Saturday Snapshot - Take 5

I mentioned before that my grandmother had fallen and would likely have to move. My mother has started cleaning out her house, so she of course did books first. Most of my grandmother's books were gifts from me, but I felt like I should take something. I still have never read The Passage. I own The Time Traveler's Wife, but it is one of my favourite books and why not have my grandmothers copy. I went on a wild goose chase for those Di Morrissey books, so might as well see if they were worth it. She is hard to find here, but very prolific. And then, pretty sure those are my Ken Follett's that I never got around to reading so passed on to her and she enjoyed them. I guess I never did give her book 3. We will see if I get to them this time!

Bookish (And Not so Bookish) Thoughts

1. | I was so excited with myself this year. I started using Canva and actually making buttons for my blog. Now, everything I used to use on there seems to cost money. It has taken the fun out of the button making because I spend forever trying to find something free. I use my own pictures, I just like the formatting is all ready done and I just change it to what I want to say...

2. | My birthday was an event this year. My maternal grandmother is still alive and she fell last week. So, she was in the hospital recuperating. She has a blood disorder, though, and some other things popped up on my birthday. So, it was a memorable birthday for a not so great reason. She seems to be on the mend again now, so we will see how it plays out.

3. | My grandmother always gives me money for books for my birthday. She was the first person to give me a book gift card ever because the rest of my family didn't seem to understand that books for gifts were fun for me. I had spent her gift this year before my birthday even happened and the books arrived on Wednesday. I am excited to read them all.

4. | I bought more books recently than I should have. I am not finding enough time to read, so everything is going very slowly! And then I have all these books calling to me. It is a struggle! I would like to read a lot of books before the year ends, but unless something really changes that is not looking too promising!

5. | I resurrected the cleaning schedule this week because my house was starting to get overwhelming again. I felt way better just after the first day when I tackled the living room and kitchen. It's just that things do not stay clean. I get really frustrated. I have an issue with Finn (the orange cat) where he throws litter everywhere. So, I clean it up and everything is clean and then come back out a bit later and it is everywhere again. I wish he would stop. He will for a long time and then start up again. It has just been really bad the last couple weeks.

6. | I am wondering when posting on Litsy and Instagram is going to get overwhelming. I have been doing a photo challenge list on Litsy, posting my finished reads, and joining in on theme days. Then, on Instagram I sometimes use the same pictures for other reasons, but typically have to take new pictures for the scavenger hunts I do and the fact that since it is getting back to the colder part of the year, I started doing photo a day again. It's fun, but time consuming!

7. | I am excited about the up-coming three day weekend. I have no idea what the plans will be, but it is a three day weekend. I am hoping to get some reading done because this week has been slow for it... I do know there will be Thanksgiving dinner and I agreed to make pie. Normally for these family events I volunteer myself for things that are all ready made, but I decided to branch out this year. And, if it fails the stores sell all ready made pie!

Week in Review (2)

Random Thoughts

Today will mark the end of Bout of Books. I will be curious to see what my numbers are provided I get time to read today. I am hoping to finish a few things up, so hopefully I end on a high note. I am still trying to get into a routine, so it is a work in progress. I would have liked to have read more, but life happens.

Don't forget that you have until January 20th, 2014 to sign up for Start 2014 'Write' hosted at the Estella Society. If you missed it you can read my post here and head over to the sign-ups here.

Lucy Maud Montgomery Year

Okay, if I waited to finish short story collections before moving on to her novels I would be here all year. So, I started Anne of Green Gables. I am doing it on audio and the narrator recently narrated Stiff by Mary Roach to me. It is going to take me a bit to get used to her telling a charming little tale of a girl with red hair and freckles. I do like her voice, though, so hopefully it works out. In short story land, I am still 50 pages away from finishing the first short story collection. I absolutely suck at reading short stories. My goal is to force myself to read the last 50 pages today. It isn't even that it is bad. I just am more likely to pick up a novel than a short story collection.

