Sunday, January 22, 2012

Week in Review (3)

Random Thoughts

One of the things I have been concentrating on lately is reading books off my own piles. That is not to say that I don't want to read books from the library and support them, but I also don't want to overdo it either. I was very surprised when I was adding my two most recent reads to my Reads in 2012 list that they were the first two books I have read from the library so far this year. I also have one on the go. That's it. Now, I have only read 13 books to begin with, but still, I am very happy with those numbers. If I keep that up for the rest of the year my TBR pile will go back to fitting on one bookshelf. Obviously there are some e-books in there which don't really change anything in the physical world, but I wouldn't want to neglect my eReader either. 

I have been messing around with pages along the top of my blog and then deciding what to put on my sidebar. It is a work-in-progress at the moment. I am currently working on my Blog Roll. It was insanely outdated and I thought it took up too much space on the sidebar, so I made it a page and I have been working on it for the last couple days. It is no where near complete, but if you are curious you can see it up there with my other pages or by clicking this link. I will probably work on it a bit more today. 

Another thing I wanted to share was the pretty button that Alex made me for my blog. I had never had a The Written World button before and I decided now was the perfect time. Isn't it pretty?

Lastly, don't forget that on January 31st you should post about poetry as part of the monthly event Lu and I are hosting to get poetry to be read and blogged about more. You can read the post with all the details by clicking here and I will probably add something about it to either by sidebar or the pages above. It will be a few days before my new template is entirely organized.

Challenge News

I read A Midsummer's Night Dream as the first selection for Reading Shakespeare.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline will count for the Science-Fiction Experience.
Then, I watched Horrible Bosses and Valkyrie for the 2012 Movie Madness Challenge.

Weekly Reads

I am so happy that I finally read this play. I have wanted to for ages! I was a bit worried when I started it because I don't think I was reading it all that well and sort of lost track of what was going on. As a result I restarted it and read it in one-sitting. That worked a lot better. The only distraction was a cat running by occasionally. This is Shakespeare's play that includes fairies and I have seen several movie representations, but this is the first time I have read the actual play. I think it could easily become my favourite by him simply for the elements that are used. I will talk about it in more detail soon. (Personal Copy)


I have heard about this book all over the blogosphere and then I was lucky enough to get a copy for Christmas from the guy. I had other books on the go, but I really just wanted something a bit different and on the shorter side to feel accomplished. I really enjoyed her approach to the written world and the women that make it up. It looked at not just the characters themselves by the women behind them. It makes me think I would like to reread the ones that I have read and read for the first time the ones that I have not. (Personal Copy)





I am getting a bit tired of young adult books, but I was curious about this book in 2011. I was very lucky to receive a copy from Cat at Beyond Books. She's so great! I wanted to read it since it arrived, but my reading was so bad I didn't want to ruin the experience. I ended up picking the book up to just glance at it and I was quickly caught up in the experience. I read book almost all in one-sitting, which really doesn't happen that often any more. I just really enjoyed that this was a book with a female character that has some self-confidence issues, but grows at the book progresses. And, she doesn't need men in order to do so. There is a bit of a love triangle, though. It isn't handled like some of the other books out there, so it isn't as bad as it could be. I am looking forward to the sequel. (Personal Copy)


I was listening to this on audio, but my mp3 player was borrowed. I was enjoying the audio experience, though, and when I switched from listening to it to actually reading it I had a hard time getting my head around it. It worked out in the end, though, and I wound up sitting down with the rest of the book and reading it in one sitting. I loved this book! It was so much fun and suited my tastes to a tee. I think when there was a whole chapter dedicated to the Canadian band Rush, though, I knew it was going to make my best of list for the year. There is so much to gush about this book and I look forward to reviewing it soon with Melissa from Book Nut. (Library Copy)



So, my library has the first two volumes in this series and then stopped buying them. I didn't really feel like I had to own them, so I hadn't decided what I was going to do yet. Then, the library bought volumes 3, 4, and 5. I think they missed volume 6 or I missed adding it to my holds. Anyway, I don't love this series like other people do. I enjoy it, but it doesn't blow my world or anything along those lines. If the library never bought the rest of the series I wouldn't have been devastated. Also, I am thinking I need to get all 6 books at the same time and read them one right after another because it took me a bit to remember what the heck was going on. (Library Copy)



Currently Reading:
1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, And Some Other Things by Various Authors
Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
Naked by David Sedaris

Weekly Posts
Foundation by Isaac Asimov (Foundation Trilogy, Book 1) - A Group Discussion Part 2
What Are You Listening to Wednesday - Week 9
Tuning in on Thursday - Week 10 and Friday Reads 3rd Edition

New Additions

Borrowed:
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O'Malley 
Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Mister Creecher by Chris Priestley
Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

35 comments:

  1. Like you, I'm a bit tired of YA right now. My dilemma is that I actually own a fair number of YA titles that I would like to get read and pass along to someone else, at the same time craving classics and adult fiction. I probably need a bit of a reading priority schedule to do both!

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    1. The YA books just seem to be all the same. It is driving me nuts! I can only take so much lately. And when I go to pick my favourite reads very few of them are actually on it.

