me on my new blog. It's a little spare right now, but I'll be adding stuff soon. (Don't forget to update your RSS feeds if you use a feed reader).

Taking a Little Break...

2007-09-02T11:22:00.000-04:00

...from The Woman in White. It's not that I don't like it -- I do. But it did seem to take awhile to really get going. It's interesting that Collins is generally hailed as the creator of the modern detective story. It's much more leisurely paced than I'm used to -- and probably most modern-day readers are used to. That's not a bad thing necessarily. I guess I'm just spoiled by modern mysteries that move along quickly. The fact that works like Collins' were released serially probably added to their allure. When you knew you had to wait for the next section, there was undoubtedly a sense of anticipation.

I was flipping channels yesterday and caught the tail end of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold on TCM. So I decided to pull that our for a re-read. It's pretty short so I should be able to finish it over the long weekend and pick up Collins again soon.

Cute or Not?

2007-08-23T17:39:00.001-04:00

I'm trying to decide if this sweater from J. Crew is cute or not. I love the shape, but I'm not so sure about the print. I know the price ($115) is really outside my usual range for sweaters.

What do you think?

Think, Think, Think

2007-08-15T15:29:00.000-04:00

I've been nominated for a Thinking Blogger award by PJ over at The Urban Recluse (thanks, PJ!). It came at a great time, as I've been wondering whether to keep this blog going. I humbly accept my award and will now follow the rules.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

So here are five great blogs that always make me think:

Seth's Blog -- I've been following Seth Godin since he was writing for Fast Company magazine many years ago. He has an ability to really cut to the chase and drill down to the essential business questions to ask.

So Many Yarns -- My goddess of knitting. I always think I can knit better after reading about what she's doing (it's not true at all, but it's nice to think so!).

Consumerist -- Great consumer protection information, as well as ways to spend (and save) money effectively.

Design*Sponge -- Probably the best spot on the Web for anything related to design. I'm always discovering new ideas and new things to think about on that site.

The Bluestalking Reader -- Lisa has such a great writing style that I love her posts, no matter what the topic.

Women In Art

2007-08-14T12:03:00.001-04:00

Another treat for the eyes and ears.

Women In Film

2007-08-14T11:57:00.001-04:00

I don't think I've ever posted a YouTube video before. I really don't spend much time there at all. But you've got to see this video. It's just beautiful and a lot of fun to watch.

Stephen King on J.K. Rowling

2007-08-13T13:07:00.000-04:00

Check out this wonderful essay by Stephen King about J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter phenomenon.

It was children whom Ms. Rowling — like her Fear Street precursor, but with considerably more skill — captivated first, demonstrating with the irrefutable logic of something like 10 bazillion books sold that kids are still perfectly willing to put aside their iPods and Game Boys and pick up a book...if the magic is there. That reading itself is magical is a thing I never doubted. I'd give a lot to know how many teenagers (and preteens) texted this message in the days following the last book's release: DON'T CALL ME TODAY I'M READING.

How cool would it be to sit down and have lunch with King and Rowling? That could be a book in itself.

P.S. There are spoilers in the article, so if you're still not done, don't click through.

Hah!

2007-08-10T22:55:00.000-04:00

So the knitting problem was, in fact, not my problem. It's the pattern. I started over on a sample swatch today. The truth is, the pattern just doesn't work at the smallest size given. I know math isn't my forte, but after several minutes of carefully counting stitches and following the pattern, I know I'm right. The perils of finding a free pattern on the Internet, I guess. Fortunately, I've decided to go up a size anyway, and I can tell already that the pattern will work with a few more stitches on the needle.

This is good, because I'm really getting tired of basic stitches and very long scarves.

Miscellaneous

2007-08-09T13:09:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted for ages, mostly due to a recent bout of insomnia. The irony is that I take medication to help me sleep. Guess it's time to up the dosage. At any rate, some random musings...

... lack of sleep has meant lots of reading time. I've finished The Sons of Caeser, Everyone Worth Knowing and am more than halfway through This Side of Paradise. It strikes me that I might be getting more out of it if I wasn't so brain dead lately...

... I really wish I knew why knitting a very simple lace pattern completely escapes me. I tried again yesterday (after a failed attempt last week) to get a new project going, with an unbelievably simple lace pattern. By Row 4 of the 8-row pattern, I was already off. And I don't have enough knitting experience to figure out how to undo one row at a time. Which means I probably have to start over. What is it with me and lace?...

... I don't think I've blogged about this, but I discovered StumbleUpon a few months ago. It's a very cool Web-based service. You set up your profile and pick from a list of interests. Then you install the StumbleUpon toolbar in your browser. Hit the Stumble button to pull up a random site. It's very addictive -- basically like flipping channels on TV. What I can't figure out is why so many people still have splash pages on their Web site. Splash pages seem very 1999 to me...

... If you haven't started watching Mad Men on AMC, check it out. It's very well done. I used to work in an advertising agency, so seeing one set in 1960 is pretty cool. The sets and clothing are just amazing...

Normal (i.e., coherent) posting will resume after I've caught up on sleep.

Not Harry Potter-Related

2007-07-26T13:51:00.001-04:00

Well, not much anyway. Everyone has talked about it so much now (Colleen had some great posts and comments on her blog), I don't need to repeat it. It was a wonderful book, a perfect end to the story; I read it all in one 10-hour sitting on Saturday. And though I was sad it's over, I'm looking forward to reading all the books again sometime soon.

In other reading news, I just had another bout of my Mafia obsession. Finished Wiseguy and The Last Mafioso, which I picked up at a recent garage sale. Wiseguy was great; it's the book on which the movie GoodFellas is based. The Last Mafioso was only okay -- I was a bit dubious as to how someone could so distinctly remember word-for-word conversations that were 30 or more years old.

I've moved on to the delightful Sex with the Queen. It's such a guilty pleasure -- a little bit of history along with some very scandalous details.

Hope to have some crafting news soon; I'm back to knitting and have another new craft I'm working on.

Woo Hoo!

2007-07-20T14:56:00.001-04:00

According to Amazon.com, my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is currently in Detroit, having left Maumee, Ohio, yesterday. I still think there's a chance I may get it today. Can UPS really deliver the millions of pre-ordered copies in one day? Are they as good as Santa Claus?

I didn't want to go to a store to buy it tomorrow. I'm rather deathly afraid of mean people yelling out spoilers. So I will go on a media blockade, probably starting later today. No more Web, no more TV -- I'll probably even avoid the paper tomorrow morning.

I'll be back next week to blog about the book like everybody else. Have a great weekend.

Beware the Web!

2007-07-18T12:06:00.000-04:00

Attention all Harry Potter fans -- You probably want to avoid the Web as much as possible in the next few days. USA Today is reporting that someone allegedly photographed pages of The Deathly Hallows and put it on the Web. I was browsing through StumbleUpon yesterday, and happened on a plain text page that seemed to contain spoilers. I'm not sure if it's true or not -- as soon as I realized what it was, I changed the page. But I may have found out key plot details accidentally (let's just say I really hope what I read is wrong). So watch where you travel on the Web!

Adding to the Stash

2007-07-10T20:30:00.001-04:00

It's been about six months since my last trip to one of my local second-hand bookstores. I got eight books for about $28, and that includes a trade paperback and a Virago Modern Classic. The full list:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I read The Moonstone (again) last year and I've heard about The Woman in White many times.

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. Seems like something I should read given that I was an English major. And my boss highly recommended it.

The First Man in Rome. Thanks to Siew for the reminder about Colleen McCullough's series about Julius Caeser. I was very disappointed that they only had one of the series of six, but at least it was the first one. I'll be checking out Half.Com for the rest.

This Side of Paradise and Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I really haven't read enough 20th century literature, so I think it's time. I'd had enough Fitzgerald in school (from reading The Great Gatsby three times in about 18 months), but I think it's finally been long enough that I can try some more.

Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger. When I've had my fill with Fitzgerald and Collins for awhile, this will be a nice bit of fluff to cleanse the palate.

The Blush by Elizabeth Taylor, a Virago Modern Classic. I wouldn't even know about Elizabeth Taylor or Viragos if it weren't for Danielle. I'm looking forward to a book I otherwise wouldn't have picked up.

Sex With the Queen: 900 Years of Vile Kings, Virile Lovers and Passionate Politics by Eleanor Herman. Really, isn't the title enough just to make you want to pick it up and check it out? In this case, I read the author's Sex With Kings, and it was quite intriguing. This looks to be the same. Even better? It was a trade paperback with a 10-page color center insert for only $5.00!

Still a little ways to go with Caeser. But it's going to be hard not to pick up one of these before I do!

Also -- I've finally updated my blogroll. Check out some of the really cool blogs I'm reading.

Reading, But Not Blogging

2007-07-02T13:29:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm keeping up with reading lots and lots of blogs, but writing my own seems to have fallen by the wayside. Work has been pretty busy the last couple of weeks and grad school sucks up an enormous amount of time.

But -- I start vacation on the 4th and my current class ends this Saturday. So hopefully I can get back to some regular blogging.

In reading, I'm still slogging my way through Caeser. It's interesting, though a bit dry. I have to say, most of my knowledge of Caeser comes from Cleopatra or Rome -- neither of which are very reliable sources. Plus, both of those really only deal with the last few years of Caeser's life. Right now, Caeser is campaigning his way through Gaul (I just love the names Romans gave to parts of what is now modern-day France -- wouldn't it be cool to say "Yes, I live in Transalpine Gaul."?) Yes, I know, I'm a geek.

Caeser was dry enough that I needed a break. I tend not to do that, because there's a strong likelihood that after my break, I don't go back to the book I was reading. I was once halfway through War and Peace and stopped to take a break. Big mistake. Anyway, I polished off Stephen King's Night Shift in the last few days. Stephen King was really one of the first "adult" writers that I read. Reading these short stories again was pleasantly nostalgic -- and really creepy at the same time. The man sure knows how to scare the bejeebers out of his readers.

