Getting Settled

Well, I made it to Colorado. My last day of work was on Thursday and leaving Brenau was the only time I teared up throughout the entire move. I will definitely miss the sarcastic outlet and the laughs. Friday my parents, my brother, and I loaded up the moving truck in record time and my parents and I left Snellville at 10am. We spent the night in Mount Vernon, IL. The next day was spent maneuvering Missouri, and a large chunk of Kansas, including a stop to see the world's largest prairie dog in Oakley, Kansas. Awesome.

We arrived Sunday and we've been going full speed since then. I don't think it has quite hit me that I'm really going to be living here now, instead of vacationing, mainly because my parents are here for the week doing just that. I really did enjoy my two years back in Georgia, but it's time to move on. I have to figure out how to live with a boy, meet new people, and drive in the snow (again.)

I miss everybody in Georgia, but being with the one you love is definitely worth it.

Oh and R.I.P. Estelle Getty. Thank you for being a friend!

Crazy

This personal update will be in list form.

-Moving to Colorado on Friday! We should be in town come Sunday afternoon. Wow, there is so much to do before then, including:

• Work 25 hours and make sure everything is in place for the next person who will arrive in August. Sadly, I was the only person doing this nature of work at the library, so I might be taking some phone calls or even coming back at some point in August.
• Try on altered wedding dress and pray that it fits.
  
• Pack. I'm still not finished. Granted, a lot is done at this point, but my wardrobe and other essentials are still around and I have many boxes to take down to the garage to await loading on the truck.
• Prepare for a job interview at 1pm Monday. I did this in Georgia too. I got back from Indiana one day and interviewed the next day.

-Rosie the chocolate and tan dachshund had her puppies! Okay, so she had them 4 weeks ago. There are two boys, two girls, all chocolate and tan, and 3 of them are long haired dachshunds! Jon and I have taken a particular liking to the long hairs, so this is good news for us. We will visit sometime next week and should actually get the dog come mid-August.

-I'm currently reading Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. I like it so far and for once, I have no clue what I'm going to read next. I might do one of Madeleine L'Engle's series, or I might dive in to Harry Potter again, which I will have to do sometime soon since the 6th movie comes out in a few months.

That's all I have at this point. The move is pretty much taking over my life!

Book Review: The Handmaid's Tale

Author: Margaret Atwood
Date Originally Published: 1985
Start Date: July 2nd
Completion Date: July 8th

After completing The Robber Bride last year upon recommendation from a bookish friend, I knew I had to read more Margaret Atwood. She deals with some pretty heavy issues, so I knew that reading The Handmaid's Tale wasn't going to be all fun and games.

I chose The Handmaid's Tale because it seems to be her most popular novel, at least here in America, and is also one that is typically read in high schools and colleges. I initially had no clue that the book deals with a dystopian America, so I was really surprised by her tone and the narrator's overall story at first.

Offred (Of Fred) is a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She was separated from her husband and daughter and placed in a camp of women who are young and fertile to learn the ways of being a concubine in order to boost the population's birth rate. Each member of society wears a different color so they can be distinguished in public. As a handmaid, Offred always wears red. Each handmaid is placed in a wealthy household run by a commander for the republic for a certain amount of time to attempt to produce a healthy baby for the family. If this does not occur, the handmaids are either transferred to another household, or sent to the colonies, which seem to be basically death traps. Commander Fred and his sterile wife, former evangelist, Serena Joy, along with other household members (the Marthas who keep house, etc.) run awkward and restricted lives with each person experiencing pain and sadness in different ways. As Offred continues with her story, she slips into different memories from the past, ranging from her childhood, to her marriage, to her handmaid schooling. She also begins to develop forbidden relationships with members of the household and find out that certain handmaids participate in a quiet resistance movement.

This book succeeds with it's message, like many other classic dystopian novels. There will always be a resistance and the black markets that come with it, there will always be sex, and innocent lives will always be taken for the "good" of the republic/country/land/cause. The Handmaid's Tale is interesting because it was written from a woman's point of view, which seems to give a little more emotion and heart to the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and plan to read even more Atwood in the future.

June Books

It's sad but true. I was only able to finish 2 books in June. Where did time go? Your guess is as good as mine. Between two wedding showers, a whole bunch of work, and beginning the slow packing process, I was struggling to find time to read. Plus, The Mists of Avalon isn't exactly the shortest book ever.

So here goes... my one review for the month (for the other, see one entry below.)

After adoring American Gods I decided to give Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere a try. The novel begins with Richard Mayhew's move from small village Scotland to large and imposing London. Here he meets a bossy, but beautiful woman and becomes engaged, and works a normal 9 to 5 job. His life changes forever when he decides to help an injured girl on the streets. After this, he is slowly unrecognizable to London Above, while quickly drawing closer and closer to the much different world of London Below, a world filled with moving markets, rat speakers, a bridge that will kill one with darkness, and creepy angels. Richard is by no means safe in this world, especially because of his connection with the injured girl named Door, who's family, that has a keen gift for unlocking things, was recently assassinated for unknown reasons. Aided by colorful characters, male and female, the pair try to solve the mystery of Door's family, while facing some pretty scary stuff. I am still not able to decide whether or not I like Neverwhere or American Gods more. Both are extremely imaginative and have really endearing protagonists. I loved and became attached to Richard much like I did Shadow. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.

So what's on the list for July? I finished Anya Seton's Dragonwyck yesterday and began Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale to start the 2008 Classics Challenge. I'm also reading Your Own Sylvia, A Study in Scarlet (my first Doyle,) and Wuthering Heights. With the move coming up, I hope to be able to read them all!

Book Review: The Mists of Avalon

Author: Marion Zimmer Bradley
Date Originally Published: 1983
Start Date: May 16th
Completion Date: June 12th

My last book for the Once Upon a Time Challenge is also one of my all time favorites! The Mists of Avalon is basically a retelling of Arthurian Legend from Morgan le Fay's (Morgaine) point of view.

My first taste of King Arthur was T. H. White's The Once and Future King back in the tenth grade. I wasn't very bookish in high school, and I had to read the book as an assignment, so I wasn't exactly interested in the plot. I imagine that I would thoroughly enjoy the book today, but my 15 year old mind found White's version left much to be desired.

Fast forward three years or so as I'm browsing my local book store. I came upon The Mists of Avalon and recall class discussions and positive reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I fell in love from the first page. MZB manages an emotional retelling of the legend that is also unique for its sympathy to Morgaine, who is normally portrayed as a sorceress. The book also features other women such as Igraine, Morgause, and Gwynhwyfar, some who had previously been auxiliary to the legend. She also portrays several religious truths, without being biased towards one particular form of worship. She finds common ground between the Pagan and Christian religions. She also expands on this theme in other books in the Avalon series (these books aren't as good overall though.) I

Anyways, I fell so in love with this novel, that when the time came to planning my England trip three years ago, I knew I had to visit at least one of the landmarks mentioned in the book. So, I dragged my aunt and cousin to Glastonbury to see the Tor, what was left of the abbey, and the Chalice Well gardens for one day during my week based in Reading, which is luckily a train hub.

