Another Day of Sun

It's about a month (and a half? Time is weird.)  into the new reading goal, and I don't have too much to report. Who knew those words would ever come out of my mouth? 

So far, I have three books finished. Only three, I mean, unless you count Genesis. Then I have four. It has been slow going, but not terrible. I mean, like I said, my goals are going in a different direction this year. While the reading speed necessarily needs to pick up, my progress bar is moving a lot slower. 

I already mentioned finished LWW last month. I haven't made too much progress with Prince Caspian, though. I imagine that is in part due to picking up library books, TV shows and not loving lugging my giant copy of the series with me everywhere. I picked up a copy of The Pilgrim's Regress (which I have had borrowed from my church library for FAR too long. I should probably just buy a copy at this point. It is embarrassing.) and fell in love with Lewis all over again? How? I'm not sure exactly, but when a man gives seven (7!) different definitions for the word "romanticism," complete with examples and variations, how can you not fall in love?  Have I made it out of the 16-page introduction and into the actual text of the book yet? Not exactly, but oh man. That introduction! 

I have a copy of A Year with C. S. Lewis, select readings from his various works, that I've added to my daily routine. There are times I skim, times I underline, and times I write furiously in the margins in a feeble attempt to understand what he's trying to say. It hit me the other day why Lewis resonates so much with the Christian community. It isn't that he explains the mysteries of the faith; rather, he brings them to a simple form of understanding. He puts things into language that makes you say, "Oh! That's it! I've had that thought too, but that makes so much more sense." Must be why Bantam Books called him "The Most Important Christian Writer Of Our Century" on the cover of The Pilgrim's Regress. I'm sure he would have hated that...

Onto fiction! 
I read The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and loved it...until the very end when I hated it. It's all secret boarding school societies, awkward social interactions, old boys clubs, girls vs boys, etc. A lot of it made me think of Rory at Yale, trying to prove herself (to Yale, to her family, to Paris--even though she is great and wonderful just as she is!), well, I guess almost everyone. I loved the sneakiness of secret society, especially ones that are meant to have been part of the inception of the school. Secret passageways, an old journal full of adventures, and mysterious clues littered around campus? Yes, please! Everything was going great for me until the very last chapter. It...well, it seemed to fall flat? I remember being disappointed by where our main characters ended up. Almost like all the character development achieved through the book had been forgotten, like parts of the Gilmore Girls Revival! (Oops--too soon?) 

The other book I managed to finish last month was my second Fannie Flagg novel, Friend Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. Gracious. It was just as delightful as the first Flagg book I read last year, if not more so. Maybe it is my penchant for nontraditional/non-chronological story-telling, but I absolutely loved that we hear most of the story second hand and through newspaper clippings. It was like going through an old scrapbook. I will be getting my hands on this movie soon. I know I saw it years ago with my mom, but don't remember too much about it. I might have to put a few more of Fanny Flagg's books on my list. She wrote a series? Great. I'm doomed. 

Even with the pace (and goal) considerably reduced, I still managed to be on target for my reading goal. Seriously, no one is more surprised than me! How are you guys doing with your reading lists? Anything let you down hard or completely take you by surprise? 

PS Guys, I'm kind of addicted to the La La Land soundtrack. It is glorious and just the right mix of instrumental music and sing-a-long songs. I have it turned way up today to give me lots of energy to clean. 

New Year, New Goals

Happy 2017 to all my faithful readers! 

Day three of a new year and I've just set my reading goal. It is half of what my goal was last year. As you all know, I didn't meet my goal in 2016. I'm really surprised but totally accepting of this fact, really. My much reduced goal of this year isn't defeat. The biggest reading challenge I had last year was to read the New Testament in a year. I didn't mention it on here. I think I wasn't sure it would happen and I didn't want to publicly fail at one more thing. However, I did it. I made it through. This year, my personal challenge is the Old Testament. That will prove a challenge, as I'll need to at least double the daily reading goal to make it. That goal is more important to me, so I backed off my fiction reading goal. 

Hopefully, even though I'll be reading less (ha. Maybe.), I want to be updating things here a little more. I'm looking to try a few new things so keep your eyes open for that. 

