52 Itty Bitty Little Changes

I've been feeling stuck lately. There are so many things I want to do or start. I keep seeing some great reading challenges I'd like to join, but then I remember that come March I'm not going to have the motivation or time to keep up with reading. Or really anything for that matter. Like housework. Man, that second trimester was awesome for housework. I was a nesting machine. I'm only a couple of weeks into the third trimester and all the normal day-to-day work is slipping away from me.

I'd love to get thin again, but I'm going to have to wait until, oh, I don't know, next year? Let's be honest. It's going to be a long time before I can really focus on losing this weight. So, in the meantime, I'm trying to content myself with making small changes that will have an impact on my overall health. Lucky for me Amazon had the same idea, and I was able to purchase the Kindle version of 52 Small Changes: One Year to a Happier, Healthier You for dirt cheap. Even now it's still cheap ($3.99 at time of posting).

So far I'm still on week 1: drink more water. I'm...not terrible at it? I was barely drinking any before so I've upped it and I'm trying to track how much I drink with an app for my phone. I'm not being strict about it, since anything is better than the nothing I was drinking.

I guess my whole theory is that while I can't commit to making any huge proclamations or changes this year, I can at least try to make some small ones. And maybe, if I can keep it up, these small changes will turn into a larger change and it won't feel like I've really done much at all.

If you want to, I'd love for you to join me! Things like this are always more fun with friends!

Reading My Own Books: An Update

The year is winding down (which is not even possible because my kid still has to turn 1, there's Christmas and parties and...hold me).

Ahem.

With this in mind, I wanted to post a quick update to one of the only challenges I took on this year, and one that I only started in October: Reading My Own Books, hosted by Michelle. You can read all about my exceptions and why I decided to do this here.

I was actually in the middle of The Swan Thieves when I started this challenge, which is partly why I signed up. I wanted reading this huge book I had bought on a whim to count for something. Then I picked Rules of Civility by Amor Towles as my book club pick (I had purchased it on my Kindle when Amazon was running a deal) so I checked off another one! I also finished What He's Poised to Do by Ben Greenman (not reviewed), Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand, and You Suck by Christopher Moore (review coming Monday). I'm also going to count Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn because technically I do own it, even if I did purchase it after I had already started the challenge. (At least I didn't just add another book to my TBR pile, right?)

I've finished a few more books these last couple of months, but they were exceptions to my rules (The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, and The Mark of Zorro by Johnston McCulley (not reviewed)). We'll see how many more I can get to before the year is out and the challenge is over, but so far so good!

Oh, and if there was ever a question that I needed this challenge, let me present to you my bookshelf (my fiction only bookshelf):

Please ignore the bad quality. The bottom two shelves are the books I've read. Those top four, well, I have some work to do. (In my defense, some of those are anthologies that I never expect to actually finish in their entirety, but I couldn't in good conscience say that I've read them, either.) Oh, and this doesn't include the books on my nightstand or on our bookshelf downstairs, or in my closet...I'd better get reading.

Reading My Own Books Challenge

I've decided to join Michelle and read only my own books for the rest of this year. (Have you met Michelle yet? You should. She's pretty cool AND has an adorable baby. Go on and check out her blog. I'll wait.)

Are we all back? Ok good. I have 3 exceptions to the only-my-own-books rule.

1) Book club books are exempt because I have no control over them (but there should only be one more book club this year).

2) Audio books (I don't listen to that many anyway, and they're always free from the library).

3) The Casual Vacancy. I know it's gotten terrible reviews but I want to read it anyway. Plus, I'm so far back on the hold list I might not even get it this year.

So. Other than those three exceptions I will only be reading books I currently own. I had to think about this for awhile because I thought I'd feel too restricted; I don't buy books very often and there are SO MANY good ones that I don't own yet. But, surprisingly, once I committed I felt like a weight had been lifted. I don't have to try to keep up with the Joneses, and now I can just focus on the books withering away on my (dusty) shelves. At one point I thought these books were important enough to own, and that hasn't changed just because they're not bright and shiny and new.

