tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90431466824039830192024-03-13T15:16:21.320-07:00So many book reviews...so little time!
An avid reader reviews whatever catches her fancy!janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.comBlogger283125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-9776793565485763482009-08-08T13:49:00.000-07:002009-08-08T13:52:52.915-07:00Very Bad BloggerI suppose I should just say this blog is on indefinite hiatus. I won't delete it, because I don't want it to be taken over by spammers. Besides, who knows, I might one day pick it up again.<br /><br />If you're curious what I'm up to in Doctor Who fandom, email me at<br />janiejane (dot) books (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll give you my Livejournal info. I don't want to post it here. Full disclosure: it's fanfiction, along with other fannish and real life things. <br /><br />Or you can just email me at the above address if you want to keep in touch.<br /><br />I hope all of you are well, and I hope I can keep in touch with you!janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-46164145809696288612009-02-01T17:58:00.000-08:002009-02-01T18:00:07.135-08:00Bad BloggerSo, I'm a bad blogger, but I'm really trying to improve!<br /><br />There's not much to report - I haven't been doing much reading, but I've been doing a lot of writing. Work is busy, and the courthouse is not immune to budget cuts, so we're waiting to see where the axe will fall.<br /><br />But, in fun news, I just read that Claudia Christian from Babylon 5 will be at Gallifrey One in a couple of weeks. I'm going to be in sci-fi heaven for one whole weekend!janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-61527732764949504382008-12-26T09:11:00.000-08:002008-12-26T09:15:57.060-08:00Happy Holidays!I'm a day late for wishing you Merry Christmas, but I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday (if you celebrate) or a nice day off (if you don't)! I hope 2009 is a much better year for all of us.<br /><br />One of my resolutions is to actually pay attention to this blog again. I miss writing about reading, and I have a pile of books I'm excited about reading.<br /><br />And I keep forgetting to tell you guys this: I'm going to <a href="http://www.gallifreyone.com/gallifrey.php">Gallifrey One</a> in February (Yes, a Doctor Who Convention. No, I couldn't be more of a geek.) But the best part is: David Gerrold is one of the guests! So I can ask him in person where Book 5 of the Chtorr series is!janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-8320589649090416902008-12-08T12:32:00.000-08:002008-12-08T12:37:02.877-08:00Online FriendsI was very sad to learn last week that <a href="http://deweymonster.com/?p=1068">Dewey of The Hidden Side of a Leaf</a> passed away. I only knew her through her blog and mine, but I did consider her a friend, and the news hit me much harder than I expected. <br /><br />And being me, I started thinking. I only found out because her husband posted the news on her blog. If anything were to happen to me, my family doesn't even know I have a blog. So I guess I should include some instructions about online accounts, etc., along with my will (which I haven't written yet either). I know it's not what anyone wants to think about, but there it is.<br /><br />Sorry I don't have a more cheerful post, but I hope all of you are well.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-49937357574384813962008-10-15T19:04:00.001-07:002008-10-15T19:07:45.062-07:00Did you miss me?Wow, I've really been neglecting this poor blog. Work has been keeping me busy, but that's not a very good excuse. I have been catching up on DVDs, and writing (fiction) and reading, but not anything particularly good. I went to the bookstore today, so my TBR pile now includes the following:<br /><br />Dies the Fire - SM Stirling<br />Interred with the Bones - Jennifer Lee Carrell<br />Three Bags Full - Leonie Swann<br />The Demon in the Freezer - Richard Preston<br /><br />Hopefully I'll have an actual review in the next few days! What have you been up to?janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-50216330784743606882008-08-29T14:29:00.001-07:002008-08-29T14:32:34.554-07:00Book purgeI took the day off work today, and decided to finally go through my bookshelves and get rid of some so that I could finally shelve the ones sitting in piles on my floor. I'm glad to say I got rid of a lot, and managed to fit everything onto the bookshelves, but there still isn't room for much more! It feels good to get rid of some old books though, the ones that have been sitting in the giant TBR pile forever. To just say, "You know what, I'm never going to read that," and pass it on to someone who will. Of course, in the process I uncovered some books I forgot I had, that now I want to read/reread. Funny how that happens.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-73640343019065046432008-08-12T13:36:00.000-07:002008-08-12T13:40:18.816-07:00The Unthinkable - Amanda RipleyThe subtitle is "Who Survives when Disaster Strikes and Why." I loved this - devoured it over the weekend, in fact. My minor was sociology, and my major was psychology, so I am always fascinated to figure out why people do the things they do. This researcher interviewed hundreds of disaster survivors, trying to figure out why we react the way we do in emergencies, and why some people survive when others just freeze. The style is not at all dry and academic, and she makes the people she interviewed very vivid. I am one of those who reads the emergency information card on the plane, and I often think what I might do in a particular situation. As a bailiff, we get some training in emergency response in the courtroom, but you still don't know what you would do if something really happened. Highly recommended.