We ended up climbing the Tor, which was much more difficult than I thought it would be because it was fairly cold and very windy. While my cousin discovered her fear of heights, my aunt and I enjoyed the view of the country and the town filled with New Age shops and vegetarian restaurants. Also, apparently Marion Zimmer Bradley's ashes were also scattered there.

The abbey ruins were beautiful. Pictured above in the background is the oldest intact dining hall in the world (or the country, I can't remember.) King Arthur and Queen Guinevere's supposed graves are also here, but my camera decided to die before I could actually take a picture of the site.


The Chalice Well Gardens attract a lot of Pagans and Christians alike who come to drink the red water (it's supposed to have healing properties) and see the Chalice Well. It was a beautiful and interesting place.

Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to Glastonbury. My aunt was happy to visit a place that she previously would not have considered, and I was excited to see many of the places I had imagined while reading The Mists of Avalon.

This was a great way for me to end the Once Upon a Time Challenge. I will definitely be back for the R.I.P Challenge in the fall again this year, because Carl's challenges are always so much fun!

2008 Classics Challenge

Well, in my 101 goals for 1,001 days, I promised myself that I would complete 100 classic novels. The 2008 Classics Challenge hosted by Trish is a good place to start. Plus, I finally have reason to dive into my never ending TBR classics pile. The challenge runs from July to December 2008.

I'm going to complete option 1 and read 5 classics. I will also complete the bonus read (actually I will read that book first, since it is on loan from the library and I'm moving to Colorado on July 18th) of a book not necessarily considered a classic, but should be, or will be someday.

Anyways, here's my list:

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë-- Yes, I've never read this before. I loved Charlotte's Jane Eyre, and expect Emily's tale to leave me just as enthralled.

2. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens-- I'm convinced that I need to read one Dickens novel per year and have heard great things about this one.

3. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh-- I am eagerly anticipating this book.

4. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley-- Another classic I haven't gotten around to yet... likely to be completed for Carl's R.I.P. Challenge as well.

5. The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe-- Gothic 18th century goodness and will likely also be completed for Carl's R.I.P. Challenge.

Bonus: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood-- I loved The Robber Bride, so I expect to enjoy this one as well.

Thanks Trish for hosting the challenge!

Mission 101

The Mission:

Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.The Criteria:Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.
2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.
3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.
4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Start Date: July 18th, 2008
End Date: April 15th, 2011

Creativity:

1. Experiment with food design and making food look pretty (and taste good too.)
2. Pick up some form of sewing or knitting and have one project completed.
3. Draw and paint again .
4. Ask Jon to teach me basic photography techniques.
5. Ask Jon to teach me basic Photoshop techniques.
6. Make something with the bulk of dried lavender I accidentally bought last year.

Financial:

7. Establish a ROTH-IRA to supplement any retirement earned through an employer.
8. Start contributing to a cause... likely something to help animals and people who help animals (Humane Society or some ASPCA.)
9. Make an effort to tithe more.
10. Continue to pay bills in full and on time.
11. Continue to stay credit card debt free (neither Jon nor I have ever been in cc debt) and continue to only use cards for what we can afford.
12. Pay off Wonda, my car.
13. Get Jon a new car/truck, and only after my car is paid in full to avoid two car payments.
14. Prioritize major purchases for the house and only purchase another major item when the item of higher priority is paid in full.
15. Only dip into high interest savings either in a dire emergency or to use towards school.
16. Continue to contribute any small amount to the high interest travel fund.
17. Stay insured for health and dental even if unemployed.
18. Do not impulse buy books because they'll likely be donated within the year anyways.

Food:

19. Bake at least one confection per week, excepting vacations.
20. Grow an herb garden.
21. Bake bread more often and learn how to hand knead.
22. Better icing technique and piping skills.
23. Attempt a fancy pastry like a napoleon or an éclair, or reattempt the French macaroon.
24. Practice new cooking recipes to become a decent cook and not focus so much on baking.
25. Get used to high altitude baking.
26. Bake a soufflé (stole this one from Amanda.)
27. Start getting milk products from a dairy delivery service instead of the grocery store.
28. Learn how to cook an authentic foreign dish.

Fun Times:

29. Get a dog and successfully train and socialize it.
30. Get a bike and use it.
31. Host some form of a get-together once per quarter.
32. Have board/card game nights as much as possible.
33. Watch all Doctor Who DVDs available on Netflix.
34. Go see a drum corps show if they come to Denver at any point, since I haven't been to one in a while.
35. Watch one watered down horror movie with Jon... during the day time... when it's sunny.
36. Watch the original Star Wars trilogy.
37. Attend some sort of theater event.
38. Go to at least one festival (food, Renaissance, etc.)

Health/Environment:

39. Pick up an activity/hobby that requires exercise and/or being outside.
40.Walk as much as possible.
41. Join a club of some sort in Fort Collins to meet new people.
42. Make an effort to get out more.
43. Do not commute to any job more than 30 minutes, unless our financial independence relies on it. School would be an exception.
44. Continue using reusable bags at grocery stores.
45. Eliminate coffee to very special occasions and drink only tea for caffeine needs.
46. Drink only one soda per week.
47. Replace all lamp bulbs with energy efficient ones.
48. Get a physical once every 3 years.
49. Go to the dermatologist every other year.
50. Wear sunscreen when exposed to the sun for long periods of time.
51. Learn to ski (I've never tried.)
52. Eat red meat at the most twice per week, preferably less.
53. Eat at least 3 servings of fruit/vegetables per day.
54. Start stretching and become limber again.
55. Learn how to shoot a gun.


Home/Organizing:

56. Never leave dishes unwashed.
57. Plant flowers and bushes around the house and maintain them to become a better gardener.
58. Decorate tastefully for Halloween, Christmas, and Easter.
59. Do not decorate for Christmas before the day after Thanksgiving (yeah, I might fail at this one.)
60. Devise a storage system for kitchen items.
61. Dog-proof the house.
62. Put up dry wall in the garage and devise an organized system for Jon's stuff.
63. At least make plans to have the basement refinished so Jon can have his office/man cave.
64. Get a bedroom set.
65. Establish the guest room.
66. Make a set and realistic house cleaning schedule and stick to it.