Before I had even officially joined this challenge I was still following the basic principles of it. I finally finished up The Swan Thieves (link to review) and am still working on What He's Poised to Do. Next up is my book club pick, Rules of Civility and who knows what else I'll get into during tomorrow's Readathon (squee!).

While this isn't an official challenge, it's still fun to a be a part of the action. Want to follow along? Check us out on Twitter with #RMOB.

Miss Me?

Just a quick note to say: All those reading challenges and plans I had made (Fall Reading Challenge and Finish It Up Month)? Not going as planned. I have entered full-on nesting mode, along with learning to crochet an afghan for a Christmas present, plus my book choices have changed dramatically due to what was available at the library and the fact that I am now supremely interested in pregnancy-related reading material.

This also explains the lack of posting because when my brain is able to function, it's worrying about baby items we still need to obtain and what section of the house needs to be cleaned next. So, my apologies for my negligence of the blog and no new book reviews or cooking posts, and I would say that I'll be back to normal soon. But let's be honest here. Posting is going to be intermittent. I hope you'll all stick with me through this, because I'll need the support! And if you really miss me (or just want to know what I'm up to) check my Twitter feed. 140 characters seems a lot more do-able than a full-on post.

November is Now Finish It Up Month!

November is a popular month. There's NaNoWriMo and NaBloPoMo, and then there's the definite feeling of fall/oncoming winter, Thanksgiving, and getting out scarves, hats, and mittens. There's fires and hot chocolate (and pumpkin spice lattes), and a general cozy feeling that settles around you.

November has all the wonderful potential of what fall and winter can bring, before we get sick of gray snow, sleeting rain, and just being too cold.

This November, I'm not doing the busy-ness, but I'm definitely doing the coziness. No NaNoWriMo, and (especially since I didn't start yesterday) no NaBloPoMo. BUT. Cori, over at Let's Eat Grandpa -- wait, do you know her? Because you should. Go on over and say hi. I'll wait.

Alright. Now Cori is using November to finish up her massive stack of unfinished books that's just waiting to crush her should it topple off the nightstand. Well, I can relate. I've hit a bit of a reading slump and can't seem to really get into a single book, so I continually start new ones but don't want to give up yet on the old. So the pile gets bigger. And bigger. Remember that picture from my Read-a-thon stack? Yeah, my nightstand still looks like that, if not worse. And it's not nearly as well-organized.

Since I have no idea how much time I'll have to read in December (my due date is the 27th), I think November is a great time to try to finish as many books in my physical TBR stack as possible. Granted, this doesn't mean I won't find new books at the library, but I at least want to finish those that I feel a strong need to read before the baby comes. Here's my list:

Poser: My Life in 23 Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer - page 51/330
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer  - page 113/326
Babyproofing Your Marriage by Stacie Cockrell - page 0/273
Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz - page 0/301

Okay, there are a ton more on my list (including more I've already started), but these four are must-reads before baby comes. The first because it's been on my list forever and I'm currently reading it, the second is for book club, the third is obvious, and the fourth is because the more I know about my dog and her brain before this huge life transition, the better. Anything else read this month will be the cherry on top.

Fall Into Reading 2011

I love Katrina's reading challenges. She hosts the most laid-back, go at your own pace challenges, and that suits my lifestyle just fine. The challenge runs from September 23 through December 21. If you want to join in, check out her blog at Callapidder Days and sign up!

My list for this fall is going to be simple: books I've already started that I want to finish, or ones I've just been waiting to crack open. Hopefully I'll finish them all, but with a baby on the way and a distractable mind, we'll see how it goes. :-)

1.  Gone With the Wind (for the readalong hosted by The Heroine's Bookshelf) (review to come)

2.  Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz

3.  The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

4.  Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley

5.  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

6.  Wicked Witch Murder by Lucy Stone (Click here for my review.)

7.  The Mermaid Garden by Santa Montefiore

8.  The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (Click here for my review.)

9. Rare Beasts by Charles Ogden (Click here for my review.)

10. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (Click here for my review.)

11. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris

12. Hybrid by Brian O'Grady

13. Food Inc. by Karl Weber

14. Q by Evan Mandery (Click here for my review.)

15.  Fragile by Lisa Unger (review to come)

These are in no particular order, but many of them have a creepy quality that I'm planning on enjoying during the month of October. I'll be posting my reviews of the books I finish, so please subscribe to my feed or keep checking back to this page, where I'll post links to my reviews!

If you're participating, please leave me a link to your list and I'll be sure to check it out! Or, if you're not participating but still have a list of books you'd like to read over the next couple of months, please leave me a comment!

Thanks for visiting, and happy reading!

Spring Reading Thing 2011

It's finally that time of year! The birds are chirping, the grass is greening, and the weather is slowly starting to reach a tolerable temperature. It's Spring!

And that means it's time for Callapidder Days' annual Spring Reading Thing! You can find information about the event here. It's really quite simple: write down a list of books you want to read from March 20-June 20 and hop to it!

Here's my list:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (for book club)

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (because I heard it's so good) **review here**

The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to be Fabulously Green by Starre Vartan (because I follow her blog and she has amazing ideas)

Northern Lights by Nora Roberts (because I feel I should read at least one Nora Roberts book)

My Reading Life by Pat Conroy (again, I've heard good things)

Some Sing, Some Cry by Ntozake Shange and Ifa Bayeza (the cover just calls to me)

And finally, I want to read another classic, so I can continue with my goal of reading 5 this year (1 down; yay!). However, I have no idea what I'll pick next. I will most likely let you all decide through a poll, and then host another read-along, if anyone's interested.

So there's my list of books that I'd like to read this Spring. Granted, I fully expect it to change since my mood swings greatly influence my reading list. But that's why I love the Spring Reading Thing: it's not strict! So join in if you feel like it, and look for my reviews of the books I end up reading!

Spring Reading Thing 2010

It's Spring!  This season brings many happy things, including my birthday and my 3rd reading challenge for the year, The Spring Reading Thing, hosted by Katrina at Callapidder Days!

The goal of this reading challenge is to focus on completing a list of books/goals you have for the spring, and it's really laid-back and relaxed (I love that!).  So, without further ado, the list of books I want to complete between now and June 20th:

• Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert  **Click for the review!**
• Better by Atul Gawande
• Under the Dome by Stephen King
• A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

These are really going to depend on how quickly they come in from the library and how busy my life gets, so there may need to be some adjustments.  But for now, I think it's looking pretty good!

A-Buck-A-Book Challenge

I found another challenge!  This one is hosted by DelGal and it's called A-Buck-A-Book Challenge.  The premise is to pay yourself a dollar for every book you read, and at the end of the year go do something fun with the money you saved!  No paying bills or anything boring like that; you have to spend your money on something fun for you.  I love this idea, and it's a great way for me to consciously set aside money (I see a potential plan for future children....).

Anyway, I'm starting retroactively, so I already owe myself a dollar.  And hopefully, if I reach my goal this year, I'll have 50 bucks saved up by the end of the year!  If you'd like to join us, head on over to DelGal's post on the challenge and leave a comment for her!

*Found through A Novel Challenge.

Life of Pi

I heard a lot of good things about this book long before I finally got around to reading it.  I also had several people comment on how good it was when they saw that I was reading it.  I have to say, I had high expectations.

Part I, however, was indescribably boring.  Ninety pages is just too many before you get to the main story - the story of a 16-year-old boy alone on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a 450-pound Bengal tiger.  Really, knowing that was coming and all of the glowing recommendations I had gotten were the only things keeping me reading.

Life of Pi is the story of Piscine Molitor Patel's journeys.  Part I is mostly his journey through religions: Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam.  We also get some background on his life growing up as the son of a zookeeper (with some information about the behavior of animals that will play a key role later in the book).  Ultimately, however, I felt this section could have been much shorter, and I still would have gotten all of the pertinent information.

