Free Me From the Free Books

Dear Amazon,

I love my Kindle.
I love my Kindle Books app, and I love that I can read books on my Kindle, my iPad, and on my phone.
Oh, and on my computer too.
It's great that you can feed my obsession for books anywhere I go.
But please, could you stop marketing free Kindle books?
Already my Kindle is maxed out with books, and I fear that my seemingly unlimited Kindle Cloud space is soon going to be overflowing.
Which means no more room.
Which means no new books.
I love that I can find some truly wonderful gems amidst the truly awful free books that you provide, but enough is enough.
Last week I downloaded 40 free books.
FORTY!!!
In one day!
It took me about 10 minutes!!
Help me!
I can't stop!
If those were actual books my house would be packed with books collecting dust (instead of virtual dust).
If those were library books I'd have them stacked up all over!
What you are doing is feeding my hoarding obsession for books, and you are allowing me to continue downloading free books - You know that I don't know when to stop!
Please don't say it's my responsibility to discipline my downloading.
Please.
You and I have been acquainted for over 10 years - yes, since your internet inception - and I know that you have my complete purchase history thus making you intimately familiar with my over spending.
So stop with the free books.
Put a block on my account.
Do something - but please save me from myself!
I beg of you.

Sincerely,
The woman who wishes that she were retired so she could actually read all 325 books downloaded onto her Kindle (and that doesn't include the Kindle Cloud Reader count)

P.S. Could you also stop sneaking in books that cost money in the middle of my downloading free books spree? Already this week you've cost me an unintentionally spent $3.99. You owe me dudes.

Discoveries

It's always amazing to discover something that's old especially when you feel as if this special thing is brand new.
This happens with books, music, and yes, even knitting patterns.
(Although to date I've yet to knit a Clapotis, and that is so 10 years ago, yet new-ish to me still because I've never made one.)
There has been a lot of music that I've discovered long after an artist has been around, but even though I feel a bit behind the power curve, I still enjoy it because quite frankly it may bring me pleasure.
Often it seems as if something is discovered in an almost serendipitous way, as if the entire world is colluding to ensure you (or me, or whomever) finds that special book, or music, or whatever.
I could say that this special place of honor in my life belongs to Cookie Butter:

And I'd have to tell you that this is the truth.
Cookie butter is beyond delicious, and sinfully bad for you.
Funny story - I was in Trader Joe's buying some, and the girl who was checking out my groceries said:
"Oh, I am addicted to this Cookie Butter."
"Really?" I said.
"Yeah, it's so good."
Wondering just what I was going to eat it on (although I'd had it on a hot wafel at the Public Market - now there's a story for another time), I asked her, "What did you eat it on?"
With no irony, she replied, "On a spoon."
Now that was a fabulously enlightening conversation.
But this one is not about cookie butter (but if you love yourself, and are not diabetic, eat some).
It is about a certain Flapper who solves mysteries in Australia, otherwise known as Phryne (that's Fry-knee) Fisher.
In November, I was reading reviews on Audible about the latest book by Kerry Greenwood who writes the Phryne Fisher series. As I had never heard of this series before, I thought, gosh, there are a lot of people gushing about these books, I'll have to check it out.
Over to Amazon I surfed, and surprise, surprise, the first book in the series, Cocaine Blues, was free!
If you hurry over, it might still be.
Then just a few weeks ago my friend Mel from Australia, who loves vintage clothing, posted a picture of a still from a television series filmed down under.
Want to guess what it was?
You got it - Phryne Fisher masquerading now as Miss Fisher (apparently she's only Phryne if you're nasty)!
Tonight, being curious, and having finished the first book in the series and knowing there was a TV show that I couldn't watch, I went to imdb and checked the page out of general curiosity.
Lo and behold, on imdb someone posted information about Acorn TV.
I knew about the catalog - I've received it in the past, but the prices were just a bit too high for me.
Did you know, however, that they offer an online service (free two-week trial!) and one of the series they are showing this month is...you got it - Miss Fisher!
That's our girl.
So let's recap our discoveries:

1. Cookie butter is sinfully good and best served on a spoon
2. Not all free books from Amazon are crap
3. You can now mainline your Brit TV

Please be sure to make these discoveries your own. I am merely here to facilitate.

