Reading Journal: Ten Books

Lately, a few folks on my facebook have been posting the "Ten Books that Have Stayed With You" tagging game.  Before anyone tagged me in it, I decided I wanted to do it as a blog post (and then post it on facebook because....I like social media), mostly because then I could include links to each book (mostly on goodreads). 
To be honest, considering my horrible reading retention, this was pretty easy. 
They are in no particular order.

8. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
I'm currently in the middle of my sixth or seventh annual "fall" re-read of this book.  I almost have some of my favorite passages memorized, and think about scenes from it often.

4. Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
This introduced me to the wonders of Ms. Binchy (the only author I seek out on a regular basis).  Plus, it has one of my favorite endings of all time.  Complete enough to satisfy, yet ambiguous to disagree about.


5. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
Reading this had changed my life and helped understand my Savior more, before even taking into account the circumstances under which the book was originally introduced to the world.



3. The Princess Bride: an Abridgement of S. Morgenstern's Classic Fairy Tale by William Goldman
Duh.  Also introduced to me the idea of breaking the fourth wall in literature, which is where some of my most favorite parts are located.  When I was younger, I toyed with the idea of shelving it under Morgenstern.  And, someday, I'll get around to mailing the publisher for the extended reunion scene.


10. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
I don't care that it's a children's book, that some good stuff in there. But, some days, you just want to move to Australia.


1. Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
You know a book is good when you don't realize you're shouting at the characters at 2 a.m., as though they can actually hear you.

9. KJV of the Bible
There's some good stuff in there.


7. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Withing by Natalie Goldberg
It's a great little handbook for writing and editing.  Or it's a nice, easy read if you're not looking for guidance in those areas.  I need to get in touch with my inner samurai.


2. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
I was in fourth grade the first time that I read this, and I didn't finish it because I got sick, missed like two weeks of school, the teacher had to go into my desk, return it to the library for me, and I had to wait a long time before no one else was reading it so I could check it out.  I sometimes still cry when I get to *that* part, and I don't think I ever want to see the movie.

6. Daughters in My Kingdom: the History and Work of Relief Society
This book made me feel wonderful about being a woman, and many of the stories inside of it help inspire me to be a better woman.


Fun Fact: As a testament to my inclination towards classic literature, I read Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard during my sophomore year study halls.  Only recently have I learned it's been canonized.  (I also read Wuthering Heights and The Great Gatsby during high school, by choice, and not for assignments.)

Reading/Writing Journal

Reading....
I anticipate being able to do more of this now that I have a job that allows me to read while I'm working.  (I'm a personal care companion for the elderly, so I can read after they've gone to bed, so long as I'm attentive to their needs.)

Writing....
Was over a week behind on NaNo, due to this. 
Have made significant progress.  Still haven't hit any of my word count goals, though. 
My next one is for 30k by EOD tomorrow, which I probably won't hit.  I'm only at 21k.  Thanks to Friday, I know I can write 11k in a day (much to the displeasure of my wrists), but....I have to work from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. tonight and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow, then go straight to the temple.
After which I will come home and promptly go to bed.  Yoishka.

Reading/Writing Journal

I kinda got burned out on reading. I've had bookmarks in "Temples from on High" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" for...oh,....probably at least a month now. I'm a little more than half way through the latter and not quite half way through the former. I was hoping to be in Cather and have finished a reread of Card so I can go see Ender's Game in the theater.

I'm trying my hands at NaNoWriMo again this year. I was going to do literary fiction with a story about multigenerational   friendships built on common faith. But then life issues crowded my brain. Including writing a ten minute extemporaneous speech to be given this Sunday in front of about 1500 people.

So I set aside the litfic in favor of YA, which may or may not prove semi autobiographical, with an extra shot of Lizzie Bennett into the main character, Shelby.

I'm super far behind at 1,367.

