Reading Summer 2010

When a bibliophile is thrown into long empty days*, they can easily be filled with crimes, detectives, the fanciful and the undead.

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Violetkey's favorite books »

Time-lapse

Steampunk fashion has come to my attention over the past couple of months. Personally, I think it's a great combination of Victorian fashion and industrial and scientific bits.

This is an impressive time-lapse of a 6 hour book cover design using a steampunk theme. I'm now interested in reading the books by Gail Carriger.



I original found this from the Bookliciousblog (all about books) and the original article from Orbits Books here.

From the Orbits article i found the Clockwork Couture "a fine steampunk clother". I've found a few pieces of jewelry I'd like owning. Plus, this blouse is beautiful!

photo from: Clockwise Couture

Audrey Niffenegger's Follow Up Book {Her Fearful Symmetry}

Somehow i missed the debut of Adurey's second book release after The Time Traveler's Wife. I loved TTTW, read it three times and that is rare for me to do. Thought i'd pass along the news in case anyone else hadn't realized the release of Her Fearful Symmetry.

Breaking Dawn Review

Yes, yes, i got sucked into the Twilight book series. I'm not as enchanted with it as say Harry Potter. The first book was good but i was greatly disapointed in the plots of book 2 and 3. Book 4 is excellent in how she ties all the strings together and reveals more vampire history.

I wrote a review that does contain spoilers which is why i posted it to my archives. You can read here: Review I don't go into great details but you might find it interesting.

Schedules

Found out Friday that my husband's work schedule is going to change in June. June marks the end of school for the summer. It also marks the leaving of 2 employees and 2 prego ladies. He'll be working swing shift - 2pm till 10pm tues - sat. I am not pleased. There is not anything that can be done to change it until school starts again in the fall. Basically this means he'll be getting home when i'm going to sleep. Unless i throw off my sleep schedule, which i'm not completely rejecting the idea of adjusting it a night or two, we won't really see each other tues - fri.

The only silver lining is he'll be available to go on Saturday mornings art adventures. I have a group of friends that do summer field trips on Saturday for artsy stuff. We'll be going to lots of gardens this summer for photography, painting, drawing and the like.

On happier news I went to The Dancer exhibit at the Portland Art Museum. They are show casing works by Degas, Forian, and Toulouse-Lautrec. It really made me want to buy color paper and pastels for sketching. They showed a number of sketches by all the artiest - i have to say i liked this best. While the paintings were great and to see a real poster from the time of Toulouse-Lautrec was great - there is something about seeing how they worked quickly in a sketch, or how with ink and water color wash they gave such strong impressions of placement. I almost wouldn't mind going back before the show closes on May 11th but i doubt i'll get there.

I went with 4 other people and I liked it when we were all going at about the same pace. We could wander from one piece to the next and bump into each other to give a though. But when one of the guys and i started talking about art and longevity and making a living out of it half way through the exhibit - the other people moved on and finished up before we did. I have to say i felt a pressure to hurry along on the second half of the exhibit because they were waiting. So, i'm not really sure museums are the best for group socializing. Or maybe we are all to socially polite and we should have said our goodbyes so the faster group wouldn't feel they had to stick around.

***
Oh, yeah!! I have to share the new books i got:

Wreck This Journal by Keri Smith

Figured out pretty fast that I'm afraid to get this book wet. Now, I like the idea of dribbling my coffee on a page but to take it into the shower?! The pages will get all warped! So we'll see if i get over the fear of that. I've already added a piece of lent to one of the pages, it's from the drier the towels were in, it's this cool teal color - don't worry that's the color of our towels. Those that love texture will also love that the tape on the front of the books is embossed and glossy *drool*. I'm pretty excited about toting this thing around and beating it up, as long as it doesn't get too wet, lol.

Doodle Stitching: Fun and Fresh Embroidery for Beginners by Aimee Ray

That's right i'm going to learn how to embroider! I use to cross stitch when i was younger, so i at least know that one. The book has great pictures and clear instructions, now if only i'd start. I have an idea to incorporate embroidery into my art. I'm very excited that she also includes directions on how to incorporate beading. It'll be exciting to see what happens.

A cool thing is you can buy more patterns from Aimee's Etsy shop "Little Dears" as pdfs.

"Redefining the Dictionary"

From my understanding TED is a conference that happens once a year and different people have about 15-20min. to share an idea on a topic.

