the dead and the gone - Susan Beth Pfeffer

Since our cable was out, I had nothing better to do than read! I got this in the mail yesterday, and finished it already. This is the sequel/companion to Life As We Knew It, and I was not disappointed. This recounts the same events as they unfolded in New York City: an asteroid has knocked the moon out of its normal orbit, with disastrous consequences. This one again made me hungry, because of the fixation on food, and it made me want to go out and start stockpiling in case of emergency. The characters were just as interesting, and I thought even more realistic. There's a rumor that a third book is in the works, and I do hope that is true!

Our cable is still out, and they won't send a technician until Sunday, so I'll be scheduling a few posts (I came in early to post from work today.)

Technology

Our cable has been out all day - no TV and no internet has made me very cranky. I've resorted to my old Juno dial up. Now I remember why we spend so much on the cable internet!

More vacation pictures

Pictures

I promised some pictures from the wedding and trip. I went to law school with the groom; he was the first person I talked to at orientation. There were a few others from law school there, as well as his friends from university, high school, and even one from 3rd grade! His bride is Indian, and her whole family was there. He is not Indian, but the celebrant made us all feel very welcome, and explained all of the parts of the elaborate and beautiful ceremony. We had some great Indian food, and danced the night away! Here are some pictures from the wedding:

Home again

I'm home from my whirlwind vacation, and I'm exhausted! It was fun, but not relaxing. The wedding was beautiful, the reception was fun, Disney was fun, and the trip home was uneventful. The trip there was a bit of an ordeal...but all of the stories will have to wait until tomorrow. I'll try to put up some pictures this week, too.

I should be in Disney World when you read this...

Your Inner Child Is Happy

You see life as simple, and simple is a very good thing. You're cheerful and upbeat, taking everything as it comes. And you decide not to worry, even when things look bad. You figure there's just so many great things to look forward to.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Mmmm, pie...

You Are Mud Pie

You're the perfect combo of flavor and depth. You are overpowering and dominant - and that's what people like about you. You bring energy and a new direction to most interactions. People crave you in a serious way. You're that important to them. Those who like you give into their impulses. You don't represent reason. You represent pure temptation. People get addicted to you rather easily. You offer people a dark side that is very hard to resist.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Friday travelling

Your Travel Personality Is: Easygoing

When you travel, you're looking for a lot of downtime. Vacations are your chance to recoup. All you need is a scenic spot and plenty of time on your hands. You'll figure out the rest. You're not one to make lots of plans when you travel. You just follow whatever path seems right.

What's Your Travel Personality?

BTT: Books vs. Movies

Books and films both tell stories, but what we want from a book can be different from what we want from a movie. Is this true for you? If so, what’s the difference between a book and a movie?

I love movies. I love what can be done in a visual medium in seconds what can take pages of print to do. I want movies to entertain, to transport me to another time or place, and sometimes to be thought-provoking. I do like action movies: I like to see things blow up or crash into each other. I do prefer a plot to go along with it.

I do like seeing movies that have been adapted from books, as long as they have tried to stay faithful to the original. I do like to see "based on the book..." at the beginning of a movie, because it makes it more likely there will be a coherent plot. Books adapted from movies, on the other hand, are generally unreadable. I think "Star Wars" and the first Star Trek movie are the exceptions to this. What works on screen can seem wooden or fake on the page.

Travel blogging

Because I made the mistake of signing up for Blog 365, I'm faced with a dilemma of what to do over my vacation. I'm not taking my laptop with me, and I don't have a blackberry (yet), so I'll be keeping a paper-and-pen travel journal which I'll post when I get back. I'll also try Blogger's new "future post" feature. If I manage to log on at the hotel (they advertise a "cybercafe" then I will post on the fly. I guess I really should pack...

Hammered- Elizabeth Bear

I don't remember where I read about this series (there are two more books following this one, and one can only hope for more after that), but I'm very glad I picked it up. The first book is really a set-up for what will come next, but it was an enjoyable read. The character of Jenny Casey is one of the most interesting I've encountered lately, so I look forward to reading more of her adventures. This is set in the near future Earth, where things have gone pretty wrong. Canada is a superpower, racing with China to build the first starship. Jenny Casey is just a soldier, but one who has already been "enhanced" with implants. This makes her special, and entangles her in the Canadian government plans. There are a few side plots that all converge at the end, and a few other interesting characters. I'm planning to take the next two in the series along on my trip. (They are mass market paperbacks, so fit my traveling criteria!)

It's 100 degrees, and San Diego is looking good right now..

You Should Spend Your Summer at the Beach

You're a free spirit who is always thinking of new ways to have fun. And you don't just love summer... you live for it. So, you really should blow off your responsibilities and head to the beach!

Where Should You Spend Your Summer?

Not-so-lazy Sunday

I had hoped to have some time to sit and read today, but I've spent the day running around getting last-minute stuff for my trip, and cleaning. And trying to decide what reading material to take with me, of course. And debating the merits of various combinations of suitcases and carryons. And which slip to wear with the dress, and whether the shoes are too noisy (they are!), etc. Plus, I think it hit 100 for the first time today. If not today, then tomorrow for sure. That means ice cream!

Saturday Quiz

Your Personality at 35,000 Says...

Deep down, you vastly prefer being with others to being alone. You love to engage people in conversation. You are finding your place in the world, but you still feel overwhelmed. There's a lot of choices out there! Your gift is having a way with words. You know how to express yourself well. You are inspired by freedom. Whenever you are able to do what you want, good things happen. You are happy as long as you are given some personal space. It's important for you to have your own private life.