Graphic Novel Year

This is still happening. I could probably have read more graphic novels this week, but I am participating in an informal Graphic Novel Month in February. The goal is to read my own books, so I don't want to read everything now and have nothing for February. That is not to say I didn't finish anything. I read the following:

Ex Machina - Volume 1: The First Hundred Days by Brian Vaughan and Company

The Escapists by Brian Vaughan and Company

Fables - Volume 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham and Company

Other Reading Projects

I am 100 pages from finishing a Lois McMaster Bujold. I aim to finish that today... Then I am not sure what will be next... Another book by her, Mort by Terry Pratchett, or figure out where I am with J.D. Robb. (I had planned to catch-up on Terry Pratchett on audio, but I didn't like the narrator. There is a different one for some of them, so I might read some and listen to others.)

Challenge News

Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys - Counts for the Postal Reading Challenge, the Audiobook Reading Challenge, and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. - Counts for Long-Awaited Reads Month.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan - Counts for the What's in a Name Challenge: A Number Written in Letters. - Counts for Long-Awaited Reads Month.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - Counts for the Audiobook Reading Challenge.

Fables - Volume 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham - Counts for the Graphic Novel Challenge.

Ex Machina and The Excapists by Brian Vaughan - Count for the Graphic Novel Challenge.

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight - Count for the What's in a Name Challenge: A Forename or Names.

Audiobooks

I finally finished Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, sped through Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys, and have started Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Next up will be The Black Flower by Howard Bahr for the Literature and War Read-along.

Currently Reading

It seems like a lot because I keep starting something and then getting distracted by something else...

Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Antagonist by Lynn Coady

The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor

Lucy Maud Montgomery Short Stories, 1896-1901 by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey

Pantomime by Laura Lam

Weekly Reads

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan - Read my review here.

Fables - Volume 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham and Company. I am really enjoying rereading this series! 

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - You can read my review of this one here.

Ex Machina - Volume 1: The First Hundred Days by Brian Vaughan and Company. A good start to a new series. Reading on will depend on how easily it is to get the rest of the books.

The Escapists by Brian Vaughan and Company - I really liked this. I think there are sequels, but I haven't been able to find them anywhere, so I will have to research more.

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. I read this on a whim and didn't think I would like it, but wound up reading it in one sitting almost.

Henrietta's War: News from the Home Front 1939-1942. This book has appealed to me for ages. I couldn't easily get a paperback copy so went with the audio. Really good, but still would sort of like to read it one day.

Weekly Posts

Week in Review (1)

Start 2014 "Write" - Hosted at the Estella Society

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Goals/Resolutions for 2014

Cat Thursday - Cat in a Drawer

Audiobook Review - Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Book Review - Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

New Additions

The other half of my Christmas books:

Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

The Truth About Stories by Thomas King

The War That Ended Peace by Margaret MacMillan

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton

James Tiptree Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips

The Maleficent Seven by Derek Landy

Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike by Charlotte Gray

Last Stand of Dead Men by Derek Landy

A gift card I got after all the others:

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

For Review:

Under the Jeweled Sky by Alison McQueen

A Christmas book that shipped separately:

Letters from a Lost Generation 

The only order I actually didn't have gift cards for...

A Study in Darkness by Emma Jane Holloway

Shine by Lauren Myracle

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septys

Loki's Wolves by Kelley Armstrong and Melissa Marr

Range of Ghosts by Elizabeth Bear

Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Some other stragglers... I don't know why they have to divide orders up so much:

The Best of all Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh

Once Upon a Time: Shadow of the Queen (graphic novel)

Yeah... This is a lot of books. Good thing for the most part I will only have pre-orders trickle in until next Christmas.

I Have Been... Take Twelve

Writing... It is kind of nice to be blogging a bit again. I am hoping I can keep it up! It would be nice to talk about some of the books I have read over the year, too, but I am trying not to pressure myself!

Reading... I finished The Diviners by Libba Bray Saturday evening. Then I started Midnight Never Come by Marie Brennan. I have wanted to read this author forever and finally here I am! I am liking it so far and look forward to reading more. I pulled a possible pile of up-coming reads off my bookshelves last night:

Listening... I finished Stiff by Mary Roach. I really liked it. I can't wait to read more from her, but I think I will stick with audio and I don't have anything else by her at the moment. I am currently listening to Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. I decided to make it my Christmas read. I have read Pratchett before, but this is my first time listening to audio. I like it so far!

Looking... Still on my quest to take picture of my Elf on the Shelf. I think it is fun. I am also trying to take pictures more, but the weather has been gray and raining. I am not exactly inspired.

