I love hearing from authors and publicists who’d like me to read and review their books. If you have a title you think I’d be interested in, please feel free to contact me at ibetnoonehasthisdamnid@yahoo.com .
For more information about what books I like and how I choose which books to review, check out Mt. TBR's review policy.
I look forward to hearing from you!
This week has been a poop-fest with the sky having diarrhea and dumping the white poo all over the place. I guess I can’t complain too-too much, at least I’m not on the east coast. I’ve only got 14 or so inches here, they’re getting almost 3 foot before it’s all done. But 14 inches is enought to cause 2 days of no-school and, so far, a delay this morning. So with the chil’uns at home, I can’t read, can’t think, and my computer is not my own.
Ah, and I’m still depressed over the not-so-Superbowl let down. Honestly, I’m more depressed about the commercials than anything. Seriously, if that’s the best they could come up with, what’s the future going to hold? Is there anything left to live for? Maybe I should look at the whole end-of-the-world-in-2012 stuff with hope, rather than scoffing at it. Yay, Indianapolis will host the last Superbowl in history (it’s the host city in 2012). Maybe that’s what will cause the end of the world. I’ll prognosticate that the Cubs will win the 2012 Series, too. Rosie O’Donnell will marry the Donald by Thanksgiving of 2012. And the Democrats and the Republicans will shake hands, set aside all differences and plan for true bipartisanship as they look ahead to the first woman president (oh, let’s just say Sarah Palin, that’ll give everyone some fun) being sworn in in the coming January, 2013. Of course the world would end in 2012.
Oh, the malaise goes deeper. Mags came home sick on Monday and finally started feeling better yesterday. At least with the snow days she’s not been counted absent. And then Tuesday evening I started feeling an infection setting in in a broken lower tooth. OMG, I’m looking forward to getting my insurance issues settled out so I can take care of that, but in the meantime I’m using some antibiotics that my oldest daughter had been prescribed last year (the doc switched her to a different antibiotic after a day, so it’s a full bottle). Lower teeth pain is about the worst, I think. There’s just no where for the stuff to go, so it causes ear ache, jaw-hinge pain, and sore throat. And I just want to die.
Seems an apprapo feeling given the day. Perfect timing, I must say. It was on this day, 11 years ago, that I had the same “I wanna die” feeling caused by pain… just before they slipped in the epidural. Yes, on February 11, 1999, Booger made her way into the world. And the school system has given her a “go ahead and sleep in” birthday present. Oh, for the days of cupcakes, but apparently “healthy foods” rules now prohibit parents bringing in good-treats for their kids to celebrate their special days with their classmates. I could buy pre-packaged snack cakes and bring them, they have to wait until they get home to eat them, but why? It sucks the fun out of taking a break from your work, wishing Maggie Happy Birthday, and sinking their teeth into a lovely sugary-cake treat, before going back to work. I’m glad I’m not a kid, they have it hard nowadays. I remember when we didn’t take ourselves so seriously.
Oh well, hopefully I can get back into the groove soon.
1. I know _I’m in desperate need of a house elf, it’s a hot mess around here!_
2. _Just ask any kid, December is_ the longest month.
3. You can’t help but _feel sorry for Saints fans… everyone knows the COLTS are gonna win!_
4. _The Big Blue has a message for the Saints_; bring it on!
5. Where have you looked _for signs of Spring? Did you know I heard some robins singing the other morning_?
6. _My middle daughter, she’s a big Michael Jackson fan, informed me that the DVD of “This Is It”_ is now available.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _reading some more of James and the Giant Peach with Mags, sort the laundry, do the dishes and make some of my special recipe spaghetti (OMG, it’ll have meat in it, even! It’s been so long since I had my special recipe)_, tomorrow my plans include _maybe breakfast out with Mags at White House, a visit to the library, shoe shopping with Gwen for the dance she wants to go to, and hopefully finishing James_ and Sunday, I want to _go to church, have fun at the library’s pre-Super Bowl party, then watch the COLTS WIN_!
Also, don’t forget to check out my giveaway! I’m giving away a copy of Push by Sapphire, and the more people sign up, the more prizes! If 50 or more people enter to win, I’ll add $10 to spend on Amazon.com for the grand prize!
Every month I intend to create a bloggie wrap-up. I swear to myself I’m gonna do it next month. Then, the first of the month rolls around and I read Fyrefly’s and DevourerofBook’s, among others, and I say, “Ah CRAP! I forgot to do a wrap-up post! Dang it! Okay, I’ll do it next month, I swear…” And you’ll know how many times I’ve actually followed through on that when I say, “Yay! This is my first monthly wrap-up post!” LOL.
K, I have ADD bad. I get distracted so very easily. Sometimes it’s TV or gardening or doing stuff with the kids, and sometimes it’s computer games like SecondLife or World of Warcraft or the latest, face book apps. SecondLife pulled me away from everything for about 5 months straight, and now I can’t remember the last time I was on. With WoW, I’d learned a thing or two from SL, and so I didn’t go so long or so deep, but still I was absent for a while, traipsing through Azeroth. Facebook games are so getting old, and I’m down to a few that have to be tended daily: Farmville, the café game and the pet games. I’m mostly still doing those because my mom is actually on facebook, SHOCK! and the kids play, too, so I play with them.