The Personality Test at 35,000 Feet

This one is not very close to the mark, but I thought it was appropriate because I'm spending this weekend getting ready for my trip next weekend! This time next week I'll be in Orlando!

Friday's Feast

It's Friday again:

Appetizer

What is the nearest big city to your home?

Phoenix, I guess.

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

I think an 8 or 9 - If I tell anyone, it's my sister. I'm pretty good not telling anyone, though.

Salad

Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

I have chin-length, brown-with-highlights, bobbed hair. It's stick straight and very fine, so I spend a lot of time trying to put some volume in it. I like the cut and color I have right now, though.

Main Course

What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

I'm a cautious driver, although I can get impatient with other drivers. I hate driving in traffic.

Dessert

When was the last time you had a really bad week?

I guess the week before the bar exam. I was so stressed and tired, and it just seemed like it would never end.

BTT: Manual Labor Redux

From Booking through Thursday:

Scenario: You’ve just bought some complicated gadget home . . . do you read the accompanying documentation? Or not?

Do you ever read manuals?

How-to books?

Self-help guides?

Anything at all?

Some things I read the manual first, but usually I only resort to reading the manual if I can't figure it out by trial and error. Or if something stops working. As for how-to books, I don't often read those. I went through a cookbook phase for a while, but that didn't last long. I rarely read self-help books, except for career-improvement ones (another phase a while ago).

I'm surprised this number isn't higher, actually.

You Are 68% Nerdy

You are a pretty big nerd, and you're getting nerdier every day. Don't worry if you don't have friends... there's always robots.

How Nerdy Are You?

Weekly Geeks #3

The theme for this week is fond memories of childhood books. I have said before that I don't remember not being able to read. My childhood was full of books, both at home and from regular trips to the library. My favorites are so numerous that I am sure to omit something important: Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames, The Boxcar Children, The Five Little Peppers, the Happy Hollisters, Hardy Boys. My sister and I would read these, then would re-enact key scenes, or invent new stories (I guess it was fan fiction!). We often had to invent new characters because there was only one girl character in the book, but we managed. We also loved to play library: we catalogued our books, made library cards, and "checked out" books to each other, with due dates. My dad was a librarian, so we had the old date stamps and sometimes the real catalog cards to work with. Books were our escape from our small town, and a window to the world. They were our entertainment, and also provided our common ground.

Snakes on a Plane?

Well, at work anyway. One of the other bailiffs (a few cubicles from me) found a baby snake under his desk today. At first we thought it was one of these, but it was actually one of these. Naturally, every conversation for the rest of the day started out with "Did you see the snake?" And we are on the lookout for any siblings. And the most common question was, "How did it get upstairs?" (My theory: elevator.)

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! I baked a cake and made homemade frosting for my mom and sister - with help from my nephew. He tried to help crack the eggs, and ended up with the whole shell in the bowl, and the egg all over the counter. We laughed!

Mom and I went out for lunch, and then shopping at Target - a pretty good day!

Lazy Saturday Quiz

Your Power Level is: 72%

You're a very powerful person, and you know that all of your power comes from within. Keep on doing what you're doing, and you'll reach your goals.

How Powerful Are You?

Fridays Feast

Appetizer

When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?

 

Generally yes, unless I think they are trying to manipulate me with the smile.  I tend to smile a lot anyway, whether or not someone else smiles first.

 

Soup

Describe the flooring in your home.  Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?

 

We have carpet in the bedrooms and living room, ceramic tile in the bathrooms, but wood laminate everywhere else. 

 

Salad

Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.

 

Jingling jellybeans just jump joyfully.  (You didn't say it had to make sense!)

 

Main Course

Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?

 

My high school boyfriend was adopted.  It was never a big deal.

 

Dessert

Name 2 blue things.

 

The sky and cornflowers.

 

 

BTT: Manual Labor

From Booking through Thursday:

Writing guides, grammar books, punctuation how-tos . . . do you read them? Not read them? How many writing books, grammar books, dictionaries–if any–do you have in your library?

I have a couple of dictionaries, and I think I have a thesaurus around here somewhere. I very rarely use those. If I need to look up a word I'm more likely to use dictionary.com or something. I do have a Black's Law Dictionary, which I do use because legal terms do need to be more specific. I have a Bluebook for citations, of course, and two versions of the ALWD citation book (Association of Legal Writing Directors) which is trying to replace the Bluebook. I hate both of them. I had to use the ALWD for my legal writing class, and then had to switch to the Bluebook for Law Review. They are mostly the same, but arranged differently. I also have The Redbook, which is a handbook of legal style. This was also required for my legal writing class, but I hardly opened it. I used to have a Strunk and White, but I can't find it right now. I also have a couple of Spanish/English dictionaries, and I think I have a Latin/English dictionary around here somewhere.

Weekly Geeks Status Update

This week's Weekly Geeks is all about linking our reviews of books to others who have reviewed the same books. I have had one comment from someone who reviewed one of my books. I haven't had much time to look through other blogs to see if I have reviewed any of the same books, and I haven't seen any overlap in the blogs I have looked at. I still think it's a great idea, and I'm still hoping people will post links to their reviews if I review a book they've read.

I still need to add a button, too...

Flat Broke with Children - Sharon Hays

The subtitle is: Women in the Age of Welfare Reform.

I enjoyed this, because I haven't been reading as much non-fiction as I would like. I found this very thought-provoking. Those who advocate welfare reform say they are doing it to promote the family, but the reality is that the work requirements force single mothers to put their children in daycare. One thing the author also points out is that it creates a pool of desperate workers: they must get a job, and the employers know they can get away with paying minimum wage because there are always more workers. And the workers don't dare complain or they'll get fired.

