Countdown to Christmas & #AMONTHOFFAVES2016

These Are A Few of My Favourite Things

My fur balls. 2016 was rough in that I lost Casey and have pretty much accepted that she is not coming back. It still doesn't feel real. But, she will never be forgotten and Chloe has fit in nicely. If Casey does ever come back, I know they will get along fine.

Audiobooks. 2016 has become the year of the audiobook for me. Going on the treadmill has really improved my ankle and listening to audiobooks at the same time played a big part in it. I am hoping 2017 will be just as great! A quick flip through my read books this year shows I have listened to 33 audios. That is a good number for me and only started part way into the year.

E-Book Sales. Thanks to 1-day e-book sales, I was able to read books that I would not normally have had the chance to this year because hardcovers are way more expensive now than they used to be. So, instead of waiting for the paperback, I was able to grab a cheap e-book copy instead. (Or, listen to the audio.)

Planners. I did a bullet journal and then added in a Happy Planner. I am kind of finding it hard to keep up with the Happy Planner lately, life has been busy, but I have kept my Bullet Journal up all year except a couple days. It just took me a bit to figure out my method.

Litsy & Instagram. I love taking pictures and now I have two apps to do it with!

These are just a few of my favourite things... What are yours?

When do you begin listening to Christmas music or watching Christmas movies?

While I will listen to Christmas music here and there during November, I only officially start listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies on December 1st. After seeing how bad I am at movie watching, I am hoping to get to some older Christmas classics this year. Any suggestions? I should also check out some new music... I listen to the same stuff every year! 

Things I Have Learned Since... I Started Cleaning on a Schedule

I recently started following this cleaning schedule and made it through my first 30 days. I don't follow it exactly, but it gives me a framework.

1. | I used to find myself doing heavy duty cleaning on the weekends or when I knew someone was coming over, now I do a little bit every day and feel more relaxed when we have company or on the weekends.

2. | The writer of this list cannot have pets. If I only vacuum when the list tells me to, the house would look like fur city. I vacuum my main rooms almost everyday and my vacuum container is ALWAYS full. Especially right now with spring and shedding...

3. | It does not matter if you give me a schedule or not, the one task I still avoid is the bathroom. Do I clean my bathroom? Of course. Do I sometimes push it to the next day and do something else instead? Of course!

4. | I suppose since we have no little kids running around, I honestly do not have to surface clean as much as the list tells me to. On those days I usually just dust and vacuum and maybe put a couple things away. In the morning I always surface clean my living room if it needs to be done and my kitchen is accomplished mostly by just doing the dishes... The bedrooms a couple pieces of clothing may need to be hung up, but that is usually it...

5. | The closet day was my favourite. I rearranged to make it for a Sunday and, ladies and gents, I finally found space in a closet for the guys speakers! This house only has two closets and he has a lot of music gear... But, I was determined and now very happy that stuff is not out in the open any more. Two of the speakers were still in boxes and the cats were destroying the boxes. They are now in cases his sister made and the cats have moved on to other forms of destruction... That day made me really happy!

6. | I have been turning this into a bit of spring cleaning, so it often took more than 20 mins. But, as I write this on my desktop, my desk has a lot less stuff on it! 

7. | My windows probably need to be done more than once a month... There are cat and dog nose prints on several of them regularly... And, because I don't do them more regularly, let me tell you how much that stuff sticks to the window! I will have to work them in more especially with birds in the backyard soon to become a thing...

8. | I always did the dishes daily but laundry I would do all on one day... Other than this week when other stuff was happening, all April I did laundry whatever day there was enough clothes and it worked. I am disappointed I failed this week and will actually have to have a laundry day.

9. | I think the best part of this all is that if I miss a day because life is busy, I don't feel guilty like I used to... Most of the projects are simple enough that I can do two in one day if I have to and still be done in a reasonable amount of time. And, I find the more I thin things out and organize, the less I actually have to do when that day comes around again. 

10. | I am hoping that because I managed to do this longer than 30 days, that I will be able to keep it up! Every evening I look to see what the next days task is and scribble it down in my bullet journal. It has made my life easier and I definitely am glad I decided to try it!