With Part II, we finally get to the journey we've all been waiting for.  While Pi's family is in the process of moving from India to Canada on a cargo ship, taking the animals from their zoo along with them, the ship sinks.  Pi is the lone human survivor, but he still must outwit his animal companions.

Part II kept me entranced.  I didn't want to put the book down, and I couldn't wait to see how it ended.  You are told early on that he survives, but how he survived was the question that needed an answer.

I hate to do it, but I have to give it 3 out of 5 stars because of the beginning.  It was just too long for an introduction to the main story.  Part II was phenomenal, so I would recommend it on that alone.

2010 Busy Bookworm Challenge

Well, what do you know, there's a challenge out there that fits the bill for the list of books I want to read this year.  It's called The Busy Bookworm Challenge.  You're supposed to make a list of 12-24 books that you absolutely must read this year, or else you will cry like a little girl.  Here's my list: 

**click the links for the reviews**

•  Life of Pi by Yann Marte
•  Cleaving by Julie Powell
• Under the Dome by Stephen King
• The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs
• A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• 1001 Arabian Nights
• Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
• Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Chris Priestley
• Men are Like Waffles - Women are Like Spaghetti by Bill Farrel
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
• Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
• The End of Overeating by David Kessler
• Better by Atul Gawande
• Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  

Okay, so maybe I won't cry if I don't read Under the Dome or Cleopatra's Daughter, but these are all books that have been on my list for awhile and there's really no excuse for not reading them.  Stay tuned for the reviews!

(Thanks to Nicole for pointing this out to me.)

Fall Into Reading 2009 Wrap Up

Well, I completed my first reading challenge!  I started pretty modestly, only expecting to read 4 books.  (To see my list, click here.)  I really underestimated myself!  Not only did I finish Moby Dick, but I finished a grand total of 9 books.  While I didn't finish 2 of the original 4, I added 7 books.  I'm one of those readers that has to be in the mood for a book, so it makes sense that I added more than I originally planned to read.

I think, if I had to pick a favorite of those I read, it would be The Time Traveler's Wife.  It was just a beautiful, well-written novel.  (A close second would be The Magician's Elephant, followed by The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.)

This challenge not only kept me reading, but it kept me blogging.  While trying to stay modest, I'd like to think that the practice has helped me improve my book reviewing skills, and made this blog more of a book blog than a rambling blog, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Overall, I'm really happy with the outcome, and I want to thank Katrina over at Callapidder Days for hosting such a fun, easy-going challenge!  It was so interesting to read the reviews of others who participated, and I actually added a lot of books to my TBR list (and even some of the books added to my challenge list were because of reviews of other bloggers doing the challenge).  Katrina, thank you, and I look forward to seeing you again next fall!

Matchless: A Christmas Story

Looking for a short, sweet Christmas story?  Like Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl and want more added to it?  Well here you go!

This is a very short story, perfect for a Christmas Eve reading next to the tree.  It's actually meant to be read aloud (Gregory Maguire debuted it for NPR last year). Not only does it include the story of the little match girl (leaving it almost an exact replica of the original), but there's another story encompassing it, that of Frederik and his family's struggles on that same Christmas Eve.

3 out of 5 stars.  Definitely good, and worth a read, but not my favorite Christmas story (probably partially because The Little Match Girl was never one of my favorites).

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

What a beautiful book.  This is a completely heartwarming story, and you don't want to miss it.

Told in a series of letters, this story highlights the joys and hardships of the people living on the island of Guernsey during the German Occupation of WWII.  Witty and heartbreaking, this novel is not only educational, but complete in every way.  No lose ends are left, making the bow on the cover seem that much more perfect.

I will admit that I like Part I more than Part II.  In Part I author Juliet Ashton (the main character, so to speak) is looking for a subject for her new book when she receives an unexpected letter from a man in Guernsey who bought a book that had once belonged to her.  It's here that we meet the islanders and learn how the Society began (and how it got such a silly name).  I loved this part, because it was full of discovery.  Part II was good, of course, but it was written with more of a third-person feel.  We still learn more about the characters, but we're really learning about events that have just happened, rather than getting first-hand accounts of events or personalities.  I hope that made sense.