This is definitely a sociology book, which I liked. The author really got to know both the welfare workers and the welfare recipients, to try to understand how the reforms were really working or not. I though it was well-researched, yet quite easy to read.

I guess I do remember some Spanish

You Passed 8th Grade Spanish

Congratulations, you got 7/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Spanish?

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Weekly Geeks #2

It's Weekly Geeks time again. This week, the theme is community linking of reviews. So I am adopting Darla's policy: If I review a book that you have reviewed, just put the link to your review in the comments! I'll try to then link it in the post, but I can't promise that will always happen.

Yum, chocolate!

What Your Taste in Chocolate Says About You

You are sophisticated, modern, and high class. Your taste is refined, but you are not picky. You are often the first to try something new. You are energetic and quick to act. You are open minded, and you easily adopt new social causes. While your heart is in the right place, you often can't follow through with your dreams. You love the feeling of accomplishment. You enjoy doing what's important. You feel lost when you have to do frivolous tasks or hang out with shallow people.

The Chocolate Oracle

Friday's Feast 189

Friday's Feast:

Appetizer

What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?

Superfriends! Except for the Wondertwins. I hated them. But I totally wanted an invisible jet like Wonder Woman's.

Soup

Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?

I would get a cat and name it Marcus Aurelius.

Salad

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?

This depends some on the occasion. I like getting dressed up for weddings, if I can find a dress. I don't like getting dressed up just to go out to dinner or something, though. So I guess that averages out to a 7.

Main Course

What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?

Lately I've been listening to a lot of showtunes: Evita, Chess, Phantom, Little Mermaid. When I listen to the radio it's mostly pop, although my favorite station is no longer on the air. I'd love an 80's station, but we don't have one yet. I do love to sing along, so I probably look a little crazy when I'm driving.


Dessert

When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?

I bought a little desk clock for my desk at work, back in August. I don't trust the computer clock, and there isn't a wall clock I can see from my cubicle. It's just a little digital alarm clock, but very cute.

BTT: Mayday

From Booking Through Thursday:

Quick! It’s an emergency! You just got an urgent call about a family emergency and had to rush to the airport with barely time to grab your wallet and your passport. But now, you’re stuck at the airport with nothing to read. What do you do??

And, no, you did NOT have time to grab your bookbag, or the book next to your bed. You were . . . grocery shopping when you got the call and have nothing with you but your wallet and your passport (which you fortuitously brought with you in case they asked for ID in the ethnic food aisle). This is hypothetical, remember….

When I had my old, unreliable car, I actually kept a book in the car in case of a sudden car repair emergency. I did not transfer the book (Tom Clancy's Clear and Present Danger) when I bought my new car, so I wouldn't have one in the car with me as I headed to the airport. Naturally, I would buy one at the shop in the airport; even our little airport has a shop with a few books. Or I might opt for a newspaper or magazines, because those are my usual choices if I'm under stress. I tend to want only bite-sized morsels to read, but I still want to read!

Recovery Man - Kristine Kathryn Rusch

This took me forever to finish, because it bogs down a bit in the middle. I think it suffers the usual problem of a book that is later in a series: too little editing. Still, it was a worthwhile read, and I still look forward to more in the series. Her descriptions of the domes on the Moon and Callisto are so vivid that I can picture people actually living there. It actually makes me a little sad to think we might not ever get our act together enough to do that, or at least not in my lifetime. This one focuses less on her usual protagonist Miles Flint, and more on his ex-wife and her/their daughter, but I found all of the characters interesting enough. I wouldn't recommend starting her series with this book, however.

Only a little

You've Been a Little Ruined by American Culture

Whether you live in the US or not, deep down you're a little American. And there's nothing wrong with loving American culture, but it may have negative effects on your life. Slow down and enjoy what you have. Reconnect with life's simple pleasures. You don't need to be in a consumerist rat race. Life's too short to overwork yourself!

Has American Culture Ruined You?

Mystery

I've been spending (too much) time on various message forums, and I have encountered a mystery. I understand some people can't be bothered with capitalization, so they write like e.e. cummings: "i have a question about..." And of course there are the usual shouters who have never been online before "I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT..." but the ones I find most mysterious are the all initial caps: "I Have A Question About How We Add Signatures To Our Posts..." I mean, that takes effort to do (unless there's a shortcut I don't know about), and it just looks...weird.

Weekly Geeks

Dewey at Hidden Side of a Leaf is sponsoring Weekly Geeks - a chance to discover new blogs. This week the challenge is to find 5 new blogs and comment on them. I found:

Ravenous Reader - whose description of a short story collection makes me want to run out to the bookstore!

Bibliolatry - who has a terrible book joke.

Everyday reads - who seems to share my love of nonfiction, and shoe shopping, and has excellent taste in books.

She Reads Books - She stayed up all night to read a new book!

Park Avenue Princess - who is raffling off some books.

A+

Your Vocabulary Score: A+

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary! You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Friday linkage

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews is hosting a book club in May for "Life As We Knew It." I read it already, but I think I'll try to participate. I loved that book and I can't wait for the follow-up.

Wil Wheaton has a custom Lego Wesley. So funny.

BTT: Springing

From Booking Through Thursday:

Do your reading habits change in the Spring? Do you read gardening books? Even if you don’t have a garden? More light fiction than during the Winter? Less? Travel books? Light paperbacks you can stick in a knapsack?

