Christie's Manifest

I'm up way too late, but I wanted to fit a quick post in as I'm hoping my dedication will revive this lovely bloggy.

I'm still reading The Sun Also Rises. I have a feeling it will take me awhile as I've been keeping busy with other things and staying up too late, which equals being too tired to read when I finally do get in bed.

I hope you all are reading something lovely in between all your other bits of life!

Christie's Top 100

Well hello!

I'm actually reading one of the Top 100 books. #18 to be exact: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.

To be honest, I've kind of had a hard time following it. It's like the sentences are all chopped together and the story is rushed along in short chapters.

Maybe I need to drink in order to really get it.

Ha, we all know that's not going to happen, so I'll just keep enjoying it and trying to understand it as best I can... I hope you all are doing the same with some book or another!

Christie's Top 100 Thursday

Wow, I'm actually going to be reading a book from the Top 100 list!

I haven't started yet, but plan to start tonight or this weekend. Grama gave me a book of four Ernest Hemingway books for Christmas and I'm finally diving in. All four books are on our Top 100 list and I'm going to start at the front with The Sun Also Rises, which is #18 on our list.

I hope everyone else is fitting plenty of reading in, even if you aren't able to share here!

Christie's Finished

I finished Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I got a lot more out of it than I anticipated. I don't want to share too much in case someone else decides to read it, but definitely read the last part (Dr. Jekyll's explanation of the happenings) carefully to get the most from the story and the examination of good verses evil.

I'm reading the last few stories that are included in the same book, but they're short so I'll move on quickly. I'm not sure what I'm going to read next, but a trip to the library is likely in the next week or so.

Happy Reading!

Karen's BACK!

It's been a million years since I posted, but here it goes again! I'm not prepared for a Tuesday post, but I will say that I am re-reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I've been working on it for a while and haven't gotten far, but now that I've settled in I will be better at reading and posting and all that.

Christie's Treasure

From the August 30 devotional in Hope for Each Day: Words of Wisdom and Faith, by Billy Graham:

"We Christians should stand out like sparkling diamonds against a dark velvet background" (p. 265).

Kathy's Manifest

It's a little bit late for tonight but I am going to try to finish "Outlander" this week. I bought the next book in the series weeks ago. Less TV will help.

Christie's Manifest

I am reading the rest of the stories in the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories book.

What are you all reading?

Christie's Manifest

My currently reading book is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The every now and then books still include I Thought It Was Just Me, The Bible, and Designing a Woman's Life.

I'm glad to be back to some regular, before bed reading... though sometimes it's hard to concentrate on a classic, written long ago, when I've had a long, tiring day. But I'm pushing through because really, I love it.

Hope everyone else is enjoying a good book!

Christie's Finished

This was actually finished last week, but while we were on our trip, I read Stop Me by Brenda Novak. It's a crime-fiction/romance novel and it was a fun read for a day at the airport. It got me missing reading quite a bit, so now I'm reading again before bed.

Hopefully everyone else is having time for pleasure reading as well. Post when you can! :)

A wordie from Christie...

Shame as defined for discussion in I Thought it Was Just Me (But it Isnt):

"Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of acceptance and belonging. Women often experience shame when they are entangled in a web of layered, conflicting, and competing social-community expectations. Shame creates feelings of fear, blame, and disconnection" (p. 30).

Cindy's Manifest

Well, I finished reading "The Good Mother" yesterday. That allowed e to try out a couple of easy reads for the remainder of my summer vacation. I have "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows" which was a gift from Brian. That is at the top of the list. I don't really have another at this time, though I might pull out "Gone with the Wind" again. I have only read it a thousand times, but I used it in my "time capsule" for my art and humanities final. It re-peaked my interest, and sometimes it is nice to just enjoy something for the sheer enjoyment, without having to 'get' more knowledge, etc...

Christie's Manifest

I miss reading.

I have done very little of it lately... except for on our vacation when I read a 400+ page book in a day because we got stuck at the airport. I really enjoyed it, even though (or especially because?) the book was a silly crime-fiction/romance novel.

Although I have a bazillion (seriously) other things I want to be doing as well, it's time to put reading back at the top of my list. I'll be continuing with I Thought it Was Just Me and Designing a Woman's Life, plus I'll add something else... though I'm not sure what yet, I'm betting it will probably be fiction... or maybe I'll finally actually start The Greatest Generation Speaks.

So, what are you all reading?

Books? Always one in progress.....

I should be like Mom and keep a book in my purse. You never know when you'll have five minutes to get a few pages in...Still reading Outlander. Paused on the others. Will share later this week about a book I am revisiting--Style Statement. Until then, happy reading!

Christie's Manifest...

Christie is still reading the same book too. I haven't started The Greatest Generation yet. When we go on our trip I'll probably bring a silly summer read for the beach, just in case I have time. Tana also recommended a couple books that I might try to get at the library. I just haven't had the time to read lately, but as much as I love it (and kind of miss it), I think I'll try harder to start up again before bed.

Cindy is Still Reading the same books...

except Patriot Hearts. I tried, but it just wasn't working for me...

Cindy's Current list

1. "The Other Mother" a story of two women, and some dead animals. I think it is some sort of mystery, but it is easy to read and that was what I wanted. :)
2. "Patriot Hearts"- looked like a good read, but it not taking off for me. It is a novel about the Founding Mothers. I may give it another go, later after I get my school stuff done.
3. I am reading my textbooks, which may sound boring, but really is not. This week in my Humanities class we read about art work. Next will be about music. These are things I enjoy very much, and always want to know more about. My social science class is focused on the 1960's and the different movements from that time period. It is all very interesting for me. (By the way this is equal to 4 different books.)
4. I am also reading Ann Rules' book, "the End of the Dream". This is the bedside book for now.

Christie's Finished

I finished reading Succulent Wild Woman. It's been next to my bed for a long time now and I would occasionally read a section or two. I finally finished the last section this week, but will leave it nearby for future browse-throughs. It's a colorful book, full of both serious and light-hearted stories and inspirations about life and especially about the beautiful woman you should fill your life with... not to mention activities you should adventure into every now and then, even if they may make you kind of uncomfortable- like eating dinner with strangers, wearing crazy clothes, and eating mangoes naked (which is actually the title of one of her other books).

It's a fun book, definitely worth a browse through either at the bookstore or to take home with you to enjoy again and again. Though some of it is a little out there, at least to me, a lot of it is inspirational and makes you want to really embrace the unique bits of yourself and have some fun in life.

I'm glad a few people have popped on here this week... maybe there's a revival coming, even if it's only one post a week each!

Cindy's Treasure

From "Fighters For A New World" by Thilo Koch: a book about JFK, RFK, and MLK, their hopes, dreams, and assassinations. (This book was taken out of the library today, and let me tell you I read it in 2 hours, could not put it down. It has been borrowed less than 50 times in 40 years.- Just a little trivia.)

When they killed him in his pity,
When they killed him in his prime...
...They killed him in his kindness,
In their madness, in their blindness,
And they killed him from behind...
-- Herman Melville (written about Abraham Lincoln)

This week's unit in Sociology/ history ha been about these three men and what they stood for. A long time ago, while in art class at Mascoma, I heard MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech. We had to draw our interpretation of it, as I recall. But in the past several weeks, I have found myself drawn over and over to him. In my humanities class, I have written 2 papers on him. I will write a third tonight/ tomorrow morning for this class.
I think I am drawn to him as he strove to live by the Sermon on the Mount. He felt the message there was for all, and that the Declaration of Independence was as well. I wonder if this is the reason I view people as people, and am drawn to doing my best to help, regardless of where they come from. I must say, the words of Melville hit me. I hear them and I think that there s a reason for things that happen, but the blindness of mankind to see what can unify is what destroys us as a whole. It kind of hits us from behind...

Christie's Treasure

"We have to be braver than we think we can be, because God is constantly calling us to be more than we are."
~ Madeleine L'Engle

From Designing a Woman's Life: A Practical Guide to Discovering Your Unique Purpose and Passion, by Judith Couchman.

Bodice Ripper......

I'm still reading "Outlander". A "bodice ripper" set in Scotland. I have trouble giving myself time enough to enjoy the book without falling asleep. I'm also reading "I thought it was me". It's quite a book. I've learned alot. Lately I've bought a bunch of books. It's a sickness. Or maybe a blessing. Yes, it's a blessing!

Cindy's Manifest

I have my textbooks, and the Internet. I occasionally read Living Artfully. I picked up a new Ann Rule book at the thrift shop, and read one of the shorter stories. I have several Anxiety books that I peruse as well. Now that things are quiet in the house, I am finding more time to read. Actually, I even spent some time cleaning up my book shelf in the living room, and the one in my room. The sad thing is I only have 4 books to donate to the thrift shop.
Oh, well, as the saying goes, you can't have enough books...

Christie's Manifest

Hellooooooo!