To The North

2007-06-15T13:26:00.001-04:00

When I picked up To The North by Elizabeth Bowen, it was primarily because it was a Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics Edition. The distinctive cover immediately caught my eye on the shelf of the used bookstore. But I'd never heard of her or the book.

I had a hard time getting into it. To The North is the story of Cecilia and her sister-in-law Emmeline. Cecilia is widowed but has a suitor in the form of the rather passionless Julian Tower. Emmeline, quiet and gentle, is surprised by her attraction to the "predatory" Mark Linkwater. Bowen's writing style is a bit flowery for me and took a little getting used to. Here's an example:

But intense experience interposed like a veil between herself and these objects. When he spoke or approached it was for an instant as though the veil parted; something unknown came through -- though he was all the time formlessly near her like heat or light. His being was written all over her; if he was not, she was not: then they both dissipated and hung in the air. But still something restlessly ate up the air, like a flame burning.

It was a little odd at first, but her style grew on me. Once I got to the halfway point, I had a hard time putting it down. There are several other novels and short-story collections of hers available, and I would definitely read her again.

Books and Movies

2007-06-04T13:21:00.000-04:00

I finished two books over the weekend. The first was The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein. It's sort of a biography of Mary Shelley, her husband, Percy Shelley, Lord Bryon and John Polidori -- especially revolving around that infamous night in 1816 when they challenged each other to write ghost stories. Shelley's Frankenstein is the most popular, but I've read Polidori's Lord Ruthven and it's quite good. It's supposedly the first fictional appearance of a vampire in the form we recognize today -- and the model for all vampire characters since. Poor Lord Bryon -- Lord Ruthven is supposedly based on him and it doesn't paint a very nice portrait.

Mary Shelley's life was unbelievably sad; her mother died in childbirth, her father never paid her any attention and she lost her first three children at very young ages. But I learned a lot about her and I'm very tempted to pick up Frankenstein to read it again.

After The Monsters and Mao, I needed something a little lighter and I cruised through The Nanny Diaries in just a couple of sittings. It was exactly what I needed -- something light and fluffy with just enough of a character to root for. It's structured almost exactly like The Devil Wears Prada, but I liked The Nanny Diaries much better.

I've also seen a bunch of good movies lately. Notes on a Scandal was kind of like watching a train wreck; you didn't really want to see it but you couldn't pull away. Judi Dench is unbelievable. I don't watch many foreign films but Zhang Yimou is fascinating to me. I watched Curse of the Golden Flower and it was breathtakingly beautiful. Seriously, watch one of his films sometime. I'm sure I'll get comments about this, but I can't think of an American film director who shoots movies like that. It's almost like color is another character in the movie. Curse of the Golden Flower is Hamlet-like with lots of family intrigue and violence. And definitely worth seeing.

Finally, last night I watched The Queen. I'd had the movie in the house for more than a week and a half, yet I kept putting it off. I think I really didn't want to relive that terrible time when Diane died. I was a very impressionable 15 years old when I got up at 4 am to watch her get married; and she was only four years older than I was. It was hard to have to sit through her death again. And let's just say the members of the Royal Family do NOT come off very well in this film. It is, of course, difficult to judge some of the conversations. You know the Royal Family isn't talking about that and I doubt Tony Blair is either -- so how accurate they are is anybody's guess. Still, given what the public saw, the conversations seem realistic. And Helen Mirren is, of course, fantastic as Queen Elizabeth.

Posts will continue to remain spotty as graduate school takes up more time than I imagined. But my refuge is still reading for my own pleasure, and I'm going to try to do as much as I can.

8 Things Meme

2007-05-24T14:47:00.002-04:00

Okay, so now I've been tagged twice for this meme: first by the Literary Acquisitionist and then by Amy at Books, Words and Writing. So here are the rules:

1: Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2: People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3: At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names.
4: Don't forget to leave them a comment and tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog.

My 8 random facts/habits:

1. Although I have this image of being very clean and neat, I take a perverse pleasure sometimes in letting my house get really messy. And then it gets too messy, and I freak out and have to clean everything.

2. I absolutely HATE grocery shopping. Seriously, I will wait until all I have left in the house is some peanut butter and maybe a few questionable eggs before I shop again. But I am deliriously happy when I have food in the house again. I agree it makes no sense.

3. Finally, at the advanced age of 41, I've discovered that I'm a pretty light sleeper. We had some early warm weather a couple of weeks ago; not enough for the A/C but enough to for me to pull out my table fan. I suddenly found I was sleeping much better. Now I run it just for the white noise.

4. I have a confession to make: For all my love of Victorian literature, I have read Wuthering Heights only once. And I really didn't like it. That was, like, 15 years ago and I haven't been persuaded to pick it up again and give it another chance. And I feel guilty about that.

5. I am in deathly fear of finding out about the end of The Sopranos and what happens in the last Harry Potter book. I don't have HBO and my sister is the one with the HP book on order. I figure by July, I'll need to go into serious news blackout. I have suggested to my sister, only half-kiddingly, that I take the day off, she can ship the kids to Grandma's, and we spend the day reading the book out loud to each other until we're finished!

6. I have an embarrassing amount of yarn for the actual amount of knitting that I do.

7. According to LibraryThing, I have 649 books in my library (there is a small handful I haven't cataloged yet.)

8. I am very glad to be done with this meme!

I've seen nearly everyone do this. But I'm tagging Nose in a Book and So Many Yarns next.

Finally

2007-05-22T13:22:00.001-04:00

Although it really didn't take me long to read it, I can't tell you how glad I am that I am done with Mao: The Unknown Story. It's really the only time I can remember being so happy to finish a book -- in the sense that I don't ever have to pick it up again. Mao was a thoroughly evil tyrant who cared for nothing but himself. The author estimates that 70 million Chinese died while Mao was in power -- the vast majority of that in peacetime. I don't even really want to think about it too much more. It was interesting and I learned a lot. But I need to move on to something else.

I've been tagged by the Literary Acquisitionist for the "8 things" meme, which I hope to get to later this week. I'm getting busier at work and I started grad school last week. It's been a long time since I had to fit homework into my schedule and it's going to take a while to figure this out. More to come soon, I hope!

Educational, but Depressing

2007-05-14T14:48:00.000-04:00

Haven't posted in more than a week again, but I have been reading. Currently in bed with me at night is Mao: The Unknown Story. It is one of the most unrelentingly depressing books I've ever read. Now, I don't know as much as I should about communism. But I don't think what Mao was doing had anything to do with communism.

Mao was easily more evil than Hitler and Stalin combined. He seems to have been a complete sociopath who cared only about his own comfort. He sacrificed millions of his own countrymen to amass personal power. Seriously, I haven't read one good thing about him yet, and I'm more than halfway done with the book. I haven't even come to the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. The author's parents were killed in the Cultural Revolution, so there may be some bias there. But it appears to be well-researched with ample sources. I'm waiting until I'm done with the book to read some reviews (I generally like to make up my own mind before reading reviews).

I suppose I'm getting a better background in world history. But I may have to cheat on Mao with something with no literary value whatsoever. I can't take this much longer.

100th Post!

2007-05-04T11:53:00.000-04:00

Woo hoo! My 100th post. Happy anniversary to me. Considering I've had this blog since last summer, it's hard to believe I'm just reaching my 100th post -- some bloggers could do that in much less time. But it's been fun and I'm sincerely grateful to my very, very small group of regular commenters.

On to the reading. Just yesterday, I finished The Introvert Advantage. If you are an introvert (and you know who you are), GO BUY THIS BOOK! If you are an extrovert (and you definitely know who you are) and know and love an introvert, GO BUY THIS BOOK! I really can't think of any other book I would recommend so highly. Even though I know I'm an introvert, there were several "aha" moments in the book for me. The section on brain chemistry was fascinating: Did you know that in some people (usually introverts) it actually takes longer for the brain to access long-term memory? That's why we take so long to answer a question sometimes -- or even get completely tongue-tied. And I now totally understand why I hate returning stuff in stores.

What I really liked is that the author (an introvert herself) takes pains to make sure you understand that there is nothing wrong with you. Being an introvert is like having brown hair or fair skin. It's just as normal as anything else -- except that we are outnumbered by extroverts by 3 to 1. She also talks about ways to handle stress and how to break out of your shell just a little bit to live a fuller life. Really, just go buy it and read it.

I've moved on to another biography: Mao, The Unknown Story. When I was an undergrad, everyone at my university was required to take a class on another culture. I chose China -- and was fortunate to have one of the best professors I've ever had in any subject. I am fascinated with old cultures; America is still such a young country that it's always intriguing to read about cultures that are thousands of years old. The bio is supposed to be the first in-depth look at Mao from someone whose parents were killed in the Cultural Revolution. The book is unsettling -- Mao's almost total lack of empathy develops early on -- but it's also hard to put down.

What I've Been Reading

2007-05-03T11:04:00.000-04:00

Kind of fell off the wagon for awhile there, didn't I? Well, at least I have been reading that whole time, though I haven't been blogging. So there's lots to catch up on.

The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason was great fun. As I'm sure many of you have discovered, it's very weird to read the novel of someone whose blog you read on a regular basis. And who lives in the same state that you do. I love books that have such strong heroines -- and it's amusing watching Victoria trying to be the proper Englishwoman that she is, while at the same time saving the world. And the next book in the series, Rises the Night, comes out in less than a month -- yeah!

I also made it quickly through E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime. I'd never read him before, so I wasn't sure what I was expecting. I would describe his writing style as staccato -- and I don't mean that in a bad way. Short sentences, sometimes just sentence fragments. The way the plot was laid out reminded me a little bit of Pulp Fiction. It was these seemingly disparate stories that all kind of melded together and made sense. It was an interesting take on turn-of-the-last-century America.