Or do you pretty much read the same kinds of things in the Spring as you do the rest of the year?

I don't think my reading habits change much. I might read more in the Summer when there are fewer new television shows on, but otherwise I think my pace is pretty steady. Maybe I read more travel books if I am planning a trip, and I do start choosing what books I will take on said trip far ahead. (Needs to be long enough to last for a plane ride, but light enough to carry in my bag.)

I really do hate the customized pages - and the automatic music

Created by OnePlusYou

Movie: Juno

I was prepared to be disappointed in this, after all of the hype around this movie, but I found it enjoyable. I think they tried too hard in parts to be "real," but overall it was refreshingly unsentimental and mostly natural. Ellen Page was excellent in the title role, and I'm always glad to see Allison Janney (as the stepmother) working. She was so great on The West Wing!

How profound...

As seen at The Watcher's Counsel:

You Are Disturbingly Profound

You're contemplative, thoughtful, and very intense. Taking time to figure out the meaning of life is a priority for you. Because you're so introspective, you often react in ways that surprise people. No one can really understand how you are on the inside... and that disturbs them.

Are You Disturbingly Profound or Profoundly Disturbing?

TBR mountain

Here's a picture of my next-to-be-read books. I had to move it from my bedside table for fear it would topple and smother me in the night. I don't know when I think I'll get to all of these, but you might notice one of the books is "Getting Things Done." If I ever get around to reading that one, maybe then I'll find more time in my day. I'm halfway through "Recovery Man" and "Flat Broke," and about a third of the way through "Nudge", so maybe I'll get some reviews up this week. Hope you all are enjoying your day!

Me? Too much caffeine?

Created by OnePlusYou

Retirement

Not mine!  I'm off to a retirement reception for a favorite professor.  He was one of my first year law school professors, and he was tough!  It's a shame that more first years won't be scared to death by him as I was.  He later hired me as a research assistant, which was a valuable experience.  I just hope there's good food at this thing!

BTT: Vocabulary

From Booking Through Thursday:

I’ve always wondered what other people do when they come across a word/phrase that they’ve never heard before. I mean, do they jot it down on paper so they can look it up later, or do they stop reading to look it up on the dictionary/google it or do they just continue reading and forget about the word?

I can remember being in about 6th grade and first encountering the word "bourgeoisie." I had no idea how to say it, much less what it meant, so I looked it up. But then, as now I usually just tried to figure out an unfamiliar word based on the context. If I can't do that, and it seems like an important word, or I am curious, then I will look it up. Naturally, if it were a school book or something then I would just look it up right away. This issue seldom comes up in other books, though.

Why do we read?

This is a non-meme that I saw first at The Hidden Side of a Leaf:

Like Dewey, I can't remember not reading. The family story is that I taught myself to read by being read to: mostly Dr. Seuss. My grandparents subscribed me to a book of the month club for kids, and my mother thought I was just memorizing the books. Until we got the new book one month, and I proceeded to read it to my little sister without having it read to me first.

But why do I continue to read? Why do I read every chance I can get, and feel "wrong" if I haven't read something in a while? Lots of reasons, of course, but three main ones:

1. I love words. I love playing with words, and seeing what other people do with them. I love how the change of one word in a phrase can completely alter the meaning.

2. I want to escape. I want to travel to other places and times and lives and see them from the inside. I want to explore worlds that we can never see: travel through space and time and encounter other people and see our life reflected in theirs. I think this is the main reason I loved reading as a child. I grew up in a small town, and reading allowed me to experience the outer world from a safe place.

3. I want to know things. I want to know everything! Before the internet, books were the only source of information. I used to (and still do) just browse in the nonfiction section of the library or bookstore and just pick up whatever catches my fancy, then read everything I can get my hands on about the topic until I feel I know "enough" to move on to the next thing. The internet has helped to fill this need for me, but books still are vital to me for this.

So what about you? Why do you read?

Useful information?

I was looking for something else, and stumbled upon this:


Created by OnePlusYou


Also, a tax day joke I heard on the radio:

What is the difference between death and taxes?
Congress doesn't meet every year to make death worse.

Unofficial Blogger Appreciation Day

In honor of the (unofficial) Blogger Appreciation Day, I want to thank Literary Feline over at Musings of a Bookish Kitty for being one of my inspirations for book blogging. Hop over to her blog, because she's giving away books!

Reading...

...and enjoying our nice weather. Back tomorrow!

Deep Thoughts

Your Thinking is Abstract and Sequential

You like to do research and collect lots of information. The more facts you have, the easier it is for you to learn. You need to figure things out for yourself and consider all possibilities. You tend to become an expert in the subjects that you study. It's difficult for you to work with people who know less than you do. You aren't a very patient teacher, and you don't like convincing people that you're right.

What Kind of Thinker Are You?

Just how my mind works I guess

When I saw the picture of Dick Cheney's glasses - the one that many people think looks like a naked woman - I thought it looked like an alien. Like an X-files alien. But that's just me, I guess.

BTT: Writing Challenge

Booking Through Thursday time again:

#
Pick up the nearest book. (I’m sure you must have one nearby.)
#
Turn to page 123.
#
What is the first sentence on the page?
#
The last sentence on the page?
#
Now . . . connect them together….
(And no, you may not transcribe the entire page of the book–that’s cheating!)

Okay, my book is "Recovery Man" - by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (the latest in the Retrieval Artist series).

This part of the ship was dark and filthy. He must have turned off onto one of the side corridors, which all had shimmery barriers like the ones on the airlock doors.