Where was I even going with that? Oh, ADD… lol, I swear, that wasn’t on purpose! Okay, I’m lost now… that was funny, and I laughed, and lost my train of thought. Oh well, must not have been too important. That’s why I like to outline things, and why I hate stream of conscious storylines. I get lost enough in my own thinking, I don’t need to do so in a book!
Moving on…
I decided during Bloggiesta, that the best way to do a wrap-up post was to write it all month long, keeping track of commentors and other things that happen, so I started this post about a week after Bloggiesta, because I got distracted and it took a while to get back to it. Maybe that’s where I was going with that up there. 😀
Maybe ADD is why I hate long paragraphs? It feels like being trapped in a room with no windows. I often skim through the middle of them, or just read the first and last lines of it and move on.
Moving on…
During the Month of January I:
Started my first book challenge, The Welsh Reading Challenge, because I wanted to read more books relating to my own heritage, but needed a little prod to do it and keep on track. The fact people joined the challenge was GRAVY 🙂
Joined a total of 13 reading challenges, 11 of which are being tracked on my Reading is Challenging! page, as well as two more at LibraryThing: The 75 Book Challenge, and the Books off the Shelf Challenge. The Sookie Stackhouse Challenge was in progress, though I don’t know if I can call it progress, since I have YET to pick up the first book. Actually, I picked it up, read 2 paragraphs, then put it back down… don‘t tell BethFish :-D. This is the most challenges I’ve ever participated in, and I don’t expect to complete them all, realistically, but I’m hoping!
Spent a total of 21 hours working on blog improvements as part of Bloggiesta. Thanks, Natasha! And after all the work everyone else did and the mini-challenges I wanted to do but didn’t get to, I now have a longer to-do list than when I started!
Created The Welsh Reading Challenge blog. After reading how other bloggers who host challenges have found a separate blog is a better way to keep it all organized, I started the blog for TWRC during Bloggiesta, and had it open and ready for visitors about a week later. We’ve also got a couple sponsors, some mini-challenges in the planning stages and some prizes on the way 🙂 Too cool!
Started a weekly award called The Kool-Aid Flavor of the Week. I’m still trying to figure out the exact criteria for this, but right now it’s been for people who are doing something to make the world better. Presenting Lenore received my inaugral award for her International Book Blogger Mentor Program, and She’s Too Fond of Books received the second for her post about Kiva.org and how micro-lending requires so little of us and can make such a difference in the life of someone overseas.
Joined the Tolkein Readalong. I’ve been wanting to read the Lord of the Rings for a long time, but just needed the push.
Books read and reviewed in January:
Of Bees and Mists by Erick Setiawan ~ A magical and fantastic adult fable about love, self-respect and self-confidence, about doing what’s right and forgiveness. I gave it 4 stars. It counted toward my ARC Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge, and POC Reading Challenge.
Fruits Basket, Volume 5 by Natsuki Takaya ~ I love the Furuba series, and volume 5 introduced Kisa, the tiger, and Hanajima’s little brother. I gave it 5 stars. It counted as a food title for my What’s In a Name?3 Challenge, Manga Challenge, and POC Reading Challenge.
Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland ~ Atrocious, far-fetched and just plain BAD. 2 stars. It counted toward my ARC Reading Challenge and New Author Challenge.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl ~ Filled me with warm feelings of childhood and chocolate, and was a pleasure to read cuddled up with Maggie. I gave it 5 stars. It counted for The Welsh Reading Challenge.
Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr ~ I read this one with Mags, and since it was a re-read for me, I had Maggie sit down and write her first book review. I did help her with grammer and spelling, but the words and thoughts expressed are totally Maggie… lol… including her expressing how much she disliked having to sit and write a review on a snow day from school when she could be outside playing. Mags gave it 4 out of 5 stars. This counted towards my We Didn’t Start the Fire Challenge
Islands Apart by Ken McAlpine ~ Interesting reflection on life in our modern world and how our advances in technology are contributing to a decline in interpersonal relationships, as well as a disconnect from nature. I gave it 4 stars. This counted for my ARC Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge, and We Didn’t Start the Fire Challenge.
The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine ~ Reading this felt like a prolonged hug from creepy Uncle Stan at the family reunion, but was a necessary evil. Still, I stand by my 2.5 rating, which is based more on the writing itself than the book’s subject material. I wasn’t wowwed by Levine’s writing, though it had some beautiful moments. This book counted toward my ARC Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge, and POC Reading Challenge.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein ~ I finished off this month with a comfort read and old friend. Even though it was a third read through, not to mention the numberous times I watched the 1977 cartoon of it growing up, it still held my attention and kept me in suspense, a sure sign of a classic book. 5 stars for sure. This was for the Lord of the Rings Readalong and counts toward my 451 Challenge.
Kitty Litter Cake (and Cat Litter Cake), Gary Larson (and The Far Side) and qoutes for The Book Thief are the most widely used search terms that bring people by, along with Confessions of a Shopaholic and Vampire Kisses bringing in plenty, too. “erotomania” surprisingly, brings in a fair share. Uh oh, do I have a stalker?
1. Wouldn’t it be easy _to sneak into the vault at the bank and help myself *sigh* if only I had the power of invisibility_.
2. _Gentlemen, we can rebuild her. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the world’s first bionic blogger. The Kool-Aid Mom will be that blogger. She will be_ better than ever!
3. I love the taste of _chicken (don’t EVER EVVVVER Google “I love the taste of” …. EVVVVVER_. you went and did it, didn’t you. I WARNED you.
4. _Now that it’s the domain of two teenagers, it looks like a tornado touched down after an industrial accident happened_ in the living room.