I'm still reading I Thought It Was Just Me by Brene Brown.

And the Designing a Woman's Life Study Guide by Judith Couchman.

They are both kind of study books, ones that require interactive writing to go along with the reading. As such, I don't really read them regularly. And I'd really like to start reading regularly again. So I think I'm going to add another book to my list. It'll probably be The Greatest Generation Speaks: Letters and Reflections by Tom Brokaw, which I borrowed from Dad this weekend.

What are you all reading, regularly or sporadically?

Yah, Yah, Yah

I am reading a tons of different things. I am taking two new classes, both with interesting texts. Also, I am reading Cape Cod, a book I borrowed from Dad, and Still Waters by Tami Hoag.
I have a ton of books about anxiety and SPD that I am working through as well.
Actually, I love to read, and yet somehow, I just feel that I haven't had enough time to do so....
Go figure, I am home and still have no time.

OKAY! Me too.....

While I did comment on Christie's post about reading the same book she is, I am also reading a novel called "Outlander" by Dianne Garboldon (sp.). It's a time travel historical bodice ripper--perfect for summer days when I am learning how to relax and enjoy life. It's the first in a series. I'll let you know how I like it. So far, so good!

Christie's Manifest

Life has taken over in place of posting here on Family of Reading Nuts, but I thought I'd try to bring some life back to this little old reading blog of ours. If anyone else can join, that'd be grand!

I am reading several different books these days; I guess the main one being I Thought it Was Just Me by Brene Brown. It's about shame and how it affects our lives, how to combat it, and based on her website, I think it will also talk about living an authentic life. I'm really enjoying it so far and think I'll get a lot out of it.

I hope to hear from some others, but with a busy life myself, I'll understand if this blog will have to wait a bit longer for revival.

Yes.

Yes, I am still reading the circus book. I'm really liking it. I don't have anything for treasure trove. It's a tough subject. I guess I could go with a favorite book, but even that is hard to think of on the spot. Well, it's a little random and I haven't read it in a long time, but I think about it a lot because it has so many good quotes in it, but Le Petit Prince is an amazing book. It's ideal to read in French, but of course not for people who don't speak French. It's just a nice, beautiful little story about a little boy who goes on many adventures and comes across different characters who have varying perspectives on life. Here are a few good quotes from it (you may have heard some of them)

J'aime bien les couchers de soleil. Allons voir un coucher de soleil...
("I am very fond of sunsets. Come, let us go look at a sunset...")

Voici mon secret. Il est très simple: on ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux.
("Here is my secret. It is very simple: one sees well only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eyes.")

Ce qui embellit le désert, dit le petit prince, c'est qu'il cache un puits quelque part...
("What makes the desert beautiful," says the little prince, "is that somewhere it hides a well.")

Les enfants seuls savent ce qu'ils cherchent.
("Only children know what they are looking for.")

Monday, no Manifest

I don't have a book in mind for the week even though I have piles of books everywhere, just begging to be read.

Good job, Cindy, finally finishing Intuition. Did you want to celebrate when you got to the end?

I love this blog. Sure wish I had something good to share. No worries. I will eventually!

Karen--still reading the circus book?

Without a book

and time.....
I have to say that right now, I have had to devote so much time to my school work and to paid work, and to taking care of some things at home, that I currently do not have a reading book.
Now, before you go, "Oh, dear." Let me tell you that I spent all of yesterday afternoon reading the last 100 pages of Intuition. I didn't borrow a new one from the library in fear I would finish the required reading. So, I am going to chill a bit, read some magazines, peek at some other books I have on hand, and work my butt off for the next few weeks. It turns out that school and work are both over the same week, and I will take time to read my to my heart's content then!
PS:
Christie where are you going to the beach?

Christie's Manifest

I'm still working on the Trace Adkins' book. I've been filling my time with other things lately and even my before bed reading has been cut back because I've been so tired that I don't really need to read to calm down and prepare for sleep! I'm not complaining, though, because life is good and reading is just part of the mix. I've got a beach trip this upcoming weekend, so I'm sure I'll make up for lost reading time while I'm laying in the sand!

Wordies

1) Shillelagh- A cudgel of oak, blackthorn, or other hardwood; (in Ireland) a heavy club

2) alacrity- Cheerful willingness; eagerness

3) fastidious- Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail

4) cachet- A mark or quality, as of distinction, individuality, or authenticity

Monday, Tuesday, Happy Days

My Monday: I'm reading a new one! It's called The Cricus at the Edge of the Earth by Charles Wilkins. He's a writer who wanted to run away with the circus, so he did, with the purpose of writing a book about it. I'm not very far into it, but I like it so far. I realize the last book I read about the circus was from the point of view of an outsider too, so now I'm thinking I need to find one that was written by someone who lived the circus, whose life was the circus and see the difference.

My Tuesday: I haven't gotten any quotes from the book yet, partly because I forget and don't really look out for them, and I guess nothing has really stood out yet. Also, I can't really think of any favorite books at the moment. I'm at work, so it's hard to concentrate. If I think of anything, I'll add it tomorrow.

Christie's Treasure Trove

From the Introduction of A Personal Stand:

"I stand for personal responsibility and against anything that undermines it. So much of what I see in our country today represents a hell-bent flight from responsibility to victimhoood. From acting on one's convictions to going along just to get along. From making decisions based on moral principles to taking the easy way out. That's not what the United States of America is about, and that's not the legacy our children should inherit."

I have to say I agree. There is too much whining in the United States when really we should be thankful because even in a recession our lives are way better than the lives of people in most of the rest of the world. Sure not everything is peachy, but if you don't like something, don't wait for someone else (especially the government) to fix it. Do something about it yourself. Prayer would be a good start.

Based on Trace's convictions so far, I think I'll enjoy this book and even learn a few things in general and even about myself.

Christie's Manifest

I'm back... I think. Last week flew by and I got to sleep fine, even without my ritual reading before bed. I think I'll get back into it a bit this week though, starting with A Personal Stand: Observations and Opinions from a Freethinking Redneck by Trace Adkins. It will probably be a quick read and then I'm not sure what will be next- probably one of the other books Mom brought me on her and Grama's lovely visit this past weekend! :)

Finished!

Not sure why I didn't do the Thursday one yesterday, but I suspect that when I was doing it I thought it was Wednesday. I don't know. Anyway, I was reading a top 100 yesterday, I was at the very end of Kim. And as a result of having nothing to do at work, I finished it by reading it online. So, FINISHED. yayy! Now on to the next...

Wordy Birdie

I don't have much, but I figured I would at least do something.

1) insalubrious- Not sustaining or promoting health

2) faquir - a Muslim or Hindu mendicant monk who is regarded as a holy man

3) sahib- Used formerly as a form of respectful address for a European man in colonial India

Quote

Overwhelmed...

This is how I am feeling. A bit over my head with responsibility at home, school, and at work. Feeling like my head will explode. Decision made.

I am going to bed.

After all, as Scarlett said"Tomorrow is another day."- Gone With the Wind

Karen's Tuesday

Hey! It's me! I haven't been doing much reading lately, I'm at the tail end of Kim right now and then I think I'll start on the next circus book I have. I'll share about that on Monday if I do actually start it. I'm terrible at paying attention and keeping track of good quotes while I'm reading, so instead I will share a book that I have read that I really liked. I've read a lot this year but I think I will go with The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It is a post-apocalyptic book about a man and his son who are trying to survive the harsh weather as well as the people who you might say did not mentally survive the apocalypse and have become cannibalistic crazies who are also trying to survive and out to get whatever is in their way. It's sort of sad and disturbing and inspiring and moving all at once. It's not for everyone in terms of both content and writing style, but I really enjoyed it. There is actually a movie on it coming out this year. Well, that's my contribution for the day. I'll try to keep up this week.

Monday so soon?

Well, I have to, HAVE TO, finish Intuition. It is getting easier though. All the lab talk is becoming a mystery story, which is good for reading. The difficulty? SUNSHINE!

I had to talk myself into sitting at the patio table to read. I did pull out my "BackHome" magazine to brush up on how to lasagna garden. I created one of those. :) I have to say, I spent more time reading about landscaping with edible plants than I should have. But, hey, it was good reading. :)

I'll have no choice, but to have a finished Friday this week...

Spring Fever?

I didn't get much reading done last week. I'm finding it hard to concentrate. Spring Fever perhaps? I got out Julia Cameron's book "The Write Diet" and re-read a good portion of that. Also skimmed "The Creative Call" and a book about writing family history. (can't remember the name!)

Maybe I will get the Anne Lamott book read this week. Maybe. In the meantime, I'm checking in!

Christie's Manifest

There is nothing to my manifest this Monday. I have no book in mind for this week. I might even take the week off from daily reading to do some other things (Bible study, journaling, and so forth).

Hmm, in case I do that, Happy Reading until next Monday!