 4 out of 5 stars.  I would have preferred the entire book be more like Part I, but I realize that wouldn't have worked as well given the situation of the characters (it's so hard to explain this without giving anything away!).  However, this is such a good story; perfect for uplifting the spirit and closing the book with a sigh and a smile.

Moby Dick

I did it!  I finished Moby Dick, finally.  Let me tell you, it wasn't easy.

I'm sure most of you are familiar with the plot, so I'll spare you the details.  Basically, Ishmael is a whaler on the Pequod, which is captained by Ahab.  Ahab's leg was taken by Moby Dick, and now Ahab wants vengeance.

However, before we can meet Moby Dick, Herman Melville has decided that we need an in-depth look at the whaling industry in order to fully understand what's going on.  In part, I agree with him.  Knowing what specific things are called does help a story move smoothly when there's a high-action scene.  But I really didn't need so much detail.  And I understand that Melville is making pointed jabs at Christianity and slavery and the whaling industry, and just about everything else under the sun.  This is all well and good (and even funny), up to a point.  But eventually it just gets old and you just want to see the main event (in which I was rather disappointed).

While this is considered a classic and I know several people who think this is one of the greatest books on Earth, I just couldn't get into it.  I get it; I understand its place in literary history and I can appreciate it for what it did, but I just didn't like it.

2 out of 5 stars.  I liked some of what Melville did (there was some mystery, but it was short-lived, and he made part of the prose into a play which is unique).  But unless you have a burning desire to prove that you are able to power through 500 pages of allegory and whale bones, don't bother.

The Brethren

The Brethren, by John Grisham, is a quick, easy read. It's classic Grisham in the sense that there's a lot of legalese and puzzle pieces that slowly come together throughout the story. It was intriguing, but not edge-of-your-seat exciting.

This is the story of 3 ex-judges sitting bored in a federal prison, and one congressman who's just been selected by the CIA to run for President. The judges have started an extortion scheme, and it works best when they ensnare rich men with something to lose. The CIA is counting on Aaron Lake to win the election and double the US's military funding in order to stop an impending war. But is Lake as perfect as the CIA thinks? Or does he have secrets, just waiting to be found by the judges?

While this was good and kept my attention, it's not one of my favorites. I kept coming back to the story, but not because I couldn't wait to find out what happened. It's just a good book to curl up with on a cold winter night.

3 out of 5 stars.

Of course, now this means I have to go back and finish Moby Dick....

The Princess Bride

This review has been hard to write, mainly because I'm most likely going to end up reviewing the movie more than the book.  In fact, if you think you might like the book, just go watch the movie.

The Princess Bride, by William Goldman, is essentially the story of a kidnapped princess, a greedy prince, a giant with a big heart, a revengeful swordsman, and a mysterious rescuer.  That part of the story is good (and not as girly as the title implies - trust me, guys will like it).  The rest of the book tells the story of the author and his tale of how he found the book (because in his fictional world, it was written by S. Morgenstern) and how his grandfather used to read it to his father, and his father used to read it to him, and not until he tried to read it on his own did he realize that his father had been abridging the book in an effort to only leave in "the good parts."  The premise, then, is that Goldman's job is to officially abridge Morgenstern's work so it's more accessible to the general public.  The author cuts into the body of the story every once in awhile, which if you don't like interference from authors, you probably won't be a fan of this.

In short, I found this book confusing at first, and then annoying.  Don't get me wrong, the story of "the princess bride" is a good one.  But they did such a great job in the movie (most of the lines are taken straight from the book) that I would rather just sit down and see it played out than have to delve into the author's narration.

3 out of 5 stars.  And that third star is only because the story itself is so good.  Do yourself a favor: watch the movie.  You'll get all of "the good parts."

The Lovely Bones

If I have trouble starting a book review, I normally just write down a list of thoughts and phrases that cross my mind while thinking back on what I've just read. For The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold, it was more a list of words: Brutal. Sad. Uplifting. Family. Loss. Heaven. Rebirth.