5. The first thing we’re going to do is _get that woman hitting little punk into a sweatlodge and make him sweat out that evil_.
6. _The cold weather outside makes my nose go_ drip, drip, drip; _could someone tell me where the facet handle is?_
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _read The Hobbit, work on laundry and start a LOST-a-thon with Mags_, tomorrow my plans include _lunch with the kids and a run to the library, fininshing and reviewing The Hobbit, clean house, and more LOST with Mags_ and Sunday, I want to _hide from Maggie’s dad (he told her he’d be here Sunday, that’s why all the house cleaning), act like I really care what he says, then LOST the rest of the day after he leaves_! (Yes, we are gearing up for the LOST season premiere next week!)
1. You have a chance to _run away and join the circus, but the kids won’t allow it_.
2. _I wish my kids would STOP FIGHTING_ right now!
3. There is a _paddle somewhere, but the kids keep hiding it from me_.
4. _Hire the Supernanny now_ and pay later.
5. It’s time to _go to the bus stop now, right? Ist it time yet? Please, God, can it be time now! Two-hour delays and school cancellations suck_.
6. _I’d get a rope, take each child to a different room, and suspend them_ up in the air but _that’s just too much work_.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _watching some Stargate with Mags and working out what Sam wants for her birthday dinner_, tomorrow my plans include _lunch out with the kids, a trip to the library (it’s book sale weekend, WOOT!), and celebrating Sammi’s birthday_ and Sunday, I want to _have a good Sunday at church, the read a little and relax with the kids_!
Maggie and I just finished reading Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr last night, which was a re-read for me, but a first read for her since she fell asleep on it last year and never picked it back up. I enjoyed it more this time around, and wonder if it was because I haven’t recently seen the movie, or that I saw things this time I didn’t before, or that it was the wide-eyed (most of the time), often giggling girl cuddling beside me. Maybe it was all three, but I’m thinking it was the last that increased my enjoyment the most 😉
Since I reviewed it in 2008, I thought it’d be a perfect chance for Mags to do her first official review. She has given a paragraph here and there on different books that we’ve read together about what she thought of a book, but never the whole review. So, take it away Maggie!
My mom is making do this, I want to play and this is boring and stupid, but she’s making me sit here and write this with her.
So why did I read Nim’s Island? “Because I wanted to” isn’t enough, mom says, so I guess I have to say more. At school we do Accelerated Reader. You get points for reading books and you get prizes and it goes on your report card. Also, if I don’t meet my point goals, I can’t play computer games. With Nim’s Island‘s 3 points, I’ll have 46 points. I want to get 100 points by the end of the year, I’m trying to get mom to read Twilight with me, it’s worth like 20 points or something 😀
Nim’s Island is about a girl named Nim who lives on an island with her dad, Jack. Her dad leaves her alone while he goes to study plankton. He only means to be gone for 3 days, but then a storm hit and his boat got broke, and he couldn’t get back to her. He let Nim know what happened by hooking up a note on Nim’s bird named Galileo. While he was gone, they got an email from Alex Rover, who is the author of the adventure books Nim loves. Having someone to talk to makes Nim feel less alone and happy to have a friend. When Alex finds out that Nim is alone, she comes to the island immediately, even though it was hard for Alex to even leave her apartment because she’s afraid of everything, even just going outside.
Five things I liked about the book:
I liked Fred, the iguana, best. He’s so funny. He always forgets he doesn’t like banana and takes a bite of Nim’s then spits it out and then Nim’s too grossed out to eat the banana.
The book was funny. When Fred got mad, he swam down to the bottom of the pool and hid under a rock.
It was cool that they lived on an island. I’d love to live on an island and swim in the ocean whenever I wanted. And she didn’t have to sit in a boring classroom for school, but got to sit outside and learn about nature and stars and how to talk to the seals.
It was a short book.
I liked the pictures in the book.
Things I didn’t like:
I didn’t like that Nim was left alone. It’s bad to leave kids alone. It made me feel sad that she didn’t have anybody to share the coconut pearl with or to comfort her when her knee got hurt.
I didn’t like it when my mom teased me and said she was going to stop in the middle of the storm, in the middle of a sentence. This is what she did:
“The water was up to Alex’s waist, then her chest, and up to her neck; she was spluttering and ducking, and… ”
Okay, time for bed.
I threatened to bite her if she didn’t finish. She finished.
Did I mention I didn’t like writing a review?
I give Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr 4 out of 5 stars. Okay, that’s all I can think of, so I guess I’m done.
“I stood there shouting, ‘Burp, you silly ass, burp, or you’ll never come down again!” -Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, page 112
For me, this was either my second or third reading of Roald Dahl‘s children’s classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I remember reading it a few years ago with the kids, but I’m not sure if I read it by myself as a kid. But whatever the number of reads, it is easy to say this book is fantastic fun… especially to read aloud with a child. As Mags and I read it, we took breaks at the departure of each child to watch the particular scene from the Tim Burton’s movie adaptation (and occasionally from the Gene Wilder version, as well).