I have officially dubbed this year C. S. Lewis year. It isn't a special anniversary year or anything. During some knitting projects a few weeks ago, I picked up the movies and realized I really did love them. So I picked up my tome of all seven stories and started in with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. To my never ending surprise (and thanks to the old BBC miniseries) I have this book almost memorized and I never realized it. The story is enchanting but simple. I think in my head I built it up over the years, thinking it was rife with allegory and symbolism and high literature things. And while yes, it has those things, it also doesn't. It is good storytelling, plain and simple. I've since finished LWW and moved on to Prince Caspian. This one is a little bit slower reading for me, but still good. With the movie time line fresh in my mind, it is interesting to see what they kept, what they didn't, and what they moved around and adjusted for cinematic effect.  I'm heading to the library today (or sometime this week) to pick up two non-Lewis books. We'll see how that goes. 

I've somehow gotten into the TNT show The Librarians recently. I'm a few episodes in and kinda hanging around to see how it develops. I also just started the second season of Galavant and LOVE IT. It is the comedy I needed to start the new year off properly. There might be more TV reviews in the future if I can't shake this cold that has been lingering for about a week. 

Those are just a few of the things I've got going on this year. What about you? Have you set a reading goal? A different goal, maybe? What you are excited about in the coming year? 

Make it Work Or How I somehow almost caught up to my reading goal

I'm still not quite sure how it happened, but I'm only six books away from my challenge goal. I've been spending a lot of my time knitting and TV watching (Gilmore Girls, Gilmore Girls Revival, The Crown, Parks & Rec). It was wonderful and lovely, but that number of books I still had to read wasn't getting any smaller. Suddenly, my knitting projects were ... done? And I had some time on my hands. I guess I could clean? Bah. Hahaha. Of course not. 

And somehow I made it work. I'll tell you again, like I do every few months, that I'm super done with series. Really, I am. But I mean, I still have one more book from A Song of Ice & Fire, so I might as well finish. I hate that they take me 6 weeks to finish! I love the story and I'm curious to see what he does with his characters next, but man. Six weeks is such a long time. 

Catch up time. I read two graphic novels; Lumberjanes and Adulthood is a Myth. I wasn't thrilled with the new Lumberjanes, but admittedly, I am well beyond the age demographic. Adulthood is a Myth was hilarious...and I finished it in about 10 minutes. It was good, but not laugh out loud good. Also, there is a good chance I've seen 70% of the comics on the internet already. 

A work friend recommended The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend and I was ready to fall in love with it; alas, it wasn't meant to be. It was a real struggle to get into. The premise was darling and caught my attention, but too many characters introduced in too many general ways caused massive confusion on my part. By the end, it finally got good. But by then, it was fairly predictable and honestly, I couldn't tell if I genuinely liked it or was just glad that it was over. 


I listened to How the Marquis got his coat back, a short story by Neil Gaiman that follows up on the Marquis de Carabas from Neverwhere. I listened to the dramatization on BBC Radio 4, so I'm not sure it counts as the whole story, but I'm counting it anyway. 

And that brings November Reads to a close. 
Though we are only 5 days into December, I somehow managed to read four books already. It must be some of that Waverly Magic. In fact, I know it is. I realized I hadn't read the newest Wavery Sister's book by Sarah Addison Allen and it had been quite a few years since I got lost in the world. I read both Garden Spells and First Frost in about a day. She hasn't lost her touch, and I don't think I'm romanticizing the memory of a wonderful read. She weaves such magic into the every day that by the end you want to live in Bascom just so you can maybe run into Sydney (for that hair cut that gives you a perfect day) or attend a catered event by Claire (for a meal that reminds you of only the happiest memories). 

My favorite find over the last few weeks, though, was The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg. Yes, that Fannie Flagg of Fried Green Tomatoes fame. She tells a beautiful story with incredible women. Actually, the more I think about it, stories that involve women primarily. I can count 3-7 men in the entire story, verses the 13+ women that the story is about. I love that. Anyway, the chapters sometimes ended on cliffhangers that kept me from getting any sleep and almost made me late for work because I needed to finish those last few pages!  I'm adding Fried Green Tomatoes to the list (for next year, of course) because I can't imagine it being anything less than glorious. 

I'll end it here. I hope to have another book/TV review for you soon. After that, I'm in the final crunch to maybe try to meet my goal this year. Did you have any last minute book surprises? You know I'm always looking for new recommendations!  With just about three weeks left to the year (!), are you close to meeting your goal? Let me know!

October: In which I'm struggling to meet my goals

Ya'll, I have been trying hard to meet my reading goals for the year. I promise! I accidentally started knitting earlier than usual this year, so that took away some of my prime summer reading time. I also tried a few audiobooks which were really unexpectedly wonderful, but took twice as long as actually reading, so I think that's the other reason I'm so behind. I looked at the stats and think it might be entirely possible that I won't reach my goal this year, and I'm kinda okay with it. Don't get me wrong, I love reading and I love reading more every year. I love having a goal to work toward and love that Goodreads sets up the challenge in the first place. But I end up putting so much pressure on myself to read MORE, and I noticed that this year it's less about good books and just about more books.