Christie's FINALLY finished!

I FINALLY finished Kim! And you know what, at the end I actually "got it." WOO! The end. :)

No top for me

Well, not a book anyway!

Ruth is still reading Wizard of Oz. We see the play on Saturday. Brian and I went last night it was awesome!
Ah, well, back to school.

Christie's Top 100

Hmm, let me guess, still reading Kim?

Wow, you got it!

Haha, I'm finishing it tonight by golly. Really I am!

HA! I have a treasure to share!

Well, a quote anyways. :)

From Intuition, page 137 :

From a description about the character, reading about a boy with photographic memory for mathematical facts:

"Feng had been much intrigued with this story, and ye he thought, how much more interesting it would be to have a photographic memory for faces or for landscapes. How much more valuable to possess perfect recall of the people you love or the most beautiful places you had been."

As I get older, I realize just how much I miss the days when I would remember the details forever....

WOW!

3 out of 5 of us have a post today! (not too late for Sparkie!)

Ruth is still reading the Wizard of Oz. She did reach her goal, and surpassed it last week. She also enjoyed Harry and the Deathly Hallows with me. :)

Me? Wellll, I have no choice. Intuitions is due by next week, and I am only half way through. I am up to my ears in textbook, and other school readings. My mind is boggled, but I will make it through. I do not currently have a 100 book, though I can jump in with Ruth on occasion.

Kathy's Monday Manifest

I don't know that I cracked a book last week. I did go through my pile of books to try and get inspired. I have probably 25 books unread in the bedroom. Not sure if I will ever read even five of them....

Friday night I bought Anne Lamott's book, Grace Eventually-Thoughts on Faith. I've read other books by her including Bird by Bird, which is about writing and Traveling Mercies which is a memoir. Both were really good. Anne Lamott is a professed Christian but has been through some really trying experiences in her life. She writes about it all with insight and a sense of humor. I'm looking forward to the read. It's not a difficult book and not especially long. I'll have it read this week.

Christie's Manifest

Um, I'm still reading Kim. I don't know why I'm struggling to get through it. I WILL finish it before the end of the week though. Then I'm planning on moving onto some non-list books. Not sure which ones yet; that will depend on what I can get at the library.

MIA

I have been soooo busy. It stinks. It means I haven't been reading much and also I haven't been posting. Not much to post anyway, I'm still reading Kim too. I am enjoying it and I am interested to see where it goes and how it ends up. A lot of it is over my head in terms of the cultural references but it is nice to read about such a different culture and learn more about it. I would catch up on the week, but I'm at work so I probably shouldn't. Hopefully next week I'll do better. Looks like I'm not the only one who's been busy anyway...Hope to hear from the rest of you soon too!

Christie's Top 100

I'm STILL reading Kim. Ugh, I really have to finish it up this weekend, this is ridiculous! I guess I've just been busy. But that's a stupid excuse. Reading is grand and I need to make time for it.

Ruth is reading

I just got to chapter 7 in the "Wizard of Oz". Today I am planning to read 2 more chapters. Yesterday I finished reading "The Tin woodman" and the "Cowardly Lion", those two are my favorite chapters so far. The Cowardly Lion is my favorite besides Toto.

CIndy's Manifest and Quote

I feel a little overwhelmed at this time, so many books so little time. :)
I have to, HAVE TO, read Intuition this week. I have about 100 pages of textbook reading to do as well. This is my required reading stuff.
On the side, I started "The Thirteenth Tale" and "Are you Ready?" I don't know how much time I will have to devote to these, but I hope to try. :)
In the CD player is still "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". We only have about 5 of the 17 Cd's left to listen to. Ruth and I enjoyed the story in car on our road trip this past weekend. I know we will be going to the library today, so I will have to peruse for a follow up. I may just ask them to do an inter library loan for the other Harry stories on CD.

Oh, my quote:

"There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, the pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts.

Inside you they work their magic."

This speaks to me about my relationship with books. Through out my life, I have used them as others use drugs. The best books can pull my thoughts from my own life, and whisk me away to another place and time. They show me that others can be in worse shape than I am. I can envision my life without many things, but books are not on that list.

Christie's Manifest

I'm still reading Kim. Slowly but surely I'm making it through. I don't know why I'm struggling with this one... probably because I've been putting lots of other stuff on my plate and haven't given myself much reading time. Hopefully as I get my schedule/routine down better I'll find more time.

One Two Three or how to spend an entire morning at the car dealership

The week flew by. So did my resolve to post on this blog every day. However, today I finally opened "The Thirteenth Tale" and now I can't put it down!! It has already provided me with a quote for Tuesday and a word for Wednesday.

A quote:

"Politeness. Now there's a poor man's virtue if there ever was one. What's so admirable about inoffensiveness, I should like to know. After all it's easily achieved. One needs no particular talent to be polite. On the contrary, being nice is what's left after you've failed at everything else." ~Vida Winter in The Thirteen Tale

(I disagree with her. Of course, I come from a poor family........)

And, a wordie:

amanuesis: (I had never, ever seen this word before in my life) pl. a·man·u·en·ses (-sz) KEY
One who is employed to take dictation or to copy manuscript.

Top 100 Thursday? I am giving up "Where Angels Fear to Tread". Almost done but have to return the book tomorrow. It's already overdue.

Christie's Not Finished

Hello? Is there anyone else out there?

No, I know you all are busy and sometimes can't make it to the computer. But I hope you all have a fabulous holiday weekend... and if you can fit some reading in, then good for you!

I'm not done with Kim, but hopefully I'll get some reading done this afternoon as I have the day off.

Christie's Top 100

I am reading #95 on the Top 100 List, which is Kim by Rudyward Kipling. I think I'm up to Chapter 5. I'm still not as into it as I would like to be, but I am at least learning to ignore the end note indicators and just read through the story.

The main characters, the lama and his disciple (Kim), have been traveling for several days in search of the lama's sacred river. There have been interesting descriptions and lots of talk about a religion and way of life that is, of course, way different than my own. It's interesting and I'm sure as the book goes on it will present passages that are meaningful no matter your religion or your way of life... I just hope I'm paying attention when it does!

Christie's Wordies

From The Beautiful and Damned:

1. maelstrom(s) (237): whirlpool(s)
2. cupidity (238): extreme greed for material wealth
3. sinecure(s) (239): position(s) that require minimal work, but that still give payment
4. hoary (251): ancient; white or gray with age
5. pusillanimous (275): lacking in courage and manly strength and resolution

Christie's Treasure Trove

From Hope for Each Day, which is a daily devotional by Billy Graham:

"God's love did not begin at Calvary. Before the morning stars sang together, before the world was baptized with the first light, before the first blades of tender grass peeped out, God was love" (p. 112, April 5).

Karen's Manifest Monday

Hey y'all. I am technically in between books at the moment. But as of tonight I will be reading Kim by Rudyard Kipling. I just got it from the library today and will probably start it tonight when I go to bed, or if not, definitely tomorrow morning on the way to work.

Kathy's Manifest Monday

For those who follow, you know I am taking a break from Shocking Pink Thread. However, part of the reason is so that I can focus on the other blogs that mean something more to me right now, including this one!

I never started "The Thirteenth Tale" last week. I decided to read "Where Angels Fear to Tread" instead and I'm about halfway through. I expect to finish it today or tomorrow so my book for the next week (or two) will be "The Thirteenth Tale". Christie gave this book to Grama last year for Christmas and I wanted to read it then. It's taken me this long (more than a year!) to get to it.

Cindy asked last week what the book was about so I'm cheating. I went to Amazon and looked at the reviews. This one makes me even more excited to read the book since Gothic romance is one of my favorite genres:

"Vida Winter, England's most famous and reclusive writer, is nearing the end, and before she goes she wants her amazing life story to be recorded for posterity. For this, she engages a lonely young biographer, Margaret Lea, who has a few secrets of her own. When these two forceful women meet, the stage is set for an ever-mounting series of shocking surprises. I've always been a fan of the Gothic style of romantic mystery, and some of my favorite authors are the Brontës, Daphne du Maurier, Mary Stewart, and Robert Goddard. If you share my love of windswept moors, bleak houses and strange families, you're in for a real treat. THE THIRTEENTH TALE is a masterful, deliberately old-fashioned story of secrets, ghosts, sexual obsession, murder, madness--you name it, and it's here. This is a beautiful book. I'm going to give copies to a few friends, and I plan to read it again. The only other books I've actually read twice are GREAT EXPECTATIONS, WUTHERING HEIGHTS, and REBECCA. What else can I say? Enjoy. "

Christie's Manifest Monday

I have moved onto my next Top 100 Book, Kim by Rudyard Kipling. It is apparently about a young man who becomes the chela (disciple) of a Tibetan lama and they are to travel around India to the "Four Holy Places" of Buddhism- where Buddha's faith was created, where he delivered his first sermon, where he died, and where his relics are enshrined.