Learning/Career:

67. Consider schooling for possible new paths and try to avoid student loans to finance education.
68. Pick up French and Italian again, or learn Spanish, as it is more practical.
69. Read at least 3 history texts, mainly in European history (one on England, one on France, and one on Eastern Europe.)
70. Take a business or entrepreneur course if switching careers.
71. Re-read The Elements of Style by Strunk and White since I'm awful at grammar and writing, as well as other grammar books.
72. Have at least a part time job by October, whether it be as a librarian or something else.
73. Vote in 2008 election.

Personal:

74. Get married and change my last name.
75. Make an effort to start my marriage off on the right foot by establishing alone time, us time, and keeping communication open.
76. Establish a living will.
77. Consider pregnancy or adoption by the age of 29 (having a child by 30.)
78. Be less private about my relationship with God, but do not overstep boundaries and do not rub religion in people's faces.
79. Attend church more often.
80. Get to know the in-laws better, as well as my own family.
81. Learn how to drive a stick shift.
82. Have my hair cut at least 5 inches sometime after the wedding.
83. Make an effort to be more social and pursue quality friendships.

Reading:

84. Read 100 classic novels that I have not previously read.
85. Read one book outside of my comfort zone.
86. Read and complete a Tolstoy novel (Anna Karenina was a failure for me.)
87. Read all current and past Printz, Newbery, and Caldecott Medal Winners.
88. Attempt the Lord of the Rings trilogy again.

Travel:

89. Visit at least 10 national parks that neither Jon nor I have previously visited.
90. See New Zealand.
91. Visit at least 2 of the 4 states I have left to see in the U.S. (Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, Idaho.)
92. Get back to Europe, preferably England again, but I wouldn't complain if I visited Prague, Greece, or Italy either.
93. Camp at least once per year.
94. Go to Dinosaur monument.
95. Take the Colorado Train
96. Drive through Independence Pass.
97. Take Jon to Devil's Tower and Little Bighorn.
98. Renew passport (can't travel internationally without it!)
99. Find a good and safe place to board the dog(s) when traveling.
100. Go home at least once a year.
101. Visit the Northeast again during summer.


Poor Jon... I'm kind of drawing him into this as well. I'll give periodic updates on completion of any of these goals.

May Books

Not much to report on the book front for the month of May. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell was super long, as is The Mists of Avalon so I was lucky to finish 4 books this month.

First up was Stephenie Meyer's new book for adults, The Host. Meyer is one of those authors who isn't necessarily the best writer in the world (like I could do any better, ha) yet I find myself attached to her stories. She's also fairly responsible for getting teens, particularly girls, to read, which is a somewhat difficult feat. The Twilight "Saga" (I think it's silly to call it a saga instead of a series) captured my interest when the second book was released in the fall of 2006 and I am eagerly awaiting the release of Breaking Dawn in August and the Twilight movie in December. Anyways, The Host details an Earth taken over by parasites... nice and peaceful parasites who basically make the world a better place. Wanderer is assigned to the body of human Melanie, who was previously part of the violent and sneaky resistance. Wanderer begins to communicate with Melanie and is lead to her human uncle's compound in the desert where she is forced to prove herself to a band of not so trusting people, including her boyfriend, Jared. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it overall. My one qualm is that all of her books contain these annoying self-sacrificing women who have to be picked up and taken everywhere. It's too much and I want to read about somebody who is a little more assertive after a while.

After Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell I advanced to 1930s England with I Capture the Castle. This book is by Dodie Smith of 101 Dalmatians fame. Cassandra, a 17 year old girl, lives in a castle with her father who is ailed with writer's block, her step mother, a former servant's son, Stephen, her younger brother, and her older sister Rose. Forced to sell anything of value in the castle to pay the rent (which is eventually not paid) the family is virtually destitute and relies on Stephen to provide for the family. Things get interesting when the wealthy American Cotton's become the family's new landlords at nearby Scoatney. Simon and Neil, the sons of the family create quite a disturbance at the castle and Cassandra and her sister find themselves both experiencing the perils of being poor, first loves, first heartaches, etc. Cassandra paints a very real picture of the family, their hardships, and quirks. Cassandra herself is passionate, caring, and a little self-centered in the good way that most 17 year olds should be. I loved this book.

After reading the first quarter of The Mists of Avalon, I picked up Anya Seton's Avalon, which I mentioned in the previous post. This book follows a woman named Merewyn throughout her life. Growing up in Cornwall, she thinks that she is of the royal blood line of King Arthur, when in reality she is a bastard and the result of a Viking raid. She falls in love with a distant relative of King Edgar, Rumon, when she meets him while looking for healing water for her dying mother. Rumon is on his way to England from France to live a peaceful life in the court. Merewyn's mother asks Rumon to take Merewyn with him to England and to promise to not let her or anyone else know of her true parentage. He keeps this promise, but views her initially as a burden. He later falls in love with her after years of treating her poorly and lusting after the enchanting, but evil Queen Alfrida. This book follows Merewyn from Cornwall to England to Iceland to Greenland and back to England. It takes place during the reigns of Edgar, Edward II the Martyr, and Ethelred II the Unready. It also features northern heroes like Erik the Red and Leif Erikson. It was an interesting read, as I don't know too much about this time in history. Anya Seton is a timeless author and I look forward to reading more of her stuff.

Much like May, June doesn't look promising for me to complete much reading. Off to read the rest of The Mists of Avalon.

Updated Good Times

-I finally saw the Prince Caspian movie. I enjoyed it and will definitely make the purchase when it comes out on DVD. I'm pretty sad that they messed up my favorite part of the book (where Lucy meets Aslan in the forest) and I'm not too sure about the whole Susan and Caspian thing. I understand that they're trying to draw in a larger audience, but I'm a stickler for movies following closely the book (which I know never happens) and the love thing just seemed unnecessary, especially since Susan never goes back to Narnia, not even in The Last Battle with the rest of the kids. Thanksfully, this is my least favorite book in the series, so I don't care too much that they messed with the book. My favorite, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, will be filmed next and they better not screw it up! Jon grudgingly put up with my mumbling the entire time, although he did claim that he's never going to watch another book adaptation with me again.

-I finally have a set moving date in the middle of July. I'm excited about the move, but not excited about unemployment. A break will be nice, because I can catch up on some reading, baking, and work through the 200 something DVDs in my Netflix queue. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about my career though and I don't care to elaborate at this time, but I've made some interesting revelations.

-Jon and I are getting a puppy!!! We found out that Rosie is pregnant and is due sometime next month. The breeder will keep the puppies for a while (rightly so) but we should be parents by late August/early September. This motherhood thing should prove to be very interesting.