Most people know the basic premise of the story: Charlie Bucket and his family are very poor, barely having enough money for food, let alone candy. Little Charlie gets one chocolate bar a year for his birthday, which is falls a few days after Willy Wonka, greatest candy-maker EVER, announces that he has placed a golden ticket in just FIVE of his candies, and these tickets will grant the winning child and up to two parents entry into his mysterious and fantastic factory, as well as a lifetime supply of chocolate. Charlie and Grandpa Joe hold out hope that they have just as much chance to get a ticket as anyone, and when the first four tickets are found by beastly, spoiled, selfish children, they almost give up. But then Charlie spots a dollar bill half buried in the snow, and rushes to buy a couple of Wonka’s Whipple Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delights, saving the rest of the money for his family, and finds the ticket in the second bar.
Roald Dahl creates a world in which children aren’t safe, which I think appeals to kids because they DON’T feel safe. In their particular position, they’re subject to the whims and fancies of the adults around them and have very little control over their lives. Readers, particularly young readers, see these over-indulged children who get everything they want which, at first blush, is something most kids would love. However, as the book progresses, we watch as each child suffers an accident which their own self-centeredness is a direct cause. Violet rips the meal-in-a-gum from the drawer and chews it, ignoring Wonka’s warnings, and ends up a giant blueberry. Veruca Salt refuses to take NO for an answer, in fact is inflamed by being told she can’t have one of Wonka’s squirrels, and goes in the nut room to claim one anyone, ending up tossed into the garbage chute by leader of the squirrels who judges her to be a “bad nut”. In the end it is the considerate and well-behaved Charlie who is rewarded. Even when Dahl shows the children leaving the factory in one piece, they are still not escaping unscathed, but instead will retain some scarring for the rest of their lives. Violet, for instance, is still purple, while Mike Teavee has been over-stretched and is now very tall and thin, about whom Wonka makes an almost-callous remark that every basketball team in the country will want him. I think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory could fit in the fable category, as it is a cautionary tale with a lesson.
The best part of this book, in my opinion, was cuddling up with Maggie, who is ten and won’t let me do this much longer. She’s in her last semester of Elementary school and will, no doubt, be “too cool” to lay in bed, snuggling and being read to by her mom. Part of the book was also read at the library, which drew attention from a few people, which gave Mags the chance to tell them about the book. I will always have warm memories of this book, which was even good enough to draw my 15-year-old into the room for her favorite part, which is the quote I included. For all these things, and for making me fee like a kid again while reading it, I give Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl5 out of 5 candy stars 🙂
This book is my first book read for The Welsh Reading Challenge 2010. Roald Dahl was born in Llandaff, Wales, which is part of the Cardiff cosmopolitan area. Roald Dahl day is September 13th, his birthday, every year. Check out The Official Roald Dahl website where you can learn more about the author, his books and even play games. Mags and I did the Wonkanator, a math game, and the “find the differences” game for a while this morning before she left for school, taking the book with her.
1. The lesson I learned yesterday was reading a book with your ten-year-old while the new(ish) kitten is diving under the covers and attacking your feet is NOT easy, and very hard to talk over the giggling.
2. Weddings and funerals are where friends and family meet.
3. All these years I’ve looked forward to the kids growing up, and now that they’ve become interested in boys, I’m wishing they could be little again.
4. Like I told the cops, those bodies were like that when I arrived.
5. The truth is I was enjoying the Kyo the kittens play-time as much as Maggie was.
6. The feeling I could’ve died had it not been for the zip line is what I remember most from that day. (I went repelling, and I let go of the hand-loops, but luckily I was also hooked up via a clip, as well)
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to finishing up Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Maggie and Kyo, tomorrow my plans include our trip to the library and lunch, and watching The Seeker with Mags and maybe starting James and the Giant Peach with her and Sunday, I want to have finished Islands Apart, which I’ve been really enjoying, and watching a few episodes of Stargate!
Trish at Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’? has written a post called Festivus – Let’s Air Our Grievances in which she wrote down a few (and good) things that have ired her this season and invited readers to do the same. Her point is that, at this time of year with the holidays (aw, hell.. It’s CHRISTMAS, dammit… enough with the PC crap) upon us, only fellow bloggers are reading blog posts right now. Because of that whole “you can do it and not get caught” thing that we all enjoy, Trish encourages her readers to be emboldened and relish the joy of being naughty… no one’s lookin’ 😀
That reminds me of a joke:
Sign placed above a bowl of fruit in the lunch line of a Catholic school: “Take ONE… God is watching”
A few food items down the way, above the platter of chocolate chip cookies, a sign written in a child’s scrawl says, “Take all you want! God’s watchin the apples”
As for me, I’ve been so busy trying to reach my self imposed goal of 75 books (I’m almost there!) that I’ll be taking the time during Bloggiesta to write the reviews for the last seven books, as well as sign up for all the challenges and everything else. I’m looking forward to the New Year, so I can slow down!
So, Trish started her post with the following:
Last year, because blog traffic is slow around the holidays, I celebrated Festivus, which kicks off with the Airing of Grievances. Since only other bloggers are reading blogs around this time of year (’cause we’re crazy like that), it makes sense that we should get some things off our chest! Vent! Proclaim what is wrong with the world (or our families), so that we can start the new year with a clean slate ready for new frustrations.
I had way to much fun in her comment section, and decided to take time away from my Glenn Beck book (couldn’t tell that’s who I was reading, could ya) to write up my own post. I felt like I could go on sooo much longer, but didn’t want to hijack her post any more than I already did, so here goes…
Things that really PISS me off…
1. People who want to tell you that you’re a narrow-minded religious fascist for saying “Merry Christmas”. “Happy Holidays” has slowly become the more widely used phrase because -God forbid.. or goddess, Allah, the moon… The leprechaun in that Lucky Charms commercial (Hell, there’s weirder religions than worshipping a god who’s Magically Delicious)- we offend someone with our well-wishing. I admit it, I used the “Happy Holidays”, too, because.. to be honest… I’m too lazy to say “Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year”. Two words are more verbally economic than eight. But the next person who says “Happy Holidays” to me, I SWEAR I’m gonna wish them “Magically Delicious winter festivities”. It’s Christmas. Merry or Happy… it’s Christmas.