I had kind of a hard time with the first chapter. The version I have has end notes, and there were lots of end note indicators that I found distracting. I would actually prefer not to know what something is than have the end note thing just about every other word keeping me from being focused on the story. It got better towards the end of the chapter and I'm looking forward to seeing where the two main characters go and what they experience in the rest of the book.

Finished!

I finished Thunderstruck last weekend, just before I started the one I'm on now. It's the second of his books that I've read, and I must agree with Christie and say I liked Devil in the White City better. This one was good and I really like the way he sets up the story within the historical context, but the set-up took about two-thirds of the book before it got to the murder mystery part. It's really interesting how he incorporates the mystery into the history (sounds like a rap) and how the two interact and affect one another. Overall, I would suggest checking out this author, Erik Larson and recommend either of these books.

Christie's Finished

I finished The Beautiful and Damned this afternoon. Something that changed the repetitive nature of the story did happen, though overall it didn't really change the direction of the book. I have to say that this was probably my least favorite Top 100 Book so far and I'm not sure I like how it turned out in the end, although it did have a lot of great descriptive writing. It may have just been the culture of the main characters, which I thought was quite absurd and ridiculous.

I think Karen might read it next and I look forward to seeing what she thinks about it... and anyone else if they decide to read it.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Happy Reading!

Finished Friday- Cindy

So, I finished "Judge and Jury". I have to say that there were several scenes that were pretty disturbing. Overall, it was a typical James Patterson book. Nothing too special, but just enough to my my ride relaxed. :)

I have to say I have actually opened the other two books, and am not planning to send them back to the library quite yet. The Art of Ill Will is a great bathroom book, and I am surprised to find several drawings in there by none other than Dr. Seuss. I was shocked!
The other one is not really an "inviting" book, but it is at least, at this point, a pretty easy read.

I plan to read over the rainy weekend. I have the girls overnight tomorrow night, but I should find some time. I think I may add my own Top 100 to my list, but it will be an old favorite. Tune in on Monday to see if I do or not. :)

This is number 100!

Can you imagine? We've made it to 100 posts already?? Thank you Christie for administering this blog. I've enjoyed it so much.

Since it's Friday, I will say I FINALLY finished Rabbit, Run. I wanted to see if he would run home. I won't spoil it but what a sad story. The characters are so well written and I sympathized with many of them. At first I didn't understand why the book was a Top 100. By the end, I "got it".

The one thing I recognize as I read this blog is I am not as well educated as the rest so I find it difficult to expand my thoughts. Any pointers? It's been more than 3o years since I wrote a book report. LOL!

While I struggle with expressing my thoughts, I am so grateful for the opportunity to expand myself. It's a challenge and I thoroughly appreciate it. Maybe by next week, I will have a brilliant report on my next Top 100 book.

Karen's Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

I'm going to post for the whole week because I don't like being a slacker.

TUESDAY:

There is a quote at the beginning of most of the chapters in the book I'm reading about the circus. I like this one:

"Tomorrow morning the circus will also leave the city, for the gipsy must ever wander on. The rain falls where he rests, the fragrant blossoms and the ozone of the sea woo him, he knows the charm of tender nights when the moon is full, and nights when the storm wind whistles. He knows river valleys and mountain chains, the song of the cuckoo and crickets chirp. Whether the grain be swaying in the breeze or the autumn mist pressing the leaves to the ground, the circus travels on through the world with man and beast, the big tent rises aloft with its steely song, and there is ntohing above the bliss of its roaming save the eternal tented roof of the stars."

WEDNESDAY

josser (n)- in circus slang, an outsider who enters this curiously private and familial world but is neither born nor bred into it
bung (v)- give as a present; make a gift of
enigmatic (adj)- Pertaining to an enigma; Mysterious; Defying description
eradicate (v)- To pull up by the roots; to uproot; To completely destroy; to put an end to; to extirpate

THURSDAY

I'm not reading any top 100 books. Probably next week, though!

Kathy's Top 100

I know, I know. I said I was returning my library books but when I saw how short "Where Angels Fear to Tread" was, I decided to try to sneak it in. I've read the first chapter and I must say, I'm enjoying it. Just the sort of book I like. I need to expand on that thought but no time presently. I do remember seeing the movie "Room with a View" based on another of Forster's novels. I'll let you know my final thoughts next week.

Christie's Top 100 Book

I'm still working on The Beautiful and Damned. I'm a bit over halfway through and I'm kind of ready for it to be over. It seems like a lot of the same stuff keeps happening, although I am definnitely more into it now that I've had time to sit down quietly and read without sleep beckoning me. I'm not really bored with the story line, but I just wish a wrench would get thrown in or something... although that may have just happened in my last bit of reading. We'll see where it goes from here!

And I must say, the way the people live in this book is crazy to me. They party all the time and barely anyone seems to work... and work is typically writing. Sounds like an easy life to me... though all that partying must be tiring and bad for your health. Ha! :)

This was in my Research Methods reading this week. It was part of a discussion about choosing types of research.

parsimony:
1
a: the quality of being careful with money or resources : thrift
b: the quality or state of being stingy
2:
economy in the use of means to an end ; especially : economy of explanation in conformity with Occam's razor

At this point, there are no other words that pop in my mind.

P.S.

I think I've run out of time for my library book. So, I'm going to start "The Thirteenth Tale".

I want to.......really........

I don't know where my head has been lately but I've found it difficult to put my thoughts into words.

I love this blog. I read it every day. I do wish we commented more on each other's posts but I'm not good at it either.

I don't have a word for Wednesday. I do have a report for Finished Friday. I will save it for then!

Cindy and Ruth, I mentioned I loved the Wizard of Oz books when I was growing up. A few years ago, I bought a set of them at a yard sale. If you would like to read another one (one that hasn't been a movie......yet........) please let me know and I will be sure to give them to you to borrow at Easter. Or, at least, look at them.

Christie and Karen--did you read R.L. Stine books?

Christie's Wordies

From The Beautiful and Damned:

1. atavistic (61): habitual or ingrained; tendency to revert to ancestral type; a trait presumed to be that of an ancestor

2. infelicitous (63): inappropriate in application; unhappy or unfortunate

3. mawkish (95): insincerely emotional

4. mountebank (115): a flamboyant deceiver

5. dross (143): impurity; worthless or ordinary

Christie's Treasure Trove

My favorite for the week is from The Beautiful and Damned. I'm not sure why, but I really like this quote. It's a somewhat subtle, though descriptive, way of depicting the falling in love of a man with a woman.

"She was a sun, radiant, growing, gathering light and storing it- then after an eternity pouring it forth in a glance, the fragment of a sentence, to that part of him that cherished all beauty and illusion" (61).

Cindy's Reading

New stuff:
I finished "Look Me in the Eye" on Saturday. So, I needed new books. Luckily, the library had some waiting for me. :) I had requested two that I heard about on NPR, and though I will peruse them, I don't think my brain can focus on the brain food provided there. :) The books are:
"The Art of Ill Will" which is the history of political cartoons, featuring over 200 of them from the colonial period to current day. I struggled with political cartoons in US History, so I thought this might help me to understand them better. Of course, I was on vacation at the time I requested the book... Oh, well.
The other is a parenting book: "Beyond Timeout". I am hoping for more insight to share with parents that are struggling, but who has time to read boring parenting books? Maybe this one will be different, and I will find something to help. :)
I am more focused on reading "Intuition", which is required reading for my Science class. It has a slow story line, and a lot of characters to sort through. I don't know, if it wasn't required, I would likely put it down and move onto something else. I am not much for science lab stuff, and unless there is something else going on, I fear it will be a long book to get through.
Oh, I am close to the end of the "Judge and Jury" audio book, and so picked up "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" to listen to. At least in the car, I will not have much to think about. :)
Besides these, Ruth and I are reading "The Wizard Of Oz". We had a long conversation the other day about Dorthy's shoes. In the book they are silver, and that bothered Ruth because the movie has her in ruby slippers. But, all I could consider is that the movie was the first one in color, and they wanted something to really stand out. Ruth pulled out a book she owned, one of those condensed classics for kids, and showed me that the picture on the front of that book showed the ruby slippers. But, upon investigation, even in her book, Dorothy has silver slippers to wear.
Ah, well, I must go and finish some school stuff. I have a Tuesday Treasure, but will post that later, if I have time. :)

Ruth's Reading

I am reading Goosebumps "The Girl Who Cried Monster" by RL Stine. I chose it because I like Goosebumps books. I had to pick a new chapter book at school and this was the first one I touched, so I am reading it.

Karen's got another new book!

I finally went to the library today, so I have some new reading material. I decided to go for a different subject this time, besides film. I have a couple of top 100 books lined up that Christie has checked out, but I think I'll start with a book I got which is Josser: the Secret Life of a Circus Girl by Nell Stroud. I haven't started it yet, but I am about to. It's the memoir of a girl who ran away with the circus (sound familiar?).