Then I finished the Lindbergh biography, which was fantastic. I'd wanted to read more about Lindbergh after he played such a central role in Philip Roth's The Plot Against America. Lindbergh was a fascinating character; he really was the first celebrity, yet he hated the attention. It was interesting to read about his famous flight across the Atlantic; today, air travel seems such a burden and inconvenience. It's nice to know that at one time it really was something amazing. What particularly interested me was Lindbergh's actions around World War II and the taint of anti-Semitism he carried his entire life. The bio did a great job of putting Lindbergh's actions in perspective; I felt better about him after I'd finished the book.

I'll save current reads for my next post.

Dickens World

2007-04-19T10:32:00.000-04:00

I am not making this up.

Charles Dickens Theme Park Set to Open.

Reading Update

2007-04-13T12:50:00.000-04:00

Well, I didn't last too long with Isabel Allende. The House of the Spirits is back on the TBR pile. I've read her before and I like her; this one just wasn't working for me. In its place, I'm reading Colleen Gleason's The Rest Falls Away. Why did I wait so long to pick that up? It's a great romp and I'm speeding through it. That was purchased with a gift certificate for some freelance work I did -- along with a copy of the DVD of Persuasion.

I'm also reading The Introvert Advantage during my lunch hour at work. I wish someone would have told me to read this years ago. A lot of this stuff I've already figured out. But it sure is nice to see -- in writing, by a professional -- that it's okay for me to absolutely HATE parties. Now, a small group of people I know well? I'm fine. But get more than 10 or so people in a room and I start to look for the exit.

And despite my great haul from the secondhand bookstore about a month ago, I've got more on the way. The Monsters from the Quality Paperback Book Club. And for some insane reason, I decided to join The History Book Club. I could get four books for $1 apiece -- with no obligation to buy more! So four more books on topics ranging from Julius Ceaser to Mao Tse-tung are on their way. And (yes, I know, it's already too much), my interlibrary loan request for A. Scott Berg's Lindbergh has been filled and the book is waiting for me in our library. Plus they have a couple of other books on isolationist Americans during World War II that I'd like to check out (thanks a lot, Philip Roth).

Really, really need to buy some more bookshelves.

Just Like a Real Library

2007-04-10T20:29:00.000-04:00

Most of us book bloggers have fairly extensive libraries. And we all have our various methods of organizing. Here's a fun little item to make you feel like you have a "real" library. Library Shelf Labels from Levenger. They come with pre-printed titles like Classics and Biography. Plus extra labels for your very own categories. A set of six is $28.

The Thirteenth Tale

2007-04-05T12:34:00.000-04:00

I whipped through The Thirteenth Tale so fast, I didn't even get a chance to list it in my sidebar. The funny thing is I didn't really like the beginning all that much. I started it on Tuesday and read a couple of chapters before I went too bed. I didn't like the writing at the beginning; it seemed a little too "in the know" somehow, too self-reverent: oh, look at me, I'm the beginning of a dark and creepy tale." It just didn't do much for me.

But I guess the joke's on me, because I sped through the rest of the book in a marathon reading session yesterday. My eyes were really burning from a day of staring at a computer screen so I came home and took my contacts out. There's really not much I can do without my contacts except read (gee, what a shame!). So from about 5:30 to 1:30 the next morning, I just couldn't put this book down.

Now, it's not the best writing I've ever seen. And there just a few too many pointed references to Jane Eyre. One or two would have been fine; you don't need to beat the reader over the head with it. But it is a compelling, gothic story and moves along very quickly. It's fun to get so caught up in a book you don't want to put it down.

Coooooool!!

2007-04-05T11:10:00.000-04:00

How cool to actually be sitting among your books as you're reading? It even comes with an LED light. This would be such a great room divider in a loft.

However, it costs about 8,000 Euros (that's nearly $10,700 USD) and doesn't ship to the U.S. But still -- it's cool!

Via Popgadget.

The Plot Against America

2007-04-03T16:56:00.000-04:00

I just finished Philip Roth's The Plot Against America yesterday. I haven't really digested it all yet. It's going to take another two or three reads to get enough out of it. The story moved along so quickly, I pretty much just kept reading as fast as I could to find out what happens next.

The story provides an alternate history, in which Charles Lindbergh, an isolationist who opposed America's involvement in the war in Europe, ran against and beat Roosevelt in 1936. The story is told from the point of view of 9-year-old Philip Roth, growing up in Newark with his brother, his mother and his father. The insidious anti-Semitism becomes more and more pronounced, and it's rather creepy to watch it happen. How it affects the life of the little boy and his family is profound.

Unfortunately, I have nothing intelligent to say about Roth's writing. This is the first book of his that I've read. I enjoyed it very much, but that's all I can say. I was reading far too fast to get much more than the basic plot. But I'm looking forward to reading this again and again and getting more and more out of it each time. And I'm definitely adding other Roth titles to my TBR list.

The Good German

2007-03-26T18:50:00.000-04:00

Beyond the obvious, I've found a really good reason to like secondhand bookstores. The Good German originally sold for $35.95 as a hardcover (which seems inconceivable in itself -- when did hardbacks get to be almost $40?). The copy I bought had been remaindered (with the ominous black mark along the bottom) and had an orange sticker of $20.95. By the time it appeared in front of me, it was only $4. Thank God that's all I paid for it. If I had paid nearly $40, I would not be happy.

I guess maybe I didn't know what I was getting with this book. I picked it up because of the commercials for the movie. It was shot in black and white, it looked kind of moody, there was clearly some kind of love story -- I guess I was expecting something more cerebral. I purposely did not read the book jacket before I started reading the book. I didn't want to have any more preconceived ideas about the plot.

The story starts with the Potsdam conference in Berlin just after the end of the war with Germany. Jacob Geismar has arrived to cover the conference for Collier's. But he has an ulterior motive as well: he used to live in Berlin before the war and he's looking for his long-lost love, Lena. Even before Jake finds Lena, a dead American soldier pops up and Jake gets mildly interested in the mystery. But then he finds Lena. And spends the whole first third (or more) of the book nursing her back to health; he seems to lose all interest in the dead soldier. So, I ask myself, why should I care about the dead soldier if the protagonist doesn't?

The second half of the book does pick up a bit in terms of action. Lena's story and that of the dead soldier intertwine, along with the Russians, the black market, the horror of the Holocaust, Nazi scientists, etc. There are a couple of false climaxes before the end. And what seemed to be an average thriller gets bogged down in philosophical arguments. After awhile, on nearly every page, characters have arguments about the "good" Germans. Were there any during the war? Are there any left? Isn't every German guilty of horrible crimes? Of course, it's not that simple. In the midst of such atrocities, there are no black and white arguments to be made. But having the discussion over and over and over again simply dilutes it. After awhile, I just wanted to get to the end.

And, quite frankly, it wasn't a very satisfying end. All the loose ends get tied up. But I sort of didn't really like any of the characters by the end. I was just glad to be finished.

I hesitate to say, "don't read it," because everyone's tastes are different. But if you're looking for a good thriller, you can do better than this.

Drum Roll, Please

2007-03-26T15:14:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been MIA the last week because I've been working on my new blog. It seems like I get more comments about the T-shirts I post than anything else. So I've started a new blog called Chic Chemise. It's a roundup of cute, funny, interesting, thought-provoking T-shirts that I find on the Web. It's mostly for the girls, but for the guys, it might provide some gift ideas. Kirsty is not going to be happy with me; I'm going to make her spend more money!

I'll still be posting here about books. I finished The Good German last night, so I'll have a review of that coming up shortly.

The Ides of March

2007-03-19T12:59:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know it was last week. But here's the weird thing: I've been watching HBO's Rome on DVD from Netflix. I finished watching the first season last Thursday, March 15. And it's not exactly giving much away when I say the first season ended with Ceaser's assassination. And I watched that episode on March 15. Spooky! What's even weirder is that I didn't even realize it until a day later.

To all the ladies out there who love Ciaran Hinds (and we all know who we are), you've got to watch Rome. He is an amazing Ceaser: smart, calculating, just a little evil, and very sexy. A long, long way from Captain Wentworth!

A Nice Place to Read

2007-03-17T14:49:00.000-04:00

Nearly four years after moving into this house, I feel like I'm finally finishing. Over the holidays at the end of last year, I finally got my bedroom painted. And my sister and I finally made it to our (relatively) new local IKEA a couple of weeks ago.

Here's my Tylosand chaise and footstool. Very comfortable and inviting. The upstairs is usually nice and cozy in the winter, but even in the summer, I'll be able to ~~waste~~ spend lots of time up here.

The Ringum rugs are also from IKEA, and a steal at just $9.99 each.

Tennessee Williams

2007-03-16T13:44:00.000-04:00

This is going to be rather an academic post for me, something I don't normally do. But I happened across this article from the Telegraph about Tennessee Williams.

The Glass Menagerie was the first play I read as an undergrad. And I got absolutely hooked on Tennessee Williams. I had a great professor who made the play so accessible. I started reading more of William's work and eventually did an independent study, with a very sexy title: Exhibitionism and Voyeurism in the Plays of Tennessee Williams.

Williams had an interesting, but rather sad, life. I highly recommend Lyle Leverich's biography, Tom: The Unknown Tennessee Williams. One of the most fascinating things I discovered while reading Williams is that he was much better at writing female characters than male characters. And even his female characters have such range: from the fierce Maggie the Cat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to poor, fragile Blanche of A Streetcar Named Desire.

Williams' Notebooks are now available, edited and annotated by Margaret Bradham Thornton, from Amazon.com.

Bad Blogger

2007-03-14T11:19:00.000-04:00

Yes, I've been a bad blogger and haven't posted for awhile. I sort of have a reason, though. I've been flying through the Harry Potter books like crazy. And considering these have all been around awhile, and probably been blogged about endlessly, I doubt I could come up with anything original to say. I am very much enjoying them. I've just started the sixth book, so in a few days, I will be just like everyone else, anxiously awaiting the release of the final book in July.

I have to say, I'm enjoying them more than I thought I would. Rowling weaves a pretty complex, but very iconic, story. It reminds me of a quote from Joseph Campbell that one of my literature professors used often:

"A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man."