Day 7:

Day 8:

Day 9:

Day 10:

Day 11:

Day 12:

Learning... How to get back to the things that I enjoy! Sometimes things get a bit crazy and you forgot to stop and smell the roses... I have missed reading and blogging. Next step is to get back to playing with my camera.

Anticipating... Getting to my TBR pile. There are so many books I bought because I was so excited about them and it is about time I started working on the pile. A new fridge! I hate the one in the house and apparently we are getting a new fridge for Christmas.

Loving... That the new house is coming together. We are decorated for Christmas, but next year I have slightly bigger plans. We went small for year one because there are other things that were more important to spend money on. I am hoping maybe there will be some things left when it comes time for the sales.

Hello 2013...

I am having an off year with reading and blogging. I am not doing much of either... This happens every few years, but this has been like a year of slumps in both departments. It's so strange for me. It is not like I am not filling my time with lots of things... It just isn't reading and blogging. And I miss both. My TBR pile doesn't get any smaller with inactivity. I still get new books... And I have had a few periods where I think I am going to finally break out of this strange cycle, but a bit of time goes by and I am back to not really reading. So, what have I been doing when I am not reading??

Taking pictures! I have a Canon Rebel T3i and I LOVE it!! I have been teaching myself the manual settings and having a mixture of success and failure with it... On Friday I went on a roadtrip with 'the guy'. Anyway, he has been coming on my photo expeditions as I learn what the heck I am doing... On Friday I went looking for a waterfall... Look at some of the pictures!

There are probably more... Windows 8 is just not user friendly with anything to do with pictures... I think my dislike of my computer is part of the reason why I am becoming more and more of a stranger!

So, most of my reading has been photography books... I am a bit obsessed with Bryan Peterson...

See the engagement book and wedding book? Someone asked me to take pictures at their wedding in August! Craziness!!

Then there have been photo apps..

An attempt to get healthy...

Audiobooks...

Stopping to appreciate the little things...

Casey, of course!

So that is where I have been this year...

2012 - The Year in Pictures

January - Received my books for Christmas.

February - Got a new cellphone

March - Was a bit slack with taking pictures.. Just a few of Casey..

April - Casey discovers bubbles for the very first time.

April - I started my day-by-day journal. Still keeping it up!

April - I started my Postcard Project. At year end I was at 49 States out of 50.

May - Celebrated the guys birthday. (Joined Instagram and starting doing photo-a-day)

May - Started building a shed.

May - More Progress on the shed.

May - Actually got my mother to read. Thanks Marg!

May - Has a roof!

June - Went to a Dinner Theatre

June - Saw the work being done on the Bluenose II Schooner in Lunenburg.

June - New Fables series!

June - Wrote a post about the suggested reading order of one of my favourite series.

June - Celebrated Canada Day early

July - Celebrated Canada Day

July - Ate strawberries

July - The last Women of the Otherworld book. Sad!

July - Finally went to the Shore Club. (One of the oldest social clubs in the province)

July - The shed is done and someone is showing off his new toy.

July - Close-up of new toy.

July - PEAS! This is a big deal for me...

July - Added this to the back yard.

July - Got a new BBQ.

July - Dog-sitting began.

August - The night the cat locked us out, and herself in, the bedroom.

August - More Fireworks. (In Windsor)

August - Went to Peggy's Cove

August - Went to Yarmouth

August - Whimsy went back home.

August - Went on a road trip in our own backyard.

September - Wharf Rat Rally

September - Got my birthday present early.

September -  Casey met Yoda.

September - Went to Dingle Tower

October - Went out for supper for my birthday.

October - Actually my birthday.

October - Another October birthday.

October - Saw the Pumpkin People.

November - Went on a comic book splurge.

November - Found an reading program I actually like for my tablet.

November - Joined postcrossing.com

December - Started the Adventures of Popper the Poppet.

December - Got books from Bookcloseouts.

December - The rest of the Bookcloseouts books.

December - Bought myself books for Christmas...

December - Lost a good friend...

December - Got a journal from Bookgirl and sent a bunch more around the world.

December - Received a bunch of Christmas cards.

December - Got Casey a cat house that she loves.

December - Got a new camera.

December - Got a bit spoiled by the guy (he also is where the camera came from...)

December - Got a bit spoiled by the family.

December - Have new comics to read!

December - Had a blizzard that made me feel old because I remember when blizzards were actually blizzards...

December - Ended the new year looking back...