Christie's Manifest Monday

I am still reading The Beautiful and Damned. I got quite a bit read this weekened and will hopefully have the book done by the end of this week. Now that I've had some time to sit down and read without the lure of sleep, I'm enjoying the story quite a bit more. Hopefully I'll stay disciplined this week and keep the TV watching down and the quiet reading time up.

Friday

I've really slacked off this week in terms of posting. Sorry! I'm not going to try to catch up, and all I have for today is that I haven't finished anything. I haven't even touched the Conversations book in a while, and probably will just return it without finishing it, even though I was really enjoying it. I can always go back to it later. I'm still working on Thunderstruck. Hopefully I will finish it by next Friday. Have a good weekend!

Christie's Unfinished Friday

Nope, haven't finished any books this week. Seriously, though, I'm going to try to do a lot of reading this weekend... you know, instead of plopping in front of that stupid television. :)

Happy Reading!

Christie's Top 100

I'm still reading The Beautiful and Damned. I've been really tired in the evenings lately, so I haven't read as much as I'd like before going to bed/sleep. I'm just about through with the second chapter, but I'm moving slowly.

Like I said before, I'm having trouble focusing on the storyline and characters. This could be because of my exhaustion, but I'm really trying harder to pay attention while I read and get as much out of it as I can.

Combined: Top 100 and Wordy

Ruth and I began "The Wizard of Oz". We are up to chapter 3, which has Dorothy starting off on the yellow brick road. It is just not the same with out the squeaky "Follow the Yellow Brick Road' being sung by the munchkins. :) But, it is introducing us to new words, and it is fun!

Words:
cyclone: a storm or system of winds that rotates about a center of low atmospheric pressure, advances at a speed of 20 to 30 miles (about 30 to 50 kilometers) an hour, and often brings heavy rain
gaunt: excessively thin and angular
stern: forbidding or gloomy in appearance
solemn: marked by grave sedateness and earnest sobriety
dismally: showing or causing gloom or depression
sward: a portion of ground covered with grass

These are all from The Wizard of Oz, and looked up in the Merriam- Webster dictionary online.

Wordy

I'm still behind......it's been a busy week. All day long I thought it was Tuesday!

I do have one wordy which I found interesting. In the book Rabbit Run, Harry has to return home to pick up some clothes. One of the items mentioned are "suntans". I wondered, are "suntans" khakis? I googled. And found this article from The New York Times circa 2000. The whole story was about flat front verses pleated front pants. Really, who knew??

From the article: "Looking for a little historical perspective, I asked John Weitz, the 77-year-old designer, about pleats versus flat-front.
''Obviously, it all goes in circles,'' he said. ''The modern-day circle started after the war, when the men came back wearing what are now unfortunately known as chinos but were then called suntans, because they were a tan pant and they were flat.'' Until then, Mr. Weitz continued, ''the only people who wore flat pants were the upper classes. You saw them in Brooks Brothers and the Ivy League. The rest of the country wore great big pleated pants in a rather bad imitation of the Duke of Windsor.''

So, now you know. Aren't you glad?

Christie's Wordies

From The Beautiful and Damned:

1. peripatetic (vi): a person who walks from place to place; travelling especially on foot

2. fillip (xx): bonus; anything that tends to arouse

3. sophistry (4): sophism- a deliberately invalid argument used to deceive

4. esoteric (37): understood only by a chosen few

5. withal (48): however; nevertheless

Christie's Treasure Trove

It's been awhile since I've read it, but my favorite of the week is the book This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. I can't remember a lot of details, but I do know that it made an impact on me when I read it. It's about spiritual warfare that occurs within a small community. It can be kind of a scary read at times, but it is also incredibly moving and inspiring... at least it was for me.

From the back cover: "Not since The Screwtape Letters has there been a novel with as much insight into spiritual warfare and the necessity of prayer. Fast-moving, riveting reading ranking with the best thrillers on the bookshelf." (Hmm, guess I'll be checking out The Screwtape Letters.)

I wouldn't recommend it just yet for the youngest reader of our group, but I think everyone else could probably get something out of it- even if you've already read it.

Cindy is behind too

But, hey, I'll catch up sometime....
In the mean time:
I am reading for fun: "Look Me In the Eye", and listening to "Judge and Jury". (I did not finish "The Last King" but decided the sleepy tale told in soft Scottish brogue was not suitable for driving...)
I like how John Robison describes wanting to fit in to social groups, but never quite making it work. I can not tell how often I mirror that desire.

Judge and Jury is by James Patterson, and I have to say it is nice to have a book that does not require a pen and paper to take notes. :)

I am still reading Intuition, and it will become a school book tomorrow. Which leads me to other school books: "Essentials of Research Methods in Psychology" and "Real Science". I know that text books are not much fun, but they are part of my reading life, so I thought I would add them. :)

Ruth and I will be starting the Wizard of Oz this week. I know it is much different than the movie or the play, and I hope she is not as disappointed as I was the first time I read it. I'll get Ruth caught up here as well, maybe tomorrow...

Still behind.....will I ever catch up??

Happy Tuesday! I am still reading Rabbit Run but now I actually want to finish it to see where the story ends. Rabbit is a confused young man with some crazy family.

No quotes or favorites to mention yet. I'll see if I can think of something and post it later.

Karen's reading something new

I am still working on the Conversations book, though I haven't done much with it in the last week. But I also started Thunderstruck by Erik Larson. I read one of his other books Devil in the White City, which was really good. Christie said this one isn't as good but it was something she had lying around the house so I grabbed it since I haven't been able to get to the library. Hopefully I will this week, though, and maybe will get one of the top 100 books. We'll see. In the meantime, I will stick with what I have.

Christie's Manifest Monday

I am (still) reading The Beautiful and Damned. I didn't get much done over the weekend, but it was worth it because I was visiting with Mom! I'm having a bit of trouble focusing on the story line and it may partly be the format of the book, but it also could just be that I've been a bit scatter brained lately. I'll get into it as things settle down after the awesome, busy weekend!

Christie Finally Finished!

I finished Flags of Our Fathers at the beginning of this week. It was really good and I learned quite a bit. If you're looking to know more about one of the most famous, reprinted photos in the country, definitely check out this book- there may be some facts you think you know that will change after reading. You may also learn, like I did, some things about World War II that you'd never learned before.

I definitely recommend this book, although I know it's not a genre most people are interested in.

And now I'm off to get ready for a day with Mum! I hope everyone has an awesome weekend.

Happy Reading!

Christie's Top 100

Yay, I'm finally reading a Top 100 Book on a Thursday! I haven't actually started the book part yet, I've only read the introductions, because I haven't had much reading time the past few days. But I'm in the process of starting The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Amazingly, they didn't have Rabbit, Run in the library- one copy was checked out and one was "in transit," whatever that means. So I moved on to the next-next Top 100 Book on the list.

Like Mom, I am also glad to see Ruth participating in the blog! I'm glad she and Aunt Cindy found a Top 100 Book to read together... Mom didn't say anything, but she looked up a Top 100 Book list for kids and maybe she could pass that info on to Auntie Cindy? :)

Happy Reading!

Kathy Catches Up

Well, not really. I'm just going to post about today's theme--Top 100. I'm still reading Rabbit, Run by John Updike. If I have enough down time this weekend, I'll finish it though not by tomorrow to report.

Instead I would like to officially welcome Ruth to the blog! There is nothing like reading a good book and I'm so glad she is joining us. I've had a really hectic week or I would have commented on her earlier post. I hope you enjoy Wizard of Oz. Frank Baum wrote several Oz books and I loved every single one of them when I was growing up. Gee, I wonder when they will remake THAT movie?? Or use one of the other books in the series.

I also liked Cindy's idea of keeping notepaper nearby for writing down vocabulary words. I know I see them when I'm reading but then I forget when it's time to post. I think it's because it's been so long since I was a student. Which is another reason why I'm enjoying this blog. I get to hear what others are reading and learn a little something new.

Cindy and Ruth's Top 100 Thursday

Arriving today will be our top 100 book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I have read this before, but it was eons ago, and I think Ruth might enjoy it, especially coupled with cuddling up with her mom and sharing in it together. :)
The bonus: when we are done, we will be going to see the play which will be put on by the high school drama club.

Words words words

~dilettante--A dabbler in an art or a field of knowledge. See Synonyms at amateur.

~dalliance--a trifling away of time, dawdling; amorous toying, flirtation

~magnanimous--generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness; high-minded; noble

Cindy's Wordy Wednesday

I feel pretty dumb this week! Look how many words I had to look up! (Oh and I added a book to my reading list- "Intuition", it is a school book, but a novel, so I thought I would trick myself into reading it for fun.)