Must Remember to Write Thank You Note

If I tell myself that often enough, perhaps I will.
This year for Christmas, my boss gave me, and my two co-workers, Barnes and Noble gift cards.
$50 buckaroonis.
Oh yeah.
And what to spend it on - wow - the choices, but better yet, I had coupons!
For some reason that I'll never really figure out I pay the $25 a year (or however much it is) to Barnes and Noble to get their member discount.
I really don't shop there often, and I'm trying not to have as many "paper" books in my house (have to get ready for the retirement move to South America in __?__ years).
But a gift card - and coupons that come just in time for Christmas - I could buy knitting books!
Knitting books will make the move with me to SA, just in case you're wondering.
Here's what I ended up buying:

Anna Hrachovec's Teeny-Tiny Mochimochi.
I love her knitting - just looking at the .gifs on her blog is amazing - everything she makes is so cute and for the most part happy! I saw this book in a store in Soho, and thought, why should I pay $16 for a kit when I can get the book for cheaper!
I don't know that I'll ever knit anything from here, but I'm sure I'd better do it soon before the age-related arthritis makes it impossible. All those teeny, tiny little...mochimochis!

Ann Budd's Sock Knitting Master Class.
I have her book, Getting Started Knitting Socks, and it really helped me quite a bit. It still does.
So even though I'll probably never knit the socks on the cover (too many colors, egads, I'd screw it all up), I thought that this would be a good book to get. Plus it has a DVD.
Can't beat that when you're a visual learner!

I also bought a couple of magazines which, if you're not careful, can cost as much as a book!
I picked up Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts, and Quick Knits from Classic Elite Yarns (which, oddly enough, I can't find anywhere on the internet -- was I the only person to buy a copy of this publication???).
Regardless, I do so like Classic Elite - inexpensive, yet still good yarn.
I did splurge on some tea, and of course Godiva chocolates - no wait, I didn't buy those - no, of course not - and some Starbucks Christmas coffee which comes in handy for those last minute, whoops I forgot you gifts.
I wanted to buy Ann Budd's book Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters, but sadly the price that was on the Website was lower than the in-store price, so I decided to wait for another time to get that one.
One of these days I will begin knitting sweaters.
Okay, let me clarify, knit a sweater, and then complete it before I rip it out in frustration.
So, many thanks to my boss for the gift card - now I just need to remember to write out a thank you note!

End of the Year - 2012

Well, well, well. Where has this year gone? Looks as if my last post was, gulp, over six months ago!!
That must have been about the time I lost my knitting mojo (I think I've found it again), and three months after that I lost my reading mojo.
At least I know where that went - my youngest has all of a sudden (but don't get too excited, it won't last) picked up reading. It began with her seeing a preview of the new Gatsby film. If you know me at all, you'll know that Fitzgerald's novel is one of my very favorites (in the whole, wide world). I told her, "I'll take you to see this film (even though I can't stand DiCaprio) if you'll read the book first."
She started it, didn't finish, wrote her book report (cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater), but then actually picked up the book again and read it to the end.
Le sigh.
So proud.
Now she'll be ready in two years when in 10th grade they read it again (as we did about 30 something years ago) and she'll have a better understanding the second time around.
Now to sum up the latter half of my year:

• Work was hard, difficult and trying, and now I'm finishing up my two weeks off for the shutdown (oh I do so love this), and actually quite sad that it's coming to an end. I am, however, well rested and ready to begin another year. Perhaps this year I'll get organized at work and at home? Just a thought.
• Aforementioned knitting mojo went the way of the Dodo bird, and disappeared. Fortunately it's come back Jurassic Park-style, albeit very slowly, with certain projects guiltily staring at me (is that even possible?).
• Reading mojo disappeared, but returned with the realization that I have been listening to more audiobooks, and reading more books on an electronic reading device over paper books. What is my world coming to?
• I got bronchitis in October and I am still suffering from yucky mucous in my lungs. Will this ever go away? Please say yes.
• We went to NYC in August and I didn't buy any yarn. We went to NYC again in December and I bought too much yarn and goodies. 
• We went to Boston and Salem in October and I bought souvenir yarn from a lovely shop.
• There was a large amount of stash enhancement this year. (Did I even need to say this?)
• My friend Andrea gave me yarn for Christmas and she doesn't grasp the idea of stash enhancement, so oddly enough I felt compelled to start knitting up her yarn shortly after I received it. It was an interesting feeling, but not so bad. One pair of socks almost done! Perhaps I'll wear these to work on Wednesday, if they're done. 

• I joined the Stranded in Oz fibre club for 2013. Mel has become a dear friend, and who better to support than someone for whom you really care.
• I knit a shawl for my 96 year old aunt who is in hospital - well she's actually been in two nursing homes, and was taken to the hospital just this past Sunday, so I know she needs something to keep her shoulders warm. This piece will do it - now to get it to her today or tomorrow.
• I had framing discount coupons to use at a particular chain store and used them to have two cross stitch pieces framed. This first one was done for the little one way back in the beginning of the century, and finally framed. She chose the matting and frame, but now won't put it in her room. Go figure. Can you read that it says, "You are Loved?" Perhaps it should have a flip side that reads, "You're driving me crazy!"

