Saturday, April 18, 2009
Read a thon
I got up early (for me anyway) at 7:30 this morning and continued reading Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks, which I'm loving by the way. My husband took me out for breakfast, which is the first time I've been out of the house except for going back and forth to the hospital since last Monday. We stopped by the farmer's market and picked up a few things, and I'm settling back in with my book. It is a gorgeous day here in North Carolina, and I plan on spending the majority of it on the porch with my books. I'll check in periodically with everyone else, but I'm mostly going to be reading.
Friday, April 17, 2009
O.K., I'm In
I have been very tentative to officially join Dewey's Read-a-thon because I know I won't be able to read for 24 hours straight. But, I just couldn't take it anymore listening to the excitement on everyone else's blog. So, count me in! I don't know how much I'll be able to read at all since I have been sick. But, I will read as much as I can and check in at the site to see what's going on with everyone else. I think I'll try to read as much as I can from my tbr stacks for some of the challenges I've joined. I have still yet to even choose books for the OUAT challenge! So, we'll see how it goes. If I just get a book or two read, I'll be happy. I have also decided that I would like to make a donation to a literacy organization. I'm leaning towards First Book right now. Since I'm not sure how much I'll read, I think I'll just make a donation to the charity instead of basing it on how many books or how many pages I read. Good luck to everyone and Happy Reading!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Time Warp
Well, it is now Thursday evening here in the U. S., and I feel as if I've just returned to the land of the living. You see, I went to bed Monday night feeling fine, and awoke around 4:30 AM Tuesday morning feeling quite nauseous and faint. I went to the bathroom and ended up on the floor unable to get up. This has happened to me several times in the past. I get these spells in which I feel as if I'm going to pass out even laying flat on my back. I break out in a cold sweat and begin tingling all over. It hits me suddenly without any warning. The only relief I can get is to hold a cold cloth on my face as my husband holds my legs up over my head and fans me furiously. The feeling finally passes, but I'm too weak to move. This time I had several spells an hour until I finally agreed to go to the ER Tuesday afternoon around 3:00 PM. They admitted me and did numerous tests -- EKG, chest X-rays, numerous blood tests, and a CT scan of my sinuses, and they couldn't find anything definitive. They've come to the conclusion that any time I get anything -- virus, infection, etc. -- my blood pressure bottoms out because it runs really low all the time. My regular blood pressure is usually something like 90/60. At the ER, it was 70/30 at one point. So, needless to say, I feel as if I have just come out of a time warp, not knowing what day it is, etc. I'm feeling much better now, except a little frustrated. I'm not convinced about the diagnosis and don't want to have to deal with this again. To add insult to injury, I didn't even feel like reading all week. Seriously though, I don't mean to sound like a whiny baby. I know there are people who deal with serious and chronic illness all the time. It really does make you appreciate your health when you're sick for a while.I did finish A Lesson Before Dying on Monday evening before all this started, and this afternoon I started The Spare Room by Helen Garner. I'm not quite up to doing a review for the Gaines book, yet. But, hopefully I'll get that done over the weekend some time. I should probably finish the Garner book, as well since it is pretty short. I hope to also get caught up on my blog reading, as well. I never joined in the Read-a-thon officially, but I was hoping to read as much as possible. Now, I'm just glad to get back to being able to raise my head off the pillow and focus my eyes on a page. But, I'll look forward to hearing how everyone else did.
It's beautiful weather here in North Carolina and is supposed to be a nice weekend. So, I hope to get back to 100% soon and start enjoying the great Spring weather. I hope everyone has a nice weekend and good luck on the Read-a-thon.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Happy Easter and a Couple Book Reviews
I hope everyone is having a good weekend -- a holiday weekend for those who celebrate Easter.
Even though my posting has been quite sparse lately, I have been reading and keeping up with your blogs. I've recently finished Darling Jim, an arc from Library Thing and The Mrs. Dalloway Reader. I'm also finishing up A Lesson Before Dying for a book club on Tuesday. Hopefully, I won't wait so long to post my thoughts on that one.
First up, Darling Jim by Christian Moerk, which as I said is an arc from Library Thing. I purposely didn't read any of the reviews posted at LT. I'll go check them out after I get my thoughts down here. I'm always afraid I'll be influenced, even subconsciously, by reading reviews so close to finishing a book. I really enjoyed this one. For me, it started with a great cover, which looks like a torn piece of paper containing one of the diary entries of Fiona Walsh, one of the three Walsh sisters who live in modern day Dublin. They're all grown and lead relatively normal, happy lives even though they've had their fair share of past tragedy. Their parents died in an explosion, which left the sisters to the care of their aunt, Moira Hegarty. Moira is unstable but seemingly harmless, at least in the beginning. The sisters tolerate her quirks and continue to visit her weekly mostly out of a sense of obligation.
It's funny how one seemingly small event can drastically change the course of one's life. This is exactly what happens for the Walsh sisters and their aunt when a young, charismatic, itinerant storyteller finds his way to their village. Jim seems to be able to seduce virtually any woman of any age by telling them what they want to hear. He is a professional storyteller after all.