From "The Last King of Scotland":
prestidigitation: sleight of hand used in performing magic tricks
I rewound and listened to this at least twice before trying to write it down. What a crazy word for such a simple thing....

From "Intuition":
prurient : marked by or arousing an immoderate or unwholesome interest or desire ; especially : marked by, arousing, or appealing to sexual desire
postdoc : one engaged in postdoctoral study or research
factotums :1 : a person having many diverse activities or responsibilities 2 : a general servant

From "Look Me In The Eye":
actinic: of, relating to, resulting from, or exhibiting chemical charges produced by radiant energy especially in the visible and ultraviolet parts of the spectrum

I use Merriam-Webster Dictionary online for my look ups. That way I can hear the word as well as see it.


I am finding myself with a note paper at hand when sitting to read in the living room. I might normally gloss over words, figuring out what they mean through the storyline. But, then I now have to be more aware, since I want to share with all of you.

Ruth's Wordy Wednesday

Brooch- an ornament that is held by a pin or clasp and is worn at or near the neck
This was in "Leprechauns Don't Play Basketball".

Christie's Wordies

From Flags of Our Fathers:

1. prefecture (133): a way a country divides up land; state or territory

2. obfuscating (224): making obscure or unclear

3. bereft (230): hurt by irreplaceable items and circumstances; pained by the loss of someone

4. bibulous (285): given to or marked by the consumption of alcohol

Christie's Treasure Trove

"You learn there's an awful lot you can do

while having the hell scared out of you."

~Corpsman Langley, from Flags of Our Fathers (p. 159)

I know it's not at all the way he meant it, but when I read this quote I thought about how much more you can accomplish by removing sin ("hell") from your life and replacing it with God. This process can be nearly as scary as what the boys went through at Iwo Jima, although in a totally different way. It's hard to give everything up to God, all the earthly things we are so used to doing and being, but it's amazing what you can do ("an awful lot you can do") once you start to shed sin and follow in the Lord's light.

Ruth is Reading

"Enchanted Tales" by Disney. I got it from Grama. So far, it is just Peter Pan for my favorite. I am a big fan of Peter Pan because I love everything about him. He's kind and helpful and everything else.
At school I am reading "Leprechauns Don't Play Basketball". I just started so I am on page 2. I chose it because it is near St. Patrick's Day and I am Irish.

Karen

I'm still reading the Conversations book. I should have gone to the library today, but I didn't. Maybe Christie has something around that I can read in addition to this because it's going to take a long time to finish. I'm really enjoying it though. I would just like to have something with a story, some nice fiction something or other. We'll see...

Kathy's Manifest Monday

This week I am going on a mini-vacation to Virginia! Yippee!! I'm not planning to start a new book. Instead I am going to finish Rabbit, Run by John Updike. I also need to read Where Angels Fear to Tread because it is due back at the library next week. It's heavy so I don't know if I want to pack it to fly. We'll see!

Welcome back, Cindy!! If you can't get into Midnight's Children, I recommend starting another one of the top 100. I didn't read it either. Good for Christie to finish it. I'll try again another time.

Grama mentioned she is reading Patricia Cornwell's new Scarpetta book. I told her we want to hear about all kinds of books people are reading. Beth told me she was reading "The Shack". I wonder if she finished and how she liked it.......

Christie's Manifest Monday

I am still reading Flags of Our Fathers, but plan to complete it today. I will be taking the next Top 100 book, Rabbit, Run by John Updike, out of the library either today or tomorrow. And because it is not very long, I'll probably also take the next-next Top 100 book out, which is The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

In case I go reading-crazy this next week, which I doubt because I'll have company (YAY!), and finish these two books before the next Manifest Monday, here are some brief descriptions:

Rabbit, Run: It depicts five months in the life of a 26-year-old former high school basketball player named Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, and his attempts to escape the constraints of his life (Wikipedia). Mom also mentioned a bit about this book in her last Manifest Monday, as she's already started it.

The Beautiful and the Damned: It tells the story of Anthony Patch (a 1920s socialite and presumptive heir to a tycoon's fortune), the relationship with his wife Gloria, his service in the army, and alcoholism. The novel provides an excellent portrait of the Eastern elite as the Jazz Age begins its ascent, engulfing all classes into what will soon be known as Cafe Society (Wikipedia).

Cindy's Manifest Monday

I am reading for fun this week. :) No textbooks allowed. :)

I have started "Look Me In The Eye" by John Elder Robinson. He is Augesten Buroughs older brother, and this is his memoir about growing up with Asperger's. He was not diagnosed until he was at least 40, or so his brother says in "Running With Scissors". I am looking forward to reading this book.

Also, I have gotten a new audio book for the week: "The Last King Of Scotland", by Giles Foden. I know this is a movie with Forest Whittaker in it, but I slept through most of it. The back describes how Garrigan becomes the dictator of Uganda's personal physician. If I recall, the man, Garrigan, has a battle within himself over how he is contributing to the brutalness of the dictator. In any case, it is an unabridged version with 11 discs (about 14 hours). I might make it about halfway through this week. :) I don't have a lot of car time allotted, so we will see.

I think I might change my 100 list book. I just cannot seem to get into "Midnight's Children", I am still on page 46. UGH!

Sorry

My Internet has been down all week. I am still reading the same hard copy of what I was reading. Although, I did finish "The Forests of the Night" audio book.
In any case, I will rejoin the group again on Monday. That is one of the nice things about the new format, you can jump in where you are. :)

Me Neither

I haven't finished anything either. Though, as much as I'm sitting around at work today, I bet I could get pretty close. Well, maybe not quite since it is about 700 pages. But still. It's bad enough I am stuck in an office for eight hours. Sitting down. Staring at a computer screen. But to have nothing to do...Oh wait, there is still a whole lot of alphabetizing of files to do...yay! Actually, I really am pretty excited about that. Anyway, this has nothing to do with reading, so I'll go. Have a good weekend!

I'm Not Finished Either

Still working on The Creative Call. And Rabbit, Run. The book was written in the 50's. Maybe John Updike is responsible for some of the confusion of the 60's.....just wondering. This analytical stuff is HARD!

For those of you who live in big places with big libraries, here's a story. I went to borrow Where Angels Fear to Tread but they didn't have it in the library. So, I had to order it through the inter-library loan program. Jeanne Wolfe called and told me it had come and to pick it up. When I went to get the book, she apologized and told me the only way she could get it was in an anthology of Foster's books. So, I'll have to look and see if another one is on the list while I have this big, fat book of stories. I don't think you could get that kind of service everywhere.

Of course, some of you do live near the Library of Congress. I'll bet they have every book you need.........if you could get in there!

Christie's Unfinished Friday

I have not finished Flags of Our Fathers yet, but I am determined to get through it this weekend. Although I'll be celebrating my birthday, I also hope to spend a lot of the weekend relaxing- especially on Sunday.

If I succeed in finishing it, on Monday I'll get to the library to get the next Top 100 Book, which is Rabbit, Run by John Updike.

Happy reading over the weekend!

Thursday

I'm not reading a top 100 either. I'm still working on that film book. It's pretty long, but I think I can handle reading another book on top of that one. So as soon as I get a chance to go to the library I plan on picking the next couple of top 100 books, along with a couple more film related books as well probably. Thanks to unlce Tim for letting me have his library card! I guess I should work on getting my own...

Since this is a boring post, I'll add a little to it. I counted how many books on the top 100 list that I have read (including the two I have just read) and, unless I miscounted, it comes to 14. That is not a lot. But it does include the longest book on the list, as Christie pointed out--Lord of the Rings. Chances are, I will make the eff0rt to read it again, though. I have been meaning to for a while. Anyway, Til tomorrow, happy reading!

Thursday Top 100

I put aside Main Street for now in favor of Rabbit, Run by John Updike. I'm not loving it. What's with these Top 100? Are they all tragic somehow?? I get that Updike wrote descriptively, in such a way that you truly meet Harry Angstrom, the main character. But I can't help but wonder why I would want to.

On the other hand, the book describes a place and time in history. The other day, Mike (Dad) and I argued about the value of reading fiction. I argued that fiction reflects history. Main Street is a reflection of Sinclair Lewis' attitude toward small town America in the early part of the 20th century. John Updike wrestles with the sexual revolution and freedom that creates the culture of the 1960's.

I don't find it particularly appealing but I do get a sense of Rabbit's confusion. I have lots more of Rabbit, Run to read. I AM going to finish it. I'll let you know my final opinion next week.

Christie's Top 100

I am not reading a Top 100 Book again this week, as I'm still reading Flags of Our Fathers. However, I thought I'd share some "fun" facts about the Top 100 List that I figured out when I was bored one day at work... hmm, which is most days at work, haha.

If you were to read all the books, you would read approximately 37,549 pages of text, depending on the book versions (meaning publication date, text size, etc).

The shortest book on the list is (#21) Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, at just 80 pages.