Oh, and Mr. Athiest-seperation-of-church-and-state-boy… It hasn’t been a “Christian” holiday… ever. It’s a pagan holiday. The Catholic Church hijacked the day from the Romans who wished to celebrate Saturnalia, a weird calendar event in which the last 5 days were left uncounted and therefore the thought was “Anything goes because the days never happened!” It was a time for them to blow off steam, have orgies… there wasn’t any “rape” during this time, because if one person wanted it they could take it.. and a lot of other behaviors we would call unlawful at the very least. The fact that the celebration of the birth of Christ was superimposed upon this hedonistic festival is probably a good thing. But, to be honest, as much as the modern Church tries to remind people that “Jesus is the reason for the season”, the long line at Wal-Mart this evening proves that they gave Jesus and his other hispanic friends the day off so they can follow their true pursuit of the season… gifts.
2. This year I have just about had ENOUGH of Maggie’s griping about the present Gwen gave her. Seriously, I’m almost ready to say No more presents will be given under my roof EVER AGAIN! TO anyone BY anyone. And that includes Christmas, Kwanzaa (If we ever convert and celebrate it), Chanukah (ditto the previous stipulation), Chinese New Year (again, conversion needed first, I think), Sinterklaas, Birthdays, Boss’s Day (Bruce Springsteen’s birthday?), Arbor Day, Groundhog’s Day, Bring Your Kid to Work Day, or any day of the week ending in the letter Y. What’s led me to this level of irritation? Gwen, who apparently has bad taste in presents, gave Maggie a plastic Kabuki-esque doll because Mags collects China dolls. Now, in Gwen’s mind, she thought they were similar enough to count, and thought Maggie would love it. Maggie, on the other hand, thinks it’s the most hideous piece of crap that ever suffered molecular cohesion.
In fairness, the thing IS a bit ugly. But, isn’t it the thought that counts? Gwen could’ve just got something for herself, but she saw this doll and thought, “My little sister would love that!” And Maggie was NOT gracious in her reception. At all. When people are not gracious about receiving, when they act like they’re ENTITLED to something better than the trash one deigns to give them, it makes those who give feel disinclined to do so ever again. *sigh* It’s becoming a take-take-take, gimme NOW, society.
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3. Okay, I’ve got a grievance with the whole PC-crap. It has, of late, been made obvious (not that I wasn’t aware before) by my ten-year-old daughter how absurdly ridiculous all the Political Correctness crap is. You know, I am NOT saying that we shouldn’t be a bit more considerate of others and think before we speak, Proverbs (sorry athiest-boy) tells up that a wise person keeps his mouth shut lest people think he’s an idiot but the fool suffers verbal diarrhea and removes all doubt (Koolaid paraphrase). But the PC movement has become nothing more than censorship and terrorism committed by a few LOUD-MOUTH (see Koolaid’s paraphrase.. they’ve removed all doubt) bullies who want everyone to do things their way or suffer the consequences. ‘K… I’m short, fat and starting to crest that hill.. not over it yet, but getting to the summit… I don’t expect someone to say I’m a “gravitationally challenged post-youth of an alternative size”. What the hell is up with that? I’m fat because I like to eat. A lot. Gravity isn’t singling me and throwing down the gauntlet.
LOL.. my dad always said “The purpose of communication is to convey a thought from one person to another in the fastest and most accurate way possible.” The PC-crap, instead of sponsoring understanding and acceptance (I presume to hope was their original intent), does more to breed discontent, distrust and resentment. “Why should I talk to you? I might say something to offend your stupid sorry ass and wind up in court, lose my job and become the social pariah of my community!” Ah, can’t we all just get along?
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4. Along the same lines are those people who fling hate-filled words at people who happened to disagree with them. If I don’t want my 15-year-old daughter hanging out with a loose-moralled, already a mother, now decided to be gay classmate who continually sexually harasses her and makes her uncomfortable, it’s NOT because I’m a homophobic religious prude. Oh, I forgot “hatemonger”. The girl WON’T leave Gwen alone, after she’s told her she’s not interested. She continues to touch and make rude comments to her, but if I say something about this, I’m a bigot. If this girl was a guy, EVERYTHING… EVERY THING… would be different. The police would investigate, he’d be in jail, and several administrators would be sent to a “sensitivity training seminar”. The fact it’s an Out-of-the-closet, vocal lesbian means that my daughter must suffer her attacks. Bull shit.
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5. I tell you, one of the things I think is great about our country is that everyone is entitled to DUE PROCESS. A chance to go before a jury of his or her peers and face his or her accuser in a court of law. And, if you are wronged, you have the right to seek compensation for your injuries. HOWEVER… there are a few bad apples that have latched onto the system and have gone completely and certifiably NUTS. Everyone remembers, I’m sure, the woman who went through the drive thru at McDonald’s and ordered a HOT coffee… repeat, she asked for a HOT, as in warmer than tepid, HOT coffee. She put her HOT, as asked for HOT, coffee between her legs and then spilled the HOT contents on her foofer. She then decided it was McDonald’s fault and she was owed $2.86 million dollars for her scorched hoohah. In the end, she only received $640,000 for her injuries and NOW every foam cup you get from any restaurant bears the “CAUTION: Contents may be HOT!” just in case some other dumb ass decides to take their morning joe BOTTOMS UP.