How Many Have You Read - Can Lit

1. Alice Munro – Lives of Girls and Women X (Not a big Munro fan because she is essentially short story collections.)
2. Timothy Findley – The Wars or Not Wanted on the Voyage X
3. Mordecai Richler – The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz X (Don't like this book)
4. Martha Ostenso – Wild GeeseX (Pretty good book)
5. Nino Ricci – Lives of the Saints (Own. Haven't read yet)
6. Adele Wiseman – Crackpot (Never heard of it.)
7. Gabrielle Roy – The Tin Flute (Own it, haven't read)
8. Lawrence Hill – The Book of Negroes (Same)
9. Jane Urqhart – The Stone Carvers (Same)
10. W.O Mitchell - Who Has Seen the Wind (Same)
11. Elizabeth Hay – Student of Weather (Read Late Nights on Air...)
12. Rohinton Mistry – A Fine Balance (Have owned forever and not read)
13. M.G. Vassanji – Book of Secrets (Own)
14. David Adams Richards – Mercy Among the ChildrenX (Really good book & author!)
15. Michael Ondaatje – The English Patient (Only novel by him I haven't read yet)
16. Margaret Atwood – The Handmaid’s Tale or Alias Grace X (Loved The Handmaid's Tale)
17. Margaret Laurence – The Diviners or The Stone Angel X (Not a big fan...)
18. Robertson Davies – Fifth Business (Don't even own anything by him, weird)
19. Mary Lawson – Crow LakeX (Love her!)
20. Carol Shields – Swann: A Mystery or The Stone DiariesX (Read all of her books)
21. Marion Engel – Bear (Haven't got around to yet)
22. Farley Mowat – Never Cry Wolf (N0t sure if he is my sort of author)
23. Douglas Coupland – Generation X X (Read most of his books)
24. Joan Clark – An Audience of Chairs X (Good book)
25. Lori Lansens – The GirlsX (Another good book!)
26. Alistar Macleod – The Lost Salt Gift of Blood (I have other books by him, but haven't read)
27. Stephen Leacock – Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town X (Pretty good book)
28. Barbara Gowdy – Falling Angels (Only book I haven't read by her yet)
29. Richard B. Wright – Clara CallanX (One of my favourites)
30. Ann-Marie MacDonald – Fall On Your KneesX (Really good book)
31. Guy Vanderhaeghe – The Englishman’s Boy (Own, but haven't read yet)
32. Joy Kogawa - Obasan (Same)
33. Anne Hebert - Kamouraska (Never even heard of it before)
34. Thomas King – Green Grass, Running WaterX (Loved this book!)
35. Wayson Choy – The Jade Peony (Never read...)
36. Miriam Toews – A Complicated KindnessX (Good author)
37. Camilla Gibb – Sweetness in the Belly (Been meaning to read forever!)
38. Vincent Lam – Bloodletting and Miraculous CuresX (Really liked this)
39. Sinclair Ross – As For Me and My House (Should read this...)
40. Joseph Boyden - Three Day RoadX (Another really good book)
41. Austin Clarke – The Polished Hoe (Been meaing to read forever)
42. Tomson Highway – Dry Lips Ought to Move to Kapuskasing X
43. Louis Hemon – Maria Chapdelaine (Never heard of it)
44. Michel Tremblay – Les belles-soeurs (play) (Same)
45. Hugh McLennan – Two Solitudes (Read Barometer Rising. Good book)
46. Ringuet – Thirty AcresX (Hardly even remember what this was about...)
47. Elizabeth Smart – By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept (Haven't read)
48. Sharon Pollock – Blood Relations (play) (Same)
49. Dionne Brand – In Another Place, Not Here (Same)
50. Donna Morrissey – Kit’s LawX (Love Morrissey. Read all of her books)
51. Guy Gavriel Kay – The Fionavar Tapestry (I own this and really should read it...)
52. L.M. Montgomery – Anne of Green Gables X (One of my favourite authors)
53. E. Annie Proulx – The Shipping News (Another book I have been meaning to read)
54. Morley Callaghan – They Shall Inherit the Earth (Haven't got to Callaghan yet)
55. Roch Carrier – La Guerre, Yes Sir! (never heard of it)
56. Mavis Gallant – Across the Bridge (I own it, but haven't read)
57. Jack Hodgins – Broken Grounds (I have almost bought this book so many time and haven't)
58. Rudy Wiebe – The Temptations of Big Bear (Own it)
59. Neil Bissoondath – Digging Up the Mountains (Never heard of it)
60. Marie-Claire Blais – Mad Shadows (Same)
61. Frances Brooke – The History of Emily Montague (Same)
62. Fredrick Philip Grove – Settlers of the Marsh (Same)
63. Kristjana Gunnars – The Prowler (Same)
64. Patrick Lane – Red Dog, Red Dog (Own it)
65. Sandra Birdsell – The Russlander (Own it)
66. Anne Michaels – Fugitive PiecesX (Very alone, but I really didn't like this book!)
67. Amy McKay – The Birth HouseX (Really good book)
68. David Bergen – The Time In BetweenX (Didn't like this one either)
69. Yann Martel – Life of Pi (Haven't got to it yet, but have owned it forever)
70. Gil Adamson – The Outlander (Same)
71. W. P. Kinsella – Shoeless JoeX (Read this years ago)
72. Robert Kroetsch - Badlands (Never heard of it)
73. Andrew Pyper – Lost Girls (Been meaning to read this)
74. Helen Weinzweig – Basic Black with Pearls (Never heard of it)
75. Antonine Maillet – Pelagie (Own it, haven't read)