-I'm currently reading my first Anya Seton, via a recommendation from my co-worker Melissa, who is very well read and has excellent taste. Seton wrote from the 40s through the 70s and her stuff is surprisingly well researched and nice to read. I'm reading Avalon, which takes place during King Edgar of England's reign (10th century) and beyond. I will also read another of her books to split up my The Mists of Avalon re-read.

5 Things That Are Not Typically Frightening, But Nontheless, Scare the Crap Out of Me

1. Kitten Plates

















2. A bridal shop on a Saturday afternoon
















3. Romance Novels (these are funny though)















4. Role Playing












5. Standard Poodles

Book Review: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Author: Susanna Clarke
Date Originally Published: 2004
Start Date: April 21st
Completion Date: May 13th

"Two magicians shall appear in England. The first shall fear me; the second shall long to behold me..."

Winner of the 2005 Hugo award, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell has also managed to win my good opinion. From the first page to the last, I imagined Jane Austen with a fantastical touch. Set in the Regency era, the novel details the return of magic to a drab England and the relationship between two very different magician personalities, Mr. Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange.

The novel is divided into 3 volumes, and I chose to read another book in between each volume to split it up. Chunky books can be very daunting, and reading something in between each book was likely the only way I was able to finish the novel.

In the early 1800s, only one practical magician exists in England among many theoretical magicians. Once Mr. Norrell's proclamations that he can perform magic are proven correct, he becomes a celebrity of sorts and his normally quiet Yorkshire life is disturbed when he has to move to London to prove himself to society. Desperate to help the English in the Napoleonic Wars, Mr. Norrell brings back to life the wife of a government minister to gain favor. This act requires the help of a fairy who forces Mr. Norrell to make a shady bargain with him. This fairy continues to haunt the lady's life as well as many others in the story, including the noble Stephen Black, the government minister's servant. Jonathan Strange comes into the picture when a banished (by Norrell) London street-magician, Vinculus, declares Strange a magician. He learns magic, and after an introduction with Mr. Norrell, becomes his pupil. As Strange becomes more educated (although Norrell refuses to teach him too much) and works in the field, he begins to develop his own ideas on magic.

The above is about all I can say about the plot, even though I'm leaving out many important general occurences. First, I could go on forever, because everything is so well connected in the story. I would read passages and wonder where she was going, but everything was eventually answered as I continued to read. Second, I don't want to give anything away. I love the footnotes, with references to made up books and fairy tales. I also love the incorporation of historical characters like Lord Byron, etc. I really love the contrast between Strange and Norrell. I guess I would say that I am a "Strangeite." I found Strange a bit more exciting because he traveled, fought in wars, and forced himself to become mad (for good reason of course.) Norrell stayed confined with his books and kept a close circle. He was arrogant and stuffy. Combined though, the two proved to be a powerful pair.

My favorite part of the book was the general atmosphere that Clarke created. Crazy things occurred throughout the book, and toward the end, particularly frightening things, but I never felt too overwhelmed, as I do with many modern novels that get particularly gory and detailed. Again, I felt as if the likes of Jane Austen wrote the novel, instead of somebody living in the modern world. It was refreshing to me, because I definitely don't need a lot of gore in fantasy to be entertained.

Overall, if one can get past the length of the book, I would highly recommend it. Don't be afraid!

Mmmmm FOOD!

1. Are you a vegetarian? Vegan?
No

2. What's your favorite food?
I don’t have a favorite, but I have a lot of foods that I really like, mainly sweets and some ethnic food

3. White bread or whole wheat?
Multi-Grain!

4. What's for breakfast?
Anything, and a lot of it

5. You're making a Dagwood sandwich. What's in it?
Lots of cold cuts, a slice of cheese, lettuce galore, and a few pickle slices... sprinkle with oil and vinegar and some pepper

6. What's on your pizza?
Sausage and mushroom

7. Coffee, tea, milk, or soda?
Tea with milk

8. Dark, milk, or white chocolate?
Milk or white

9. Teetotal, beer, wine, or hard liquor?
Beer or hard cider

10. Does cilantro taste like citrus, or like soap?
I taste the citrus

11. Is chorizo the greatest thing ever or is it totally disgusting?
Sausage! Yum!

12. Do you use garlic like a vegetable or like a spice?
Well, I don’t eat it whole, but I cook with it a lot (not the powdered version)

13. Onions: raw, cooked, or not at all?
Don’t care

14. Does broccoli taste sweet or bitter?
Neither, but I like it

15. How do you feel about fish?
I feel good about fish, and fish oil

16. How about sushi?
Yum!

17. Fave ethnic cuisine?
Thai

18. What's your favorite fruit?
Peaches, with blueberries in a close second

19. Cheese - thumbs up or thumbs down?
Thumbs enthusiastically up

20. Finally, favorite dessert?
Too many to name

Which do you prefer? (my choices in italics)

01. CHEESE or CHOCOLATE?
02. BLUEBERRIES or STRAWBERRIES?
03. COFFEE or TEA?
04. CORN MUFFIN or ENGLISH MUFFIN?
05. PANCAKES or FRENCH TOAST?
06. YOGURT or CREAM CHEESE?
07. RICE or PASTA?
08. CAKE or PIE?
09. GROUND BEEF or GROUND TURKEY?
10. HOT DOGS or HAMBURGERS?
11. JELLY or MARMALADE? Preserves…
12. AMERICAN CHEESE or SWISS CHEESE?
13. DIET SODA or NO SODA?
14. LEMONADE or ICED TEA?
15. CHERRIES or GRAPES?
16. CHOCOLATE QUIK or STRAWBERRY QUIK? Neither
17. WAFFLES or PANCAKES?
18. WHITE BREAD or WHOLE-GRAIN/WHEAT BREAD?
19. PEAS or CARROTS?
20. PUDDING or FRUIT-FLAVORED GELATIN?
21. COLD CEREAL or HOT CEREAL?
22. KETCHUP or MUSTARD?
23. MUSTARD or MAYONNAISE?
24. MAYONNAISE or KETCHUP?
25. BLACK OLIVES or GREEN OLIVES?
26. ONION or GARLIC?
27. PLAIN BARBECUE or BARBECUE WITH SAUCE?
28. SCRAMBLED EGGS or FRIED EGGS?
29. EGGS or EGG REPLACEMENTS?
30. MEAT or VEGETABLES?
31. CHINESE TAKE-OUT or PIZZA?
32. SUSHI or DELI SANDWICH?
33. WHITE CLAM CHOWDER or RED CLAM CHOWDER?
34. KEY LIME PIE or LEMON MERANGUE PIE? BOTH
35. PIE & ICE CREAM or CAKE & ICE CREAM?
36. WHIPPED CREAM or CAKE FROSTING?
37. HONEY or MAPLE SYRUP?