The quote is from The Hero With a Thousand Faces, a book I confess I did not finish. But it's probably going to have to go back on my TBR pile. Campbell's theory is that this iconic story is well-known to virtually all histories and cultures. So stories like Harry Potter, while new, strike a chord in all of us.

Update: Harry Potter and the massive print run

Recycling

2007-03-02T09:42:00.000-05:00

These journals from Ex Libris are adorable. They are made from actual books. Check out this one for Tomorrow in Our Hands. I just love the way those in the 1950s imagined the future. And this would be a great journal for someone.

There are lots of others to choose from, including a healthy selection of Dr. Seuss books.

Via Rare Bird Finds.

A Pretty Good Haul

2007-02-24T18:55:00.000-05:00

It's not like I needed more books. My sister (the supermom C) got me hooked on Harry Potter. I whipped through the first three pretty quickly. Imagine my surprise when I saw the sizes of 4, 5 and 6! As anyone who has read them knows, the books get much longer as the series goes on. So these next three should take me awhile. Not to mention the books I already had on my TBR pile. However...

I babysat for C and her husband last night so they could see a musical with our parents. My adorable niece E and the never-tiring nephew I behaved very well; we had plenty of fun and I stayed overnight. We decided to head out this morning looking to keep the kids occupied, and I remembered a used bookstore not too far away.

Fortunately, my niece loves to read and my nephew can usually find something to occupy himself. I wandered around the bookstore and quickly came up with a pile of 10 books. All for around $34 -- and that included a hardcover and two trade paperbacks.

I've been thinking about Stephen King's short-story collection Night Shift for awhile now. Not sure what originally got it in my head, but I remember that it's one of the first "grown-up" things I read in my teens. When I found that, I also found another short-story collection I had forgotten about, Skeleton Crew. And in the same section (though it probably shouldn't have been) was On Writing. I've read about it on a couple of blogs, so I thought I'd give it a try.

E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime was an impulse; I've never read anything of his so I thought I'd give it a try. I've had Philip Roth's The Plot Against America on my list ever since it came out. The Nanny Diaries is pure fluff for when I feel like reading without thinking too much. I picked up The Good German mostly because the movie sounds so good. A Student's Guide to 50 British Novels has a cool cover and was only $.50. How could I miss?

Finally, I picked up Elizabeth Bowen's To the North. I know I read about her on someone's blog and I'd love to give them the credit; I just can't remember who! Finally, there's The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (which also includes three other stories). The 1945 movie is really great if you've never seen it; it's got a clever twist which I won't reveal because it will spoil the surprise.

This should keep me occupied for awhile. I hope.

Hey, I Can Cable Knit!

2007-02-21T20:04:00.000-05:00

While I've got more things on needles that I care to confess to, I felt compelled to try something different with my knitting. I was always a little puzzled by the idea of cable needles, but I thought I'd give it a try. I have a nice little pattern book that gave easy instructions for a simple cable stitch. So I tried it. And it works! Not sure if I'll finish this for a narrow little scarf, or try something more ambitious.

More Literary Gifts

2007-02-16T14:04:00.000-05:00

I swear, I don't really go looking for this stuff. It just kind of finds me. Today it's the The Library Shop at the New York Public Library. I know I'm probably coming late to the party, but there is lots of cool stuff to see if you've never been to the site. My favorite (so far) is this mug with a quote from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre -- starting with "Reader, I married him."

Lots and lots of book- and reading-related stuff. Try not to spend too much on yourself!

Via SheFinds.Com via Rare Bird Finds

Snow Day!

2007-02-14T09:36:00.000-05:00

Two years of working at a university finally paid off. We have a snow day today! I'm going to curl up with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and not even think about shoveling (although I'll have to do it eventually if I want to get the car out of the driveway). Hope your V-Day is warm no matter where you are!

Backup, Backup, Backup!

2007-02-11T11:42:00.000-05:00

For all of you with Blogger blogs, here's a really easy way to back up your blog. Let's face it, we all spend a lot of time on our blogs. You should be regularly backing it up to save all of your pithy and witty comments! This short and very easy-to-follow article also allows you to save all the comments you get from your fellow bloggers. Do it today!

Confidential to WordPress bloggers: I'm pretty sure that WordPress has a built-in method for backing up your blog. You should do it today too!

10 Things I Like

2007-02-08T10:10:00.000-05:00

Heather at A High and Hidden Place has invited me to play along with a new meme. So, here are 10 things I like that begin with the letter M (the letter Heather gave me). If you want to play too, just leave a comment and I'll give you a letter.

1. Mom! I have the best mom in the world. It is from her that I acquired my love of books and reading.

2. Mochas. I love Starbucks' Mochas. My preference is a grande -- caffeine, whole milk and whipped cream. My boss (a decaf, nonfat grande capuccino) has been trying to persuade me to go nonfat, no whip to reduce the calories. But it's just not the same.

3. Museums. I worked in a history museum for 7 years and it was probably the best job I've ever had (and I'm a Gen Xer so I've had a lot of different jobs). I learned a lot, both about history and about myself. I met people who became the closest friends I've ever had. Visiting museums is always on my wish list.

4. Mafia. As I confessed recently, I have this weird attraction to the Mafia. It's fascinating to me -- the culture, the history.

5. Movies. Netflix is one of the best things ever invented. I can be unbelievably lazy about some things, like going to the video store. Netflix saved me. I can watch all the movies I want and never have to leave the house. If I had to pick one favorite movie, I'd choose Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

6. Meetings. I know, I'm weird. Most people hate meetings. But I had to run a lot of meetings when I was a project manager. After awhile, I got really good at it. Pre-meetings with certain people to figure out all the ways the meeting could grow wrong (therefore being prepared), getting input on agendas, keeping conversations on track, compiling notes and getting them out quickly. Despite their bad reputation, meetings can be incredibly productive if you know what you're doing.

7. Makeup. I can be very girly sometimes. And I tend to be somewhat of a sucker. When some new product comes out raving about how good it will make you look, I just want to hop on over to Sephora and buy it -- even while the rational part of my brain is telling me it's all marketing hype. This is the one area of my spending that I really have to watch closely or I'll go completely overboard.

8. M&Ms. Really, because who doesn't like M&Ms? Although it may be too late for Valentine's Day, you can still get M&Ms printed with your own custom message. Or you can go here to become an M&M.

9. Manners. Because "please" and "thank you" are words you just don't hear enough these days.

10. The Magic Kingdom. Because everybody should go to Disney World at least once in their lives.

Remember -- if you want to play, I'll give you a letter. Have fun!

Off Topic

2007-02-06T14:04:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend, I finished the last few episodes of the HBO series Carnivale. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend adding it to your Netflix queue.

I came late to all the HBO series, as I only subscribe to basic cable. But I enjoyed both Sex and the City and The Sopranos thanks to Netflix. I think Rome will be next on the list. The advantage is, of course, that you can watch an entire season in just a few days.

Carnivale is something you rarely find on television today: highly literate, unpredictable, with excellent writing, directing, acting and camera work. The series takes place in the early 1930s and follows a travelling carnival. As the series unfolds, a timeless tale of good vs. evil is revealed. I really can't recommend it highly enough. I'm almost tempted to watch all 24 episodes all over again.

One caveat: For all of you who preferred "tidy endings" on the meme that was floating around the last couple of weeks, you won't get that with Carnivale. The series originally aired between 2003 and 2005. The storylines really aren't wrapped up and it appears that HBO has no plans to produce any new episodes. If you can handle that, you won't be disappointed watching this fascinating series.

Confession

2007-02-01T13:42:00.000-05:00

I have a confession to make. I have a strange attraction for anything related to the Mafia. I love all three Godfather movies. And as good as the movies are, the actual book by Mario Puzo is even better. I own Casino and have watched that and Goodfellas more times than I care to count.

I'm not really sure what the pull is. I guess it's because it's this kind of dark, shadowy, other-wordly thing. For a girl who grew up in clean, white, new suburbs, the world of mobsters, crime and corruption seems as far away as the worlds of the Brontes or just about any science-fiction writer. There's a certain unreality to it.

I started reading a new book the other day called Brotherhoods: The True Story of Two Cops who Murdered for the Mafia. It's a great story about the fine line between the world of cops and the world of mobsters. I guess I was a little surprised to learn that in some parts of New York City, it's not uncommon for the members of one family to belong to both groups. Or at least that was true during the events in this book: in the 1980s and 1990s when the mob was imploding because of new RICO statutes that allowed for easier prosecution and the growing prominence of rats -- mobsters who testified against other mobsters.

Reading something like this also allows me to read more than one book simultaneously. Stefanie had a great poster recently about reading more than one book at a time. Because the three books I'm reading right now are so markedly different, I'm having no problem in keeping each one straight in my head!

My First Meme

2007-01-25T15:28:00.000-05:00

Can't believe I've never done one of these before, but here it is. Thanks to Danielle for getting this one going (a variation of Carl V's from last week).

Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback? Since I mostly buy, I try to wait for paperbacks. I actually really like trade paperbacks. They always seem to be of a higher quality to me (better paper, better binding, better cover art) than regular paperbacks.

Amazon or brick and mortar? Mostly Amazon. With their discounts and free shipping deals, it's hard to resist. But if I need a book in a hurry, say for a gift, I'll do brick and mortar.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? Sorry, but the branding effort has almost totally failed with me. I'd be hard-pressed to distinguish one from the other without really paying attention to the signage. I'll go into pretty much any bookstore.

Bookmark or dogear? NEVER a dogear!

Alphabetize by author or alphebetize by title or random? My fiction is alphabetized by author. My nonfiction is organized by subject (and not even alphabetical by author within a subject -- it's all just thrown together).

Keep, throw away, or sell? I keep pretty much everything. I still have some textbooks from when I was in college.

Keep dustjacket or toss it? Keep it.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? Usually I remove it because I'm afraid of it getting ripped or creased.