See what I did there? I didn't connect them, because I think they connect pretty well by themselves. Which makes me wonder if the book isn't a bit long winded, but that's another story for another day.

As seen at...

the Watcher's Counsel (what a great name for a blog)

What Your City Walk Means

You are thoughtful and contemplative. You enjoy spending time alone with your thoughts. You are quite introverted and maybe even a little shy. You prefer to interact one on one with people. Money is important to you in as far as you'd like to have enough to survive. You are curious about ideas. If you had the means, you'd like to explore the whole world.

The City Walk Personality Test

Sense and Sensibility - Masterpiece [Theatre]

I enjoyed this version, and I think it only suffers in my opinion by coming after the Emma Thompson version (which I loved). If this had been done first, it would probably be my favorite. I thought the casting was great (even though there was no Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon in this one). It was very faithful to the book (at least as far as my memory serves me), and I'm very glad they chose to do it in two parts rather than trying to cram it all into a couple of hours. As the eldest sister myself I identify with Elinor more than Marianne, and I will admit I always cry at the part when Marianne is so sick that Elinor fears for her life. It gets me every time, even though I know it's coming.

For some reason, this made me laugh

The Movie Of Your Life Is Film Noir

So what if you're a little nihilistic at times? Life with meaning is highly over-rated. Your best movie matches: Sin City, L. A. Confidential, Blade Runner

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Random Sunday

My nephew put on his own little train show this morning - he set up all of his train sets around the house, and took me and his grandparents around on a "tour." He even made tickets for us, and put up a sign that read "Trains Show." Too cute. I think we all had fun. He even had refreshments for us! (Juice and donuts.) Then we all went out to lunch, and now I'm back home doing laundry and planning to pop in a movie. Overall, a pretty good day!

New Additions to the TBR pile

(the pile that threatens to take over my room!)

"Ask Again Later" - Jill A. Davis
"Strangers in Death" = J.D.Robb
"A Prisoner of Birth" - Jeffrey Archer
"Stalking the Wild Dik-dik - One Woman's Solo Misadventures Across Africa" - Marie Javins
"Flat Broke with Children - Women in the Age of Welfare Reform" - Sharon Hays
"American Dream - Three Women, Ten Kids and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare" - Jason DeParle

Battlestar Galactica

The season premiere is tonight! Yay!

BTT: Lit-Ra-Chur

From Booking through Thursday:

*
When somebody mentions “literature,” what’s the first thing you think of? (Dickens? Tolstoy? Shakespeare?)

The first thing I think of is the "boring" stuff they make you read in school. Of course, I never personally though all of it was boring (just some - I'm looking at you, Mr. Faulkner), but I think of literature as the "important" books - the ones you are supposed to find symbolism and deep meaning in, and not necessarily enjoy.

Of course, I read Jane Eyre after I stumbled upon it in the local library, and read it and loved it without knowing it was a "great" book. And I tore through Les Miserables when it was assigned in 11th grade English, because the assigned reading was too slow paced for me - I had to know what happened next!

*
Do you read “literature” (however you define it) for pleasure? Or is it something that you read only when you must?

I read. Anything. For fun.

Trekkie test

via Wil Wheaton:

A three question quiz to determine if you are a trekkie. I only answered yes to 1 and 3, so I guess I'm only a partial geek.

That pioneering spirit

Hop on over to Google's latest: Virgle.

Movie - Dan in Real Life

Loved this. Steve Carrell is brilliant as the advice columnist who is watching his own life fall apart - not in a dramatic way, but in small increments. He is a widower, still grieving his wife, and living according to the rules. He meets someone who, while not perfect, is pretty close, and she turns out to be his brother's girlfriend. Of course, he is a moral person, so he wouldn't think of stealing his brother's girlfriend, and there is the tension and the drama. Add in that he doesn't understand his daughters, and it's a great story. Overall a great depiction of a "life of quiet desperation."

Movie - Enchanted

What a cute little movie. This was perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Fluffy and romantic, and so cute. Did I say that already?

Some free online books

Here's a link to a post with links to some free online SF/fantasy books:
Fantasy Book Critic

Friday's Feast 185

Appetizer

What does the color dark green make you think of?

It makes me think of the carpet I would like to have in my own personal library.

Soup

How many cousins do you have?

I have two first cousins on my dad's side. Lots of second cousins, though.

Salad

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how honest are you?

Wasn't this a question before? I think I said 8 before. I do fib to save people's feelings.

Main Course

Name something that is truly free.

Imagination.

Dessert

Using the letters in the word SPRING, write a sentence.

Some
People
Really
Intend
No
Good

Not really about spring, though.

BTT: Cover Up

This week's Booking Through Thursday:

While acknowledging that we can’t judge books by their covers, how much does the design of a book affect your reading enjoyment? Hardcover vs. softcover? Trade paperback vs. mass market paperback? Font? Illustrations? Etc.?

If I'm in a bookstore, the cover might entice me to pick up the book and at least read the synopsis on the back. Now that I shop for most of my books online, the cover is less likely to be a factor. I generally prefer trade paperbacks, because mass market ones seem to feel "cheap" - flimsy covers, stiff pages that fall out when you open the book too far.

Your Mind is Orange

Of all the mind types, yours is the quickest. You are usually thinking a mile a minute, and you could be thinking about anything at all. Your thoughts are often scattered and random - but they're also a lot of fun! You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about esoteric subjects, the meaning of life, and pop culture.

What Color Is Your Mind?