Through a series of links I found my self on the TED website and reviewing different talks. One that i found and really enjoyed was Erin McKean's talk on "Redefining the Dictionary" which I encourage you viewing. The fun surprise was finding out Erin is the author of the blog A Dress A Day which I had stumbled upon and been reading for a few months. I thought it was great that I found two random things that actually have something in common with each other.

One of my favorite bits is: "The internet is great for collecting words becuase the internet is full of collectors. This is a little known technological fact about the internet but the internet is actually made up of words & enthusiasm."

I can't seem to embed the video - go view it here: Erin McKean's Redefining the Dictionary

I might have more deep thoughts about what the future of the dictionary is later but the comments in the video are interesting.

Day 7

Honestly, if i was not doing NaBloPoMo and wanting to keep my commitment of posting all month. I would have skipped tonight. I'm so tired.

I will say this, I'm officially giving up on NaNoReMo. I can't stand reading any more of Catch 22 - the "who's on first" type of writing in every chapter but with a new character is getting old! Maybe I wouldn't feel this way if i had nothing else i wanted to read but as it so happens i have a large To Be Read pile right now. Most notably Kite Runner and Thunderstruck. Both need to be read by Christmas so my dad and I can go out to breakfast and discuss. Plus my dad keeps asking me if i've read Kite Runner and to be honest I started it but it didn't catch me fast enough for me to finish before it was due back at the library. I'm going to see if my M.I.L has a copy i can borrow becuase i know she's read it. Thunderstruck is turning out very interesting, who knew electricity was that fascinating?

Then there is the new Chuck Palahniuk Rant that I'm borrowing from the library and will need to be returned in a couple of weeks becuase i'm sure i won't get to renew it. Then I also started Getting Things Done, also from the library. But something about his style is not connecting with me. Also, part of my brain says "you've read enough about organizing just do something already or go read 7 Habits which you haven't finished."

So, it seems I won't be persevering through Catch 22.

P.S. I haven't given up on Art Every Day Month - i'm just moving my goal to have one finished piece a week.

Breaking Dawn Review - Twilight Series book 4

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
It was excellent if you can suspend disbelief for half the book. It also makes up for the last two books. Breaking Dawn got back to what i found interesting, the vampire history. I'll admit, in the beginning, i thought it was going to be a lot more of bella and edward fighting over what can and can't be done. Granted, there was still a lot of "yes/no" pull through the first half of the book. The second half makes up for it though.


I do have one big problem, how if everything human in edward is gone, can he still have sperm?! That's a very human necessity for reproduction, not so much for vampires who bite people to multiply. Also, with all the research that Carlisle has done, why did he not research incubus legends before edward went off and had a honeymoon with bella? There are just some illogical "what, we didn't know!" that i found annoying. Plus, how could the Volturi be so out of the loop of the possibility of a human woman carrying a half-breed to full term (even if the woman is supposed to die) if they’re so powerful and all knowing?


I really enjoyed having a section dedicated to Jacob. I think out of the three he is my favorite character. Stephanie did do a good job of writing in a different tone for his character vs. bella’s.

The series ended just as it should have, happily ever after, i was kinda glad no one died. I didn't want to see any of the pairs split up.



View all my reviews.

Own, Want, & Read - A Book List

MarillaAnne also posted about this meme from Tip of the Iceberg.

Directions: "Look at the list below: Bold the books you've read; Italicize the books you want to read; and leave the formatting alone for the ones you aren't interested in."

There are a few on here that I have never heard of but a few that reminded me that I wanted to read them once upon a time.

1. The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery) {Plus the other five in the original series}
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) {I did not like this book}
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien) {first school book I couldn't put down in 7th grade}
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) {sure these other sound good to: plus Little Men, Jo's Boys, Eight Cousin's, and Rose in Bloom.}
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis) {and the rest of the series}
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) {i cried and cried...}
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb) {loved it - i want another one by him}
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) {i started this book but couldn't get into the first time - since i keep being told how great it is - i'll have to try again}
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. The Bible {i haven't read the whole thing but i've read many parts of it}
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She's Come Undone (Wally Lamb) {i started this book but again couldn't get into at the time - i'm thinking i should pick it up again}
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrew Niffenegger) {loved this book! i cried.}
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones' Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum) {and the others}
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce) {i'm pretty sure this is the one i read in school}