Writing/Reading Journal

After getting fired, I took what most people would call a vacation, and I suppose it was.  (It will eventually be chronicled on my main blog, you should know.)  On the last leg of the trip, I met a man, and it seemed like a good short story.  I mentally composed it on the way home Tuesday, (did you know that both Mark Twain and Walt Disney grew up in Missouri?!) but didn't actually start composing it until later in the week.  Like Thursday or Friday.  Unfortunately, a lot had happened in those few days, and the magic of the story had faded a little.
The buildup wasn't coming out as extemporaneous as I would like it to be, so I stopped.  I think I was afraid of disappointing myself with the ending.  I came up with a pretty great one, but I'm a little bit scared that what I actually write is going to not meet my expectations.

Since writing those two paragraphs a couple of days ago, an idea has come to me that took the story from the realm of what actually happened and made it a little more fictional, albeit still believable.  Pretty much, instead of just eating dinner at home, we eat dinner in a hospital because that makes for a more interesting story.

*~*~*~*~*

My reading took off when I lost my job.  So fast, that my blog couldn't keep up with it.  (Good thing for the goodreads app, since I nearly lost track of what I read.)
So fast that I had to screech the breaks on "The Diva Runs Out of Thyme" so I could finish "Saviors on Mount Zion."  Normally I try not to manipulate my rotisserie like that, but I really did not want to shelve that last book.  I'm hoping I'll finish it sometime today, which means I replace it with another True.  Not a big fan of that, and I'll probably also finish "Thyme" today and starting two books within a day of each other is not on my list of favorite things, either.  But it was worth it to stay loyal to my guidelines and still finish.

Reading Journal

Finished "Emma," and only about a week behind the goodreads reading group I was reading it "with."  I felt like it dragged a little more than most Austen, so I'll probably just stick with the movie.

I read "The Lonely Polygamist" in a week, which says something because I'm a slow reader, super busy, and the book is over 600 pages. 
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A good, albeit lengthy, read. Although I enjoyed the style and the story, I wasn't that impressed with the abundance of curse words in the second half of the book. Udall has a knack for characterization in this book, which can be tough when you have so many. Each one focused on is relatable in some way, which is extremely useful in accomplishing the task of engaging readers. I highly recommend it if you like to notice patterns, themes, and motifs, and think about the implications of what you're reading.
I can't not share this quote, which I think would make a great tagline:
"He was a man with a crush on a prostitute, a condom in his wallet, and gum in his pubic hair--what could it all mean?" (p. 193)




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I also finished "Episodes" last night, but probably won't post a review.  Let's just say I bought it at the dollar store and got what I paid for.  It wasn't bad, but I thought it lasted a little longer than it needed to.   After finishing it, I took "Uncle Tom's Cabin" off the shelf.  It was between that, "1984," and "Crime and Punishment."  To replace the polygamist book, I started reading one of the 3 series mystery novels one of my work moms gave me.  Since all 3 have to be shelved in the "random" category, I'll have to breeze through my others in order to complete them. ....maybe I should have gone with "1984" instead.  It's on my 100 list, and even though my AP class studied it in high school, I never completed the reading.  I didn't get past Uncle Tom's introduction last night, so it's definitely not too late.  So I think that's what I shall do.

Writing Journal

I would say my experience with Camp NaNo is successful so far.  I say successful in that I'm deeply connecting with my plot and characters.  I'm not even that far behind in my page count goals when I think about it.  We're about 35% through the month, and I'm at about 30% of my page count goal.  Don't have any setting studies yet, though.

I've made two discoveries this round, the first being how useful the NaNo forums are.  It's good for my story, and I really like being able to help other people with their writing and story problems, too.

The second discovery is something that I'm glad is happening during the planning stages rather than the writing stages.  I am shocked at how much my story has evolved.  I originally thought it would be about 2 young professionals growing together (probably romantically) with the aid (and comic relief) of a sassy Korean war vet.

Now my story is looking to be more about that sassy widower and his widowed friend developing a relationshp (platonic at this point).  I'm currently undecided about how involved they themselves will be in the development of a relationship between her grandson and a young woman the vet has a connection to.  (The relationship will happen; I'm just not sure how cognizant of it I want the older pair to be.)

