Abandoned Books: February 2011

I hate to put a book down. For a long time I really resisted abandoning books and instead forced myself to struggle through no matter how miserable I was reading the book. However, now that I have less reading time I am much more willing to put a book aside if it isn't grabbing my attention and sucking me in. So far this year I have only abandoned one book, which is impressive! Here's the rundown:

Inkheart: This book came highly recommended, and I read it when it was originally published in 2005 and really enjoyed. However, as a reread it was a complete failure. The more I read, the longer the book seemed. I enjoyed it, I liked the characters, but after two months I still have not managed to finish the book. I may try it again in the summer, but for now I am returning it to the library and cutting my losses. There are too many books I’m genuinely excited for to linger over this one.

End Notes: February 2011

Another month where I didn’t actually meet my reading goal, but I did come closer and February was a shorter month, so I have hope that March may be the month I actually do it! Amazingly work is the main reason I read more in February. I had so much work and was so stressed that I made it a point carve out time to read. This worked out well, allowing me time to decompress after work before starting paperwork.

Books Read: 5

Pages:1350

Rereads: 3
Abandoned Books: 1

As you can see, there were a lot of rereads in February. This was due to reading through previously released books in a series so I could read the books I haven’t read yet. This is a strange quirk of mine. Do you all reread previously published books in a series before reading the newest release? Do you reread at all? I’m curious because BFF2 and I are big on rereading, my dad doesn’t see the point of reading a book again. I also broke the Book Buying Ban in February. Kind of. I bought a series book when it was released in paperback without finished a book first. Not too terrible considering I only bought two books in February total.* I plan to continue the Book Buying Ban for the year if I can manage, but I’m pretty sure I need to reduce the amount of space taken up by stacks of books in my floor!

*Not including ebooks, because really, it isn’t as if they take up SPACE!

A Day Late and a Dollar Short: Lent Rundown

Apparently I only blog on Sundays, and those blogs are FULL OF LIES!!!!!!!!!*  However, I am HERE today to tell you about my Lenten plans.  For those of you who don't know Lent is a period of fasting that takes place before Easter. For forty days (not including Sundays) Christians used to fast from sun up until sundown. Currently, most people just choose a particular item to give up.**

This year I am once again not eating potatoes. After many years where I gave up Coca~Cola only to substitute it with another caffeinated beverage, I decided to try something different. Potatoes are easily my favorite food, and I usually eat them twice a day, sometimes three times if I have hashbrowns in the morning. Giving up potatoes for any amount of time is harsh. Not only am I not eating potatoes, I am not eating any potato product. Which means no chips, no fries, no nothing. This is not the easiest thing in the world, and I won't lie...my Sundays will be FILLED with potato nomming, but it is something that I feel the need to do.

Last year I added to my potato fasting by also agreeing not to purchase any books. Sundays are an exception, but other than ordering Will Grayson/Will Grayson last year I did not buy a single book during the Lenten season. I am going to do this again this year. I have to admit that it is made somewhat easier by the fact that I have already preordered Huntress by Malindo Lo and City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare on my Nook. However, Barnes and Noble is selling a signed addition of CoFA that I may preorder next Sunday. I also have a trip to Chicago coming up and I will be driving for several hours alone, so I may have to make a midweek purchase of an audiobook so that I am properly entertained for the long haul. I will however keep track of the books that I do read during this period to add to the books I'm allowed to buy under the conditions of the Book Buying Ban.

Do any of you do the Lent thing? Or do you have other fasting seasons that you participate in? It is a difficult, yet rewarding thing to do, and in the long run I'm always glad I have participated.


*Cause, ya know, last time I said I was going to blog more regularly, but I haven't.
**The details here may not be spot on, I am not a theologist. The main point is every year from Ash Wednesday until Easter I don't eat something I love.

Hello March!

And hello to all of YOU! I really should update more, especially since my last blog was kind of a downer. Unfortunately, I have been SUPER busy lately. There has been an influx of clients at work and I am the lone wolf at my school, so I have been swamped with work stuff. There will be reinforcements VERY soon though and then I will be able to breathe and have a social life.

I did carve out some time this week to go see a movie with BFF1 and The Clone and to finish a book! I am planning both a movie review* and a book review this week. I will also be posting a Lent blog. I'm still not one hundred percent sure what I'll be giving up for Lent. The past few years it has been potatoes, and it has worked out pretty well I suppose. I have been asked to see I Am Number Four and Beastly, and I hope to fit them both into my schedule and my budget. I'd like to read Beastly before I see the movie, but The Clone stole it last time she was at my house, so I don't see that happening. I'll probably watch, read, then do a Book-to-Movie review. Probably. Expect a return to Teaser Tuesdays, and a February Wrap-Up review in the next week as well. I haven't posted any crafty time blogs because I haven't been creating recently. I have been tweaking the mitten pattern I found online to make my daddy** mittens, but the way things are going he won't be able to use them this year.

I decided last weekend that I am fed up with lack of storage. Living with my grandmother is AMAZING, but having one room to confine a lifetime of THINGS*** is difficult at best. So, I have decided that with the help of aforementioned Daddy I will be building bookshelves. We worked out a pretty amazing design that will utilize two entire walls and parts of the other two walls. When it's all said and done I will end up with a corner desk, a window seat with built in storage, and a corner nook thing along with bookshelves. I'm also trying to talk him into building a shelf that circles the room, but that is at the back end of the project. To start out I will have WAY too many shelves for just the books I own, but I figure I can put baskets, hat boxes, and the vintage cigar boxes I smuggled out of my grandfather's house in the shelves and use those for storage as well. I'm really excited about the project for a multitude of reasons, the main one being that I am looking forward to a project and the ability to add organization to my room.

March has brought RAIN! I absolutely adore rain and it has been difficult to stay inside and do paperwork when I'd rather be taking walks outside in the misty greyness. With spring comes the ability to actually work in my compost heap, which has been sadly neglected due to the horrendous amount of snow we had this winter. It snowed this morning, but I am hoping that slacks off soon so I can hang my hammock. There are few things I love more than hanging out in the hammock after school with a book and a glass of sweet tea. It is the epitome of Southern relaxation. 

I am looking forward to a lot of things about March, and I hope to have time to share them with all of YOU.


*I am using the term "movie review" in the loosest definition possible. Instead it will be me recounting the exploits of me, my bestie, and my cousin. But it will be HILARIOUS!
**Yes, I am 27 and still refer to my father as "daddy." It's been a rough week, roll with it.
***And by things, I mean BOOKS