April Books

I was able to complete 8 books in March. For the missing reviews from this particular post, see here and here.

First up, well, after American Gods, was the 2008 Printz Award winner, The White Darkness. I remember getting this book last year at the library and passing it up because it didn't seem too interesting, and I admit only picking it up recently because it won the award. The book details a girl named Sym's life and her obsession with Antarctica. She has always been sort of slow (she lost her hearing at a young age) and shy and fancies the long dead Antarctic explorer, Titus Oates. When her Antarctic dream becomes a reality, she discovers that her obsession has been fueled over the years by the madness of her Uncle Victor. Her uncle's agenda obviously makes the "vacation" to Antarctica a bit dangerous, especially when he blows up an airplane and takes Sym and two others on one crazy ride to find a portal to another world. I liked all of the action and adventure along with the beautiful and harsh descriptions of Antarctica (a place I would like to see someday) but thought that even a naive person could figure out that her uncle was a little on the crazy side from the beginning.

I began Dachshunds for Dummies back in February and finished it on a plane ride to Colorado. First, I never thought I would read a "For Dummies" book. Second, I never thought I would read one straight through. Jon and I have wanted a dachshund for quite a while now, especially since we met Rosie, the miniature brown and tan smooth beauty in Colorado, and the (hopefully) mother of our future puppy. It's always good to do research on a breed to make sure the dog is right for you, and thanks to Ashley's recommendation, this appears to be the best reference out there. I obviously can't quite judge this book yet, as I do not own a dachshund, but I did learn a ton about training, different dachshund personalities, and back problems because of their long bodies. More than anything, the book has made me really excited about getting a dachshund and starting my family. For now though, I am content to live vicariously through Ashley, who owns three of them (God Bless her.)

While my dad was stuck at the hospital in Colorado, I had to make to emergency runs to the book store to have enough to read during my prolonged stay. I had to pick up the new Philip Pullman book because I adored the "His Dark Materials" trilogy. This little novella details the beginnings of the friendship between Lee Scoresby and Iorek Byrnison. After winning a hot air balloon in a poker game, the 24 year old Lee travels with his dæmon, the awesome Hester, to the Arctic island of Novy Odense. Here, Lee gets entangled with a crazy scheme that forces him to face his past nemesis and puts his life and others at risk, especially after he befriends the loathed bears (Iorek) on the island. Like Lyra's Oxford, the story was great and I loved the illustrations and the game, but I can't help but think that Pullman could be working on The Book of Dust or a Sally Lockhart novel instead. Regardless, I'll take anything at this point, as I enjoyed learning more about the characters from the trilogy.

I also picked up A Tree Grows in Brooklyn while in Colorado. I've been meaning to read this for a while now and felt this was a good opportunity. Plus, I haven't read enough American literature so far this year. I also am a sucker for novels set in New York. I'm not the biggest fan of cities, but New York has a special charm. The book details the lives of a poor Brooklyn family, particularly focusing on the daughter, Francie. It doesn't necessarily go in chronological order, but you follow the family from the parents, Katie and Johnny's first meeting up through Francie's teenage years. Obviously, living poor is rough and it has a strong influence on the tone of the book. The story made me cry, not because it was necessarily sad, which many parts were, but the writing is absolutely beautiful. I find myself wanting to be Francie's friend when she feels alone, and enduring her heartache both when she loses her father (this isn't a spoiler because it's laid out from the beginning) and experiences her first love and heartbreak. I think even reluctant readers would enjoy this book.

Back to my normal TBR pile, I moved on to Three Little Words. I generally like memoirs, and unlike some people, don't really care if they are fictionalized. This one is aimed at a young adult audience and describes Ashley Rhodes-Courter's life in foster care and eventual adoption. I've always been interested in adoption, not because I have any experience, but because I have a hard time understanding couples with awesome parental potential, but with infertility problems, who will go to great lengths to have a flesh and blood baby, when they could adopt a willing child. The processes are equally difficult, but to each his own. Anyways, Ashley's experience had MANY ups and downs, because of the state system's neglect of her and her brother's case, and case workers who looked the other way when she was put in awful foster homes. When she was adopted by a great family, she eventually became an advocate, and now currently speaks all over the country on adoption and foster care issues. It was a good and enlightening read (especially realizing that the only people who actually helped her were volunteers,) and I would love to hear her speak someday.

I had to break up Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell up a bit because it is super long with tiny print, and I mentally can't handle that. Laika was a good book to split up volumes one and two and also marks my first graphic novel of the year. I added it to the library's collection because it was on YALSA's list for Best Graphic Novels, 2008. I initially liked it because it has three things I love on the cover: a dog, space, and cool illustration technique. The story details the extremely unfortunate decision made by the Russians to send a dog up into space with no return plan (and to celebrate the 50th year of the revolution.) In fact, the public didn't know until 2002 that the dog died after only hours in space (instead of the poisoned food that would peacefully put Laika to sleep after days in space and before the satellite broke up) of stress and overheating. There are many compassionate, but blind characters in the novel, including the head of the Sputnik (I and II) project, Korolev, who once spent time at a Gulag, and who eventually jumps at the chance to sacrifice a dog for the sake of science. After all, and as many characters in the program also felt, "it's just a dog." The story is also interspersed with more humane characters like Mistress Yelena, who takes care of the dogs living at the space program's quarters, etc. She becomes particularly close to Curly, who becomes Laika. This book is not sappy or too anthropomorphic. It is very well done and a beautiful memorial to a beautiful dog.

There won't be many books in May. I'm still plugging through Jonathan Strange and will also begin a re-read of The Mists of Avalon. Both will be split up with other books, but it's going to be a slow reading month overall.

Book Review: The Helmet of Horror

Author: Victor Pelevin
Date Originally Published: 2006
Start Date: April 7th
Completion Date: April 8th

The Helmet of Horror is part of Canongate's series "The Myths." Each book published is authored by a famous current author, who creates a new spin on a classic myth. Victor Pelevin, a celebrated Russian author, rewrote the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. I've always liked reading about labyrinths in literature (my first experience being James Joyce in high school) so that's why I picked this one over others in the series.

The story Pelevin weaves is very interesting. A group of people wake suddenly in separate rooms, not knowing how they got there. They don't know whether they are dead or alive, simply dreaming, or experiencing reality. Each room has a door that is initially locked and a computer. The group connects via a chat session where each individual has a user name created for him and his messages are automatically corrected for spelling and are edited with an "XXX" when too much personal information is given. The screen name "Ariadne" (another connection to the original myth) begins the thread with the quote “I shall construct a labyrinth in which I can lose myself together with anyone who tries to find me - who said this and about what?"