Trivia: the character of the war vet is based on a man I know in real life.  I met him about 6 months ago when I started working in the temple, and it hasn't been until recently that he could remember my last name.  About a week ago, he took to lightheardedly calling me by the last name of "Cedarmore" to help him remember.  It was such a hit amongst our peers (yes, a widowered Korean war vet and I have peers; how amazingly bizarre is my life?!) that one of them commented it was such a nice last name, she might accidentally think it actually was my name.  That's when I decided to use it as "his" character's last name.

Writing Journal

Yes, I still do these.

July is another Camp NaNo.  Between November and April, I learned that I am more successful as a planner than a pantser. 

I really like what NaNoWriMo did for me and for my life.  I think it's something that I'll like every year.  It helps me revert from a social butterfly back into my social cocoon.  To clarify, it helps people around me adapt to my absence for a few months.  Writing a novel is a more concrete reason to not attend a social gathering than something as abstract as a mental disorder. (I don't know why, but that sounds icky to me.  Society, can we plese do something about the stigma of all mental disorders?  Thanks.)  Both are quite legit, but one requires far less exploitation.

Anyway...just as I intend to partake in NaNoWriMo for years to come, I hereby state my intentions to use July's Camp NaNo as a planning month.

By the end of this July, I hope to have:

• 15 pages of plot outline (with the distinct possibility of chapter divisions)
• 10 pages of character analysis
• 5 pages of setting studiees

*main characters

Reading Journal

Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall: How I Learned to Love My Body by Not Looking at It for a Year by Kjerstin Gruys


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The concept of the challenge was intriguing: go for an entire year without looking at one's own image. Gruys was bold enough to allow the challenge to encompass her wedding day (a loophole was created for a once-over of the wedding photos).

Her background, especially working with groups that help women overcome destructive body issues (i.e. eating disorders), sets the tone for the book. I was impressed by her explaining technical terms as she used them. However, I feel it could have done well without most of the cussing.

The final chapters are full of insight as to the lessons Gruys learned throughout the process and those are well worth reading.




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Shortly after beginning this book, I was looking for something to use as a bookmark and the first thing I saw was a postcard from some dentist (it may or may not have been mine).  After actually looking at it, I realized how appropriate it was.

It's time to define your beautiful smile.

Reading Journal

The River at the Center of the World: A Journey Up the Yangtze and Back in Chinese Time by Simon Winchester


My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In the beginning, he says that he intends to go back into the history of China as he travels up the Yangtze. He didn't, which was a disappointment as I was rather looking forward to learning some Chinese history in such a unique way. Instead, I was flooded with information from whatever period of history was most eventful for the locale. Which probably wouldn't have been so bad if that's what I had been expecting.

Overall, the book and the stories were interesting, but I could see the editors and proofreaders started getting tired around page 300. I certainly can't blame them. The middle was rather dry.

If you're into travel writing, you might like it; if you're into Chinese history, you probably will; if you're not into either of those things, you'll get bored just after the page of no return.




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Reading Journal

I need to hurry up!  I want to have Mirror, Mirror finished before I do the Day Without Mirrors challenge next week so I can incorporate my review into my reflections on the challenge.  (Pun partially intended.)  But I am literally 75% done with my China book.  I'm on page 300 of 400.

Guess that means no Candy Crush for a while, huh?  (Yeah, I'm addicted.)
When I get behind like this, I like to set rotations because I feel like I work faster when I multitask.

So I'll probably read Mirror, Mirror on all my lunch breaks (it fits in my purse better).  At home, I'll use the following rotation*:
China to a stopping point (chapter or page break)
Mirror, Mirror to stopping point
China to stopping point
Rinse (do something else, like housework, work on a church lesson, text/play on the phone) and repeat.

Heck, I should be doing this rotation, anyway, right?
*Reading may be done during commercials of shows I happen to watch, such as Jeopardy, the news, WoF, Community, Liberty's Kids, and Castle if I'm still going on Monday.

Reading Journal: Land of the Free!

It isn't often that I title any posts on this blog, other than to identify them as they relate to reading or writing, but this, I couldn't help.