Movie - I Am Legend

I had lowered my expectations for this after reading too many other reviews, but I did enjoy this. Will Smith is great, and I thought the suspense was quite good (especially at the beginning). I thought some of the special effects were pretty fakey, though. CGI people/creatures just do not move the way normal people move - they are too bendy/bouncy or something. It bugs me and forces me out of the experience every time. (I'm thinking especially of Spiderman here.) I thought the shots of a totally empty New York were great, though - very haunting.

Life As We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer

This is shelved in the "teen" section, but I heard about it on another blog and thought it sounded interesting. I was not disappointed! This is told as a diary of a teenage girl as she describes her experiences after an asteroid knocks the moon out of its usual orbit. The result is floods, volcanoes, and a kind of nuclear winter from all of the ash from the volcanoes. The style is very clean and the characters are interesting. I was happy to read on Amazon that there is a sequel of sorts coming out in June - not really a sequel, but a sort of parallel story about what happened in New York City during the same period. I think that is an interesting idea; one of the few flaws in this book is that the family is totally cut off from outside news, so we know very little of what is happening elsewhere.

Also, they spend a lot of the time hungry - food supplies are cut off. This made me hungry reading it, so be prepared with snacks. (I had the same problem with We the Living by Ayn Rand.)

Easter

Happy Easter to everyone celebrating it! I'm off to my sister's for brunch and to watch my nephew open 4 Easter baskets. No, he's not spoiled! (One from the Easter bunny, one from each set of grandparents, and one from me). He's getting mostly toys, not candy. Enjoy the day!

Easter quiz

What Your Easter Egg Says About You

You are truly optimistic, open, and hopeful. And your optimism gives you the courage to live life adventurously. You love new experiences, ideas, and challenges. You see life as a fluid, growing process.

The Easter Egg Personality Test

Friday's Feast 184

Friday's Feast:

Appetizer

Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

Well, where I currently live has the best of both worlds: I'm in the city, but the country (well, desert) is only a 15 minute drive (at most). So we have all of the cultural benefits of the city, and the good shopping, but can get out into nature quickly.

Soup

Who is the cutest kid you know?

My nephew, of course!

Salad

Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

...Caprica had been greenlit! This is the prequel to Battlestar Galactica, and it seems the writer's strike helped with getting it approved, as the idea had already been tossed around.

Main Course

If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?

Netflix!

Dessert

What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

I take a generic multivitamin. I don't like taking a lot of pills, but I like the extra vitamin C and the iron.

BTT: The End

From Booking Through Thursday:

You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?

(Obviously, there can be more than one answer, here–a book with a cliff-hanger is going to engender different reactions than a serene, stand-alone, but you get the idea!)

It does depend on the book to some extent. If it was a "heavy" book, I might wait until the next day to start something new. Of course, I usually have more than one book going at once, so it would be unusual for me to finish everything all at once. I do tend to take a break before reading more of the same genre, unless it is a series that I am anxious to find out what happens next.

Battlestar Galactica

The BSG cast will be on Letterman tonight. Here's a link to the top 10 list they'll be doing. I can't wait for the premiere of the new season!

Arthur C. Clarke

Clarke and Asimov were the writers who got me interested in science fiction. I'm sad to read that Mr. Clarke has passed away. Story here.

Movie: Michael Clayton

I think my expectations were too high for this movie. I thought it was good, but not great. I loved George Clooney, and the plot was interesting enough, but I thought the pace was too slow. Maybe I'm just impatient, though.

Movie - Right At Your Door

I posted back in August that I was looking forward to this movie, and I finally got it from Netflix. I was not disappointed. The characters and dialogue are sharp, the people are interesting, and it keeps you guessing right to the end. I love movies with unexpected endings, and this one did not disappoint.

A Pooh Quiz

Your Score: Rabbit

You scored 17 Ego, 15 Anxiety, and 17 Agency!

IT was going to be one of Rabbit's busy days. As soon as he
woke up he felt important, as if everything depended upon him.
It was just the day for Organizing Something, or for Writing a
Notice Signed Rabbit, or for Seeing What Everybody Else Thought
About It. It was a perfect morning for hurrying round to Pooh,
and saying, "Very well, then, I'll tell Piglet," and then going
to Piglet, and saying, "Pooh thinks--but perhaps I'd better see
Owl first." It was a Captainish sort of day, when everybody
said, "Yes, Rabbit " and "No, Rabbit," and waited until he had
told them.

You scored as Rabbit!

ABOUT RABBIT: Rabbit is generally considered Clever by his many friends and relations. He is actually a much better reader and writer than Owl, but he doesn't consider it worth mentioning. Instead, Rabbit's real talent lies in Organizing Plans. He organizes rescue parties, makes schemes to reduce Tigger's bounciness, and goes on missions to find out what Christopher Robin does when he's not at the Hundred Acre Woods. Sometimes, however, his Plans do not always go as Planned.

WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT YOU: You are smart, practical and you plan ahead. People sometimes think that you don't stress or worry, but this is not the case. You are the kind of person who worries in a practical way. You think a) What are my anxieties about and b)what can be done about them? No useless fretting for you. You don't see the point in sitting around and waiting for things to work out, when you could actually work them out today and save yourself a lot of time and worry. Your friends tend to rely on you, because they know that they can trust you help them work things out.

You sometimes tend to be impatient with people who are less practical in their ways. You don't have much patience for idiots who moan about things but never actually DO anything about them. You have high expectations of everyone, including yourself. When you don't succeed at something, or when something goes wrong despite your best efforts to prevent it, you can get quite hard on yourself. You need to cut yourself some slack and accept that everyone has their faults, even you, and THAT IS OKAY. Let yourself be faulty, every now and then, for the sake of your own sanity.