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Ahh… this has been a LOT of fun. I have to say, I feel a lot better now after venting… not to mention all the laughing I’ve done finding and watching the videos. And to the question of “What is Festivus?” The following clip from Seinfeld sums it up…
Okay… Who’s gonna RUMBLE with me in the FEATS of Strength?
Read. Read read read read read. and then Read some more. Having been distracted by life and video games, it would seem that the end of the year has snuck up on me.. again. This is very familiar. It seems that I was racing to the end of the year last December, as well, only Second Life was my distractor then… World of Warcraft has done it this year (the facebook games don’t help, either). But I think I’ll make the 75-book goal this year. I’ve already read more this year than last. I ended with 63 last year, but I’ve read 71 already, and with only eleven more days to go, I’m confident I’ll hit 75.
This week I finished three books ~
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen is the fifth of the sixth Jane Austen novels. Though it was written first, it was published, posthumously, next to last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and have to admit that it’s my new Austen favorite. I crushed harder on Henry Tilney than I did on Mr. Darcy, and that’s saying something. Tilney has a bit of an edge over Darcy… Henry is actually a nice person, as well as being funny and smart. Darcy, while sweet in his private way, was a bit of an ass. I guess that went along well with Elizabeth, since she liked to jump to conclusions and was a bit proud herself, but it did a little to put one off. Of course, the ingenue.. the innocent, country flower.. who is a blank slate and, therefore, non-threatening to Tilney’s intellectual authority, ready and willing to be molded by him, which suits his fancy, I think.
All in all, I enjoyed Austen’s wit and sarcasm, as well as her parody of Gothic novels of her day.
Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar is a humorous walk through many schools of philosophy. The authors, Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein, use jokes to illustrate what each school of thought is about. Like with Teleology, the philosophy that all things exist for a purpose, one joke used to illustrate this is:
Mrs. Goldstein was walking down the street with her two grandchildren. A friend stopped to ask her how old they were. She replied, “The doctor is five and the lawyer is seven.”
I also finished my appointment read, Three to Get Deadly, the third book in the Stephanie Plum numbers series by Janet Evanovich. I’d been missing Stephanie lately, so I picked this, the next in the series for me, up to read when I was away from home. I learned an important lesson with it. Just because a book can fit in your coat pocket doesn’t mean it’s a good appointment book. By the time I’d gotten to the end of the book, I’d forgotten some of the beginning. Also, it lost a bit of it’s momentum this way. In the future, I think I’ll stick to short stories for appointment books.
I’ll write up real reviews for these books later this week… I hope. I’ve already jumped into my next book, and I’m about 40 pages in it already. Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert is the second of the Dune series. I read the first book earlier this year, and I was in the mood for a good sci-fi book, so I picked this up. I had forgotten how fascinating and fantastic the first book had been, and the second book is, so far, every bit as good. It is also, however, as much a thinking book as the first. My brain hurts after a while. Trying to picture Edric, the fishy-humanoid Guildsman in his tank… picturing the Tleilaxu Face Dancer Scytale manipulate his physical body to be one form one second, then turn into the ghola version of Duncan Idaho (also a mind-bender of a thought), then back again… it’s all an exercising of my imagination muscles… both enjoyable and tiring at the same time.
Reading may be a little easier to do here… but I won’t guarantee it. Sam, my oldest, has gone to her dad’s for the two-week vacation, and Gwen will go closer to Christmas day, but only stay gone for a week. Maggie, however, will be here throughout, as her dad has moved back to town. She’s happy about this, but it has it’s downside, too. He’s here more, which means he’s nit-picking about my housekeeping more… which means less time to read. And it means that he no longer needs to take her home with him to spend time, since he can see her whenever he wants.
LOL.. the remainder of my reading may be Magic Treehouse books with Maggie.
I’ve been watching the Tudors, also. I got hooked on it when I was sick with the flu last month. I watched Seasons 1 and 2 straight through on Netflix’s Instant thing. When the third season came out on DVD this past week, it was on the top of my queue. I watched the first two discs last night, but I’ll have to wait for the third to come on Monday. Watching it reminds me how we tend to judge history with modern day values. Henry VIII was quite a tyrant through 21st century eyes, but was he all that bad or different in his own time-frame? Sure, he had the north of England hung without trial for rebellion, but the Catholic Church had the Inquisition. I suppose it all balances out.
I have to admit to a bit of cheating. I had forgotten which wife Henry took after Jane, so I watched this video. Now the rest of this season’s lost all suspense for me!
Happy Reading and have a safe and Merry Christmas, everyone!
Tainted by Brooke Morgan
The Triumph of Deborah by Eva Etzioni-Halevy
Strange But True America: Weird Tales from All 50 States by John Hafnor
Red Letters by Tom Davis
Dragon House by John Shors
Book reviews, entertaining and humorous posts, as well as memes and giveaways, In the Shadow of Mt. TBR is a fun and informative place to relax in the shade!