This morning, I got an e-mail from MMM (which is, like, the most interactive blog on the planet) saying that their most recent giveaway winner hadn't responded with an address, and was the address from the last time this happened still good? 

Sure is!  I seriously am not sure what I'm going to do with 5 new more books.  I already need another bookshelf.  I'm pretty sure the tall one started to bow the last time I added books.  ....although....I did just clear out a shelf in one of my closets; I could probably move my journals there.  Then I could use the enclosed shelf they're on now for my antique collection, which might allow for some breathing room.  But probably not much.

I think I'm most excited about the 1945 edition of  Temples of the Most High by N.B Lundwall.  Not only do I love temples, but I've been pondering a lot about the history of temples since the Industrial Revolution.  And I love old books.  I seriously had to talk myself out of spending $20 on 2 sets of 5 books each circa ~1940s at the thrift store last night.  If they had been in better shape, I hadn't walked to the store, and I knew I had room for them, I would've bought them.

This afternoon, Kjerstin Gruys offered a copy of her book, Mirror, Mirror, Off the Wall for free.  Well, essentially free.  She's asking bloggers/recipients of the book to take the challenge to not look at their reflection for one day and blog about it the week of May 6th.  Which I'll do here.

Guess I'd better hurry up and finish Of Thee I Zing and The River at the Center of the World so I can move on to the next segment of the cycle.

Oh, and I know it's early, but I may have to drop out of Camp NaNo.  I'm just not feeling it, and not in that "I'm just not feeling it" way.  I mean, I'm thinking this is a challenge I'm not up for just quite yet.  I'm thinking I should stick to just November.

Reading Journal

I just finished "The Crucible."

I wish I had more to say about that.

 Next book will be "Of Thee I Zing,' ©2011

I joined a discussion group on goodreads to help me get back into talking about books rather than just of them. I'm hoping to also get some perspective to aid in writing "The Victorians," possibly with my roommate.

Writing Journal

Whoops, I did-it-a-gain....

I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo.
Essentially the same thing, but in April instead of November.

This round, I'm aiming for a script (or series of scripts) drawing inspiration from Jane Austen and SNL's "The Californian's."
"Mr. Darcy!  What are yeeewww doing here?!"

Which means I'll be spending March doing research. 
Watching/reading Austen (as my recipe permits)
Watching The Californian's
Learning the geography of Austen's England.

As you can guess, I haven't touched "Family Lies" since I finished the draft.  Not true; I think I have once or twice.  I just don't think there was enough life in the plot.
Hopefully I can turn that around at Camp NaNo.

First up: deciding which scenes I want to rewrite, taken mostly from P&P and S&S. 
Elizabeth and Darcy's unexpected meeting at Pemberley
Lucy, Elinor, and Edward's first scene together.  (I may take some creative liberty and have the secret outed here.)

Reading Journal

Finished "Whitethorn Woods"
Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is straight up classic Binchy: ordinary characters in situations so contrived that you have to believe them. The back cover (of this edition) declares that the characters are "passionately opinionated men and women drawn into a timely conflict between the traditions of the past and the promises of the future." Personally, I'm inclined to disagree with that description. There are, indeed, passionately opinionated people, but the narrative follows mostly the lives of those in the book who are not. I found myself caring for the characters more than the resolution of what happens to St. Ann's Well.

The short story included in the paperback edition was so-so. It's been about a decade since I've read any of Binchy's short stories, so I can't make any comparisons there. It seemed as though she wanted or intended it to be a part of the novel, but couldn't find a way to make it fit.




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Started Arthur Miller's "The Crucible."  Seemed appropriate after having recently finished "The Scarlet Letter."

Reading Journal

I finished "Scarlet Letter."  It's been a while since I've read it, although I remembered most of the big plot points.  But, let's face it, there really isn't much plot to remember.  This is one of those books that's all about the narrative, and I liked it. 

So I started up the last Maeve Binchy book I picked up, "Whitehorn Woods."  Although I plan on reading while at the gym this evening, I'm currently not very far into it right now.  But, so far, it's been classic Binchy, which means it's spectacular.