Short story or novel? Definitely the novel. I had to read a lot of short stories in college; I rarely read them now.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? I don't have much preference for either.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? I'll be starting the Harry Potter books soon. My sister has told me the Lemony Snicket ones are much darker.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I usually try to stop at some break (even if it's just a break within a chapter). If there's too many pages until a break ("too many" being determined by how tired I am), I'll stop.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? If you're starting out with "It was a dark and stormy night," you'd better be using it ironically and, I hope, very creatively.

Buy or Borrow? Mostly buy.

New or used? If used, I generally prefer very gently used. I was the kid in college who would pick through all the used textbooks trying to find the one with the least highlighting or notes in the margin.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? Occasionally a book review. Mostly it's by browsing. I am starting to pay a lot more attention to what other book bloggers are reading, looking for new ideas.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? I'd probably have to go with tidy ending. I have to say I generally like a "happily ever after."

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Any time I can find.

Standalone or series? I like series because they extend the reading experience. Some books are so good you just don't want to stop reading them. With a series, it's like a really, really long book.

Favorite series? Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody series. They always make me laugh out loud. I've also read Frank Herbert's Dune series a few times (though I don't know that I understood all of it). There are also a couple of childhood favorites: the Little House books and Cherry Ames.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Race and Reunion. (Although I've blogged about it, so if you're reading this, you've probably heard of it. Sorry!) LibraryThing only lists 41 copies of it among their members. It's the 30,057th most popular book that they have (although they have over 1.5 million unique works, so maybe it's not as obsure as I think). But it's a very thought-provoking book.

Favorite books read last year? Race and Reunion is the only one that immediately comes to mind. The World is Flat was very memorable; and I'm pretty sure I read both of Malcolm Gladwell's books last year (Blink and The Tipping Point). How sad is it that I don't remember any fiction from last year? Unlike many (most?) other book bloggers, I never kept track of what I read. But I am now.

Favorite books of all time? Jane Eyre and Persuasion are definitely at the top of the list.

Why Do You Blog?

2007-01-24T16:02:00.000-05:00

Hop on over to Why Do You Blog? and take a short survey. It's quick and easy and you might win a prize. Don't worry -- it's all legit. I can't wait to see the answers.

The site was working last night, but I haven't been able to get back to it today. I'm guessing it's getting a ton of traffic. But check it out if you have a chance.

Via Freelance Writing Jobs

Amazon Saves the Day

2007-01-23T19:44:00.000-05:00

Well, I think my reading slump is over. Yeah! And thanks to Amazon, who delivered a lovely little stack to me today.

In no particular order: Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman. It's the next volume in her Henry and Eleanor series. Getting Things Done by David Allen. I've been hearing about GTD for the longest time, so I felt I really needed to check it out and understand how the system works. Jane Austen: A Companion. Anything Jane Austen - I'm there. And finally, The Introvert Advantage. Yes, I'm an introvert and finally (after many years of coming to terms) very proud of it. We may be only 30% of the population, but after reading this, I can find out all my advantages! Plus, I'm finally going to read the Harry Potter books. My niece and nephew love the books and the movies, so I think I need to find out what the big deal is. So, lots on my plate to read.

I'm almost finished with The Custom of the Country. I'm nearly finished, and I realized something in the last few days: I don't think I like any of the characters. For the most part, they are largely annoying in one way or another. I'll have more to say when I finish the book.

Thank you, Amazon! And thanks to everyone who stopped by to offer condolences and suggestions. It's nice to have people around who know exactly what you mean by a reading slump!

Yet More T-Shirts

2007-01-22T12:19:00.000-05:00

I haven't featured any cool t-shirts in awhile, and I was kind of going through withdrawal. So a little searching over the weekend turned up Primitive State, a company based in the UK that offers both off-the-shelf and custom-printed designs.

My favorite was any saying you want set in Scrabble tiles. This pic shows what my blog title would look like. There are lots of colors and t-shirt styles available. I'm awfully tempted, but it's a little on the pricey side. Including shipping, the t-shirt I've shown here would be about $40 USD.

You can also make T-shirts using pixels, Morse code, Braille and UPC symbols.

A Room of Your Own

2007-01-16T12:37:00.001-05:00

I absolutely drool over home libraries. The day I find a house with built-in bookshelves, I will be one happy girl. As it is, I'm lucky enough to have a whole room set aside just for books.

Here's a great site for getting ideas or just peeking in on what others are doing -- Library Designs.

Via Books, Words and Writing.

No Country For Old Men

2007-01-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

Finished this on Sunday and I loved it. I'm not even sure I can really say why. On a purely basic level, it's just a well-crafted plot. Pretty simple on its face -- about a man who finds a suitcase of money after a drug deal goes bad and steals it. But there's really a whole lot more than that. It's really about the choices you make, the choices you don't make, and the ones that are made for you.

I'm having a problem putting this book into any context. I read very, very little modern fiction. But it did occur to me at some point that, in some ways, this book isn't all that different from Jane Austen. Austen was commenting on her society just as McCarthy is commenting on his. They're obviously doing it in widely disparate times and in different ways. But they aren't dissimilar.

I'm making a mess of this post, I think because I haven't fully processed the book yet. And because very few of the books I've read over the past few months have been so thought-provoking. I know The Hobgoblin wrote about this book a few days ago; I wanted to finish the book and my thoughts before I read his (which I'll do now) -- WARNING! His post contains plot spoilers -- do not read his post if you want to read the book. (Interesting -- his post, even his take on the book, is much different than mine. I certainly think this is a book I could read many times and get something more -- and different -- each time. But isn't that the great thing about books? We can all read the same thing and get a different reaction.)

But, bottom line: Read it!

The Slump Continues, Sort Of

2007-01-12T14:44:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and sharing your own reading. My reading slump is, hopefully, on the wane.

I had picked up Stephen King's The Stand the other day. I thought if I could get myself involved in something big and thick for awhile, it might help. I always loved early Stephen King, although I lost interest around Misery. That story just didn't click for me (one of the few books I remember not finishing) and I never returned to King. But Salem's Lot, It and The Stand -- as well as the short-story collection Night Shift (which I really need to get a copy of) -- were all books I really enjoyed. So I started reading it the other day and everything seemed fine. Last night, 200 pages in, in the middle of a page, I suddenly decided I had no interest whatsoever in finishing the book. So that goes back on the bookshelf too.

I did pick up No Country for Old Men, which is one of the books foisted upon me quite awhile ago. I'm not a huge fan of modern literature (I seem to prefer my authors long, long in the grave), but I read All the Pretty Horses a few months ago, and it was okay. Just a few chapters in, No Country is pretty engaging. Hopefully that will get me out of this slump.

In case it doesn't, I broke down today and visited Amazon.com. On the way are Jane Austen: A Companion, and Time and Chance by Sharon Key Penman. I read the first of Penman's Henry and Eleanor series several years ago when it first came out and forgot that there were sequels planned. But I am absolutely addicted to all things Henry and Eleanor; I've seen The Lion in Winter more times than I can count and I've read biographies of both Henry and Eleanor. They are both fascinating characters.

If that doesn't work, I don't know what I'm going to do.

Get Your Work Reviewed

2007-01-08T13:36:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting idea for all of you readers who are also writers. Did you finish NaNoWriMo this year? Urbis may be the spot to get some feedback. You can get feedback from only those people you specify or open it up to Urbis's network. You may get more than you bargained for, but it's still kind of a neat idea.

Via LifeHacker

Re-Organizing

2007-01-03T16:05:00.000-05:00

My family often makes fun of my constant re-organizing, but sometimes it just feels so good. I realized that it had been quite awhile since I had updated my blog roll. And it really wasn't a very good representation of what I'm actually reading or checking on every day. So now my blog roll more closely matches my Google Reader list. (I try to keep on top of Web stuff, but I'm not an expert. If someone can tell me how to have my feed reader also act as my blog roll, I'll be eternally grateful.)

But I can see it was hardly an original thought. The Hobgoblin had the same idea. He also noticed the number of people moving from Blogger to Wordpress. Something we don't know about?

New Year, and a Reading Slump

2007-01-02T12:35:00.000-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. It didn't seem to be going too fast at the time, but I can't believe it's all over already. I was off all of last week and a few days the week before that, and I was able to get my bedroom painted, complete with some new furniture and some new window treatments.

In terms of reading, however, I'm in a major slump. I was struggling through both The Ambassadors and Race and Reunion last week; neither one was engaging me all that much. So I put them both aside and picked up Persuasion again. I've read it many times, but I was just in the mood for some good writing and a good story that I knew I would like. In addition to the two abandoned books, I have many others on my TBR pile. But, as I've mentioned, nearly all of them are loans. Even the ones I've chosen, like The Ambassadors, seem too much like an assignment.

So for the time being, I'm giving up on challenges. Until I can get into a mood where I really want to pick up something and read it, signing on for challenges is just going to be too frustrating. Race and Reunion is back in the library (I skipped the last chapter and a half, but did read the Epilogue). The Ambassadors can just rest on the nightstand for now. I may still go back to it.

But I still need something to read, so I've picked up Donna Tartt's The Secret History. It's been many, many years since I read it, so I don't remember that much of the story. I'm enjoying it a lot, so hopefully this will get me out of the slump.

So what are you reading today?

From the Stacks Challenge

2006-12-19T15:05:00.000-05:00

I've finished the second book on my From the Stacks Challenge list; I wrote last week about The Memoirs of Helen of Troy: A Novel. I couldn't sleep Sunday night, so I was awake until about 2 am to finish it. Truthfully, I really wanted to get it over with. As I mentioned, an interesting story but not great writing. The author wanted to pick up on the use of epithets that are famous in Homer's writing (one of the few things I remember from my Classic lit class -- thanks Professor Hoyle!).