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  2. I love the cover to The Girl of Fire and Thorns...that is a book that I am looking forward to reading myself! Hope you have a great week of reading!

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    1. Thanks! I really enjoyed The Girl of Fire and Thorns. I am glad I read it.

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  3. Kelly, your site is so beautiful! I love the new look! :-) I haven't read anything this week. How are you enjoying Moonwalking with Einstein so far?

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    1. Thanks! That's too bad you haven't been reading. I really enjoyed Moonwalking with Einstein. I finished it last night.

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  4. You've already read 13 books this year? I feel so behind already!

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    1. haha! I feel behind, so yeah...

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  5. I'm glad your library got Scott Pilgrim! I went back and forth on those books. Some volumes were great, while others just didn't click for me. I did love the series as a whole, though, even if I wasn't as over the moon about it as many other bloggers.

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    1. Well, they do have the whole series now so I am going to at least finish it and then see how it goes.

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  6. I'm with you on Scott Pilgrim. Still, I read the whole thing, which I guess means something :P

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    1. Yes, the last two books are at the library after all, so I am just waiting for them to arrive.

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  7. I'm so glad your reading has turned around! Kelly not reading is just not right! And I just have to say again how much I adore the new template. That header is gorgeous! I'm still wading through Madame Bovary. I'm really enjoying it, but it is SO LONG! Sometimes I want it to be over and then sometimes I don't want it to end. *sigh*

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    1. I am very happy about it, too! Thanks! Yes, I am reading 1Q84 and thinking about the same. I am liking it, but at the same time it is dragging...

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  8. I really think your new logo/image//button is gorgeous! (keep reading 1q84; I just started book 2)

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    1. Thanks!

      I really need to finish Book 1...

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    2. Yes! hurry! My post is lonely with lack of comments!!! ;P

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  9. Anonymous9:57 PM

    I was a reading sloth this week, so I'm glad someone is picking up the slack. :-D

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    1. And yet I wish I had read more!

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  10. Scott Pilgrim? - wasn't that like, a movie with the guitar guy with the fuzzy funky hair? :D

    Anyways, Midsummer Night's Dream, I actually haven't read it (or seen any plays/movies) - bad me. I guess I was never really into Shakespeare - I mean, I'd read a couple of plays for school. Macbeth and Hamlet I think... But I kinda thought they were a bit long winded - and god, trying to read the original Shakespeare language - it was like wading through honey using a teaspoon. :p

    And I actually had to re-enact a scene from Macbeth for class one day ... *cue much stumbling on words and lots of 'how the hell do I say this?' - and you know, laughing* :)

    But nah, I guess I never really had a chance to appreciate Shakespeare (outside of school that is)

    And a TBR list that only fits in one shelf? Good luck. My (metaphorical) pile of books to read is closely approaching Mt. Everest proportions - and I haven't even started reading any of them!

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    1. There was a movie, yes. We watched it when it came out and it wasn't so bad.

      I read a couple of Shakespeare plays in school, too, so then I was very slack about actually reading any when I was out.

      This isn't a list... It is physical books. :)

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  11. I'm also reading Midsummer's Night Dream (my first Shakespeare). I'm enjoying it, making lots of notes and underlining, but I'm still not sure how to post a review of a play... and a Shakespearean one to top! Very intimidating :S

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    1. Yeah, I am not so sure about reviewing it either. So, I haven't yet...

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  12. Glad to read you liked The Girl with Fire and Thorns, I have it on my stacks. I am waiting to listen to Ready Player One on audio.

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    1. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed it. I started Ready Player One on audio and wound up finishing it in actual reading format...

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  13. I am totally loving your new look! Great refresh!

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  14. Love the new look! I admire that you can read more than one book at a time. I have to finish a book before I can start a new one. I really want to read The Girl with Fire and Thorns and now that you enjoyed it, I bet I will too :)

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    1. Thanks! I am not sure why I read more than one book at a time because it probably just means it takes me forever to finish anything. I hope you do enjoy The Girl of Fire and Thorns. It was a fun read.

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  15. Ready Player One was one of my favorite books last year!!!

    Also, I looooove your new web design. It suits you perfectly, Kelly!!

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    1. I really enjoyed Ready Player One!

      Thanks! I quite like it myself. :)

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  16. Very nice graphic! I agree - trying to figure out what goes where on your sidebar can be a nightmare. Everything's looking pretty good though.

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    1. Thanks! I will probably tweak a few more things, but I like my new sidebar. It has the basics and is not overwhelming.

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  17. Look at you go! I'm so impressed with how much you have been able to read so far this year. I have THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS on my Nook. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, and now it makes me want to read it next!

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    1. Thanks! I hope you enjoy The Girl of Fire and Thorns. It wasn't perfect, but I did enjoy it.

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I am so sorry, but I turned anonymous commenting off. I have had it from the very beginning, but that is how the spam is getting by my spam filter at the moment. If it is a big deal I will turn it back on and moderate all comments. I also changed moderation from older than 14 days to older than 7.