When the characters discover that they can open their doors after demanding that they be unlocked, each discovers a different room or surreal landscape, much like a labyrinth. One couple falls in love and tries to meet each other, one man has a room filled with editing equipment and tapes with candidates for the part of Theseus, and Ariadne meets the Minotaur in her dreams (behind her door is a room with a great bed for sleeping,) who wears the helmet of horror, which resembles a virtual reality helmet. Will Theseus come to save these people from the Minotaur?

I really liked the concept of this book and the way Pelevin constructed things. It was a quick read and I loved the labyrinth connection, but I definitely didn't really understand all of the post-modern/philosophical stuff. The whole ending was sort of lost on me to be honest. I guess I don't possess those higher level thinking skills, or maybe I just prefer for things to be more concrete and less philosophical. I don't know. I recommend the book if you are reading the series, but not necessarily as a stand alone, unless you like Pelevin or Thomas Pynchon-esque works. I might read another one of these eventually... maybe Margaret Atwood's Penelopiad?

Tempest of BLAH

It's been a crazy month. We're still missing CJ a lot. We've grown accustomed to not hearing his feet pattering around on the wood floors, but it doesn't make things any easier. Last week, I received my first Colorado job rejection, which was kind of difficult at first, but not so bad in the long run, especially considering that there are likely more to come (and hopefully a job offer too.)

My parents came out with me to Colorado on the 5th to visit Jon to help out with the new house. On the second night of the visit, my dad had to be rushed to the hospital with type I diabetes complications. It was looking much worse than that initially and it was absolutely heartbreaking, especially for my mom. It's one thing to have to think about losing a parent, but something else to potentially lose a spouse. Luckily Fort Collins has an excellent top 100 hospital and my mom's insurance really stepped up, so after six days spent there examining one complication after another from broken bones caused by a seizure to artery blockages, he was released. He was still too fragile to fly so we spent a couple of days at our house to have him recuperate a bit before the flight back to Atlanta. It's going to be a while before he's 100%, but we're THRILLED that he is doing alright now after everything that happened.

It definitely hasn't been the best of winters/springs so far, but I am more than content to be spending these last few months in Georgia hanging out with my parents. I'm also very lucky to have Jon in my life because he totally stepped up this trip and made things better for my parents and I. When did I get so smart in choosing men? Thanks also go to the people who I have told about all of this (work and friends.) I'm convinced that the prayers and/or thoughts have helped us all though this.

Some good things that have happened this month?

-I turned 26.
-Jon and I have been engaged for six months (with six months to go until the wedding)

-The dog that we're looking at to mother our puppy has gone into heat (crosses fingers that she will get pregnant.) We can't stop talking about getting a dog.

Anyways, I'm behind on my Once Upon a Time reviews for obvious reasons. Expect more bookish posts over the next few weeks.

Book Review: American Gods

Author: Neil Gaiman
Date Originally Published: 2001
Start Date: March 28th
Completion Date: April 4th

I'm aware that, like The Book of Lost Things, I am one of the last people in the book blogging world to read this book. I finished this morning and knew I had to write something about it right away. It's one of those books that I have to immediately discuss, probably because it's one of the most unique novels I have ever read.

I'm not too sure if I can give a good synopsis of the story because there is a lot going on and a lot of references to Gods and Goddesses that I have not previously studied. I've been told that he puts a twist on some of these deities, so maybe that's a good thing. American Gods tells the story of a convict named Shadow, who is serving a jail sentence at the beginning of the story for a robbery. He is released a day before his sentence is up because his wife, Laura, was killed in a car accident. On the plane ride home, he sits next to a man who knows his name and offers him a job, as he no longer has one in his home town. Shadow wants nothing to do with the man, yet he is persistently pursued and offered the job. After Shadow seals the deal by drinking three glasses of mead, he finds himself working for the man, named Wednesday, and basically chauffeurs him around the country and completes odd jobs and meets even more odd people, alive, dead, and ethereal. Shadow's role in Wednesday's plan is much more important than Shadow initially realizes.

I honestly can't say much more about the book without giving the entire plot away, nor can I adequately describe it. I didn't know what to think at first, because I found the mood dark and gloomy, at times creepy, and I just wasn't in the right state of mind for that. But as I kept reading, I became enthralled. I have always liked mythology, but the addition of the Americana was definitely cool for me. I kind of like our cheesy road side attractions, many of which Shadow and Wednesday visit. They make me think of days long before I was born, and remind me of road trips both from when I was young and even from now (drive anywhere near South Dakota and you'll start to see the signs for Wall Drug.) I have always preferred car travel and the cheesy attractions and the millions of road signs leading to them give me a weird sense of patriotism, even if I never visit these places. In the novel, the struggles for the heart of America take place at these locales.

At the end of most chapters, was a small section detailing different "coming to America" stories at different times in history or pre-history. These stories basically illustrate how the Gods came to America with their followers and how most of them vanished after a period of time. Some chapters describe the lives of Gods living today and the clash between the Gods of old who were brought with immigration, and the Gods of new, which basically represent our media-driven culture. It took me a while to see where all of these mini stories fit in with the rest of the book, but they all did in the end.

By the middle of the book, I was hooked. The story has so many twists and so many characters that are good at one moment and bad at the next. The final third of the story is definitely the best part, as Shadow's real role in his job and the fate of America takes place. This story is difficult to describe because there are so many twists and turns. Good characters turn bad and vice versa. The reader is left in the dark until the ending, much like a good mystery. I'm really impressed with Gaiman's writing. I knew he was a good author with a lot of imagination when I read Coraline, but I felt much more a connection with American Gods because he was writing about places that I have seen and the story in general interested me more. Overall, I thought it was a beautiful book and will definitely be picking up more of his stuff in the future.

March Books

I completed seven books during the month of march. To see the seventh book review, see below. Not one author was American! It's sometimes sad how obvious my preferences are.

First up for the month was Jane Austen's Emma in my quest to read any and all of Austen. Emma Woodhouse fancies herself quite the matchmaker, although her success rate is fairly low. She encounters many misunderstandings and embarrassing situations before she realizes that she's basically being a brat and needs to think before meddling into other peoples' lives. This was not my favorite Austen novel. I found Emma kind of annoying (yes, even more than Fanny.) I did like Mr. Knightley and found this book more comical than others and enjoyed the happy ending, but I just didn't enjoy the overall story as much as her other works. This obviously has nothing to do with her writing style and is based solely on personal preference for the other novels, as I know a lot of people who enjoy this one. It is definitely my least favorite Austen novel, but in all honesty, really none of her novels can be classified as "bad."