Except it sounds a little over the top. And it's not very consistent. On one page she refers to "spear-famed Achilles." Less than two pages later, it's "spear-famed Menelaus." This in a book where she also uses the phrase "pretty much," which I find modern in the extreme. I'm generally not that picky about that sort of thing; this is fiction, after all. If I really want to know about Helen of Troy, I'll pick up a history book. But in this case, the use of language was obtrusive and made the book difficult to enjoy.

On to The Ambassadors, which will be a challenge, because I always find Henry James a challenge. And I have picked up Race and Reunion again; now that I'm back into it, I am enjoying it. There is a lot going on in that book and I'll see if I can summarize some of it when I'm finished.

Full Disclosure

2006-12-19T14:55:00.000-05:00

I know there's been a lot of talk on the Web about blogging for pay. I've only paid some attention to the conversation, so I can't really speak responsibly about it. Suffice it to say, some bloggers are reviewing products favorably and then getting "rewarded" by the product's producer or manufacturer. That's just a very basic idea of what's going on. Needless to say, in any situation where you are reviewing a product, you need to be clear about your relationship to the product or its manufacturer. I guess that's the great thing about book blogging -- we can just write about our thoughts and don't have to disclose any special relationships.

In early November, I was contacted by two different organizations -- one was a consumer-related site, the other a new social networking site. Both asked me to write about their product/service on my blog. One of them offered a small gift no matter what I wrote about. There really wasn't anything fishy about either email; they both seemed to be quite genuine. But I also didn't feel right about it, either. I'm really not even sure why.

Last month, I posted about a cute calendar on FredFlare.com for a holiday gift. The post was my own idea. Yesterday, I received a very nice email from someone at Fred Flare, thanking me for my post and offering a small gift. A few minutes later I received a $10 gift certificate via email. It's a very nice gift and I will use it; Fred Flare has some really cute stuff available. But I just wanted to let everyone know. I'm probably being anal about this, but it would seem weird to me not to talk about it.

Reading Update

2006-12-15T16:43:00.000-05:00

In reading news, I've finally finished Marie Antoinette: The Journey. I have to admit, it kind of slowed down after the storming of the Bastille in 1789. I was going through it at a pretty good clip up to that point. Antonia Fraser is a great writer and I was really getting a much better sense of who Marie Antoinette really was. Poor Marie did not fare well in the history books (or in her own lifetime, for that matter). After 1789, the book seemed to focus much more on the politics of the Revolution and I seemed to lose a sense of who Marie really was. But it was definitely worth reading.

I've moved on to The Memoirs of Helen of Troy. Although I will finish it (because I'm compulsive and I pretty much have to finish every book I start), I will not be recommending it to anyone. It's a pretty interesting story but the writing is, well, not good. I think this book could have used a good dose of editing before printing. But I read enough Greek and Roman lit in school that at least all the characters and some of the general storyline is familiar.

I still have nearly half of Race and Reunion to finish. I really don't need to; the Civil War project I was going to work on fell through. But, as I said, it's hard not to finish books I start. And I know I'll learn something, which makes it harder to pass by. This book is fascinating; learning about the aftermath of the Civil War makes the present day problems this country still has with race a lot more understandable. But that book takes a lot of concentrating. We'll see if my desire to learn can outweigh my occasional laziness.

Friday Fun -- More Gifts

2006-12-15T13:37:00.000-05:00

Anyone who's read this blog knows my penchant for fun T-shirts. Especially if they are related to books or words or reading. "Bad Grammar Makes Me [Sic]" is just one of the cool ones over at
One Horse Shy.

I'm also partial to "No One Cares About Your Blog."

More Gifts

2006-12-08T12:54:00.000-05:00

This is a great gift for any reader. A pewter heart bookmark inscribed "To read or not to read..." I think we all know how we would answer that question. From the really cool collection of stuff at Sundance.Com. Just $15 USD.

More Friday Fun

2006-12-08T12:53:00.000-05:00

Now this? Is way cool. A chair for reading that actually holds your books. It's called the Bibliochaise. I like this simply because it's another place to store books. My shelves are pretty much all filled up. I really need to do some expanding.

Made by an Italian-based company called Nobody & Co., both the shelving and the cushions come in a variety of colors.

Via PopGadget.

One More Challenge

2006-12-07T14:24:00.000-05:00

Yet another challenge on the horizon -- this one I like a lot: the Chunkster Challenge, thanks to Bookfool. I love reading big, fat books -- especially when they are really well written. It's so fun to know that the book is going to take days and days and days to read. In this case, "big, fat" means at least 400 pages.

Not sure if there's a specific number of books to read on this one; I know a lot of people are combining it with the From the Stacks Challenge. No matter what, it's a great way to jump into those big books that sometimes seem just a little scary!

2007 Winter Classics Challenge

2006-12-05T14:16:00.000-05:00

The 2007 Winter Classics Challenge now has a time frame -- five classics of your choice read between January and February of 2007. There's a growing list of participants with the usual (but by no means boring) fascinating and eclectic choices of book bloggers everywhere.

We are all going to be so smart when we've finished all these books.

Great -- Now We're Zombies

2006-12-05T11:29:00.000-05:00

First, there was the whole Rachel Cooke thing. Now Gore Vidal is saying "readers are dead." He claims "the novel doesn't interest anybody." I haven't read the whole interview, so I don't know exactly what he's saying. Even so -- what exactly is he saying? I'm pretty sure I've read at least a couple of novels this year. Or did that happen in my zombie other-life?

Found this article on a very interesting Web site called if:book -- A Project of the Institute for the Future of the Book. Check it out -- very thought-provoking stuff.

Cool Tool

2006-12-05T10:57:00.000-05:00

Here's a cool little tip about searching the inventory of your local Borders without ever leaving your own home. Very cool. Lots of book people probably already knew about this, but it's news to me. When you just can't wait for Amazon, try this little tool instead.

Via LifeClever.

Knitting for Others

2006-12-04T21:36:00.000-05:00

I've started on my scarf for the Red Scarf Project 2007. I am a notoriously slow knitter, so I thought I'd better get started so I can be done by around the end of January.

It's a pretty simple basketweave pattern. Just 12 rows to the pattern and I've only cast on 24 stitches. So it will be narrow but long. I've already managed to make at least one mistake; I somehow added a stitch at some point (really wish I could figure out how I do that).

I'm using a beautiful new yarn from Bernat called Satin. It's super soft; this color is called Bordeaux (the color match on the Web site isn't great; the color I have looks much more like the Crimson).

GIFT Challenge Monday

2006-12-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

When I wrote about the GIFT Challenge last week, I really wasn't thinking about joining. For some reason, I'm just not in the Christmas mood yet. But thinking about what I could write about and reading a few comments on Carl V's blog made me change my mind. Here's a family story we still talk about.

I'm not sure exactly when this happened; I'd imagine I was around 8 or 9, making my brother about 7 and my sister about 4. My sister and I, as the girls, shared one bedroom and my brother got his own. After "lights out," he would frequently come in our room to talk until we heard Dad's footsteps coming down the hallway. He would tear back into his bedroom so fast your head would spin. As soon as the coast was clear, he'd be back. We did this for years.

One Christmas Eve, it was the familiar pattern. Now this may have happened more in the middle of the night. The whole house was dark so my parents must have been in bed. We'd send my brother on scouting trips to the living room where the tree was set up. In our house, Santa left out gifts for the kids unwrapped. So we were just trying to get an idea of what we could expect in the morning. Suddenly, my brother came tearing back into the room. As he approached the hallway that connected to the living room, he was absolutely positive he'd seen a shadow of Santa's boot on the wall. I don't know if he was worried that Santa would see him or if he was just freaked out that Santa was really in our house. As I recall, all three of us were simultaenously scared to death and excited. I don't think there were any more scouting trips that night.

We still tell this story in my family. It is now joined by my niece's terrified reaction to the message that the Easter Bunny left on the whiteboard in the kitchen this year. "Was the Easter Bunny really here?!" she squealed. Too bad we can't keep that kind of excitement/faith all our lives.

More Gift-Giving Fun

2006-12-01T11:48:00.000-05:00

Now, it may not be a good thing to actually track how much time you're ~~wasting~~ spending reading, but this clock will help you do it. Perfect for your library -- or maybe another room that doesn't already have books in it. From I Want One of Those for about $27 USD.

A New Challenge

2006-12-01T11:42:00.000-05:00

Another challenge -- this one with a Christmas theme. Carl V. does come up with some great ideas and I do like this one, though I'm not sure yet if I'll participate. It's the GIFT 2006 Challenge -- Giving Inspiration, Fostering Tradition. It involves posting about your favorite Christmas movies, books, poems, songs, traditions, etc. Check out his blog for the complete "rules."

What a great way to share with others all you love about the holidays. So often, we get so stressed out about buying gifts and going to parties and putting up decorations. Hopefully, this will give you a chance to slow down and remember why Christmas was just so cool when you were a kid.

Those Crazy Brits

2006-11-28T16:10:00.000-05:00

They've gone and got themselves in a bit of a lather. It started with a "row" that erupted between critic John Sutherland and the author Susan Hill. Just read the article -- I couldn't begin to summarize.

Then Rachel Cooke commented on the story in The Observer last Sunday. And by "commented" I mean basically took the side of "professional" critics and said there's nothing worthwhile at all in the world of book bloggers. Really, it's a pretty hate-filled rant against people who are doing nothing more than sharing their opinions about books. At one point she says that most of what she found among book blogs was "untrustworthy, banal, and worse of all, badly written." I have no idea what she was looking at, because virtually all of the book bloggers I read are thoughtful, smart, highly educated and extremely literate.

Needless to say, that prompted a reaction -- a very nice point-by-point refutation of most of Ms. Clarke's article. Kind of made me feel good to be a blogger.

I don't know if you can boil this down to anything. It's old vs. new (in terms of media), professional vs. amateur, etc. It seems to me that anything that gets people reading -- especially something different than they would normally choose -- or talking about what they are reading is a good thing. Books are books; you can say some are classics and some are genre fiction -- but they are all books.