Anyway.

I finished a (one. single.) book this week and I thought I'd share. It's a cute little thing called "love in lowercase" and I think I fell in love with the title before I even had a chance to read the blurb on the back. However, upon further examination (and actually finishing the book) I think I fell out of love pretty quickly. It was a translation, so I was completely ready to give it all kinds of slack. I've had a mixed history with translations and now I try to approach them carefully, fully realizing that the translation could be the thing that sucks, rather than the story itself. Like most films of non-American origin, this book left me feeling empty and a little sad. But as Sally Sparrow says, sad is good because it's like happy for deep people. Love in Lowercase made me think about the little things that we do in life, the interactions we have with the people around us. Sometimes, we only hold the door or say hello to our fellow travelers. To the person receiving the gesture, though, it could have been the most human interaction they had in the day, therefore making it very meaningful. And sometimes people we meet by chance have more of an impact on us than the scores of family members and well wishing friends we have in our life daily.

A few years ago, I read  Game of Thrones. I liked the first book a lot, but when I tried to get into the second, I didn't do so well. And then I let my friend borrow it and well...It dropped off my radar. This summer, I needed something to listen to on a long drive. It could be music or...well, maybe I could try that audio book thing. I grabbed Game of Thrones again. I knew it would be long enough and I liked it the first time. Well, I ended up LOVING it. The audio book was done so well that when I finished book 1, I knew I needed to get my hands on book 2. And I was not disappointed. The only drawback is that, while great for vacations, my daily commute is thirty minutes MAX round trip. It took me ages. That, coupled with the fact that the CD player in my car started to get tired, is why when I finished book 2, I reached for a physical brick sized book. On a good day, I could manage about 100 pages. It is still a huge commitment.
And every day I wake up and look at the book on my bedside table I think, "And this is why you swore off (most) series long ago, man." Sigh. I'm fairly committed to finishing now, though. I'm almost 400 pages into book 4 and then I only have one more to get through. I can do that, right?

Sigh.

I have two other books waiting for me (if I ever finish). I finally got my hands on a copy of Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson. I'm maybe 10 pages in and I'm in love. The other is a recommendation from a friend, The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. Fingers crossed I get to at least one of them before the new year.

Tomorrow starts the final two months of the Goodreads challenge. Are you finishing strong? Or did you get stuck like me, not getting a count but determined to finish SOMETHING just the same?
You can do it! (And I mean, remember: there's always next year!)

Here's a book (or two) to skip...

Ever find yourself reading something and you can't quite put your finger on it, but before too long you notice that you don't actually care about the characters? I like to think that I am very careful with the books I read, that I can sense terrible books before I even accidentally pick them up. 

Well. I used to think that. 

I kinda messed up and found myself 133 pages into The Decent Proposal by Kemper Donovan. It wasn't until one morning in late July as I was drinking my coffee that I realized I didn't really care about the story. It was an easy read, as far as I was concerned. But it was the content that didn't really make sense to me. If I can say this without being mobbed, the secondary characters (Mike's dad and Orpheus) felt more well rounded and richer than our two main characters, who felt rather like cardboard cut outs of stereotypical Hollywood producer and lawyer. 

I was tempted to turn to the end just to see what happens. I mean, I can tell you that Richard and Elizabeth probably fall in love after having a gigantic fight (probably about Richard's best female friend OR over a book/movie they disagree about) and everything just "clicks." 
If I cared about this book any more, I would probably go on a rant here about how Elizabeth's colleagues call her "La Máquina" because she is 1) a Latina so her nickname obviously has to reflect that and 2) she logs the most hours of billable time at the law firm. If she was a man, people would congratulate and generally be jealous, but still be cordial. In this novel, she doesn't seem to have any friends and the fact that she excels at her job is a teaseable offense at the office. But I'm not really going to talk about that.
I was very excited to read this book, I promise. But I just can't and won't waste reading time on a book that hasn't captured my interest and feels like a cliche at every turn.  