Link: The Deep and Meaningful Winnie-The-Pooh Character Test

Negativity Meme

From Dewey:


1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not?

Those of you who have been reading my blog know the answer is yes. I try to explain why I disliked something, but I try to be honest.


2. Do you temper your feelings about books you didn’t like, so as not to completely slam them? Why or why not?

I try to be fair and explain what it was I didn't like. And if there is anything I did like about the book, I try to mention that as well.

3. What do you think is the best way to respond when you see a negative review about a book you enjoyed?

I try to recognize that different people like different things. I might try to explain what I did like and why, but it's hard to change someone's opinion (including my own!).


4. What is your own most common reaction when you see a negative review of a book you loved or a positive review of a book you hated?

I might wonder if they read the same book, but I don't often feel I need to comment. Different people like different things, and expect different things from what they read.

5. What is your own most common reaction when you get a comment that disagrees with your opinion of a book?

Unless the comment is offensive or abusive, I leave it. Sometimes I'll respond, especially if I think they make a good point. I enjoy the dialogue, though, and I'm usually glad my opinion at least encouraged someone to respond!

6. What if you don’t like a book that was a free review copy? What then?

This is a tough one. I never promise to review a book I get as a free copy. If I finish the book, I'll probably review it, and I'll be honest.

7. What do you do if you don’t finish a book? Do you review it or not? If you review it, do you mention that you didn’t finish it?

I give up on a lot of books. If I've mentioned the book previously, I might mention that I've abandoned it. If there's something I think is really awful about the book I might spend more time explaining why I abandoned it.

BTT: Playing Editor

Booking Through Thursday time again:

How about a chance to play editor-in-chief? Fill in the blanks:

__________ would have been a much better book if ______________________.


"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" would have been a much better book if it had not had the epilogue at the end. I know this is sacrelige to say that there is anything wrong with the HP books. However, I think the final book would have been better without the little peek into the future offered at the end. I would have preferred if JK Rowling had left it to us to imagine what might happen to all of our beloved friends, rather than wrapping it all up for us quite so neatly. The cynic in me thinks she was trying to control the fan fiction versions of the future, but I suspect really she didn't want to let them all go yet, and wanted to put us at ease that everything turns out right in the end. I can understand that; I want an easy life for our Harry as well. Life isn't really like that, and his personality and talent for finding trouble would suggest his adult life would be as interesting as his childhood was, Voldemort or no.

What I'm Reading

Firefly Lane
Sense and Sensibility
Recovery Man - Kristine Rusch
various magazines

What I'm planning for my two days of vacation this week:

I have two days off this week: the judge is off, so I am too!

1. Sleep.
2. Read.
3. Shop!
4. Cook! I want to try out some new recipes, and maybe bake some cookies or something.
5. Spring clean - I want to clean out my closet to make room for new spring clothes!
6. Watch Movies: I have Michael Clayton and Right Outside Your Door on the way from Netflix.
7. Read some more!

What would you do with two days off?

They have a quiz for everything...

What Your Sleeping Position Says

You are calm and rational person with a good deal of balance in your life. Friends consider you to be kind, caring, and truly loyal. You are easy going and trusting. However, you are too sensible to fall for mind games. Open to the world, you are not afraid to be yourself. If you don't get enough sleep, you are: Able to cope It's hard to sleep next to you because: You're a bed hog

What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You?

Feast 182

Friday - er - Sunday's Feast:

Appetizer

If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be?

This is a tough question. Would I be me, just in a celebrity's body (like Freaky Friday)? Or would I actually become that person? If I could be me in another person's body, I think I would be Britney Spears, so maybe I could help her out of her sad situation. If I would actually be that celebrity, I think Jennifer Garner, because she seems so normal, and hey, Ben Affleck.

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone?

I think a 5 or so? I don't talk on the phone a lot, and then mostly to my sister. Email is the way to go.



Salad

Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to).

The food bank.

Main Course

What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month?

This one's easy: Chocolate!

Dessert

Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year?

No, we all had our flu shots as usual, and so far we've been lucky. I did have a pretty bad cold earlier in the winter.

Not a bad way to spend the day

My nephew is crazy about trains. Last year they heard about a "garden" train club here in town, where people have these elaborate setups in their backyards, and once a year they open them up for tours. We went to 4 of the houses today and had a blast. Here's a sample:

I love this

The Reader's Bill of Rights:

1. The Right to Not Read
2. The Right to Skip Pages
3. The Right to Not Finish
4. The Right to Reread
5. The Right To Read Anything
6. The Right to Escapism
7. The Right to Read Anywhere
8. The Right to Browse
9. The Right to Read Out Loud
10. The Right to Not Defend Your Tastes

(by Daniel Pennac, via Becky's Book Reviews)

BTT: Hero

From Booking Through Thursday:

You should have seen this one coming … Who is your favorite Male lead character? And why?

As with last week's BTT, I have a few: Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, Mr. Darcy (of course), Corwin (From Nine Princes in Amber), Stu Redman from "The Stand" (although perhaps more because Gary Sinise did such a great job in the miniseries). But if I had to pick just one, it would be Harry Potter, for being brave, and true to himself, and turning into a wonderful young man despite his relatives' best efforts.

Randomness

This blogging every day thing is hard! Work has been taking up a lot of time and mental energy, and I don't feel comfortable blogging about most of what goes on there for confidentiality reasons, so I don't have much to contribute. But here are some random thoughts:

1. I'm jealous that the Republicans already know who their candidate is. The whole Clinton/Obama thing just shows how diverse the Democratic party is, so I don't see how we'll ever agree on a candidate enough to actually install a Democrat in the White House. I liked Edwards, myself.

