rantings & ramblings
Like the cycling of thousands of heating and a/c units in the South during winter, the Wheel of Time has spun ’round to Teaser Tuesday. Continue reading “Teaser Tuesday: Henri Matisse: Rooms with a View”
Like a baseball card snapping in the spokes of a bicycle wheel, the Wheel of Time has spun ’round to Teaser Tuesday. Continue reading “Teaser Tuesday: Disciples”
The school year and basketball season have hit their stride and should remain there until sometime in mid-March.
With that in mind, the Wheel of Time has turned to
Just in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*
*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.
This week’s book is Jacksonland: President Andrew Jackson, Cherokee Chief John Ross. and A Great American Land Grab written by NPR’s Steve Inskeep. For those that listen to him on a daily basis, one can’t help but hear him narrate his own words.
The Truly Random Number Generator send us to page 199:
But in the summer of 1829, Evarts was exactly what
Ross needed: a genuine ally who was willing to fight
alongside him as an equal. Evarts was different than
Henry Clay, who supported Indian rights but also
thought Indians were doomed. While Clay thought
Indians' "disappearance from the human family would
be no great loss to the world," Evarts placed them
on the same level as white men.
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
Author: Joseph J. Ellis.
Although this book adds little new (if anything at all) to the historical record, it is both enjoyable and mostly readable – two qualities which may have helped it win the Pulitzer Prize.
My only fault is the author’s overuse of adjectives and certain phrases – after some time it felt I was reading a fluffed-up report.
4 Stars
Author: Terry Pratchett
This is both the first published Discworld novel & the first novel in the “Rincewind Cycle” – the series of Discworld books detailing the misadventures of the “wizzard” Rincewind.
If you picked up this book after seeing the film The Color of Magic, be aware that this book only covers the first part of the film; for the complete story, you’ll also want The Light Fantastic.
As this is the first book in the series, Pratchett spends a good deal more time (comparatively) discussing the actual mechanics of the Disc. Some may find this dull, while the more science-and-math minded may find such discussion downright enjoyable.
I personally find the Discworld series both witty and funny, but such accolades depend greatly on the individual. Much of Pratchett’s humor is dry and his wit relies on the readers’ knowledge of Earth’s workings and/or mythology.
The Color of Magic is fun as pure fantasy, but also contains splendid nuggets of joy for the more cerebral-minded.
5 Stars
Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan by Douglas C. Waller
What have you been reading?
Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?
Drop a note in the prompt box!
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Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.
Winter break has ended and school has started again.
The New Year hit the ground running, and the Wheel of Time has turned to
Just in case you don’t know, Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along! All you have to do is grab the book you’re currently reading, open to a random page and share a few sentences from that page. But make sure you don’t share any spoilers!*
*I wish I could take credit for this introduction, but I shamelessly stole it from Heather over at bitsnbooks. To help me make amends, you should go check out her blog.
I’ve currently read six books out of the 100 in my Goodreads Challenge.
I’ve actually settled down a bit, and [gasp] I’m only reading one book this week – that’s right, I’m not reading multiple titles at the same time. What is this New Year coming to?
This week’s book is Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis. The Truly Random Number Generator send us to page 37:
But the looming threat of possible injury and
perhaps even death did tend to focus [Hamilton's]
mind on the downside of his swashbuckling style.
He was less suicidal than regretful, less fatalistic
than meditative.
Since I read quite a few books this week and wrote a review for each one (part of my goal for 2016, remember?) I won’t waste space by repeating it here. Simply follow the link to see my rating and review.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Lee Miller in Fashion by Becky E. Conekin
Heretics and Heroes: How Renaissance Artists and Reformation Priests Created Our World by Thomas Cahill
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Mouse Muse: The Mouse in Art by Lorna Owen
Graphic: Inside the Sketchbooks of the World’s Great Graphic Designers by Steven Heller
Jacksonland, by Steve Inskeep.
What have you been reading?
Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?
Drop a note in the prompt box!
Don’t forget to follow me on:
Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.
Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?
Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.
I noticed something about others’ New Year Resolutions.
Rather, I noticed a lack of resolutions in that most of my acquaintances declared they weren’t making resolutions, but taking things day by day and doing what made them happy.
I would argue that this is a kind of resolution, but I digress.
With that in mind, I took a second look at my TBR.
284 books is quite a large number, and most of them ended up there because of some magazine’s Top Reads / Best Books / All [X] Should Read [Y] list.
Why should I waste my time reading things someone else says I should read?
Didn’t I already do that for 17+ years?
I think it’s time to read the books I want to read, and not base it on some arbitrary list.
I’m not going to list the books eliminated in this round.
I started with 284 books.
I ended with 188 books.
188 may still be high, and I may never finish the list – especially since I’m certain to continue adding to it – but they’re the books I want to read*.
Huzzah
*Subject to change without notice.
Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?
Drop a note in the prompt box!
Don’t forget to follow me on:
Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.
Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?
Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.
Yesterday, along with finishing my first books of 2016 [4 down; 96 to go], I took a good look my Goodreads TBR. I wondered how I came to have over 300 books on the list, and decided to see if I could narrow the list down a bit. Here’s what happened:
Beginning: 303 books
These were books I’d read, but for some reason still appeared on the “to-read” list. Books removed:
Ender’s Game
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: and Other Lessons from the Crematory
These were books that I had no recollection of ever adding to the list. Now, before you ask, I did check out the synopsis page before removing them. My best guess is that these books were added to my list as a result of entering a giveaway. Books removed:
The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman
Dragon Choir
Contention
The Dinner
In Times Like These (In Times Like These, #1)
The Chronothon (In Times Like These, #2)
Year of the Cow: How 420 Pounds of Beef Built a Better Life for One American Family
The Sunlit Night
The Smuggler’s Gambit (Adam Fletcher Adventure #1)
Graynelore
Tangled Gardens Coloring Book: 52 Intricate Tangle Drawings to Color with Pens, Markers, or Pencils
I remember adding these books, but for one reason or another I really have no interest in reading them (or in anyone spending their hard-earned money on one as a gift). Books removed:
Lens of War: Exploring Iconic Photographs of the Civil War
In Defense of Troy: The Prince’s Ascent
Dreams to Remember: Otis Redding, Stax Records, and the Transformation of Southern Soul
The Monogram Murders: The New Hercule Poirot Mystery
The Road Not Taken: Finding America in the Poem Everyone Loves and Almost Everyone Gets Wrong
27 Views of Asheville: A Southern Mountain Town in Prose & Poetry
Keeping an Eye Open: Essays on Art
John le Carré: The Biography
There is only one book in the category. When I saw it on the list I said “ha ha ha – NOPE!” Seriously – I said this out loud, annoying Smokey. Book removed:
Finnegan’s Wake
Final: 282
First, I’ll be more careful about adding books to my TBR.
Second, I’ll get around to sorting my physical books . . . eventually.
This will constitute “The Book Culling (pt 2)”
What Think You?
Do Any of These Books Deserve a Second Chance?
Have a suggestion for a poem, photograph, or future post?
Drop a note in the prompt box!
Don’t forget to follow me on:
Facebook – where I share news stories, articles from other blogs, and various and sundry miscellany that happens to catch my eye. It’s stuff you won’t see here! Well, mostly.
Instagram – where I show you my Life in Motion and share quotes and such. The widget only shows my last three photographs – don’t you want to see them all?
Twitter – where you can see my thoughts in 140 characters or less. Also, funny retweets.
Running In My Head 