This next one looks like someone should have ironed it a bit more before taking it to get framed. Alas.

They do an okay job, this chain store, and I wouldn't have used them except for the 75% off coupons. They always have a little something that's wrong with the framing. But whatever. They're done.

• I went to a surprise birthday party for my second cousin in November, and was invited back by her dad to spend time with them at their annual Christmas Eve party. It was a good reminder about the importance of family and how much I love my cousins in a Billy Joel kind of way (you know, just the way you are).
• Hubby and the little one went to South America for two weeks, and will be returning this week, so the Baby Boy and I spent Christmas together and had dinner at my older daughter's apartment. It was a quiet Christmas, and that's okay. (Refer back to rediscovering said knitting mojo.)
• The year started out with my mother in hospital, and ended with her in the ER, but all is well. Just an interesting way to book-end the year (and perhaps a predictor of my life to come?)

So that's the latter half of 2012 in a nutshell with huge gaps of things missing probably. Tonight is New Year's Eve, and as I'll be home (with the dogs and cats) for the evening and it will give me time to at least organize my thoughts about what I resolve to do in 2013.

Happy New Year!

Her Royal Spyness

I know a couple of people who believe that you can't read a book twice.
Or at least they never do.
I guess they figure it's a waste of time.
If there's a book I love, or find comfort in, I will read it several times.
Or more.
Last year while at the library I discovered a series that I gobbled up, and really enjoyed.
The first book is Her Royal Spyness (A Royal Spyness Mystery) by Rhys Bowen, a cozy mystery about a woman, Lady Georgiana who is 34th in line to the British throne. At 21 with her allowance cut off, she is penniless, and has escaped the family home in Scotland to the family home in London where she is trying to find a way to earn money, if royalty are allowed to actually have jobs. When she finds a body in the bathtub of her family's London house, she has to find the killer and clear her brother from police suspicion. In addition, Queen Mary has asked her to spy on her cousin David's relationship with an unsuitable married American woman, Wallis Simpson.
Subsequent books in the series involve Georgie, as her friends and family call her, being surrounded by the British elite, family friends, international playboys, and those who wish to be around royalty.
They're quite clever books, and so far there have been five books published in this series, and as I said, I've read them all.
What I did last week, however, was also get a copy of the audiobook for the first in the series.
Even though listening to Her Royal Spyness again does not count towards my total of books read in 2012 (up to 45 books so far), I'm not concerned. The narrator is so outstanding that she makes it a true pleasure to listen to this book. Her mastery in invoking and utilizing varying voices and dialects for the characters puts her on par with Jim Dale who did such a masterful job of narrating the Harry Potter books (U.S. versions).
If you're looking for some great entertainment, and a heroine you can truly like, check out this series.

If you're looking for a way to listen while you work, then definitely get the audiobook. You won't regret it.
More information on Rhys Bowen's can be found at her Website.

Another Four Letter Word

There's another four-letter word that I'm banned from using (or spending too much on): book.
Fortunately, Major Knitter is cleaning out a lot of her old books (wow, what a concept), and gifted these to me.
I'll read them, and pass them along.
A lending library with no due date.
How's that?
If anyone wants to dib something, let me know!

Of course you have to wait until I read them first.
Can someone come over and clean my house so I have more time for my hobbies?
Pretty please?

And the survey says....