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-64078421986101017462008-08-12T13:32:00.000-07:002008-08-12T13:40:40.179-07:00Daughters of the North - Sarah HallThe description from Amazon.com says it is set in a "dystopian, near-future UK." So you know why I had to buy it! I enjoyed this a lot. I liked watching the main character evolve and change over the course of the book. The book is written as if it were reconstructed from tapes, so parts of it are "missing" - forcing us to fill in the blanks. I liked that. It makes you think about what you might do in a similar situation - what does it take to become a freedom fighter?janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-20300771011592828792008-08-08T09:53:00.000-07:002008-08-08T10:06:43.436-07:00MemeI saw this at <a href="http://lightheadedbooks.blogspot.com/2008/08/meme-away.html">Everyday Reads</a>, and thought it looked fun:<br /><br /><strong>Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?</strong><br /><br />I've read for as long as I can remember. I can clearly recall losing myself in books in elementary school. My teacher talked the school librarian into letting me into the "big kids" section while I was still in 1st or 2nd grade. <br /><br /><strong>What are some books you read as a child?</strong><br /><br />Well, I read everything I could get my hands on. Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames, Five Little Peppers, fairy tales, the Boxcar Children. My sister and I would re-enact scenes from the books, and even come up with our own scenarios. I guess it was fanfiction, although we didn't know it at the time.<br /><br /><strong>What is your favorite genre?</strong><br /><br />You guys know the answer to this - Science Fiction. Not fantasy (Harry Potter is the exception).<br /><br /><strong>Do you have a favorite novel?</strong><br /><br />I re-read a lot of books. The Handmaid's Tale, the Chtorr series (David Gerrold), Pride and Prejudice, 1984, Jane Eyre.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Where and when do you usually read?</strong><br /><br />At work during lunch, in the evening while watching TV, and before bed. Anytime I know I'll be waiting. Lately I've been taking a book down to the courtroom to read between hearings.<br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?</strong><br /><br />Yes. In fact I would say almost always. <br /><br /><strong>Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?</strong><br /><br />Only in that I might skip around with the chapters, if the book is set up in a way to make that possible. <br /><br /><strong>Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?</strong><br /><br />I buy most of them, or get them from Paperbackswap, or at the used bookstore. I do try to get them from the library first, but our library is very slow about getting some books, and their sci-fi selection is abysmal.<br /><br /><strong>Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?</strong><br /><br />I keep the ones I like, and either swap them on Paperbackswap or sell them at the used bookstore. Some I pass on to friends. <br /><br /><strong>If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?</strong><br /><br />I don't have children, but my nephew has inherited our childhood book collection, and loves them as much as we did.<br /><br /><strong>What are you reading now?</strong><br /><br />The Godmother - by Carrie Adams<br />On Writing - Stephen King<br /> <br /><br /><strong>Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?</strong><br /><br />No, but I have a pile - well, actually two piles right now - of books to read next.<br /><br /><strong>What’s next?</strong><br /><br />I have one coming from Amazon - "Watching the English." And my sister has one that she'll be passing on to me, but the title escapes me right now. I have a towering pile to be read, but those are the likely next suspects.<br /><br /><strong>What books would you like to reread?</strong><br /><br />I keep thinking I should pick up Dune again.<br /><br /><strong><br />Who are your favorite authors?</strong><br /><br />Connis Willis, David Gerrold, Nancy Kress, Jane Austen.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-88972010967460194282008-08-08T09:48:00.000-07:002008-08-08T09:52:21.132-07:00BTT: Other Worlds<blockquote>Are there any particular worlds in books where you’d like to live?<br /><br />Or where you certainly would NOT want to live?<br /><br />What about authors? If you were a character, who would you trust to write your life</blockquote><br /><br /><br />I think I'd like to at least visit Harry Potter's world. Maybe Jane Austen's, but only if I got to be friends with Elizabeth Bennet or Emma Woodhouse. My real answer is Star Trek, but that didn't start out in books, so that's cheating a bit.<br /><br />I certainly wouldn't want to live in 1984, or the Handmaid's Tale, or most any other dystopia. I like to read them, but I wouldn't want to stay there for long.<br /><br />I would trust Connie Willis or Nancy Kress to write my life, though. It would be interesting, yet real.