2. I still hate pledge week on PBS.

3. I still love American Idol.

4. I think I need to move my TBR pile because it threatens to tumble down on top of my bed, which is probably a safety hazard.

5. March really is windy.

6. Some people do terrible things to their children. And some children do terrible things themselves. Every time I think I've heard the worst at work, I hear something even more awful.

7. Some people are amazingly wonderful to children not biologically their own. What would we do without foster/adoptive parents!

It's not quite espresso, but the Senseo is fun...

You Are an Espresso

At your best, you are: straight shooting, ambitious, and energetic At your worst, you are: anxious and high strung You drink coffee when: anytime you're not sleeping Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

Sense and Sensibility

Becky is hosting an online book group for "Sense and Sensibility." I'm planning to participate, but I'm already behind in the reading, so we'll see how that goes.


Why does PBS show only "special" programming during pledge week? Actually, it seems to just be "Celtic Woman." It seems like it would make more sense to show the regular programs, so that the people who watch PBS would actually pledge, because they are watching the show anyway. I rarely watch during pledge week, because they programming is so annoying. Just my two cents.

Reading break

Reading - more tomorrow!

I had pizza for dinner....

Cheese Pizza

Traditional and comforting. You focus on living a quality life. You're not easily impressed with novelty. Yet, you easily impress others.

What's Your Pizza Personality?

BTT: Heroine

From Booking Through Thursday:

Who is your favorite female lead character? And why? (And yes, of course, you can name more than one . . . I always have trouble narrowing down these things to one name, why should I force you to?)

I can think of so many that are my favorite in different ways. The usual suspects: Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Bennet, Laura Ingalls, and Meg Murphy (A Wrinkle in Time). I think my current favorite is Hermione Granger, because she is smart and not afraid to show it, brave, loyal to her friends, and sensitive to the injustices of the world.

(Oh, and tomorrow is our "free day" for Blog 365, so no posting. Enjoy your Leap Day!)

Movie Review - No Reservations

I watched this on DVD over the weekend, and I am really glad I didn't bother to see this while it was in the theater. It was cute enough, but very slow paced and extremely predictable. The plot was a typical romance, but with no twists: the "misunderstanding" that predictably separates the couple is trivial and quickly resolved. I think the actors did the best they could with the material, but there wasn't much for them to work with.

Subscriptions

I started subscribing to both Asimov's and Analog and I received my first issues of each today. Of course, even though I prepaid for my subscription, they have both managed to send me no fewer than 2 offers to renew. I hate getting offers to renew before I even have the first issue! It's a real pet peeve of mine. I think their subscriptions are a little pricey, so I'll probably only keep one of them, but I have 6 months or so to decide.

Is it a full moon?

Today was a crazy day at work: other bailiffs out sick, so we're all trying to cover. This is not too bad on a normal day, but on a day when attorneys are late or no-shows, the schedule falls apart. I'm exhausted, and I feel like I walked about a million miles today trying to track down attorneys. Is there something in the air?

Lazy Sunday

I'm planning to spend the day reading and watching TV. Specifically, "The Day After" is on SciFi at 3, "White Oleander" is on Lifetime at 6, and the last part of "Pride and Prejudice" is on "Masterpiece [Theatre]" at 8. So I'm all set!

Observational Skills

Your Observation Skills Get An A-

Hardly anything gets by you... You have a great memory and eagle eyes

How Observant Are You?

Friday's Feast

Feast 180:



Appetizer

Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim?

I can't recall anything in particular. I've been the victim of a few, because I'm pretty gullible.

Soup

What do your salt and pepper shakers look like?

They are just the plain "disposable" ones from the store. Although we have a Christmas set where the salt is a Reindeer and the pepper is Santa.

Salad

Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)?

Orlando! Unless I can talk my sister into a weekend trip to Vegas, anyway.

Main Course

What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry?

I've tried almost every lotion available, but I think I've finally found one that helps: Eucerin Calming Cream. I have very dry skin on my hands, and of course I live in the desert so the air is dry almost the whole year. This stuff really seems to help.

Dessert

Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name.

One of the restaurants in the mall (that isn't there anymore) had a fabulous sundae: coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup and chocolate ice cream with caramel syrup, and whipped cream, cookie pieces and a cherry on top. I don't remember what they called it, but I'll call it delicious! Or maybe Choco-coffee caramel whip dream. Yum.

BTT: Format

Booking through Thursday time again:

All other things (like price and storage space) being equal, given a choice in a perfect world, would you rather have paperbacks in your library? Or hardcovers? And why?

All things being equal? Trade-size paperback. They still have the heft of a good hardback, without the weight of the hard covers. They seem to have better quality paper than the mass-market paperbacks, and don't have the jagged edges of the hardcovers. I hate those uneven edges - they look unfinished to me.

Paloma - Kristine Kathryn Rusch

This is the fourth in her "Retrieval Artist" series, and the quality has held up throughout the series. There is one more book that follows this one. They are best read in order, because the later ones generally assume you've read the earlier ones.

The series is set in the future, when we've colonized the moon and have encountered many other species, and are trying to maintain a relationship with all of the different alien cultures. The setting is the Moon, and her descriptions of the domes that make up the city of Armstrong on the Moon are so vivid I think I could step into that world. I love the details about the food, the buildings, and the government. Her characters are also pretty well rounded.

These are a quick, light read, and quite enjoyable.