There are many "Books you should read before the Aztec calendar premonition comes true on December 21, 2012 and we all die horrible deaths as the world ceases to exist" lists out there.
One of my co-workers shared one with me last year, and even in its many iterations I find that sadly there are so many books still to be read.
How does one fit it all in?
What surprised me even more, however, is a conversation that took place a few days ago with my co-workers.
One of our students borrowed a Kindle from the library so she could read the second book of the Hunger Games trilogy. Great series, by the way, and you should totally check them out before the movie comes, and then, because you'll need snacks, also check out this great Website called Fictional Food. If you love food, and you love books, then this is the site for you.
Anyway, she finished the book and since she still had the Kindle for a few more weeks decided to read some of the free books already loaded on there.
I asked her what she was reading, and she replied Pride and Prejudice.
Oh, I said, you've never read it before?
Seeing as she is actually a very intelligent young woman, who happens to be a journalism and business major (which means she really does not know what she wants to be when she grows up), I thought that perhaps she would have read it in high school.
No go.
So I began to talk about my complicated relationship with Jane Austen.
And then I heard what I was saying, and I didn't want to discourage her from reading it, so I quickly reframed my comments to say, "This is an important book that everyone should read. I truly believe that. Besides, oddly enough, it does meet Harold Bloom's high standards for what should belong in the Canon, and it is a classic."
Then I asked one of my co-workers, who is working on a degree in English, if she had ever read the book.
No, was her answer.
I asked my red-headed friend who just earned her master's in student affairs leadership (or something like that).
No, was her answer as well.
My other co-worker was queried.
You know the reply.
I was astonished and quite frankly somewhat appalled.
What is happening to our society?
Granted, I never read the book until I was about 39 or so, and it was for a master's class but since then I've read it about 3 or 4 times.
And of course I've seen the A&E version with Colin Firth several times, and the Keira Knightley version too (not as good, no one beats Colin).
I'm anxious for our student to finish the book because when she's done I'm going to have her watch the series, and I want to see what she thinks.
Have you read Pride and Prejudice?
If yes, how many times?

RIP Mrs. Pollifax

One of my favorite authors died last week.
I've written about her before, but sadly she hasn't written anything new in years.
Her name is Dorothy Gilman.
Of course after reading why she died - complications of Alzheimer's disease - I can understand why there was nothing new.
Her obit was published on February 3 in the New York Times, and I have to admit that I didn't realize how sad her passing would make me feel.

Dorothy Edith Gilman was born in New Brunswick, N.J., on June 25, 1923; she decided on a writing career when she was still a child. Planning to write and illustrate books for children, she studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Under her married name, Dorothy Gilman Butters, she began publishing children’s books in the late 1940s. 

I understand that an author is not wholly the main character in their books, but there has to be some part of them that leeches out and into the characters. So don't blame me too much if I visualize Dorothy Gilman as Mrs. Pollifax. Now for those unfamiliar with this character, Mrs. Pollifax was the elderly (if 60ish is elderly - maybe in the '60s it was) widow who decided that she had reached the point where she wasn't needed anymore, so she should either kill herself or fulfill her life's wish of becoming a spy. Fortunately for the world, Mrs. Pollifax made the drastic and dangerous decision of becoming an employee of the CIA, and she enjoyed a 14-book run - now don't you think that's impressive?

Clever, lucky and naïvely intrepid, Mrs. Pollifax employs common sense and a little karate to rescue the kidnapped; aid the resistance (when you are a suburban lady spy, a fashionable hat is ideal for concealing forged passports); and engage in all manner of cheery deception (when doing business with a malefactor who is expecting a can of plutonium, a can of peaches makes an excellent if short-term substitute).

I have to confess - although I might have done this before - but I have read her series, either in whole, or a book at a time, at least 10 times, and I can say this without it being hyperbole. It's also nice to know that I am not alone in my fondness for Dorothy Gilman author, or Mrs. Pollifax, spy. There is a wonderful blog devoted to Mrs. Pollifax, and the blog's author can provide even more comprehensive information on the series, if you're interested. But don't limit your reading to just the Mrs. Pollifax books - Dorothy Gilman was a very prolific author who wrote some wonderful books that were not series, but stand alone as complete works.

One of the things that you may notice, if you decide to pick up a Dorothy Gilman book is that she deals a lot with spirituality, and finding ways to discover oneself, or hidden strengths, either through religion, mysticism, or spirituality. As much as I love Mrs. Pollifax, my two favorite books do not feature her, but are separate books: Incident at Badamya and Caravan. I never tire of reading these books, and I doubt I ever will.

RIP Dorothy Gilman, and know that I am not alone in loving the work you have left behind. Through this you will live forever.