Reading Journal

I finished my dad's book.
And I wish I could highly reccomend it.  I enjoyed it, but that's because I've learned to read through a lot of proofing goofs.  Unlike with fiction, they don't distract from the plot, so that helps. 

One weird thing is that since I grew up with my dad reading to us, I could hear his voice as I read his book.  It only became really weird when I switched to reading something else.

I'm still coming along with "The Scarlet Letter."  I haven't decided what I'll do for my new.  I've got quite a few to choose from, so that's exciting.  Especially because it hasn't happened in a while.

Oh, and I've decided a new hobby is going to the book section of the thrift stores and looking for vintage and antique books.  I've picked up some pretty random ones, including 4 volumes of a 14-volume series about how to raise children.  Based on what I could tell, it was published sometime in the late 1940's.  I've now made it my goal to (a) remember the name of the series and (b) get all of them.

Writing Journal

Okay, I'm not really writing anything new, per se.
Nor am I editing anything I have (or anyone else has) written, either.

I sort of took it upon myself to put together an Easter program, based off of a Sunday School lesson from Easter 2008.  That lesson consisted of our ward's Sunday School teachers taking turns reading from Bruce R. McConkie's final General Conference address, "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane."  The narration was spliced by the class singing hymns about the Atonement.  Unfortunately, Lucy* has my journal entry from that day so I don't even know if I noted all the hymns we sang.

I've been working on it for a couple of weeks.  The other day, I asked our ward music coordinator if she had talked to the bishop about an Easter program; she hadn't, so I shared with her that I was working on something that combined narration and music.  She said she suspects it will be a welcome suggestion. 

Thus far, I have the narration in 12 segments and 11 hymns in use.  I did a dry run the other day, using audio, and found it to be a little long.  So I combined two of the shorter hymns and cut a couple of verses from another.  I've made a few minor cuts to the narration, but it's hard to do that as a trial run as I don't know at what the time marks are for the cuts.  To cut some more of the time, I'm hoping to try what it sounds like with the choir coming in behind the narrator at one point.

To keep things spirited, I've been working on a couple of arrangements for some of the other hymns.  By which I mean changing who sings which lines, not changing the music or the lyrics in the slightest.  I'm really looking forward to hearing how everything sounds outside of my head, even if it's not the same and even if it changes.  Maybe someone from the choir will have an idea of how to better assign parts.

The next big step, which I'm hoping to do this weekend, is to actually decide which hymn goes where.
Once I've got everything set, I'll post it as a page, probably on both this blog and my main blog.  Not only would it make a rather long post (although I seem to be good at making those) but it's also less likely to get lost in the postings.

*(my comatose first generation laptop)

Writing Journal

This isn't so much an update as to what I have (not) been writing.
I haven't even been working on editing Family Lies.

I realized something the other day, about how I write poetry.  Most of it is inspired by people, most often how I feel or what I think about them.  But I don't necessarily write poems about people.  I've found that a lot of my poems are directed to people. 

Think Jim Croce

'Cause every time I tried to tell you
The words just came out wrong
So I'll have to say I love [or hate] you in a song

Reading Journal

A Thousand Bayonets by Joel Mark Harris


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


First of all, I would like to apologize for the time lapse between receiving the book from a goodreads giveaway and providing a review.

This is not my usual genre, but this book was nice. It really grabbed me in the middle, but I had to set it aside for a couple of days and I couldn't remember which "bad guy" was which. Also, I thought the language was a little cruder than it really needed to be. I agree with the other reviewer who mentioned the "John [verb]" formula. This story would have been a lot better had the writing not been so generic.
Even so, I'll probably read it again.

As a side note, Wiltore and Lewis remind me a little of Lassiter and O'Hara from the tv show "Psych."




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I think it may be time to sign up for another goodreads giveaway.  Now that I'm not slated to read anything heavy, like Paradise Lost or the Catechism of the Catholic Church.   I've started reading the book my dad published just before Thanksgiving.  It follows the cinematic career of Linda Blair, the little girl from the Exorcist.  Let's just say I wish he had given me a chance to read it before he sent it off to the publisher....