Not Enough Hours in the Day

It's crazy. For years I have been trying to accomplish reading 200 books in one year. I think I thought if I read that many it would decrease the size of my TBR pile (always a good thing) and I would actually get to read a lot of the books that I want to read and never get around to.

Fast forward to 2009. It is July and I have read over 200 books already. You know what that made me discover? It would decrease the size of my TBR pile if the vast majority of those had came from my TBR pile, but I decided to coincide my massive reading year with the year that I get addicted to the library. Do I feel like I am making a big dent on all the books I want to read? Nope! As quickly as I read them, there are still way more on my wish list. I am reading faster than I normally do and still feel like I am not reading enough. There are just so many books that I want to read!

The other thing I noticed is that I have to stop starting and stopping books. I rearranged my bookshelves and the amount of books with bookmarks in them was rather embarassing. I was pulling them out and I had quite a pile when I was done! Just think how much smaller my TBR pile would be if I actually read those books, huh? I always say I am going to do better on this, but I never do. I just felt the need to point it out. So, list time!

Ten Books I Have Started, Almost Finished, and then Stopped Reading:

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - I was enjoying it, I got about halfway through, and then I just stopped...

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susan Clarke - I think I would probably wind up considering this book at the top of my favourite reads of all time, but yet... I DIDN'T FINISH IT! I was loving it, and then I just stopped...

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey - This book is like 900 pages like. I was in the 700 to 800 page range and apparently stopped reading it. It is not my normal sort of read, but I actually did like it... So, why did I stop reading it?

The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny - I have the collected works. I read the first couple stories with no problems, but now the bookmark is the middle somewhere and I keep picking it up, reading a bit, and then putting it down again. They are not even long books!

The Book of Dreams by O.R. Melling - I loved the first three books in this series, and then I just stopped reading. I pulled the bookmark out of this book the other night because I am going to have to start it again for sure!

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - I read these when I was a child. Loved them, actually. I have started a reread of the series about five times and I still think I am only up to the Horse and it Boy, or however the title is worded. And, I love this series!

Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb - This is one of my favourite trilogies of all time! Actually, the Fool would be on my list of favourite characters ever when I get around to doing a male list. But, I haven't read this one yet. I have started it like ten times. I just don't want the trilogy to end, I think. I have like all of her other books to read, though, so it really shouldn't bother me...

Industrial Magic by Kelley Armstrong - I forgot Paige on my list of least favourite characters of all time. It's her fault that I can't read this book. I wanted to KILL her in Dime Store Magic. The funny thing is that I read a later book and she was in it and she wasn't as bad, but yet I can't read the next book in the series... I just can't get passed my severe annoyance with her. So, yes, keep starting and stopping this book.

The Crimson Petal and the White - Another book I have started a bunch of times and not finished. I haven't decided if I like what I have read yet or not, but I still should read on in it.

Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien - I started this back when I bought it. Got about 100 pages in and put it to the side. Then, I was supposed to buddy read it with Nymeth. Got about 100 pages in and put it to the side... I am not sure what it is that not working for me. I will have to try again one of these day!

That's just the tip of the iceberg. If you are paying attention, a lot of these books are big. I think I get bored even if I love a book if it is too long sometimes. I mean to go back after a brief detour and then never do. Then, there are the books in series that I love. Some, I just don't want to end, while others... I am worried that the book will destroy the series for me.