Fandom

It has become apparent to me during my many years on this earth, that we all have different levels of obsession fascination with celebrities.
For some, we would go out of our way to breathe the same air, and for others, well, they could be standing there and we would turn away, totally disinterested.
Well, that's how I roll anyway.
I suppose this would be part of the laws of attraction too.
Some may find the cute guy who gives out parking tickets attractive, and others may like the guy who works on their computer.
It's all a matter of taste - preference, if you will.
During my life I have met, or breathed the same air as, some seemingly important people.
Not all of them have caused me to become excited to be in their presence.
And again, it's about what interests me.
So let's go back over my preferences which are, in no particular order knitting, books, and music.
And here's a segue.
I was looking through my bookshelf this morning, surprised at the number of books I have that I didn't even realize I owned!
Sad, I know.
Of course I didn't find the one book that I was looking for (and you know that as soon as I buy it again I will find it), but I did find another that I have wanted to read - Adrienne Martini's Sweater Quest: My Year of Knitting Dangerously, but obviously bought and shelved, and that's where it's been.
I really had forgotten about this book, not because I think it's bad, but mostly because it was on a bookshelf and hidden by some other things (namely knitting patterns). It really needs to be moved to my ever-growing to-be-read bookshelf. (Just wanted to assure you that I did move it - I know you were concerned.)
In looking through the book I realized (again because I know that I knew this when I purchased the book originally) that Adrienne Martini teaches in the same state university system in which I work.
How close we are! And yet so far. Her campus is three hours or so away.
But this is totally awesome, right?
Is she someone that everyone would know?
Perhaps not, but she is a published author so according to my standards (or preferences), and I say this even while working on a college campus where there are a plethora of professors who have published, I'm thrilled. And this is mostly because she's also a knitter.
Now who doesn't love a knitter, I ask you. (Note the lack of a question mark - I'm not looking for a rebuttal to this statement.)
I'm certainly not the best knitter in the world, nor the most enthusiastic, but I do love making the things that I am able to create. It is a very fulfilling activity, and the yarn is just so darn pretty.
Hang on, here's another segue.
Imagine my delight when they announced that a performer at an upcoming concert was hosting a knitting circle before her show. That sounds like a show that is right up my alley.
Can you guess the performer?
None other than.....Christine Lavin.
Ask me if I'm ten kinds of excited about the concert tonight.
I think you know the answer.
Do I listen to her music?
I can honestly say that I recently discovered her through Pandora of all places (she pops up on my Kate Rusby station), and I didn't really even connect who she was until I looked at the Christmas CDs that I had randomly purchased two years ago and realized that I had indeed purchased Christine Lavin Presents: Just One Angel.
I'm a little slow at connecting those dang dots, but eventually I make my way there.
I don't think I'm at a disadvantage in not being overly familiar with her music.
After all, she's a knitter.
And knitters, as we know, are exceptional people.
(All hand crafters are exceptional, let's be honest.)
And as a knitter I'm sure she'll be forgiving, and grateful that we've been drawn to her concert through our mutual love of yarn, and we will more than likely go away as life long fans.
I'm counting on it.
Would I feel this same way if Brad Pitt, or someone equally famous were showing up for an event?
No, because again, their attraction to others doesn't float my boat. (Although for some reason I have this attraction to Jean Reno - I think it's the French accent. Don't say eww; again, it's personal preference, right?)
I feel no common bond with some of these famous celebrities.
Singers (and writers) who knit, however, oh yeah, we're there.
Tonight, then, my red headed friend, my knitting friend, my daughter, and I will be welcomed into the inner circle.
This is going to be an exceptional evening spent in the company of exceptional people.

In the year of living frugally

Every year new resolutions are made by so many people.
Personally I think you can start each new day with a resolution, or each week, etc., but there's something about kicking off a new year with new goals.
This year I am attempting to live more frugally.
Something, I might add, that I should have been doing for years.
Alas, better late than never.
Now my latest guilty pleasure (but is it really pleasurable?) is watching the show Hoarders on Netflix.
Wow, way to make me repulsed, feel superior, horrified, and saddened all at the same time, A&E. You go.
As I forced my way through show after show I began to recognize certain of these compulsive traits in my own behavior.
For me, however, my brain is wired differently - I can throw stuff away once I get off my lazy butt and do it. And garbage belongs in the trash can, and not on my floor. Yuck.
I do hoard food though.
Last year (or was it 2010?) I bought a big freezer at Lowe's and as it was on sale, had free delivery, and combined with my military discount (10%) I got a really good deal.
I proceeded to fill up all 20 cubic feet.

That's a lot of space to fill, but by golly I did it.
And then there was the pantry.
I live in an old house, ergo I have a really big pantry.
Closet space is sucky, but room for food storage? I've got it in spades.
Is that full too?
Sho nuff.
And books, wowee, do I have books.
So many - and in so many places - that I checked out a book from the library because I couldn't find my copy in the house.
It's here somewhere, I'm sure, but where?
Yarn is everywhere too, but let's not go there shall we.
My new year's resolutions couldn't have come at a better time. (Like at the beginning of the new year - odd how that happened.)
They are simple enough in theory, but it's the execution of them that kicks my butt.