I enjoyed the mood and the atmosphere the author creates in this book. I also really liked the sections in which Jim tells his stories. I knew there was some type of connection between the story he was telling and his life, but I didn't figure it out right away. There were a couple of times in the book that I questioned the actions of one or more of the sisters. I just didn't believe anyone would react that way to the circumstances. I won't go into detail because it will spoil the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
Now, The Mrs. Dalloway Reader couldn't be more different from the previous book. It contains the full text of the final version of Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf along with critical essays, some of her short stories, an introduction by Francine Prose and Virginia Woolf's introduction to Mrs. Dalloway, as well as some of Woolf's correspondence. This is the first fiction I've read by Virginia Woolf. I recently read A Room of One's Own and fell in love with her nonfiction, which reads like fiction by the way. Any discussion I've ever heard about Woolf and her writing is pretty decisive. People seem to either love her or hate her. It's very difficult to come up with a concise way to describe this book because there really is no plot in the conventional sense of the word. The Mrs. Dalloway of the title is throwing a party and is on her way to buy flowers for the party as the book opens. We learn most everything about her and everyone else for that matter from interior dialogue. There is very little conventional dialogue. Rather, we learn what everyone is thinking and how they all relate to each other. Another note about her writing style -- she writes very long, complex sentences. It's not the kind of book that you can read without giving it the proper attention it requires. However, once I got into the flow of it, I found it quite easy to read. I know from this description, it sounds like a book in which nothing much happens, and that is true to a point. However, we learn a great deal about not only Mrs. Dalloway, but about her husband, her former suitor, childhood friend, as well as other people who she doesn't even know. Semptimus Warren Smith is a WWI veteran with shell shock who lives in London. I'm not sure how she does it, but Woolf interweaves his story into the world of Mrs. Dalloway. A friend of a friend mentions this young man at her party and it upsets Mrs. Dalloway that such a disturbing subject is broached at her party. I guess it is this seemingly simple premise, that once you actually look at it, makes you realize the extent of Woolf's literary talent.
I've heard several others say that To the Lighthouse is their favorite Virginia Woolf book, so that is probably the next book of hers that I'll read. If you haven't gotten around to reading Woolf or been somewhat intimidated by her (like I was), please give her a try. I think her writing is beautiful.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend and Happy Easter!!
Even though my posting has been quite sparse lately, I have been reading and keeping up with your blogs. I've recently finished Darling Jim, an arc from Library Thing and The Mrs. Dalloway Reader. I'm also finishing up A Lesson Before Dying for a book club on Tuesday. Hopefully, I won't wait so long to post my thoughts on that one.
First up, Darling Jim by Christian Moerk, which as I said is an arc from Library Thing. I purposely didn't read any of the reviews posted at LT. I'll go check them out after I get my thoughts down here. I'm always afraid I'll be influenced, even subconsciously, by reading reviews so close to finishing a book. I really enjoyed this one. For me, it started with a great cover, which looks like a torn piece of paper containing one of the diary entries of Fiona Walsh, one of the three Walsh sisters who live in modern day Dublin. They're all grown and lead relatively normal, happy lives even though they've had their fair share of past tragedy. Their parents died in an explosion, which left the sisters to the care of their aunt, Moira Hegarty. Moira is unstable but seemingly harmless, at least in the beginning. The sisters tolerate her quirks and continue to visit her weekly mostly out of a sense of obligation.
It's funny how one seemingly small event can drastically change the course of one's life. This is exactly what happens for the Walsh sisters and their aunt when a young, charismatic, itinerant storyteller finds his way to their village. Jim seems to be able to seduce virtually any woman of any age by telling them what they want to hear. He is a professional storyteller after all.
I enjoyed the mood and the atmosphere the author creates in this book. I also really liked the sections in which Jim tells his stories. I knew there was some type of connection between the story he was telling and his life, but I didn't figure it out right away. There were a couple of times in the book that I questioned the actions of one or more of the sisters. I just didn't believe anyone would react that way to the circumstances. I won't go into detail because it will spoil the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.
Now, The Mrs. Dalloway Reader couldn't be more different from the previous book. It contains the full text of the final version of Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf along with critical essays, some of her short stories, an introduction by Francine Prose and Virginia Woolf's introduction to Mrs. Dalloway, as well as some of Woolf's correspondence. This is the first fiction I've read by Virginia Woolf. I recently read A Room of One's Own and fell in love with her nonfiction, which reads like fiction by the way. Any discussion I've ever heard about Woolf and her writing is pretty decisive. People seem to either love her or hate her. It's very difficult to come up with a concise way to describe this book because there really is no plot in the conventional sense of the word. The Mrs. Dalloway of the title is throwing a party and is on her way to buy flowers for the party as the book opens. We learn most everything about her and everyone else for that matter from interior dialogue. There is very little conventional dialogue. Rather, we learn what everyone is thinking and how they all relate to each other. Another note about her writing style -- she writes very long, complex sentences. It's not the kind of book that you can read without giving it the proper attention it requires. However, once I got into the flow of it, I found it quite easy to read. I know from this description, it sounds like a book in which nothing much happens, and that is true to a point. However, we learn a great deal about not only Mrs. Dalloway, but about her husband, her former suitor, childhood friend, as well as other people who she doesn't even know. Semptimus Warren Smith is a WWI veteran with shell shock who lives in London. I'm not sure how she does it, but Woolf interweaves his story into the world of Mrs. Dalloway. A friend of a friend mentions this young man at her party and it upsets Mrs. Dalloway that such a disturbing subject is broached at her party. I guess it is this seemingly simple premise, that once you actually look at it, makes you realize the extent of Woolf's literary talent.