What about you? What are some books you have started and stopped a bunch of times? Any idea why it is, or does it just seem to happen?

Ten Fictional Characters That I Love

Okay, I had so much fun ranting about various characters, that I thought it would be fun now to do the opposite! It turns out that the ten people that came to my mind first were women, so I guess these is an all female list. I will have to come back to the topic later because it was actually a male character that led me to writing this list in the first place, and then I didn't even include him!

1. Mercedes Thompson from The Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs: I love Mercy. She is a strong, independent woman that can take care of herself. She doesn't sleep with just any guy, though, which is refreshing. It was a few books before she slept with anyone, actually. I think fantasy books are becoming just a bit too romance-orientated by times. It's nice when there is more going on than just what bed you are going to be ending the day in.

2. Eliza Sommers from Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende: I don't even remember when I read this book last, but I loved it. Eliza is a strong, readable character that has stuck with me for years. Her lover has gone to the 'new world' for the gold rush in the 1800's and Eliza follows him. She pretends to be a boy, but the things that she goes through are pretty impressive for any gender. I have been meaning for years to reread this.

3. Meg Murry from various books by Madeleine L'Engle: For years she has been one of my favourite authors. Meg is not always my favourite character, but she does stand out for me overall. I believe that when the author passed away she was working on another book featuring her, so I am sad that never came to be. Meg is considered a bit odd by her fellow classmates and thinks she is ugly compared to her mother, but she grows during the books that she is featured in and I quite enjoy reading about her.

4. Morgaine from The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley: Hands down one of my favourite books of all time. I don't think I could like it as much as I do, though, if I didn't like Morgaine. She was the main character and told the story. To be truthful, her life seemed so interesting to me back when I read this book for the first time that I wanted to be her. She had a great spirit that really showed through in these books and she lived a very interesting life at the same time. Though, not always a happy one.

5. Anne Shirley from The Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery: Okay, I have to be honest, this exludes the first book. I actually like Anne a lot better once she has grown up a bit. I still enjoyed the first book, but not as much as later books in the series. Anne is such a fantastic character. I mean, a guy calls her 'carrots' and she breaks her slate over his head! The series has a little bit of everything thrown in. I also quite like the later books when her children play a dominant role, but that is a discussion for when I get around to rereading the series.

6. The Cheney Sisters from The Dark Queen series by Susan Carroll: I love this series! I was so sad to read the last book the other day. I was going to pick just one sister, but to be truthful, I like all the sisters and for different reasons. So, I just cheated and made them all one. The first three books in the series all focus on one sister and then the last two carry on the story but include different characters. Ariane is wise, Gabrielle is reckless, and Miri is full of love. They all work together to make a great series, though, and I plan to reread the whole thing one of these days.

7. Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne: When I first read this book, I thought I was going to hate Hester. She does annoy me by times, but when you realy read the book you find that she is actually a very strong character considering the circumstances. She faces a lot to go on living in the society, but she rises above it in many cases. I was pretty impressed by her and actually, pretty impressed that a male wrote her this way...

8. Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen: Okay, so I am not a big fan of Mr. Darcy, but I did really like Elizabeth. That's entirely the whole reason that I read the entire book. She was a very witty, educated woman for her time. I loved her! If she wasn't in the book, I probably would have thrown it across the room long before I finished it.

9. Dr. Vesuvia Adelia Rachel Ortese Aguilar from The Mistress of the Art of Death series by Ariana Franklin: I love Adelia. She has been raised by adopted parents that believed she was capable of anything, and she believes them. She carries the strength they gave her throughout the series. She take no nonesence from the characters that she interacts with, and I think it makes for a great series. I can't wait until the next one comes out!

10. Katsa from The Graceling by Kristin Cashore: A new discovery, I love Katsa. She flew off the page for me from the very first chapter. She is a new breed of women in fiction. Ones that actually have brains and know how to use them. She is not perfect, though, which is important. Sometimes characters can be just a little too smart for their own good. It is nice to be able to relate to the character, too, and you can't do that if the writer makes them flawless. A great book with a great main character!

Fictional Characters That I Hate

Court did a list of Ten Fictional Characters that she hates, and to be truthful, I liked the idea so well that I am suspending Friday Friends for a week to share my list! Some will be the same as Court's. I can't help it... Hope it doesn't look like I am copying!