1. Create a meal plan. And stick with it. There is enough food in the freezer for several, a lot, too many meals, so go through that and figure out what to eat each day. Now as my red-headed friend would say it's probably better to create meal ideas instead of identifying them with specific days, but we hadn't had a chance to huddle over my idea since we were on break. I do see the genius of her plan, however, I had already enacted mine. So far, so good. The meal plan has accomplished several goals: (a) I have spent less money (only $36 to be exact) on eating out in two weeks; (b) we have been eating good, wholesome meals from the food that is on hand; (c) my grocery bills are 50% less than what I normally spend/waste every two weeks. What will I do when my private stock is depleted to dangerous levels? The hoarder in me is avoiding thinking about that, but I do know that Fort Drum will be holding their first commissary case-lot sale in May. The way my luck goes it will probably be the weekend we have Commencement, and you know I'll be stressed with that. But yes, I will drive three hours (or so) for a case lot sale, and this time I'm bringing the truck. The last few we went to my Subaru was completely filled except for the front two seats. Don't judge.
2. Buy no new books. Or old ones. Or any! This one is just as tough. My theory has always been that since I work hard for my money (a la Donna Summer), I should be able to treat myself. Thank you Amazon Prime for enabling me with even faster shipping. So I have been going to the library. Like this is a new concept, right? But I've been checking out cookbooks, and trying recipes, and getting free books through my Kindle, and deleting any emails I get from Crafter's Choice, Barnes and Noble, Interweave Knits, Amazon, etc. STOP TEMPTING ME! I will resist. I'm kind of digging the cookbook from the library thing because I try a recipe, and if it's a success I actually write it down on a recipe card. Remember those things? Sure, from back in the stone age. And let's be completely honest - I also own about 40 hundred cookbooks (that's a pretty accurate count), so I should be using those too. And a big shout out to online recipe sites such as allrecipes. Love it. You're the best. Plus, I work at a college - did I tell you how long we can check out books for? A year. Yes, 365 days. And then if they're not returned - automatic renewal. Love it! Apparently the librarians know that faculty (which I'm not) get cranky if asked to think outside their bubble, so they've afforded this courtesy to all faculty and staff. Talk about blessings! And free Inter-Library Loans! WorldCat is our oyster.
3. Impose immediate yarn diet utilizing the same principles as the meal plan. Somehow writing things down helps keep me focused, so it's good for me to think about what I want to make. How many times have you seen a project, bought the yarn, and then by the time it gets into your home you forget what you were going to make? Raise your hand, I can see you out there. Of course I signed up for the Valentine's Day yarn swap through Natural Suburbia. It's not like I'm buying for myself, right? I'm purchasing a gift of some sort for my swap partner. (Hoarders always have a remarkable ability to rationalize any situation.) Knit, knit, knit, and listen to audiobooks courtesy of the Monroe County Library System. You rock. Now see how two of my resolutions meld together? I'm so awesome.

And here we are in the middle of January - so far, so good. I'm feeling good about everything, enjoying the idea that I don't have to come home and stare into the fridge/freezer and decide what to make. Or give up and get McDonald's. Did I tell you my pants are not as tight? Hmmm...I wonder if there's any correlation here. Let me ponder.

I'll have to continue to monitor my progress, and I'm sure I'll backslide, but I am resolute!

What have you resolved to do this year?

And I'm still reading

Last year I created a very unhealthy challenge for myself.
I decided to read 175 books.
I'm not very good at any kind of math - even simple arithmetic - but even I could figure out that 175 books in a year equates to a book every 2 days.
Was I crazy?
Absolutely.
Did I change the amount?
You betcha.
One hundred books seemed a more manageable goal, and I ended up reading about 120 or so.
This year I decided to push my goal up a bit - not quite into the 175 range again - but this time to another manageable goal.
101 books.
Yes.
That I am pretty sure I can accomplish.
It's actually pretty cool to keep track via GoodReads because it's great to look back on books I have known.
And loved.
Some of them anyway.
You too can join the challenge - if you're up to it, although I'm falling a bit behind with only five completed books this year. That's a book every three days! Oh the horror!

 

   

      2012 Reading Challenge
   

         
   
       

   
         
       

   
     

        Julie has    
     
       
             read 5 books toward her goal of 101 books.
       
             
     

     

       

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How Many Books Do You Have in Your Bag?

So we're going away for a few days over the long weekend.
Back to Virginia for a promotion ceremony, to visit friends, and to shop.
It's a 7-9 hour trip depending upon your speed and traffic, and I'll have to drive halfway there and back.
We'll only be away for a few days, but it begs this question: How many books should I bring with me?
I'm 80 pages from the end of The Long Goodbye (super fantastic book - there's my 5-star review), and know I'll finish that on the way down.
Should I bring just one extra book, or two?
Or maybe 275?
That's about how many are on my Kindle.
Yeah, I'm thinking 275 books, let's go with that.
That should see me through a four day trip.