Maggie and I just finished reading Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr last night, which was a re-read for me, but a first read for her since she fell asleep on it last year and never picked it back up. I enjoyed it more this time around, and wonder if it was because I haven’t recently seen the movie, or that I saw things this time I didn’t before, or that it was the wide-eyed (most of the time), often giggling girl cuddling beside me. Maybe it was all three, but I’m thinking it was the last that increased my enjoyment the most 😉
In the Shadow of Mt. TBR 
January Wrap-Up
Every month I intend to create a bloggie wrap-up. I swear to myself I’m gonna do it next month. Then, the first of the month rolls around and I read Fyrefly’s and DevourerofBook’s, among others, and I say, “Ah CRAP! I forgot to do a wrap-up post! Dang it! Okay, I’ll do it next month, I swear…” And you’ll know how many times I’ve actually followed through on that when I say, “Yay! This is my first monthly wrap-up post!” LOL.
K, I have ADD bad. I get distracted so very easily. Sometimes it’s TV or gardening or doing stuff with the kids, and sometimes it’s computer games like SecondLife or World of Warcraft or the latest, face book apps. SecondLife pulled me away from everything for about 5 months straight, and now I can’t remember the last time I was on. With WoW, I’d learned a thing or two from SL, and so I didn’t go so long or so deep, but still I was absent for a while, traipsing through Azeroth. Facebook games are so getting old, and I’m down to a few that have to be tended daily: Farmville, the café game and the pet games. I’m mostly still doing those because my mom is actually on facebook, SHOCK! and the kids play, too, so I play with them.
Where was I even going with that? Oh, ADD… lol, I swear, that wasn’t on purpose! Okay, I’m lost now… that was funny, and I laughed, and lost my train of thought. Oh well, must not have been too important. That’s why I like to outline things, and why I hate stream of conscious storylines. I get lost enough in my own thinking, I don’t need to do so in a book!
Moving on…
I decided during Bloggiesta, that the best way to do a wrap-up post was to write it all month long, keeping track of commentors and other things that happen, so I started this post about a week after Bloggiesta, because I got distracted and it took a while to get back to it. Maybe that’s where I was going with that up there. 😀
Maybe ADD is why I hate long paragraphs? It feels like being trapped in a room with no windows. I often skim through the middle of them, or just read the first and last lines of it and move on.
Moving on…
During the Month of January I:
Started my first book challenge, The Welsh Reading Challenge, because I wanted to read more books relating to my own heritage, but needed a little prod to do it and keep on track. The fact people joined the challenge was GRAVY 🙂
Joined a total of 13 reading challenges, 11 of which are being tracked on my Reading is Challenging! page, as well as two more at LibraryThing: The 75 Book Challenge, and the Books off the Shelf Challenge. The Sookie Stackhouse Challenge was in progress, though I don’t know if I can call it progress, since I have YET to pick up the first book. Actually, I picked it up, read 2 paragraphs, then put it back down… don‘t tell BethFish :-D. This is the most challenges I’ve ever participated in, and I don’t expect to complete them all, realistically, but I’m hoping!
Spent a total of 21 hours working on blog improvements as part of Bloggiesta. Thanks, Natasha! And after all the work everyone else did and the mini-challenges I wanted to do but didn’t get to, I now have a longer to-do list than when I started!
Created The Welsh Reading Challenge blog. After reading how other bloggers who host challenges have found a separate blog is a better way to keep it all organized, I started the blog for TWRC during Bloggiesta, and had it open and ready for visitors about a week later. We’ve also got a couple sponsors, some mini-challenges in the planning stages and some prizes on the way 🙂 Too cool!
Started a weekly award called The Kool-Aid Flavor of the Week. I’m still trying to figure out the exact criteria for this, but right now it’s been for people who are doing something to make the world better. Presenting Lenore received my inaugral award for her International Book Blogger Mentor Program, and She’s Too Fond of Books received the second for her post about Kiva.org and how micro-lending requires so little of us and can make such a difference in the life of someone overseas.
Joined the Tolkein Readalong. I’ve been wanting to read the Lord of the Rings for a long time, but just needed the push.
Books read and reviewed in January:
Of Bees and Mists by Erick Setiawan ~ A magical and fantastic adult fable about love, self-respect and self-confidence, about doing what’s right and forgiveness. I gave it 4 stars. It counted toward my ARC Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge, and POC Reading Challenge.
Fruits Basket, Volume 5 by Natsuki Takaya ~ I love the Furuba series, and volume 5 introduced Kisa, the tiger, and Hanajima’s little brother. I gave it 5 stars. It counted as a food title for my What’s In a Name?3 Challenge, Manga Challenge, and POC Reading Challenge.
Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland ~ Atrocious, far-fetched and just plain BAD. 2 stars. It counted toward my ARC Reading Challenge and New Author Challenge.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl ~ Filled me with warm feelings of childhood and chocolate, and was a pleasure to read cuddled up with Maggie. I gave it 5 stars. It counted for The Welsh Reading Challenge.
Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr ~ I read this one with Mags, and since it was a re-read for me, I had Maggie sit down and write her first book review. I did help her with grammer and spelling, but the words and thoughts expressed are totally Maggie… lol… including her expressing how much she disliked having to sit and write a review on a snow day from school when she could be outside playing. Mags gave it 4 out of 5 stars. This counted towards my We Didn’t Start the Fire Challenge
Islands Apart by Ken McAlpine ~ Interesting reflection on life in our modern world and how our advances in technology are contributing to a decline in interpersonal relationships, as well as a disconnect from nature. I gave it 4 stars. This counted for my ARC Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge, and We Didn’t Start the Fire Challenge.