The longest book on the list is (#40) The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, at 1216 pages total. Although it is published as one book, many people know it as being split into three parts. For a book that comes in one huge "chunk," Ayn Rand's (#92) Atlas Shrugged is the next longest at 1200 pages.

The most common page count is 256, with seven books with that number of pages.

I hope you enjoyed these "fun" facts! Happy Reading!

More movie stuff...

These are a couple film terms I had never heard of that keep coming up in my current book:

-rush(aka dailies)--the prints of takes (of the camera footage) from one day's shooting, usually without correction or editing, for examination by the director before the next day's shooting

-test--ok, couldn't find a definition, but they use it in terms of giving an actor a test before they cast them...maybe it has something to do with having them perform a scene on set to see how they do or something...

Christie's Wordies

From Flags of Our Fathers:

* attrition (60): wearing down to weaken or destroy; erosion by fiction

* pugnacious (63): tough and callous by virtue of experience

* atoll (95): island of coral that encircles a lagoon partially or completely

* venerate(d) (105): regard with feelings of respect

* elan (108): spirit; zeal; ardor

Tuesday and Wednesday

I planned to submit my Tuesday quote last night--but my dear husband hogged the computer looking at State Championship photos. I let him. He was so excited!

Here's a quote from The Creative Call:

"It is not for us to question how God will use our gifts. It is instead our responsibility to realize that God gave us our talents to use for a purpose, his purpose, and it's not important that we understand what that purpose is before we start becoming productive artists. What is important is that we accept the talents God gave us, develop them, honor them, use them, and not bury them."

One of the challenges I face is needing to know--somehow--what the purpose is for using my talents. It's been a real stumbling block for me. But, maybe, instead I should just "do it". Enjoy those gifts and let God do His part as he sees fit.

For Wordy Wednesday:

Offering: (noun) something offered in worship or devotion, as to God.

Late Again

And, once again I am late on the posting train. Looks like I'm not the only one who didn't get to it yesterday though. I have no excuse, I'm on the computer all day and night basically. Anyway, I'll make up for it now. This is a quote I found on the train on the way to work from my Conversations book, it is from an interview with Frank Capra who directed films like It's a Wonderful Life and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

"Without an audience, a film is something in a can, something incomplete, like an unread book. It just lies there, dead. Do not underestimate the power and the ability and the intelligence of an audience. A thousand pairs of eyes and ears seem to react to stimuli much faster and smarter than any one pair of eyes and ears. This is what it is all about--the peope-to-people communication from the people on the screen to the people in the audience."

I liked this quote because it is exactly the same thing in theatre. In my Ideas in Performance class that I took last year, we talked a lot about this kind of stuff--mainly, why we do theatre. And among the many answers to that question is the recurring theme of the audience. Without it, there's no point. Capra puts into words the main reason anyone does any type of entertainment, and that is for the audience.

Be back later with my Wednesday post!

Christie's Treasure Trove

My quotes this week are from a book called Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. The book brings inspiration through the discussions between a mentor and his pupil in the last months of the mentor's life. I'm sure there are many more quotes besides these, but these are the ones I wrote down the first time I read the book. I definitely recommend reading this book, as well as The Five People You Meet in Heaven, also by Mitch Albom, for some inspiration on how to live a good life.

The Quotes:

"Without love, we are birds with broken wings."

"The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning."

Monday!

Hey all! I am now reading a book called (deep breath) Conversations with the Great Moviemakers of Hollywood's Golden Age at the American Film Institute by George Stevens Jr. The title pretty much says it all--it's a collection of interviews with filmmakers, including directors, cameramen, writers and producers, who started in film at the beginning or close to it. The conversations are from the 70s and 80s mostly, and they talk a lot about what it was like being in the film business in the early days and how it has changed--for good or, for most of them, bad. It's a really great look into film from the perspective of some of the major innovators and creators from its major formative years. That's it!

Kathy's Monday

Good Monday Morning! I am still reading The Creative Call. I'm about halfway through. It's a terrific book if you want to understand more about God's hand in our creativity. I always have several books I'm "reading". I enjoyed hearing more about Christie's Bible study books. When I have the (spiritual) energy, I read "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. It's a daily devotional that carries a really big punch. I also agree recorded books count. What are you listening to, Cindy?

I am also reading Rabbit, Run by John Updike. I've put Main Street aside for now. As I mentioned last week, I've committed to reading the 100 books during lunch rather than watch Martha Stewart. I'll pick up Where Angels Fear to Tread from the library later this week.

Do we all have stacks of books to read?

Christie's Manifest Monday

I am still reading Flags of Our Fathers. I didn't get as much read this weekend as I had hoped to, but I am through the first two chapters- which means I've learned about the flagraisers and how they grew up and also a bit about Japan's role in the war and why we went there to fight. I've already learned some new things and really look forward to learning more.

Because it is reading, I will mention that I'm also reading the Bible. I'm using Max Lucado's Inspriational Study Bible and am trying to read it at least once a week, normally on Sundays. In addition to that, I'm reading Designing a Woman's Life, by Judith Couchman, which is a devotional/Bible study guide. The study guide is really great and makes me want to read the Bible more and more; I'm really enjoying it. And I might as well add the Billy Graham Daily Devotional as well, because I read from that, well, daily. :)

As I've exemplified in the above paragraph, it's okay to share all the things you're reading- even if you aren't reading them everyday. You don't necessarily have to give details, but it's cool to see all the stuff that makes up your reading during the week.

In relation, and in response to Aunt Cindy, I think it's definitely okay to share any books on tape/CD that you are listening to. It may not have pages, but it's like a book for busy people and I think it should count!

Cindy's Not Finished

But, I am getting there.

Hey, does a book on CD count for reading? Just curious, because if so, I should probably add the one I have in the car, although it is in the car, and other than "Forest" I can not recall the title... But, I will be done that one by next week. Oh, and I am about half way though "Running With Scissors" and got another couple of pages done in "Midnight's Children". My classes will be done on Wednesday, so you can be sure there will be some "fun" reading happening. :) I kind of can not wait for summer, and pulling out my lounge chair, grabbing some water, and a good book!

But until then, I am not finished anything yet.

Reading Machine

I wish I could tally up the number of books I have read since January, because it's a little insane. But in a good way, of course. I worked all day yesterday so I didn't post, but I will now. What was it? Top 100 books. I'm with Christie, the last one I read was Where Angels Fear to Tread. No more explanation there.

Finished Fridays...I finished the book I mentioned earlier that I was reading, which was The Secret Language of Film by Jean-Claude Carriere. I finished that last night. It was interesting, and started two conversations with strangers on the metro. One guy saw it and asked if I knew anything about the film festival in DC that started on Wendesday. And another saw it and just went off on how it looks like an interesting book and he write about the arts and this and that and do I know about the American Film Institute etc. Which actually ended well because he told me that there was an AFI based in Silver Spring, Maryland, which I did not know. I've been trying to find out more about film in the area, but couldn't find much of use, so that is really good to know. Anyway, this is totally off the subject, so I'll leave it at that. Happy reading!

Finished Friday for Kathy

Like Christie, I haven't finished any book this week but I have become more aware of the books I am reading. I'm about half way through Creative Call. This book requires alot of contemplation. I'm using it during my journaling/meditative time in the morning. I also read more of Main Street as I planned during lunch yesterday. Maybe next week I'll conquer it!

I really like this new format. Thanks to everyone who contributed this week! Maybe we will have new readers soon!

Christie's Finished Friday

I didn't finish any books this week, but I'm hoping to make good headway on Flags of Our Fathers this weekend. "See" you all on Monday!

Happy Reading!

Midnight's Children

I'm still reading this top 100 book. I wish I could say I have more time to actually read. I am at page 44, and I moved the book back to the car. Unfortunately, I am also listening to a book on CD, and so I forgot that I wanted to read this top 100.
Maybe next week, I will have made progress. :)

Main Street

I haven't given up reading this book. I am just struggling with finding time to read it! This morning I decided I would commit my lunch break to reading the Top 100 instead of watching Martha Stewart.

Part of the challenge for me is I am not a lover of the main character, Carol. I think she represents the worst of college educated people who come to small towns and then peer down their noses at the society they are trying to integrate into. She reminds me of the "flatlanders" that come to Vermont and want to change what is here to their liking rather than embrace the positive qualities that already exist.

I read the introduction on the copy of the book that I have so it helped me to understand Sinclair Lewis and his message of the time. I'll finish the book soon. Maybe I will get a better sense of its message as I read further on.

Top 100 Books

I don't think any of us are actively reading a Top 100 Book right now, so either skip today or share about one you have read in full or even just in part.

The most recent Top 100 Book I've read, and finished, was Where Angels Fear to Tread, by E. M. Forster. It was quite a quick read and the fast-pace begins the moment you start the book. It jumps right into the story line and moves quickly from there to the end.