1. Briony from Atonement by Ian McEwan: I consider Ian McEwan a hit-or-miss author for me. While I actually didn't hate this book, I hated Briony. I know that she is supposed to be an author, and is even supposedly writing this book, but I couldn't stand her! She is spoiled and sheltered, but really she is just jealous. It's hard to put into words, really. Have you ever read a book and hated the character, but can't really put your finger on why? That's been my problem with her for years. I had hoped the movie would help me figure it out, but it didn't. I still despise her and can't seem to say why!

2. Mr. Darcy from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen: Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a huge fan of romance novels. Apparently, not even classic ones. Can someone please explain to me what is so wonderful about Mr. Darcy? He's rude, obnoxious, and condescending! He treats Elizabeth with nothing but scorn, and yet she loves him in the end? Obviously men are not perfect even in the 'real world', but that doesn't mean I want to wind up marrying a guy that looks down on me at every chance. I know, so in the minority here. Please don't kill me. We will just accept that romance novels are not my thing and move on, okay?

3. Duddy Kravitz from The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler: This is one I have in common with Court. That makes me happy, because I sometimes feel like I am in the minority! Anyway, Duddy is a character that will do anything for money. That is his character. I hated him from the very first page of the book until the very last page. He has a dream, yes, but nothing else matters. It got very tired, very fast.

4. Bridget Jones from Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding: Very annoying character. I know she is supposed to represent the struggles of most women, but it didn't really work well for me. I actually found her pretty flakey and I have no patience for characters of that nature.

5. Lancelot and Guinevere from various Arthurian Stories: I know. This is called my candy... I love Arthurian retellings, but I hate these two. Like Court, it is impossible to think about one without thinking about the other. I mean, do either of them have brains? Some retellings try and give them one, but generally they are just pathetic. It is not a romantic story at all, if you think about it, it is just two people cheating on Arthur. If Arthurian legends are true, I would hate to think that these idiots were the reason that an entire empire was destroyed because they are so not worth it!

6. Lyra from The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman: I read this book a few years ago, so she is not as fresh in my mind as she used to be, but I actually had a huge problem with her character. I read this book thinking I was going to love it, because it really is right up my alley, but I couldn't love her and it lead to me getting more and more annoyed with the book. There were more problems, too. It's another case of not being able to my finger exactly on it, though. I have that problem a lot, it seems. Probably because it was a few years ago now.

7. Bella from Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Hands down, Bella is probably the most annoying character in fiction ever! She is dependant on a vampire to the point where when he goes away she purposely injures herself in order to hear his voice in her head! That's just disturbing. She has no backbone, lets Edward dominate her, and... I really could go on and on. I didn't mind her in the first book because I thought she would grow with the series, but she really did not at all!

8. Anita Blake from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton: I don't know what this woman was thinking! Anita starts out being this badass character with morals. I loved her in the beginning, but then, she essentially turned into a slut that would sleep with any creature that caught her fancy. The books became more about me being disgusted with her bedroom scenes and less interested in the story. Why did she have to ruin a great character? It just makes me sad...

9. Beatrice Lacey from Wideacre by Philippa Gregory: You know, I used to like Gregory, but then I read this book and it destroyed her for me forever! (Well, that and I actually didn't like anything else I tried afterwards...) This book is so disturbing! I know that women had no power in history, but Gregory takes this to a whole new level. There is incest, to start with. I mean, to sleep with your brother just because you are in love with the land? This book and character disturbed me on so many levels. Needless to say, never read the sequels.

10. Meggie from Inkheart by Cornelia Funke: I have issues with children main characters. They can destroy a book for me if they are not written very well. I never found Meggie was written all that well, and that might be why I still haven't read the two sequels to this book. Another series that I thought I was going to love and didn't. Meggie is just hard on my head. She loves book, yes, but she was not likeable. I didn't feel for her at all and really could careless what happened to her in the course of the book. The movie didn't improve things for me.

Okay, so there is my hastily thrown together list of Ten Fictional Characters That I Hate. There are many more where that came from, but I have to go finish laundry and find the kitchen. So, what about you? What are your least favourite characters? I could do lists a few times and probably not run out... The problem is that I get less vocal as time goes on because the bad characters have been erased from my mind and been taken over by characters that I love. I think I might do a list like that next.