We read what we like. Or what we find interesting, or unusual or thought-provoking. I was an English major; I read many classics while I was in school and I've read many since then. But I'm not averse to picking up the occasional mass-market bestseller. I have no problem with liking George Eliot and Michael Crichton. They provide me different things at different times.

So read what you want, and blog about what you want. Someone, somewhere will thank you for it.

Via The BlogHerald

More Friday Fun

2006-11-24T16:22:00.000-05:00

I can't help it -- I find this Jane Austen doll completely adorable. Hardly new, she's been around for awhile, but what a cute idea! Available at Archie McPhee for just $8.95 USD.

Not an Austen fan? Try Oscar Wilde, Shakespeare or Charles Dickens.

One Down

2006-11-21T18:06:00.000-05:00

Finished The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette the other day. It was a good, quick read. And all historians can rest assured that I don't confuse historical fiction with the real facts. In fact, books like this make me want to know more. I'll have to keep my eye out for a good biography of Marie Antoinette.

Friday Gift-Giving Fun

2006-11-17T11:23:00.000-05:00

For today and the next five Fridays, I'll be showcasing some great gift ideas for the readers in your life. We all know where and how to buy books themselves, so I'll be looking for other book- or reading-related gifts that are floating around on the Web.

The first is this truly adorable 2007 Little Golden Books calendar from Fred Flare. We all have memories of those first tiny little books we read (I even still have one or two!). Relive your childhood or introduce a child to these sweet little drawings. At FredFlare.Com for just $14!

More on Challenges

2006-11-16T12:21:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, challenges are popping up everywhere. I heard of another one today, so I've started a list in the sidebar. These are all great ideas -- I'm just sorry I haven't thought one up myself yet!

Remember, if you hear of/know of others, let me know and I'll keep the list going.

From the Stacks Challenge

2006-11-15T12:59:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm finally ready with my list for the From the Stacks Challenge. The list sounds rather geeky, but I was an English major. And I still have a lot of major authors I haven't read. Here we go:

1. The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette: A Novel by Carolly Erickson (just started it last night and I'm loving it -- I'm always a sucker for historical fiction)
2. The Memoirs of Helen of Troy: A Novel by Amanda Elyot
3. The Ambassadors by Henry James
4. The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (I know, I know, I should have read it years ago!)

There are currently ~~138~~ 145 people signed up for the challenge -- amazing!

Help for Writers

2006-11-15T12:07:00.000-05:00

This is for all you brave souls taking on the National Novel Writing Month challenge. When all those spouses, significant others, kids, co-workers, etc. are bothering you while you're trying to churn out your daily 2,500 words -- just wear this T-shirt and scare them all away.

I'm so glad to be getting the What on Earth catalog again. They've got a great (and slightly odd) selection of gifts and you can order up to December 21 and still get delivery by Christmas. Enjoy!

The Moonstone

2006-11-13T16:47:00.000-05:00

I know many book bloggers chose The Moonstone for the RIP Challenge, and many others mentioned wanting to read it. I can't recommend it highly enough. I finished it this morning (as I waited for a headache to subside so I could go to work). It's simply just a great mystery -- but it also has wonderful characters and often made me smile or laugh out loud. I particularly liked the technique of several different characters narrating different parts of the story -- and occasionally commenting on what other characters said or did. Add this to your TBR pile today!

The Birthday Scarf

2006-11-10T13:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick pic of the birthday scarf I just finished for my sister. It's a very simple pattern of knitting six rows in stockinette stitch, then six rows in garter stitch. I let her pick her own color of Landscapes and she chose Campfire, which is a beautiful fall blend of orange, gray and black.

Since scarves seem to be about the only thing I can actually finish when I'm knitting, I think I'm going to sign up for the Red Scarf Project 2007. It's an effort to provide red scarves to college students who have grown out of foster care and are out on their own. Scarves (unisex style, please) will be given out in February 2007. A great excuse to buy more yarn!

For more charity knitting projects, check out Kirsty's blog, So Many Yarns.

Contests and Challenges Everwhere

2006-11-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

So this idea of contests and challenges issued via blogs seems to be taking on a life of its own.

First, there was Carl V's RIP Autumn Challenge. Officially, 51 people signed up -- but there were probably more who participated via the comments section of the post. I've been reading for several days now, on many different blogs, about the From the Stacks Challenge. The idea is to read at least five books from your TBR pile between November 1 and January 30, 2007. As of today, the list of participants is at 72 -- and seems to be growing exponentially.

But we're not done with this year yet. Kailana has issued a November Reading Challenge with the theme of books set during World War I or World War II in honor of Remembrance Day. If you're looking ahead, there's the 2007 TBR Challenge. This also capitalizes on all those books that have been lying around (in this case for at least 6 months) that we've never read. Pick 12, read 1 a month during 2007. The participant list is still small, but I bet it will grow.

I'm working on my list for the From the Stacks Challenge right now. I've decided it's not really fair to include the books that have been loaned to me, so I'm going to have to see what else I can find in my library. This may mean I finally have to read some Thomas Hardy (whom I've never been able to crack).

I've barely touched the surface of challenges, I'm sure. If there are others you know about or are starting, let me know and I'll start a running list.

A Daily Dose

2006-11-08T10:13:00.000-05:00

Daily Lit is bringing back a Victorian tradition: the serialized novel. In the late 1900s, novels were often published in a serialized form in popular magazines. Daily Lit is doing something similar -- delivering a portion of a novel or other work (all in the public domain) to your In Box on a schedule you choose.

Each segment can be read in about 5 minutes. And you can choose your schedule: every day, weekdays only, or Monday/Wednesday/Friday.

I signed up for The Communist Manifesto. I know, it sounds so geeky. It's one of those things you think you should read at some point in your life. Doing it in little pieces sounds much more palatable than actually sitting down to read the whole thing.

Via Tech_Space

Oops

2006-11-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

So I thought I was being so clever a couple of weeks ago when I changed my blog template. Well, the joke was on me. I'd signed up for Google Analytics a couple of months ago to track visits to my blog. I really have no grand illusions about how many page hits I might get -- but Google Analytics is a neat little tool and it's free. It's great to look at a map of the world and see little dots indicating from where people have viewed your page. Once you see that first international hit, you're hooked.

So I couldn't figure out why there has been no data the last few weeks. Turns out I goofed big time. There's a little piece of code that Google provides to you that has to sit in your template. When I changed blog templates, I lost that piece of code. So no tracking for me!

I've fixed that little problem and should be getting data again in a few days. I may not be so quick to change my template again!

Penguins Everywhere

2006-11-07T09:29:00.000-05:00

I'm not talking about the new movie Happy Feet. But Penguins of another sort did seem to jump out at me yesterday. First was this online photo collection of vintage Penguin and Pelican paperback cover art (via Cool Hunting).

Also yesterday I found these deck chairs, based on classic Penguin covers. They're a little pricey at just over $100 USD -- but still, what an original addition to your library! Find them at I Want One of Those.

I've Become One of Them

2006-11-06T12:33:00.000-05:00

I've become one of those people I always admired -- those who can read two books at the same time. Not simultaneously, of course (that would be COOL!). Race and Reunion is one of those books that can be a little challenging. It's highly educational and makes a whole lot of things in American history more clear when you understand how Americans tried to deal with the horrible carnage of the Civil War -- but it can seem a little bit like work trying to get through it.

I find that after reading a chapter or so, my mind starts to drift a bit. It's not the topic or the author; Blight is a well-respected historian whose style only occasionally gets a little too academic for me. I hate to admit it, but I think it's a function of getting older. My concentration just doesn't seem what it used to be.

So last night, after I finished a chapter in Race and Reunion, I picked up The Moonstone again. I hate not finishing a book I've started, and was more than halfway through this when I put it down. And it's just the right style to read before I'm ready for bed.

More Yarn

2006-11-03T16:40:00.000-05:00

I am in so, so much trouble.

I Also Buy Yarn

2006-11-02T18:45:00.000-05:00

In addition to buying books, I also buy yarn. (And clothes. And makeup. And jewelry. I'm very girly.) Now, my stash is nothing compared to Kirsty's. Seriously, she buys the best. yarn. ever. Alpaca, silk, and all sorts of beautiful colors. My yarn purchases are still in the Jo-Ann's/Michael's arena. I console myself with the fact that I've only been knitting about a year and it's not something I do real often. Buy yarn often, yes. Actually knit -- not quite so much.

But my sister just had a birthday last month, so I wanted to knit her something. The very first knitting project I ever completed was done using Lion Brand's Landscapes yarn. It's got tons of great colors. I'm making a scarf for myself in Deep Sea. She choose Campfire -- which is the perfect autumn color. Let's just hope I actually complete the scarf while it's still autumn!

Since I was buying online and had a coupon, I also bought a few others. I've been wanting to try Mystery, which is a boucle. And Jo-Ann's has their own brand of yarn, called Sensations. This Licorice looks fun, though I'm not yet sure what I'll do with it.

Rest in Peace, RIP Challenge

2006-11-01T13:20:00.000-05:00

I failed. And I hate admitting that. But I did not finish my last book for Carl V's RIP challenge. I'm about a quarter of the way through The Moonstone, and it has sort of migrated itself back to the "to be read" pile instead of what I'm actually reading.

Since I started doing some research on the Civil War for my little consulting project, I've become obsessed with it. I started out with a basic attempt to find out about life after the Civil War, and I've now gone totally overboard. I'm rewatching Ken Burns' The Civil War, which is utterly fascinating. If it's been awhile (I haven't seen it since it originally aired) or you've never seen it, make sure you do. It is brilliant.

And even though I don't really need to, I've now started David Blight's Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory. It deals with how we have remembered and -- too often -- misremembered what happened during the Civil War and what it really means.

Finally, I've had yet another novel foisted upon me for my "to be read" pile -- Carson McCormac's No Country For Old Men. Sigh. I'll never catch up!

The Lure of Royals

2006-10-31T11:04:00.000-05:00

I'm slightly ashamed to admit that my knowledge of American history is not what it should be. In fact, I needed to get myself to a library to find some books on the post-Civil War era for the little consulting project I mentioned the other day.