The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine ~ Reading this felt like a prolonged hug from creepy Uncle Stan at the family reunion, but was a necessary evil. Still, I stand by my 2.5 rating, which is based more on the writing itself than the book’s subject material. I wasn’t wowwed by Levine’s writing, though it had some beautiful moments. This book counted toward my ARC Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge, and POC Reading Challenge.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein ~ I finished off this month with a comfort read and old friend. Even though it was a third read through, not to mention the numberous times I watched the 1977 cartoon of it growing up, it still held my attention and kept me in suspense, a sure sign of a classic book. 5 stars for sure. This was for the Lord of the Rings Readalong and counts toward my 451 Challenge.
People who Commented:
Bluestocking from The Bluestocking Guide
Kathy at Bermudaonion
Wendy, the Literary Feline at Musings of a Bookish Kitty
Anna at Diary of an Eccentric
BethFish at Beth Fish Reads
Kailana at The Written World
Ita
debnance at readerbuzz
Care at Care’s Online Book Club (Hi, blogging buddy!)
Mona Everett
Aarti at B O O K L U S T
Annette
Sally906 at Sally906’s Reading Challenges
Sharon at Ex Libris
Eibhlin
Lynda at Lynda’s Book Blog
Ladybug at Escape in a Book
Aastacia
Amanda at Life and Times of a “New” New Yorker
Serena at Savvy Verse & Wit
Susan Evans at Well-Mannered Frivolity
Melanie at Cynical Optimism
Shannon at Flight into Fantasy
Sheila at One Person’s Journey Through Books
Janet at Fond of Snape
Vasilly at 1330v
Snowbell
Jack at Slightly off-center
Debbie at Debbie’s World of Books
Amber at Mommy Mania
Zee at Notes from the North
Meghan at Medieval Bookworm
Gina at BookDragon’s Lair
Rebecca at The Book Lady’s Blog
Jennie at Biblio File
Amused at Amused by Books
Michelle at Michelle’s Masterful Musings
Rebecca at Lost in Books
Lenore at Presenting Lenore
unfinishedperson at Unfinished Person
Marie at The Boston Bibliophile
Dawn at She is Too Fond of Books
Rhinoa at Rhinoa’s Ramblings
Traci at Traci’s Book Bag
Laza at Gimme More Books!
Grad at The Curious Reader
Sandra at Fresh Ink Books
BookMoot at BookMoot
Jackie at Literary Escapism
Janelle at Brimful Curiosities
Novroz at Novroz’ Life
Jennifer at Rundpinne
DanaB at Windows Wide Open
Nisé at Under The Boardwalk
Alayne at The Crowded Leaf
Violet at Violet Crush
Angie at Annie’s Home
JDaniel4’s Mom at JDaniel4’s Mom
Ann Marie
Joy at Joy’s Blog
Stephanie at Bad Mom
Emerald Yomi at Emerald Yomi
Debbie at Wrighty Reads (go lefties!)
Pippi at Pippi’s Postings
Memory at Stella Matutina
Petunia at Educating Petunia
Sarah at SmallWorld Reads
Lisa at Online Publicist
Myriam Kross
Guatami Tripathy at everything distils into reading
Ariel at Sycorax Pine
Nicole at Linus’s Blanket
Kay at The Infinite Shelf
jo at attalife
Dawn at For the Love of… Eloquence
Kimberly at A Child of the King!
Mizhelle at Life Can’t Wait
Amateur Reader at Wuthering Expectations
Keely at The Un Mom
Rebecca Reid at Rebecca Reads
Molly at my cozy book nook
uninvoked at uninvoked
Stacey at Confessions of a Pastor’s Wife
Lisa at Lit and Life
Vicki at Reading At The Beach
Callista at SMS Book Reviews
Farmlanebooks
Meg at write meg!
Marce at Tea Time with Marce
Jenny F at Have a Happy Day
Irene at Irene’s Desk
Wordlily at Word Lily
Beth at Weavings
Laurel-Rain Snow at Laurel-Rain Snow Creations
And that’s a total of 81 commentors so far (1/25)
Other fun facts:
Kitty Litter Cake (and Cat Litter Cake), Gary Larson (and The Far Side) and qoutes for The Book Thief are the most widely used search terms that bring people by, along with Confessions of a Shopaholic and Vampire Kisses bringing in plenty, too. “erotomania” surprisingly, brings in a fair share. Uh oh, do I have a stalker?
Filed under: wrap-up | Tagged: 75 Book Challenge, ADD, Azeroth, Beth Fish, Bloggiesta, blogging, book reading, Book Reviews, Books of the Shelf, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, commenting, commentors, Devourer of Books, Erick Setiawan, facebook, facebook games, Farmville, Fruits Basket, Fyrefly, gardening, International Book Blogger Mentor Program, Islands Apart, J.R.R. Tolkein, Ken McAlpine, Kiva, Kool-Aid Flavor of the Week, LibraryThing, Lord of the Rings, Maggie, Maggie's Review, Maw Books, Natasha, Natsuki Takaya, Nim's Island, Of Bees and Mist, Presenting Lenore, Roald Dahl, SecondLife, She's Too Fond of Books, SL, The Hobbit, The Sookie Stackhouse Challenge, Tolkein, Tolkein Readalong, Welsh Reading Challenge, Wendy Orr, World of Warcraft, WoW, wrap-up post | 8 Comments »