It's about an English woman whose husband dies and so she travels with a friend to Italy to get away. Her husband's family is very snooty, and I came under the impression that she needed a break. While she's there she meets and Italian man, who is not very high in society, and decides to marry him. They talk about loving each other, that that's why they marry, but I think each of them have different reasons than that.

If you want to knock a Top 100 Book of the list, this is certainly a quick read. But be careful not to read too fast or you might miss some of the deeper stuff that is definitely present, though not visible to the skimming eye.

Catch-up

So, I don't want to break the rules or anything, but since I didn't post yesterday, I'm going to share quickly a couple books I have read lately that I really enjoyed. There is an author named Malcolm Gladwell and I just read two of his books: The Tipping Point and Outliers. His third one is called Blink and I would really like to read that at some point too. They are really interesting, and I don't want to really get into it now, but you should definitely check them out.

Now for today's subject. Actually, I will tie in my previous book recommendations with this part. Malcolm Gladwell defines the following as such:

tipping point: "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point."
outlier: (roughly) people who do not fit into our normal understanding of achievement

That gives you a vague idea of what the books are about, but basically he goes into detail, in the first one, about how a small thing can set off a huge trend or social/economic/etc. "virus" as he refers to it. The second is about the different natures of people and how we all function contribute differently to society. A lot of cool research and studies involved.

Christie's Word for Wednesday

From Where Angels Fear to Tread:

curate: a person authorized to conduct religious worship
fatuous: devoid of intelligence; obnoxiously stupid

From Flags of Our Fathers:

burgher: a member of the middle class

cindy- word #1

From my Child and Adolescent Psychology text in reference to how parents find themselves adjusting their parenting style during their child's teen years.:

egalitarian -
asserting, resulting from, or characterized by belief in the equality of all people, esp. in political, economic, or social life.

Compliments of Dictionary.com

Kathy's Treasure Trove

Even though this post is very late on Tuesday, I knew immediately what quote I would use to share today. It is from the book "Gift From the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The book is filled with memorable quotes but I wrote this one down when I first read the book several years ago.

"To ask how little, not how much, can I get along with. To say--is it necessary?"

Anne Morrow Lindbergh left her husband and children at home to take some time by herself to write at a beach house. She reflected on being a woman, wife, and mother in a book that has become a classic. When I read this quote, my mind was transformed. How little can I get along with? The older I get, the more pared down I become in my desires. I ask myself more often if something is really worthy of my time and energy.

Cindy's treasure trove #1

Ah, quotes from a book...
Hmmm, will I recall a good one?
Let me try...

If I must choose one, this week, it would be from "Running With Scissors". Int he first few pages, the author, Augusten Buroughs, is recalling a time when his mother is dressing up and going out. She has on high heels and he says "...it's like she borrowed some other lady's feet."

Now, i know that is a weird quote to consider, but you must realize that around here shoes make a difference in our day to day life. Going with out them is something that I recall even when we lived in Enfield and Dad would try to tell me I would get worms from going into the barn without them. Or when I would run out to the mailbox, even with snow on the ground. It made me recall days of Alice trying to get me to understand how expensive socks are (when you must by them for 9 people), and brought to current life when I try to tell Ruth the same.
I know that if I put my shoes on, Sam gets excited. the other day, Debra noticed I had a pair on and asked me where I was going.

I guess for me, the idea of wearing shoes is the idea of conforming. For Deidre, the mother, I wonder if it was the same. That she should wear a certain item to try to signify what she was doing, and where she was going. Sometimes, in life we must conform to a certain standard, whether we care to keep it long term.
It makes me consider this: when I choose my shoes, I have very specific ideas about them. they have to feel a certain way on my feet, they should be just enough to show I care about myself, and yet they need to be practical and comfortable.
If I am wearing shoes that do not show who I am, then it would I appear I an "borrowing some other lady's feet".
Did that make sense?

Christie's Treasure Trove

I just finished Where Angels Fear to Tread this past Sunday and this was a quote from the book that I liked and wrote down:

"... human love and love of truth sometimes

conquer where love of beauty fails."

I like it because, to me, it says that loving something beautiful in appearance is not always (and probably rarely) the way to go. You have to love a little deeper- find the things that make us human, that make us real and sincere.

The Secret Language of Film

Hey! Technically it's Tuesday now, but only just. And I do want to participate in this new format, so I'll just give a quick post. I am currently reading a book called The Secret Language of Film by Jean Claude Carriere, who is a writer/playwright/screenwriter. Basically the book is a look into Carriere's extensive opinions and insights about modern film and how it has evolved and adapted since its emergence in the early 20th century. So far it seems to be a pretty negative view on film today in terms of the techniques being used and the approach to telling stories on screen. It is interesting, but so far it has been a lot about how unrealistic film is, though I can't quite get the feel of whether or not he is complaining about that or just stating the fact. He is making a lot of observations that most people notice about movies, but he also makes connections and conclusions about various things that I would never have thought of. What is nice is that he has made references to things that I never would have known about except that I took an International Cinema class last year, which I wasn't crazy about but it is nice that I have some basic knowledge of some of the things he is talking about. I am really hoping to expand my knowledge about film in as many ways as possible and I have another book about it lined up to read next. It is something I am so interested in, but have very little knowledge about and am going to really try to get more familiar with the prominent players in film as well as the history and the process. That's it! Glad to see what everyone else is reading and I look forward to seeing what you all have to post for the rest of the week.

Kathy is reading "The Creative Call"

I've read "The Creative Call" by Janice Elsheimer before but I am working on it again. The author's website describes the book this way:


"Many of us long to live more creativity— to use our God-given talents— but don’t know how to begin. We know we’re missing out on an important part of who we are meant to be by not practicing our art, but our lives seem too busy and exhausting to make room for any kind of artistic practice. By seeing our gifts as a spiritual connection to God, and by looking at the practice of those gifts as part of our spiritual growth, we can make the time to become the more creative people we were born to be." (www.jelsheimer.com)

As my job has become more stressful, I have become more keenly aware of my need and desire to take on the creative life I believe God has intended for me. "The Creative Call" is this Christian author's response to "The Artist Way" by Julia Cameron.

Cindy's First Manifest Monday

I suppose I could post about the wonder textbooks that I HAVE to read, but I won't. :)

I might post about the several books I am reading to increase my success as a Home Visitor. Nah.

I could post that I am reading, slowly, but surely, my way through Midnight's Children. But, I won't.

This is my current favorite reading book:

My last book of the summer was "Wolf at the Table", which was also written by Augesten Burroughs. It captured me.

I guess I knew he had other books, but didn't take the time to find them. Then, last week, I was reading one of my favorite blogs, and this guy's brother was highlighted. Then, of course, I went and read the brother's blog. Long story short, I realized that I was missing out on this book, and wanted to check it out. So, I did, from the library. :)

This is a memoir about a boy's life with a crazy mother, and how he copes with her crazy psychiatrist. The writing style is easy to read, even when the content is not. The author describes his thoughts and the fine details of his memories. Things like certain smells, and behaviors that made him feel "normal".

I guess there is a movie by the same title. I may check it out sometime. But, for now, I should get some more school stuff done so I can read my book this afternoon.

Christie's Manifest Monday

Today I am going to start Flags of Our Fathers. (I finished Where Angels Fear to Tread over the weekend).

Flags of Our Fathers was written by James Bradley, with assistance from Ron Powers. It delineates the lives of the six men who raised the flag at Iwo Jima from the time they enlisted in the military to the time they raised the flag, and all the struggle in between.

James Bradley is the son of John Bradley, who was one of the six who raised the flag. John Bradley had kept many mementos, such as photographs and letters, from the war and his son used these documents to create this tribute.

This book was recommended to me by several people and I'm looking forward to learning more about the truth behind the flag raising at Iwo Jima, which because of that famous photograph has become of the most memorable moments in war history.

New Format: Details

I've come up with the new format. Below are the details.

The blog will be split into different categories for each day as seen below:

Manifest Mondays: What are you reading this week? Share the book title, author, and a brief description of the book you are currently reading.

Treasure Trove Tuesdays: Share with us a favorite quote or favorite description from the book you're currently reading or from a book you've read in the past. OR share with us the title, author, and a brief description of a favorite book- including why you liked it, but without giving away the story!

Wordy Wednesdays: Share with us a vocabulary word with definition.

Top 100 Thursdays: If you are reading a Top 100 book, share with us which one, how far you are, and what you think so far without giving anything away in case others aren't as far along as you are!

Finished Fridays: Did you finish any books this week? What was the title, who was the author, did you like it, do you recommend it or not and why?

I will wait to start this format until this upcoming Monday, March 2. This will give you an opportunity to comment on the post below letting me know if you'd like to be an author.

I'll put these topics above the posting space as a reminder for what we'll be posting about each day.

In the meantime, happy reading!