Reading/Writing Journal

I have two immediate coworkers.  One has started reading more often, and as such has spread the fire to me and our other coworker.  So far, I've only read one book that they've both read.  It was called "The Woman in the Window."  I enjoyed it well enough, although I don't think I would have chosen it as a book to read on my own.  Like the other gal pals of mine, I found the plot twists surprising, but the writing of the final twist felt a little rushed.  I felt like it could have been written with language that was a little more parallel to the set up. 

The personal resurgence in reading has motivated me to fall back into utilizing my "Something Old, Something New, Something Random, Something True" routine.  The book previously mentioned was published in 2018 and I happened to be rereading The Mill on the Floss.  I next picked up a copy of Ender's Game (a second copy, unbeknownst to myself until I started reading, but it was $1 and my other copy was/is still packed away) and the other night I put away some of my nonfiction books from the boxes from a year ago, so I chose a book my mom got me for my birthday a few years ago.  It's on par with other books my mom has gifted/loaned me: subpar.

Tonight, I have begun to come back to my writing group.  Just in time for Camp NaNo next month.  And, like so many other months, I've got an idea!  I'm going to do some autobiographical humorous stories/essays.  In the next few days, once this flooding news has come down a bit, I'm going to pose a question to my facebook friends and ask which is their favorite of the stories that I tell.  I think.  I may make those decisions on my own.  Perhaps, I should do that, anyway. 

Definitely going to include when my roommate bought a couch and we tried carrying it in the trunk of a car.  Also needing to include the story of my golden birthday turning into a spontaneous moving party for a stranger.  (Well, technically a coworker of one my friends, but she was the only one who knew the person.)  Will need to also include an essay on each of my vehicles: Clarence, the T-bird that my friend backed into in her driveway when she was taking me out to teach me stick shift; Casey the Cutlass, the grandma car I ended up driving around with one and half spinners; Pamela the Pontiac, who went through two timing chains and was paid off on my birthday; Lucille the minivan I bought for $500 on my birthday and drove for three years; LuAnn, my current van that I bought with $100 and my tax return.  That ought to keep me busy enough for the month of April.  I'll need to save something for July and November!

Reading Journal

I set a goal in January to walk sixteen minutes every day this year.  I did that for about two weeks, then I got lazy one day, it got cold the next, I got off work too late, the third day, etc.  The past month or so, though, I have taken to reading walks, wherein I read while walking.  People think it dangerous, but thanks to (marching) band, I have excellent peripheral vision.  I also come to a complete stop a good three or four feet from the road at any intersection busy enough to warrant a sidewalk.  In short, I'm safe about it and can put the book down for the few moments it takes to check for vehicles in all directions or in otherwise unsafe conditions.  It's the only way I can read LotR.  I'm almost done with the second book.

In general, I've been better than I have been in recent years about reading.  However, after I finished Monica Halloway's "Driving With Dead People," I decided to pull my Thomas Hardy anthology off the shelf and read "Far From the Maddening Crowd."  I'm only a couple of pages in, but I just don't think I made the right choice for a second book right now. 

Today, just now, I kind of feel like I've had a bit of a break through in thought.  I wanted to restart my Old, New, Random, True cycling habit, which I fell out of for a while.  Until I got a library card this week.  This means I can read books that have been published in the last three years without having to go to another town to purchase them.  However, I also have what I refer to as my Personal Gospel Library, that is, books and films I own related to theology and Gospel topics, the majority of which are of the LDS faith.  (I couldn't pass up a fifty cent copy of the Apocrypha inscribed to someone who shares my first name, or a manual about Jewish courtship and marriage practices from the 50's/60's.  That kind of thing.)  I have been wanting to read "Jesus the Christ" for years, and finally purchased a copy of it for myself just over two years ago. 

Hence, I have decided that one book will be from my cycle.  (So, the LotR series are counting as my Old.)  The other book will be from my personal Gospel Library, which means I'll be starting on rereading Daughters in My Kingdom, partly because I need a refresher and partly because I'm considering sending a copy to one or both of my sisters.

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.

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

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....

Reading/Writing Journal

So, I looked at the reading list widget over there ------->
for the first time in a long time.  I thought I was okay with starting this year's round of O! Pioneers after I finished Mayor of Casterbridge, but I was wrong.  It was a New that was next up, and I can only count O! Pioneers as either an old or a random.  Flubzies!
Looks like I've got more reading to do than I thought.

Which is okay, since I'm practically an entire day ahead of my lofty NaNo goal.  I didn't want to write on Sundays or Thanksgiving, so I set my daily word count at 2000 a day, rather than the 1666/7 a day set by the "officials."  The goal was to reach 16k by the end of today, and I reached 16,308 last night!

I think I'm starting to plateau, though.

NO!  Don't say that!! 

Just because the story isn't moving as quickly as you'd like, and you've found yourself unable to tell it any way but chronologically, that doesn't mean anything.  Okay, all four MC's have finally met each other, and it's only a matter of time before the connections are made.  Yes, that's the goal for tonight: make the connections, especially between Justin and Candy.  (Last night's work kind of ended with Marcus and Corby.)

Here's a fun little anectdote, now that I'm done talking to myself....
I was dozing off a little between my write-in and a meeting, when I caught myself thinking it was September for some reason.  As soon as I realized it was not September, I wondered why I would think such a thing.  Maybe the weather?  But could it also have been that I had just finished writing about something taking place in September?  I think that might have actually had more to do with it than the weather....