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-15021489657775116732008-07-24T08:40:00.000-07:002008-07-24T08:41:28.812-07:0021 SF/F books that would be better with "pants" in the titleCourtesy of <a href="http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/005427.html">SF Signal </a>(some of the best ones are in the comments).janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-59784282638466654102008-07-20T10:04:00.001-07:002008-07-20T10:04:54.779-07:00You know I can't resist an 80's music quiz<center><a href=http://www.yetanotherdot.com/asp/80s.html><img src="http://www.yetanotherdot.com/asp/80s3.jpg" border=0></a></center>janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-8039655337584765122008-07-13T10:35:00.000-07:002008-07-13T10:41:48.459-07:00Weekly Geeks #10I'm a day late on this, but I thought it would be fun to answer anyway. Last week's <a href="http://deweymonster.com/?p=843">Weekly Geeks </a>was about magazines. I LOVE magazines. I used to blow my whole allowance as a teenager on magazines: music, fashion, movies, and especially Starlog. I currently subscribe to a lot of magazines, but the ones I truly love and look forward too each issue are:<br />Entertainment Weekly (my sister and I split this, and have for years)<br />Wired (I especially love the "Artifact from the Future" on the back page each month)<br />Harper's<br />The Atlantic<br />The Progressive<br /><br />My guilty pleasures are: Glamour, Allure, and a bunch of travel magazines<br />I also get Newsweek (my sister gets Time, and we swap each week), and the state bar association magazine, plus the ABA magazine.<br /><br />My mom gets Real Simple and Good Housekeeping<br />My sister also gets Consumer Reports<br /><br />We spend a lot of time trading magazines.<br /><br />I love reading them while watching television, or eating lunch at work, or between hearings at work.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-64674177421937076712008-07-07T10:28:00.000-07:002008-07-07T10:30:46.018-07:00Checking inNo, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. I've been enjoying my little break from blogging. I've been reading, catching up on TV, and watching Doctor Who. (Seriously, I think I need an intervention.) We've had lovely, spectacular thunderstorms every night for the past few nights, so the weather is actually bearable. And the three day weekend didn't hurt, either! How was your 4th?janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-82491252514253592332008-06-30T18:14:00.000-07:002008-06-30T18:17:43.426-07:00Blog 180Remember Blog 365? Well, I made it through 6 months, and today I'm throwing in the towel. I'm sure you've noticed the filler: quizzes, one-liners. So I'm abandoning the post-every-darn-day directive, and will now only post when I have something to say. I do hope that will be often! So, my faithful few readers, thanks for sticking with me through the experiment. I hope to be much more entertaining in the future!<br /><br />Currently reading: Worldwired - Elizabeth Bear, and as many sci-fi magazines as I can get my hands on.<br />Currently watching: As much Doctor Who as possible<br />Currently listening to - Alanis Morrisette - Flavours of Entanglementjaniejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-966771714436953802008-06-29T14:45:00.000-07:002008-06-29T14:48:06.748-07:00ReadathonI did not participate in the 24-hour readathon, but congrats to those who did:<br /><a href="http://pagesturned.blogspot.com/">pages turned</a><br /><a href="http://deweymonster.com/">dewey</a><br /><a href="http://1morechapter.com/">3M</a> (<a href="http://deweymonster.com/?page_id=722">also the hostess</a>!)<br />and all the others I don't know! Get some sleep!janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-88923304896677964032008-06-28T08:37:00.000-07:002008-06-28T08:37:00.636-07:00I always come out as INTJ<div align="center"><!--75.76 53.66 65.71 73.33--> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bgcolor="#dddddd"> <tr> <td width="250"> <div align="center"> <font color="black"><b><a href="http://similarminds.com/jung/intj.html">INTJ</a></b> - "Mastermind". Introverted intellectual with a preference for finding certainty. A builder of systems and the applier of theoretical models. 2.1% of total population. </font></div> </td> </tr> </table> <a href="http://similarminds.com/">Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)</a></div>janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-51437611655027126242008-06-27T08:10:00.000-07:002008-06-27T08:14:47.656-07:00Friday's Feast 195<a href="http://fridaysfeast.com/?p=22">Friday's Feast</a> time again:<br /><br /><strong>Appetizer<br /><br />What is the weather like today where you live?</strong><br /><br />Hot and sunny, although there is a chance of a thunderstorm this afternoon. We had one yesterday, which made this morning nice and cool.<br /><br /><strong>Soup<br /><br />On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how career-minded are you?</strong><br /><br />8? I'm still trying to figure out what I want my legal career to look like, so I'm pretty focused right now.<br /><br /><strong>Salad<br /><br />What type of window coverings do you have in your home? Blinds, curtains, shutters, etc.?</strong><br /><br />Curtains in my room and the living room, blinds everywhere else.<br /><br /><strong>Main Course<br /><br />Name something that instantly cheers you up.</strong><br /><br />My nephew!<br /><br /><strong>Dessert<br /><br />How many times do you hit the snooze button on a typical morning?</strong><br /><br />Two or three times. It's a terrible habit - I should just set the alarm later, but I'm always optimistic I'll actually get up early for a change. Plus I like just lying in bed, thinking of what the day might bring.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-15566337270794748352008-06-26T08:17:00.000-07:002008-06-26T08:25:16.865-07:00BTT: Definition<a href="http://btt2.wordpress.com/2008/06/26/definition/">Booking Through Thursday</a> comes through to help my writer's block:<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>What, in your opinion, is the definition of a “reader.” A person who indiscriminately reads everything in sight? A person who reads BOOKS? A person who reads, period, no matter what it is? … Or, more specific? Like the specific person who’s reading something you wrote?