Things I Do Good

Today my boss asked me if perhaps my ego is getting bigger because I'm signing things for him.
I replied in a rather dumbfounded (but slightly disingenuous) manner, "I don't have an ego."
"I know you don't," he admitted.
And really, I don't.
Trust me when I tell you that I have so many things wrong with me it wouldn't be surprising if my co-workers signed a petition encouraging me to become a hermit just to keep my sorry butt out of the general population.
Wow, I'm just bringing myself down here, and I haven't even gotten to the crux of this post!
Seriously, I'm a rather self-effacing individual, and it's usually so easy to find things that I've screwed up.
Rather than dwell on those, I've decided to focus on things at which I excel (because saying it that way is more grammatically correct than the way I have it in the title), and some of my most favorite things in life are reading, knitting, and watching movies.
So I got to thinking that it probably would be good to stop and consider, and perhaps create a list that would allow for reflection and focused direction in the future, and keep me from being too down on myself.
Without further ado here's a list of 20 things at which I excel in no particular order:

1. I can read.
2. I can read fast.
3. I can find lots of books that interest me.
4. I can buy lots of books to read.
5. I can successfully keep at least 10 books in a "currently reading" status without losing place of where I am.
6. I can keep books on the shelf for decades before I get around to reading them.
7. I can pass along books I've read to friends.
8. I can give unread books away.
9. I can knit.
10. I can knit socks.
11. I can buy yarn.
12. I can buy yarn for projects and then forget which project I was buying it for.
13. I can buy yarn for projects and let the yarn sit on the shelf for years.
14. I can start projects.
15. I can successfully keep at least 10 projects in a "currently knitting" status.
16. I can sometimes figure out where I left off when I pick one up again.
17. I can correct a mistake if I let the project sit for long enough (it's amazing how it fixes itself sometimes!)
18. I can tell you quite a bit about classic and contemporary movies.
19. I can tell you quite a bit about classic and contemporary television.
20. I can sit on my butt for hours at a time reading, knitting, or watching movies and TV.

Well, see that?
Already I feel so much better about myself!
I'll have to remember this post, and when I get discouraged about nothing in particular I can pull this list up  and remind myself that there is some worth in what I do (and don't) do.

Thursday, in which I win a free book

I won a free book from the local bookstore.
How exciting is that!
I just love getting free books, and it doesn't even matter if they're any good or not, I'll take them.
The book I just picked up was My Name is Mary Sutter.

Have you ever heard of it?
I might have, possibly, but does it matter? It was free!
Actually I had originally won The Help, but I have the audiobook, and I've listened to it already, so I went with the unknown book.
And then added it to my stack of other "to be read" books.
The days are just not long enough for all of my leisure activities.

A bit too ambitious perhaps?

I mentioned in an earlier post that my goal this year is to read 175 books.
Wait, I should say "enjoy" 175 books, and that could be true, but at least one of the books I've read this year has been not so enjoyable.
Why is it that the bad ones always take so long to slog through?
Life really is too short to waste on bad books (or mean people), and yet I/we still do.
I think, however, that I've been a bit too ambitious in stocking my "to read" list.
I currently have eight books checked out from the library, one book that just came in through Inter-Library Loan, a new Monica Ferris that I bought before Christmas and still haven't read, and a huge stack of books in my room that are truly gathering dust.
Oh, and the audio books from Audible that are in my library waiting to be listened to/read, such as The House at Riverton, The French Lieutenant's Woman, and Crime and Punishment, to name a few.
And, not to mention all the books on my Kindle!
I think I need either a good blizzard or a very long vacation (with pay!) so that I can just read, read, read.
Now let's not even discuss all of my yarn stash that I need to tackle....

Do Audiobooks Count?