I've heard several others say that To the Lighthouse is their favorite Virginia Woolf book, so that is probably the next book of hers that I'll read. If you haven't gotten around to reading Woolf or been somewhat intimidated by her (like I was), please give her a try. I think her writing is beautiful.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend and Happy Easter!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Reading Notes
Wow, I can't believe it's been over a week since I last posted. Things have been really busy lately -- more so than usual. But, I have been reading. I've finished the arc I received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program -- Darling Jim by Christian Morek. I really enjoyed this one and will be doing a review soon, I hope. I've started reading Mrs. Dalloway's Reader by Francine Prose and Virginia Woolf. This book collects the full text of Mrs. Dalloway and also includes several short stories by Woolf, some of her diary entries and commentary from Francine Prose and others. I'm really looking forward to getting into this one. I've only read the introduction and the first of the short stories so far. I didn't realize it before, but Mrs. Dalloway began as a short story and eventually turned into a novel. I absolutely love both Francine Prose and Virginia Woolf, so this should be a treat.
For book clubs in April, I'm reading A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, and in honor of National Poetry Month, we're reading selected poems of Robert Frost. A literature professor from a local school is coming to discuss the poems at that meeting. I've never been a big poetry reader, but I've really started to like some of the poetry I've been reading. I think I was always just a little scared of poetry in the past. So,I especially like discussing the poetry I read with others.
Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I've downloaded three literature courses from The Teaching Company recently. One is the History of World Literature. For this class, I'm reading The Epic of Gilgamesh. This book will also count towards my Year of Reading Dangerously challenge.
Right now the hardest thing for me is to decide what to read next. After I finished reading Darling Jim the other night, I was laying in bed literally surrounded by about 10 books that I was trying to choose from. My husband walked in the bedroom, looked at the pile of books on the bed, and turned around and walked back out smiling and shaking his head.
So, that's what I've been up to -- in addition to knitting and working, and... -- well, you get the picture. So, what are you reading?
For book clubs in April, I'm reading A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, and in honor of National Poetry Month, we're reading selected poems of Robert Frost. A literature professor from a local school is coming to discuss the poems at that meeting. I've never been a big poetry reader, but I've really started to like some of the poetry I've been reading. I think I was always just a little scared of poetry in the past. So,I especially like discussing the poetry I read with others.
Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I've downloaded three literature courses from The Teaching Company recently. One is the History of World Literature. For this class, I'm reading The Epic of Gilgamesh. This book will also count towards my Year of Reading Dangerously challenge.
Right now the hardest thing for me is to decide what to read next. After I finished reading Darling Jim the other night, I was laying in bed literally surrounded by about 10 books that I was trying to choose from. My husband walked in the bedroom, looked at the pile of books on the bed, and turned around and walked back out smiling and shaking his head.
So, that's what I've been up to -- in addition to knitting and working, and... -- well, you get the picture. So, what are you reading?
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Free Books!
Post edited: I'm extending this drawing until Friday at noon due to lack of participation. Since she is the only one who entered initially, Iliana will get her choice -- Godmother by Carrie Adams.
I mentioned a week or so ago that I received a prize from Reading Group Choices, and I wanted to pass some of those goodies on to you. I know you think I forgot, but I really didn't. So here it is. The following books will be given away via a random drawing. Please leave a comment on this post by Monday, March 23, at noon. I'll draw a separate winner for each of the five books. Anyone is welcome to put their name in the hat.
Trespass by Valerie Martin
With Violets by Elizabeth Robards
The Night Climbers by Ivo Stourton
Domestic Affairs by Eileen Goudge (hardback!)
I mentioned a week or so ago that I received a prize from Reading Group Choices, and I wanted to pass some of those goodies on to you. I know you think I forgot, but I really didn't. So here it is. The following books will be given away via a random drawing. Please leave a comment on this post by Monday, March 23, at noon. I'll draw a separate winner for each of the five books. Anyone is welcome to put their name in the hat.
Trespass by Valerie Martin
With Violets by Elizabeth Robards
The Night Climbers by Ivo Stourton
Domestic Affairs by Eileen Goudge (hardback!)
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day
In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, here are a few links you may want to check out:NPR Blog: Celebration of W. B. Yeats
Litagogo: Edna O'Brien
AbeBooks: 10 Most Expensive Books by Irish Writers
Reading Copy Book Blog (AbeBooks): Top 5 Leprechaun Books
Reading Copy Book Blog (AbeBooks): Top 10 Most Collectible Irish Books
St. Patrick's Day (Wikipedia)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