</blockquote><br /><br />Well, even those of us who read "anything" do discriminate somewhat. I don't like westerns or mysteries, but will make an occaisional exception based on a friend's recommendation. I do think the definition is broad enough to include lots of things: websites, comic books, manga, etc. Of course, when an authors says "Faithful reader" in the text, they mean you - the person reading it. So in that sense it can be specific. But I think of it as broader - any text counts.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-64458951764352085622008-06-25T18:23:00.000-07:002008-06-25T18:26:21.188-07:00UnmotivatedI don't know what it is about this week, but I just can't get motivated to do anything! I guess I can blame it on the heat. It looks like the rainy season/monsoon will start this week, though, so that should help. It'll be hot and muggy, but at least it might rain a bit to cool things off. I look at my TBR pile and don't feel like starting anything, or finishing anything I've started. I'd rather play around on the internet or watch TV or sleep or eat ice cream or fruit or anything else, I guess. I know it's just a phase, and it will pass soon enough. Maybe I'm trying too hard, making reading a chore instead of an escape.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-768457688812375192008-06-24T18:24:00.001-07:002008-06-24T18:24:26.835-07:00I didn't know the cartoon ones...<a href="http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/v/robot"><img border="0" src="http://www.oneplusyou.com/q/img/badges/robot_pass_my_score_69.jpg" alt="Name That Robot" /></a><br />Created by <a href="http://www.oneplusyou.com">OnePlusYou</a>janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-6323036188263200902008-06-23T19:04:00.000-07:002008-06-23T19:06:36.049-07:00Monday MondayToday was a long, hectic day, so I'm going to unwind by watching the last two episodes of the first season of Doctor Who. And then wait not-so-patiently for the first discs of Season 2 to arrive from Netflix!janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-23079157913983915392008-06-22T12:03:00.000-07:002008-06-22T12:05:50.820-07:00Doctor WhoMy latest TV obsession is Doctor Who - the new incarnation. I've been watching the latest season, mostly because it was on right before Battlestar Galactica, and now am obsessed with catching up. So you can imagine my delight at finding the first season on Netflix's "Watch it now." I watched four episodes yesterday, and that is again my plan for this afternoon. It's 107 outside, so a day inside watching TV on my laptop and sipping lemonade sounds pretty darn good! Enjoy your day!janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-34444847130322968402008-06-21T10:45:00.001-07:002008-06-21T10:46:00.086-07:00Low Maintenance<table width=350 align=center border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE" align=center><br /><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style='color:black; font-size: 14pt;'><br /><strong>What the House Test Says About You</strong><br /></font></td></tr><br /><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><br /><center><img src="http://www.blogthingsimages.com/thehousetest/house.png" height="100" width="100"></center><br /><font color="#000000"><br />You are happy with who you are, and you don't have an inflated sense of self importance. You do your own thing quietly. You don't take up a lot of space.<br /><br /><br /><br />You aren't against being community oriented, but it's not really your thing. You tend to prefer to focus on your family and not the neighborhood around you.<br /><br /><br /><br />You are a calm, contemplative, and smart person. You take ideas very seriously.<br /><br /><br /><br />You look good in a low maintenance sort of way. You do the minimum required to be attractive.<br /><br /><br /><br />You are moved by romance and love. You are optimistic about people, and you love hearing about happy endings.<br /></font></td></tr></table><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/thehousetest/">The House Test</a></div>janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9043146682403983019.post-19763783560412970022008-06-20T12:00:00.000-07:002008-06-20T12:08:45.922-07:00Friday's Feast 194From <a href="http://fridaysfeast.com/">Friday's Feast</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Appetizer<br /><br />If you could live on another continent for 1 year, which one would you choose?</span><br /><br />Australia - it would be different enough to be a bit exotic, yet everyone speaks English.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Soup<br /><br />Which browser do you use to surf the Internet?</span><br />Firefox at home. IT has us locked into IE at work, though - and not even the new version!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Salad<br /><br />On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you know about the history of your country?</span><br /><br />I guess 8? History was always one of my favorite subjects.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Main Course<br /><br />Finish this sentence: Love is…</span><br /><br />Any ending I could come up with is hopelessly cheesy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Dessert<br /><br />Have you ever been in or near a tornado?</span><br /><br />No - we occasionally get a "funnel cloud" during our summer thunderstorms, but never anything real. And we don't have basements here, so I don't know what we would do if we did have a freak tornado.janiejanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01344418655608102325noreply@blogger.com3