My knowledge of English royal history, however, is pretty good. I've always been fascinated by Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. And you can't beat Henry VIII for all kinds of juicy stories. Now Antonia Fraser is tempting me with French royalty. Her new book, Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King, sounds wonderful. This is definitely going on my list.

Write a Novel, Write a Blog

2006-10-30T10:47:00.000-05:00

I've heard about National Novel Writing Month before, and I'm awfully tempted to sign up. I think I have a few stories floating around in my head. I'd probably be much happier if I got them out of my head and onto paper. The idea is to write a complete 50,000-word novel between November 1 and 30. The web site is fun, and has lots of great features, including a forum -- so you can get some help if you get stuck in the middle of your story. There's no prize; just the satisfaction you'll get from writing a story with a beginning, a middle and an end.

November is also National Blog Posting Month. The idea here is to make a post every day in November. This seems a bit easier to me. But then again, I only made two posts in the first 23 days of this month, so what do I know?

I might try one, but I'm definitely not doing both at the same time!

Still Time for Some Scary Stories

2006-10-27T10:21:00.000-04:00

In case you haven't finished your RIP books, or you just want to sneak in a few extra stories, Google Book Search has posted 25 stories online -- just in time for Halloween. There are classics such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. There are also some that are new to me, with some very intriguing titles: The Damned Thing by Ambrose Bierce and The Other Wing by Algernon Blackwood. I'm probably going to download Edith Wharton's The Eyes. I've enjoyed all of her other novels, so it will be fun to read something of hers in a different genre.

Levenger = Trouble (For Me, Anyway)

2006-10-26T13:14:00.000-04:00

Seriously -- I would buy just about one of everything that Levenger sells. Their tage line is "Tools for Serious Readers." In addition to book lights, bookstands and book shelves, they carry a variety of office supplies, bags and totes, lighting, even furniture.

The new Bloomsbury Bag is a great deal. At $58, it's a great bag for toting around all your books -- plus it's stocked with a bunch of extra tools like a book magnifier and Levenger note pad. (You have to try their notepaper sometime. You'll hate going back to the cheap stuff you get at your local office supply store.)

Now it's just a matter of restraining myself from buying it.

Tombs and Curses

2006-10-25T12:30:00.000-04:00

This would be right up Amelia Peabody's alley: the tombs of three royal dentists have recently been discovered in Egypt. Not only that -- but the tombs come complete with their own curse. Anyone violating the tombs can look forward to being eaten by a crocodile and a snake.

I'm not generally a mystery fan, but I love Elizabeth Peters' series about the intrepid archaeologist Amelia Peabody, her husband Emerson and their son, nicknamed Ramses. The series starts in the late 19th century and the most recent in the series, Tomb of the Golden Bird, takes place around the discovery of King Tut's tomb by Howard Carter in 1920.

Easily found at used bookstores, this series is very entertaining (and just slightly educational for those of us who like that kind of stuff). Start at the beginning and read them in order. You'll enjoy them more that way.

And don't forget: The Field Museum in Chicago is featuring a rare display of Egyptian antiquities in Tuntankhamun and The Golden Age of the Pharaohs through January 1, 2007.

A New Look

2006-10-24T20:16:00.000-04:00

I love that Blogger has so many templates to choose from. I don't pay attention to this blog for two weeks and now I can't leave it alone! Just decided I needed something more "fall" looking. And this seems a little easier on the eyes as well.

I Haven't Disappeared

2006-10-24T19:40:00.000-04:00

I haven't been blogging for awhile -- we all know how life catches up with us in other ways. But I have missed it and I'm going to try to get back on track.

Fortunately, while work and some stuff around the house kept me busy, I still found time to read. I finished The Gothic Tradition. It was okay; it's really designed as a textbook so there were some thought-provoking questions. But even though it was designed to be used by graduate students, it was a little too broad for me. I would have liked a little bit deeper look at the history of the gothic novel.

After that, I started Jonathon Franzen's Strong Motion. It's the first book of his that I've read. Starting was okay, but I seemed to have lost interest. I just don't have that much taste for most modern fiction. I haven't completely given up on it, but it's not on the top of my list right now.

Then I quickly raced through Laurel K. Hamilton's Guilty Pleasures. I've been hearing a lot about the Anita Blake series, so the RIP challenge was a perfect excuse to finally buy one. I enjoyed it -- though I still think I like Buffy better. But I'm awfully tempted to buy the next two or three books in the series!

I also started my last RIP book, The Moonstone. It's been years since I read it and I forgot how truly funny it is. There aren't too many books that make me laugh out loud, but this is one of them. Whether I'll actually finish it by next week when October is over is a mystery all its own.

Finally, I also snuck in a fast read with The Civil War by Bruce Catton. I worked in a museum for seven years, managing new exhibit projects. I've been asked to help out with a bid to restore a historic building that would include a small museum experience. The building was originally built for Civil War veterans at the end of the 19th century. So I needed to do a little studying. The last time I studied the Civil War was as a freshman in high school -- and that was a long time ago! Bruce Catton was one of the leading authorities on the Civil War and his book is a great broad overview.

Okay, that's it for now. But I do have an idea for a post for tomorrow -- yeah for me! Thanks for missing me, Kirsty! (Go check out her blog. It's got tons of great pictures!)

I'm Back...with more clothes

2006-10-09T11:21:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts this past week -- the muse just wasn't there.

I did stumble across this cute T-shirt today in my morning wanderings on the Web. With all of my clothing-related posts lately, I may have to rename this blog.

I should have another, more substantial post later today.

Via BeautyAddict.

LibraryThing Catalog

2006-10-01T15:46:00.000-04:00

I'm finished! I finally entered the last of my books into my LibraryThing catalog. A grand total of 632 books. I had a dozen or so that needed to be entered manually and I finally got tired of dusting around that pile. So they are finally all in. I've even figured out how to access my catalog from my mobile phone. That will be a big help the next time I'm buying books and can't remember what's in my library.

Too Many Books

2006-09-28T15:14:00.000-04:00

I actually didn't think it was possible for me to string those three words together. But my "to be read" pile is freaking me out. It just grew by two more books yesterday, for a grand total of ten. Fully half of them are borrowed (or, more properly, foisted upon me, as in "you have to read this!") -- and that doesn't include the one I'm reading now. Maybe it's the non-ownership part that bothers me. I really don't like to hold on to things that aren't mine; I like to use them and then return them.

I really wish I was one of those people who could read multiple books at the same time. But I can't. I like to finish one before I move on to the next. So hopefully my friends will be patient with me. I'll get through them all eventually!

D'oh! (Annoyed Grunt)

2006-09-27T15:43:00.000-04:00

That's a Simpson's reference, if you didn't get it. "Annoyed grunt" is how it shows up in the script, resulting in that unforgettable utterance from the brilliant Dan Castellanetta.

The reason? I totally missed National Punctuation Day! It was September 24. Check out this cool little site with ideas on how to celebrate the day, letters and photos from readers and, of course, products to buy. My favorite? A T-shirt that asks "Is there a hyphen in anal-retentive?" Which would go along really well with my "Good grammar costs nothing" T-shirt.

Mark your calendars for next year!

Via Language Log

I've Decided

2006-09-25T20:38:00.000-04:00

I've decided -- that I really don't like RSS feeds. In the last few weeks, as I've been working on my own blog and reading lots of others, I've found several that I liked. And I enjoy checking in on a regular basis. (Most of them are listed in my blog roll.) So I thought I should do the correct Web 2.0 thing and I dutifully added all of my favorite blogs into my Google Reader. So whenever I go online, either at work or at home, all the updated posts are right there waiting for me.

But -- I don't like it. I lose all sense of who the bloggers are. Maybe I'd feel differently if I'd been reading the blogs for a long time. But how a blog looks contributes to the whole experience. I like seeing the fun lime green background on The Hobgoblin of Little Minds. Heather at A High and Hidden Place has tons of additional information and lists besides just her posts. And Kirsten at Nose in A Book has the coolest. avatar. ever.

So I think I'm going to skip my feeds for awhile. Clicking on a blog page and waiting for it to open to see if there's a new post is just like opening a new book for the first time. You never know what you're going to find!

I Won!

2006-09-21T13:12:00.000-04:00

Woo hoo! I can't believe I'm one of the winners in Carl's RIP Autumn Reading Challenge. As nearly every winner said, I never win anything. And poor Carl had to remind me. I missed his post listing the winners. At any rate, I apparently have a lovely prize coming in the mail.

I've finished my second tale (really a short story), John Polidori's The Vampyre. Lord Ruthven is deliciously creepy and it has all the great gothic elements. This is apparently the birth of the vampire in fiction.

I even read a fragment of a Lord Bryon gothic story that's contained in the same anthology. Polidori based his story on Bryon's fragment. Too bad it never got finished -- it was very intriguing. Both Polidori's and Bryon's stories were created on that infamous night when a very literate group inspired each other to write horror stories (Shelley's Frankenstein is the one everyone remembers).

The free extet to The Vampyre is here.

Today's NY Times Best Seller List

2006-09-18T16:06:00.001-04:00

Today's list.

One Down...

2006-09-17T17:08:00.000-04:00

I finished Matthew Lewis's The Monk last night. Really a great read. And, I've learned with a little bit of research, one of the truly quintessential Gothic tales. The Literary Gothic has a nice page here, with links to a number of essays. You can get the e-text here from Project Gutenberg.

Finding Readers

2006-09-15T16:39:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to get through a few of the new bloggers "to do" items on the list from yesterday's post. I've "claimed" my blog on Technorati, which requires this post with some HTML code. Technorati Profile

So I'm going to sit back and just wait for the hits!

On a similar note, if you have a blog, sign up with Google Analytics. It's completely free and you get some really interesting stats. I have to admit I don't necessarily understand all of them, but I'll figure it out at some point. Too much data is always better than not enough!