The other day I joked and told a co-worker that I was considering making a resolution to make 365 resolutions this year, one for each day.
Somehow, though, that doesn't seem like too bad an idea.
Everyday is supposed to be a fresh start, so why not be able to resolve each day to do something new, or correct something that you failed at the day before.
One of my actual resolutions, or goals, this year is to read more.
Fortunately I got a head start during December, so I'm sure my momentum will carry me through the year.
Through GoodReads I decided to challenge myself to reading 175 books this year.
This shouldn't be too hard, however, if the calibre of books I continue to read are commensurate with what I'm reading now: cozy mysteries.
You know the type of books that are no more than 200 pages each, not quite high literature at all.
I know that the one odd Charles Dickens book, or the Norse literature that is in my "To Read" queue will completely throw me off my goal because those books can often take days to read when they're not languishing in the "Half-Read Book" pile.
This is why I'm front loading the shorter texts in my challenge, so that later on I can actually have a chance to reach my goal.
Kind of cheating (myself) don't you think?
Of course I'm still driven to knit with purpose (and purposefully knit) this year, so this raises a conundrum for a bibliophile/chain reader such as myself.
When I'm knitting and listening to an audiobook (currently The Distant Hours, great book, spectacular prose), does that audiobook count towards my total read?
I say yes, my little Guppy says no.
What say you?

Love me some Lake Wobegon

I do.
I admit it.
I love Prairie Home Companion (even though, honestly, I have such a hard time remembering how to spell the word "prairie".)
I love the homespun charm of Garrison Keillor's show along with the tales of the folks in Lake Wobegon.
What a great place to live.
So you can imagine my glee when SN1 showed me this new book - The Zombies of Lake Woebegotten:

I sure hope someone gets this for me for Christmas.
Hint.
Hint.

Book Marketing

I'm sure you've seen this before, but it never ceases to amaze me.
I love how the publishing world is using videos to market books, specifically creating a trailer for the book.
Here's one I found this morning for Caroline Rance's Kill Grief:



I have to admit that reading about this particular book has created more of a desire to read it, because the trailer is not really doing it for me, but the fact that they are making videos to market a book is amazing.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
I guess it's worked for movies all these years, but does it symbolize that we're having to lure people back to reading books?

Julia

DN2 and I went to see the movie Julie and Julia this week.
I read the book a few weeks ago, and I wanted to see Meryl Streep portray Julia Child.
Growing up Julia Child was a fixture on our tv, not that my mother ever cooked her dishes. No, she just loved her style.
There may be some of her cookbooks, I'll have to check.
My mother laughed along at the original viewing of Dan Ackroyd's SNL sketch of Julia Child, seeing the humor, but knowing it was done not out of maliciousness, but because Julia was unique.
We've even been to see her kitchen at the Smithsonian.
In the movie the focus was definitely on Mrs. Child over Mrs. Powell, and I think that was a more interesting story.
Buoyed by our common interest in Julia Child, DN2 and I searched eBay and Amazon for Julia Child DVDs and books.
Wow!
Have you checked out the prices lately?
Apparently everyone else is interested in a Julia Child revival as well!
There's even a reissue of Mastering the Art of French Cooking that is a movie tie-in!
Marketing.
Wow.
Anyway I think we'll try the infamous Boeuf Bourguignon recipe first before we drop too much money.
It's free on the Knopf Doubleday website.
Check it out.
And let me know what you thought of the movie.
Do you revere Julia Child?
Did you like the book or the movie better?

Why Reading Nancy Drew is like knitting a dishcloth

Did anyone else grow up reading Nancy Drew?
I did.
I remember taking my birthday money to the local bookstore and buying copies of Nancy Drew books.
Believe it or not I still have them, and every once in a while I'll take one out and read it.
Could you stop reading when the chapter ended, or did you have to read on to the next page to see what came next?
Those chapter endings were so suspenseful to me as a child that I couldn't put the book down at the end of the chapter; I would have to read on to see what was going to happen.
I still do that to this day.
I read a lot, and by a lot, I mean usually constantly, with several books going at once (and some actually being finished!).
So in that, knitting is a lot like reading.
Sometimes it's hard to focus on just one project, and sometimes a project is just so overwhelming and difficult that I have to put it down and return to a simpler time.
Think dishcloths.
My first knit (thanks Major Knitter!).
Every once in a while the books I read become too overwhelming for me, so I do return to easier reads, and that's where Nancy Drew comes in - she is my dishcloth.
With her I can relax and refocus.
That girl has everything going for her.
I know that there are many of you who were Hardy Boys readers, but not for me, I was a tomboy who read all girl books.
Really I don't leave these books behind even as an adult, and I've just discovered a new series written in 1972 about a girl named Kim Aldrich who solves mysteries.
I only have two of the four books in the series, and I picked these up at an antique store, so now you know I must get the other two, come hell or high water.
And what prompted me to write this blog post was not only that I'm trying to get more information about this new to me series, but I discovered that there is an annual Nancy Drew Convention.
Who knew?!?
I didn't, but it sure looks like fun, don't you think?
Perhaps next year, I can meet up with some of my other Nancy Drew/knitting friends.
How about it?