This book is so many things, but what stands out the most to me is its originality.  This is the story of Susie Salmon, a 14-year-old girl who is raped and murdered by one of her neighbors in the 1970s.  Susie narrates from heaven the story of her murder, her family and friends trying to cope with their loss, and her own journey through the afterlife.  At the same time tragic, disturbing, and beautiful, Sebold creates an idea of what happens to those we've lost in an original voice.

I really enjoyed this novel.  While it's not something I would normally pick up due to its subject matter, I'm glad I did.  I actually had this on my To Be Read list before I knew about the movie, but the trailer I saw made me want to pick it up that much faster.  Now, after having read it, I think they're going to need to change some major aspects of the book to make it a good movie.  This is because there's little action in the second half of the book.  Most of the cliff-hanger/page-turning aspects are in the first half.  But even after most of the action is gone, you care about the characters enough that finishing the second half is easy.  I wanted to know if the family could ever heal from such a tragic loss, and I wanted to know if Susie would get her wish.

4 out of 5 stars.  Not my favorite book of the year, but definitely one worth reading.

The Magician's Elephant

I've got to be honest with you: I didn't expect much from this book. I've read a couple of Kate DiCamillo's other books, and while I thought they were cute, they didn't really stick with me. This one, however, is magical.

The Magician's Elephant tells the story of Peter Augustus Duchene and his search for the truth: is his sister alive or dead? He asks a fortune teller this question, and is startled by the answer: "Follow the elephant." But there are no elephants in the town of Baltese; that is, until the magician conjures one that falls through the ceiling of the opera house.

DiCamillo writes in lyrical prose (some of these sentences are absolutely beautiful) and introduces us to colorful characters that each play a special role in helping Peter find the truth.

This book is nothing short of beautiful; the prose, the illustrations (by Yoko Tanaka), and the story are gorgeous. I was bold enough to turn to my husband when I finished reading last night (in one sitting, I might add) and say, "Our kids will read this book someday." And how do I know that? Because I'm going to read it to them.

(I just added this to my Fall Into Reading challenge post - because I can, that's why - and, even though I read it yesterday, I'm still counting it for Monday's What Are You Reading challenge because I was expecting to read it today, but it was so good I finished it all in one go.)

The Time Traveler's Wife

Oh. My. God.

That was my first thought when I finally closed this book.  This is one of the best works of recent adult fiction I have read.  And while I may have slight objections or questions to parts, it is, as a whole, one of the best books of the decade (I say that having not read even close to most of the books written this decade - forgive me).

Audrey Niffenegger tells the love story between a man and a woman, Henry and Clare.  This would be nothing new or exciting if it didn't have one key element: Henry is a time traveler. He will disappear at random and end up in a completely different place in a completely different time.  This is how he meets Clare, when she is six years old and he is 36.  Throughout Clare's childhood Henry is somewhat of a mythical creature.  Always appearing, but never giving her details as to when he comes from or their future together.  When she meets him in the present, he is only eight years older than her, and they begin their all-consuming love affair, accompanied by moments of anguish when they are separated by Henry's time traveling (which Niffenegger explains as a genetic disorder). Throughout, Henry is searching for a way to stop time traveling, to be kept firmly in the present with the ones he loves.  But is that possible?

Niffenegger created a believable world with very human characters.  I felt for Clare when she had no idea where Henry had gone or when he would be back.  I felt for Henry when he was transported to unknown times and places, often finding himself in danger.  And I felt for them both when they weren't sure if they would be able to have a baby due to Henry's genes.  There is depth to the characters and, because of that, the originality of the story, and the flow of the writing, I am counting this among one of my favorite books.

5 out of 5 stars.  This is a story I could read again and again, and it has made me appreciate what I have.  Contemporary fiction rarely brings out such true, raw emotion, and I applaud Audrey Niffenegger and look forward to reading her second novel, Her Fearful Symmetry.