Reading Journal

Well, I finished the first book of 2010 tonight. Yep, I finally finished O Pioneers! A good read, as always. I was a little hesitant to read it tonight, since I was in the middle of the White Mulberry section, and that one is particularly depressing. And I've been of such good spirits lately that I didn't want to lose that. But I pushed through it, anyway. And, boy, am I glad I did! I forgot how much the ending cheers me up. Alexandra's story has always brought a peaceful feeling that I don't get from many other stories. Here's what she says to Carl at the very end of the book. (Not quite the final lines.)

She admits to belonging to the land "now more than ever. You remember what you once said about the graveyard, and the old story writing itself over? Only it is we who write it, with the best we have."
...
"Lou and Oscar can't see those things," said Alexandra suddenly. "Suppose I do will my land to their children, what difference will that make? The land belongs to the future, Carl; that's the way it seems to me. How many of the names on the county clerk's plat will be there in fifty years? I might as well try to will the sunset over there to my brother's children. We come and go, but the land is always here. And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it for a little while."


I finished The Greatest Virtue a while ago. It was commonplace.

I started Tweak, but don't feel comfortable reading that on Sundays. I'm really hoping it picks up, though. I don't know how much more I can take of it. And it better end well, or I'll be mad.

Looking forward to starting Dreams of My Russian Summers. This is one I picked up a few days ago, when Half Price was having a 20% of sale. It's my Random.
List time!!
New: Tweak
Random: Dreams of My Russian Summers
True: Planet of the Umps (tale of Ken Kaiser, the only baseball umpire to make a name for himself)
Old: Catcher in the Rye (I just discovered that I do have a copy of this book, despite thinking otherwise. It's been so long since I read it that I want to see if I still like it.)

Off I go to reading land!!

Reading Journal

Technically, this should be dated for 09-06-18...

I'm fudging my cycle/rules a little bit.

I had no idea how close I was to finishing the Review. I sat down to read some this afternoon (Thursday) and all I had left was a book review (which made me want to read the book) and a couple of poems. There were some art pieces I didn't look too closely at because I just wanted to be finished with it.

I then read a Dilbert book this afternoon as my Random, so the next label on the cycle is another True, but I'm only about 75% finished with A Marvelous Work and a Wonder and would therefore be reading two books from the same category. I said I didn't want to do that because if I can read 3 books in the time it takes me to push through one (I anticipate it most often being a True), then I should stop pushing and put it down. But AMW&W is one that I want to fnish. One problem is that the font is so small, and it's made even smaller every time they block quote scriptures. Which is quite often. There's simply more text in it than there are in the other books I've read since starting.

I'm planning on reading the history book c. 1941 I got at a garage sale as my next True. So, I'll be reading two True at the same time. Although for different reasons, and they're really different genres. I'd consider the garage sale book almost comical.

I haven't decided on my next Old, though. Maybe Pride and Prejudice, since my next New is going to be Pride, Prejudice and Zombies. But I'd feel like I was wasting my time reading that, since I've already read it 2 or 3 times in the past 5 years. You know what; I'm going to the library to check for the Zombie book. I might just pick up another Austen book I haven't read yet. (Like Emma or Persuasion, probably whichever one's shorter or more available.)

Update: I picked up Sense and Sensibility because the library branch I went to only had 2 Austen's available: S&S and Northanger Abbey. I've seen the movie, time to read the book.

In list format, here's my reading rotation:
True 1: AMW&W
True 2: Our Nation's History (c. 1941)
Old: Sense & Sensibility
New: Pride, Prejudice and Zombies

That ought to keep me busy for a while.

*off to read*

Reading Journal: The List

This could be dangerous, but...it's a reading list. My bajillionth one. I actually have a spreadsheet so I can sort it by title, author and category (see list below). There's also a place for me to document the last time I read it. However, said spreadsheet is on Lucy, who is currently in a coma. And since I can't find a spreadsheet program on this computer, the blog gets stuck hosting the list. I try following a memorable pattern; otherwise, I'll get caught reading the same kinds of things for too long. I've done pretty well with this one:

• Something old (classic, something from the canon)



• Something new (less than 3 years)



• Something borrowed, reccomended or random



• Something true (not fiction)

I try to read only one at a time, since I seem to read them faster that way. But every once in a while I sign myself up for something that gets dry or tedious. (10 months for Canterbury Tales, I think.) And by the time it's made me bored with reading in general, I feel I've invested too much time to just abandon it, so I start something else. Another reading rule I have comes at the suggestion of a Reader's Digest article: if it doesn't hold interest after 50 pages, ditch it. (Once you're 50, cut a page for every year. So once you're 60, only read 40 pages.)

Since I have it in mind to read everything filling up my bookcases (excepting textbooks and other general reference) as well as all of the books listed in "The Book of Great Books" by W. John Campbell, I'll save the huff and puff of typing those titles out. And since they pretty much work together filling up the next few rotations of the Old, Random, and True, I guess that just leaves me to go for the New, huh?

New"Freedom Writers"
"Draglines" by Pat Hicks
"Reading History at Lunch" by Chase Hart
"The Greatest Virtue" by Pat Robertson

Next CycleOld: "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
New: "Draglines"
Random: "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card
True: "Six Hours One Friday" by Max Lucado

My goal is to be on the last leg of this cycle by Easter, which is approximately 32 days from now.
Guess I'd better stop blogging and start reading, huh?