Continuing with another favorite author, Philip Pullman, I read the third book in the Sally Lockhart series, The Tiger in the Well. Sally is a single mother and also independent (she's a financial advisor) in Victorian England, which was almost unheard of at the time. Her life is great until one day she receives divorce papers from a man she's never heard of and has all the proof to show they were married. This not only places her in jeopardy, but her child as well. With her best friends in South America, she's left to fight her own battle. This is my favorite book in the series. Sally is chased all over London and forced to disguise herself and really use her wits to make things work. The ending is fantastic and suspenseful and I can't wait to see how they adapt this book to the small screen. This is the last book in the series to focus mainly on Sally. This was also the longest book in the series, but for me, the quickest read.

My last full novel by Jane Austen was Persuasion. Anne Elliot is a 27 year old single girl well on her way to becoming a spinster. In her youth, she fell in love with a navy officer, Frederick Wentworth, but was persuaded to not marry him by her father and a family friend. Years later the well decorated Captain Wentworth returns when his sister and brother lease Anne's house (her father was a spend-thrift after her mother died and the family, sans Anne who joins them later, moves to Bath.) Anne finds herself again in the same company as the captain. I loved Anne. She's reserved and thoughtful, yet refuses to make the same mistakes twice. This, along with Pride and Prejudice rank as my favorite Austen novels. Persuasion seems to evoke more serious and quieter moods than her earlier works. I'm not a very romantic person, but this novel takes the cake for the best love letter ever written. I highly recommend this novel to any reluctant Austen readers.

Rounding out the Sally Lockhart series is The Tin Princess. This book features characters from the first three books, and we finally get to find out what happened to the little girl who disappeared in The Ruby in the Smoke. Adelaide is forced to move to a strange land when her husband's brother dies. She is transported, along with a native translator and her old friend and detective Jim, to a small fictional country located somewhere near Germany and Austria. After the death of her father-in-law, her husband becomes the king and Adelaide becomes the "cockney queen." When her husband is assassinated during the crowning ceremony, Adelaide is left to perform a ritual flag bearing walk up a hill by herself in order to become the ruler of the country. As the new queen, she is constantly in danger not only from Austria and Germany, but from citizens as well who have their own plans for the country. This book was action packed and I enjoyed it, although not as much as the first three books.

Sadly, I moved on to my last Austen reads. Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon are three unfinished works. The first two were written early and in the middle of her writing career and Sanditon was written right before she died of Addison's disease. While I found Lady Susan quite annoying, I really liked Sanditon until it abruptly ended. It's sad that she got so sick at the end and wasn't able to finish it or other novels, but perhaps less is more, and we should appreciate what she did complete.

My last read for the month of March was my first ever Agatha Christie! I've been waiting to read a mystery authored by her for a while now, and I thought it appropriate to begin with her first book, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. The narrator, Hastings, is just back from the war when he meets his friend John Cavendish who invites him to come and stay at his mother Emily Cavendish's home, Styles. After running into his Belgian detective friend, Hercule Poirot, Emily dies during the middle of the night, apparently poisoned. Hastings immediately enlists Poirot to solve the mystery. There are many shady characters from Emily's gold digger of a husband to John's wife Mary, which keeps the reader guessing until the last minute. I like Agatha Christie and will slowly over time, continue to read the books.

On the plate for April is a bunch of Once Upon a Time books and various YA reads. I'm excited.

Book Review: The Book of Lost Things

Author: John Connolly
Date Originally Published: 2006
Start Date: March 22nd
Finish Date: March 25th

I've heard wonderful things about this book and I was not in the least disappointed. The Book of Lost Things is essentially a coming of age novel about a boy who is dealing with many personal hardships during the onset of war in England. As he retreats to books for comfort, the books begin to talk back, luring him into a world very much like that of fairy tales.

Trouble begins for the main character David when his beloved mother becomes sick. He gains Obsessive-Compulsive tendencies as a result, in his own effort to save her. His daily routines sadly aren't enough to revive his mother. David finds himself dealing with the grief by reading, while his father meets another woman. David becomes resentful of his stepmother, Rose, and his new half-brother, Georgie, to the point where he lapses into fits. He also begins to hear books talk, yet keeps this secret to himself as he sees a psychologist and doesn't want to be institutionalized.

With the onset of war, the new family transports to a house in the country that belongs to the family of Rose. David's bedroom is lined with bookshelves filled with old books belonging to a boy named Jonathan Tulvey, who mysteriously disappeared from the house along with an adopted sister years ago. His room has ivy growing through the cracks and has a great view of a sunken garden in which Jonathan is fearful.

One day while out in the yard, David spots a man lurking in his bedroom. The man disappears once he realizes he's spotted, but not before David notes his odd crooked appearance and his attentiveness to Georgie's cry. Nobody is able to find this man in the house despite David's claim that he was lurking in David's room. One night after a row with Rose, Jonathan enters the formerly frightening sunken garden because he hears his mother's voice beckoning him. When a war plane crashes in the garden at the same time, David finds himself in another world where there is never full sunlight, few can be trusted (werewolves galore,) where there is no way out, and lurking in the shadows is the same crooked man David spotted in his bedroom. Could Jonathan Tulvey have disappeared to this world?

The world Connolly creates is very reminiscent of Grimm's Fairy Tales. There are heroes, villains, and tons of gore (well, a ton for me because I'm not a big fan.) David meets a few trustworthy characters along the way who feel that finding the king, with his book of lost things is his best hope for getting back home. He encounters a handy and brave woodsman, a grotesque Snow White and 7 communist dwarves, a creepy huntress, a brave soldier in search of avenging his love (another soldier) in a floating castle, a werewolf named Leroi (his name is "the king" in French, how appropriate) who dreams of ruling the kingdom, and many more. He learns to appreciate not only the good people he meets, but also the people he misses in England. He also learns to accept the death of his mother. David grows as a person from each encounter both physically, mentally, and emotionally. But is this enough to get him back home, when a sinister plan has been laid for him?

I really enjoyed this book. I love the cover art, as I am definitely guilt of judging books by their covers. It was also a quick read. The book is fairly thick, but about a fourth of it contains different appendices. Many of his characters native to the kingdom tell fairy tales to David. Each one is familiar, yet twisted so that the endings are different, or the gender of the main characters are opposite of our familiar stories. The book was fast paced, scary, but not too scary, and imaginative. What a great start to the Once Upon a Time II Challenge!

Tagged

I've been tagged by Texas Dawg and various others (and oddly enough I met these people in middle school as well) to do the "ten random things about yourself" blog. I won't tag anybody else, because I think I've pulled this scheme before with people and it's not fair for me to constantly tag the same people. Regardless, I need to do the survey myself, even though the same survey is likely somewhere else in the archives.