The other disappointment this summer was Welcome to Night Vale. I am a HUGE fan of this podcast. Seriously, ya'll. If you aren't listening to it, go find it and start. I was in love part way through the very first episode.  I love listening to the dulcet tones of Cecil, Night Vale Radio host, talking about the dog park (which is decidedly not for dogs), the many press conferences of Mayor Pamela Winchell, and the agricultural news from John Peters, you know, the farmer. 
I was thrilled that they were making a physical thing that could be read (since I love to read) but honestly, I was disappointed. Much of the charm of the podcast lies in Cecil Baldwin's exquisite comedic and dramatic timing, painting you pictures that look a certain way (but probably not the way you JUST imagined) and fit in this glorious desert town. I'm strangely proud and excited for the creative team behind this podcast and book. It takes a lot of work to 1) create and 2) create a new thing out of a pre-exisiting thing. I just wished I loved the book as much as the podcast. 

I might have skipped other books this summer. In fact, I'm sure I have. These were the ones I tried the hardest on, though. And honestly, ever since, I've had a hard time finding good books to read. 
Help a girl out?
What are some of your favorite go-to authors? Summer reads? Any time reads? 
(And as a note, we've got 4 more months left in the year! How's your reading challenge coming?)  

First Quarter Check In!

I got this email today and realized that it has been a little while since Ive updated the blog:

Wow! Such a nice surprise, especially since the last time I checked I was too busy singing In the Heights music to get any real reading done!

I got three more Ken Bruen books read. I usually hate series (as we all know) but there is something about the Jack Taylor novels that I can't quite put down. I think some of it might be to see just how much crap Jack can go through and still come out on the other side. He keeps winning, even at great personal cost. I love that he doesn't give up completely, even though he stumbles and loses his way. They keep getting darker, though, and I'm reaching a limit to my threshold for darkness. 

The Nightingale has been on my list for awhile and I finally got my hands on a copy. It was wonderfully written and deeply engrossing. I found myself gross sobbing at the end of it though and have since decided that World War II fiction is not something I can read any more. (Though it did talk about the Vel' d'Hiv round up, which is what Sara's Key was all about, and that small knowledge helped with my understanding of a part of the novel.) I still recommend this book with a whole heart, but I wanted to give you fair warning that you might need a box of tissues. 

I have gotten into some comic books this year, prompted mostly by Nimona. A fabulous tale written and illustrated by Noelle Stevenson, it tells the story of Nimona, a shape shifting wanna-be-side-kick to the villain Lord Ballister Blackheart. Yes I read it in about one evening, but I totally fell in love with the characters and the story. I hope to see more from her! She (with some other lovely people) also wrote Lumberjanes, about an all girl summer camp. I honestly enjoyed Nimona much more, but there are some pretty fabulous characters in Lumberjanes, too. 

I went from light and hilarious to dark and twisty on the comic front. I finally picked up Sandman. Wow. Oh wow. I love it and am terrified of it all at the same time. It isn't so frightening that I can't read it before bed, but all the same I take it in small doses. I've picked up the Absolute edition so it is a giant hulking volume, but then I have about 20 issues on hand so I don't have to constantly be ordering the next issue and numbering and all that. It does however weigh a  solid 6 pounds so it isn't exactly a purse book. That would be the only downfall of the volume. Otherwise, A+ would recommend. Especially if you like being scared out of your mind into the possibility of never being able to sleep again. Good times. 

I've been letting myself watch some TV, even in all of this reading, and have found two shows that I absolutely love. I happened on the ITV Marple and instantly fell in love. It was a show that was both entertaining and engrossing and allowed me to knit if I wanted to. Ideal, I tell you. Of course after watching 3 seasons worth of it, I was itching for the real thing. Luckily, I have a few "collected works" volumes and started with Body in the Library. Agatha Christie was clearly a writer of her time and is evidenced by the phrases and mindsets of her characters. Though maybe not politically correct, her characters are colorful and don't seem to take the fact that they are embroiled in a murder investigation too seriously. And that, I believe, is the golden thread that holds every Agatha Christie murder together. 

And while I'm on TV, guys. GUYS. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. GO WATCH IT.
This delightful series is about Miss Phryne Fisher, lady detective, who solves crime in 1920s Austrailia. She keeps a mother of pearl lock pick in her garter (or tucked in her bra) and a small gold revolver in her handbag. I'm not sure I can convey to you just how much I love this show, but I really do. It was an excellent way to spend part of my birthday week and I highly recommend it. (As a side note, I'm reading the books that the TV show is based on. So far so good. I'll keep you posted.) 

Whew. I'm making a lot of progress on some of my personal reading goals, but I still seem to have so many at home that I don't have time to get to! And, of course, the more I try to read the ones I already have, the more books I see at the library and NEED to check out. The never ending cycle continues. 

How goes your year? Reading, watching, or listening to anything awesome? Let me know!