1. I secretly (well, it's not such a secret anymore) enjoy planning my wedding. I really do get annoyed with all of the fuss for one damn day, but I really look forward to married life starting in October. However, I refuse to get stressed over stupid things, and do a bunch of unnecessary traditions just because everybody else does them at their weddings. So what if we don't want a first dance!

2. Ever since I was a kid, I have gone through phases where I am unable to fall asleep because I am worrying about various reasons. The only times I don't remember doing this were in high school and college, and to an extant, graduate school. I did worry in graduate school, but it was usually about more mundane things like a boy or school. I usually tend to worry about things that I can't control too, which makes the worry practically superfluous.

3. I tend to have a hobby that sort of takes over my life. Right now, it's reading (well that has been consistent practically all of my life excluding my teens.) In high school and college it was color guard. The bad thing about devoting yourself to these hobbies is that you begin to rely on them for your happiness. Luckily, books rarely fail me.

4. I get more and more shy as I grow older. I am also getting oddly more confident with age, so I'm not exactly seeing the correlation between the two.

5. I compulsively shop online. I put things in a store's cart or basket, look at the price, and then usually delete everything. Basically what I am trying to say is that I'm a saver unless it's something I (or Jon and I) need. Books seem to be the only exceptions anymore. And Chick-fil-A for breakfast once a week when I have to open the library or work on a weekend day.

6. I'm a planner. I plan a trip or our future dog or anything to the point where I get sick of it and have to put it away for a while until my interest is renewed and I can effectively plan more. Many things are left half-planned for quite a while, but everything works out in the end.

7. I hate driving at night.

8. I really really REALLY love the British. I fell in love with England three years ago when I visited with my aunt and cousin. Now I'm into all of the pop culture and definitely prefer the literature to American novels. The tea isn't bad either. Earl Grey is my hero.

9. The only thing I have ever picked up quickly is language acquisition. I love learning a foreign language and the pursuit of sounding like a native (which likely never happens but it's nice to get compliments from natives.) After 3 years of speaking only English, I find myself terribly missing French and Italian classes because I've lost so much knowledge in such a short amount of time.

10. I usually complete my household chores in 10 minute increments. I do 10 minutes of work and alternate it with 10 minutes of reading or watching a movie. I'm not ADD but I can't sit and read a book or watch a movie for hours without breaking the monotony. I feel like I'm more attentive to all activities when I do this, and each chore is done more thoroughly.

Feel free to do this if you want. Nobody is forcing you, but I'd like to see people's answers.

Reading Challenge: Once Upon a Time

With the recent loss of one of my best friends, my dog C.J., I'm really in need of some great reading right now to deal with my grief and escape from real life and this empty house (it's not really empty, it just seems that way.) I completed Carl's R.I.P. II challenge this fall and loved it. He has brought back another popular challenge and I once again find myself a participant and slightly pushing myself into the book blog world yet again. I'm very excited about this challenge entitled "Once Upon a Time" because the reading parameters are fantasy, folklore, mythology, and fairy tales. I enjoy all of these genres, but particularly in the spring and summer, as my book choices seem to be heavily influenced by the seasons. After all, what a better escape from all this rainy weather (yes, we're getting it in parched for any moisture Georgia) than a good story.

I'm still working on other reads, so I won't likely get to the challenge until around the beginning of April. It lasts from March 21st - June 20th, so I have some time. I am choosing the "Quest the First" option and will read 5 books that fit into the above genres. I plan on reading two books in April and May and one in June to allow for other reading (Agatha Christie and Wuthering Heights are calling my name) and to spread books out. I will post the reviews individually, rather than including them in my monthly book wrap-ups. Anyways, here are my picks.

1. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly- I've actually had this book sitting on my to-be-read pile for months now and this challenge seems like the perfect time to pick it up. My friend Amanda just finished it and loved it.

2. American Gods by Neil Gaiman- I read Coraline years ago and really liked it. I haven't gotten around to any of his other novels yet, and here is another great opportunity to read some more Gaiman.

3. The Helmet of Horror: The Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur by Victor Pelevin- I've always been fascinated by labyrinths and the myth of the minotaur. This is supposed to be a new twist on the myth and I'm looking forward to reading it.

4. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke- This is another book that has sat on my tbr pile for months. It looks long, but I've heard so much about and I can't wait to read it.

5. The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley- This is another long book and a re-read for me, but I like to come back to it every few years and this challenge gives me the excuse to do just that.

I will also be reading my copy of Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales in between each book. I have been doing this for about a year now, and am maybe 1/4 of the way through the book. Needless to say, it won't be finished by the time the challenge is over.

I look forward to reading all of the reviews!

R.I.P.

The house is entirely too lonely without you CJ. I miss you and will always love you! It was a great 15 years.

Days go by...

I'm back from 9 days in Colorado and attempting to adjust to the daily grind again. Yesterday I went to work at my normal time and ended up closing, because I didn't want Robin to close by herself (trust me, that place is creepy at night) and I had a ton of work to do. In 13 hours, I was able to open and process (well, process for an acquisitions librarian) around 150 books, and about 60 print journals. My office and desk area are considerably neater now and today I'm going to try to settle my email and some miscellaneous orders. I've done the 13 hour thing three times now and this was by far the easiest one for me because I had so much work. Today I got to sleep in and only have to work 7 hours, which will be nice.

I was able to finish two fairly thick books in Colorado. I should be able to finish my Jane Austen and Sally Lockhart kicks this month and move on to some more varied reading come next month. I'm sad to leave them both, but I'm really looking forward to the rest of my reading pile. Jon took me snowshoeing for the first time last Saturday. We found snow boots on super sale so it was kind of destined to be. Actually I looked like a poster child for these guys because Jon found me a great jacket and shell of the same brand on a previous day (an early birthday present) and I was also wearing an advertisement beanie as well. Anyways, I had a lot of fun snowshoeing. The altitude in Rocky Mountain National Park always kicks my ass. I can't seem to do any incline at all and get tired really easily. We went on Loch Vale trail and didn't quite make it to the lake itself, but we ended up at a great point after hiking over a frozen creek (complete with an uphill climb that was much better sliding on our butts downhill) to take pictures for our save the date cards, etc. I can't wait to see the place in summer. I really enjoyed snowshoeing and it felt natural once I realized that I needed to accommodate for my much larger feet. The trail was compacted, which made things much easier, and I would totally do it again in a heartbeat.

Jon and I have sort of revamped our New Zealand plans for next year. Instead of catching the tail end of summer in the beginning of '09, we're likely going to go at the beginning of summer later that year in November or December. This decision gives us more time to save money and allows us to hopefully get ourselves a doggy right after the wedding. We've both fallen in love with a dam/sire combination in Colorado, thanks to our super dachshund connection Ashley and are hoping to get one of their puppies.

Anyways, that's about it for now.