quick lit – next page, please {july 2018}

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Books and Books

*Per usual, I am linking up wiht Modern Mrs. Darcy’s (MMD) Quick Lit. If you are here because you clicked over, all I can say is thank you.  And let me know about it in the comments below.

My reading life this month has taken a back seat to other things that are going on in my world.  You will have to read my next What I’m Into Post to see what that’s all about it.  While I have made no progress in my (MMD) Reading Challenge 2018, I am working on completing the Millennium Series and have just read another favof the summer.  So, despite the low read count (only three?), it was a good reading month.

Read

  • The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Millennium #3) by Stieg Larsson. Per last Quick Lit post, I finished reading this one and moved on.
  • The Girl in the Spider’s Web: A Lisbeth Salander Novel by David Lagercrantz. This is the fourth book in the Millennium series and it was not written by Stieg Larsson. He tragically passed away. I think that David Lagercrantz did a decent job with carrying on the story – I definitely enjoyed finding out more about Lisbeth. I have always loved continuing stories.  When I was little and we finished watching a movie, I would lay awake at night and create a continuing story. I might be one of the few people that absolutely LOVES movie sequels although if the box office is any indication, what I just said was a lie.
  • Circe by Madeline Miller. Finally got this one off the Hold list at my local library. I have been excited about it since reading her debut Song of Achilles a couple of months ago. Her take on Circe’s character and personality was very eye-opening; for example, why was she turning the men into pigs? You will have to read it to find out.

Currently Reading

  • The Girl Who Takes and Eye for and Eye by David Lagercrantz. For some reason, this one isn’t quite a page turner. But I am only on page 139. Plus, I had to read Circe before it had to go back to the library.
  • Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton. “That is what is strange – the friends, even passionate love, are not my real life unless there is a time alone in which to explore and to discover what is happening or has happened.” This pretty much sums up my life right now.
  • The Odyssey by Homer. Translated by Emily Wilson. I loved The Illiad since my first World Literature class and after reading Circe, I did some research on Madeline Miller. I came across an interview that was done by Emily Wilson and Madeline at the New York Public Library and Madeline mentioned that she was very happy to read Emily’s translation of The Odyssey, the first translation done by a woman. I read a couple of articles about it and knew I had to read it. SIDEBAR: Isn’t it about time that we stop staying “the first woman” for things? Frankly, I am sick of it.

Abandoned Reading – Temporarily

  • When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön. Since I’m reading Journal of a Solitude I have put this one aside until I finish.

Last month, I stated that I only have three categories left in the 2018 MMD Reading Challenge: (1) a classic you’ve been meaning to read – I’m thinking A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or To Kill a Mockingbird; (2) a banned book – I want to reread a college fav, Their Eyes Were Watching God; and (3) book nominated for an award. I need some help with selecting this third one.  Any suggestions?

Pic is a bookself in the indie bookstore, Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida. Look closely and you’ll see one of my reads this month.

What have you been reading this month?

enjoy life…

what I’m into – that’s keeping me sane {july 2018}

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This month has gone by in a world wind and has been a tad overwhelming. Here’s what I’ve been up to and how I have stayed sane through it all.

  • For the first time my family and I went out to see the local fireworks show during the Fourth of July. I don’t know why I haven’t done this before; OK, that’s not entirely accurate. It’s because I dislike the crowds. However, we were fortunate to get a viewing spot where we had an excellent view of the show while remaining in our cars.  Win-Win.  I love fireworks and have determined to make it a yearly tradition with the Buddy Man from now on, crowds or not.
  • We are blessed to have celebrated my grandma’s 80th birthday early this month. This included a surprise birthday celebration in her home town which, according to my mom, caused us all to “lose about 10 years of our lives” trying to keep it a secret from her.  She is very inquisitive so you can imagine.  We pulled it off and it was amazing.
  • This was followed by a trip to my parents, accompanied by my grandma, with the intention of her having some one-on-one time with her great-grandson. She and the Buddy Man have a great relationship and it was so nice seeing the two of them together over the course of several days.
  • My sister and her family flew in for the birthday celebration and it is always good to spend time with them.
  • I attended a Silent Writing Retreat at Lake Guntersville hosted by Toya Poplar.  Met some good people and wrote some stuff.
  • I have conducted a couple of interviews with some very interesting people that I will be featuring on the blog in the upcoming months. I’m excited!

All this traveling and spending time with and around others (while wonderful) can drain an introvert like me who recharges with alone time and being in the comfort of her own space.  So, I stayed sane…

  • with a lot of reading. See this month’s Quick Lit post. Several page-turners kept me up at night which was probably counter-productive but a small price to pay.  I had to find out what happened next.  It’s nice to retreat into another world for a while.
  • by continuing to make my home an inviting space. I started the journey of rooting some of my plants and placed them around my house in glass vases. Greenery will improve any space. Thanks to Joanna Gaines for that tip. I also used Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to get some scuff marks and dirt off the doors of my home.  I gotta tell you, they look like new.
  • One thing that I have always wanted to do is to volunteer at a nonprofit organization that is doing wonderful work and I want to devote a certain number of hours per year to this endeavor. I got started this month with a couple of hours to the CornerStone Initiative in Huntsville, AL.

With another trip on the horizon, albeit to the beautiful Miami, I am having to be intentional about my activities and self-care routines.

Per usual I’m linking up with Leigh Kramer. What about you? What are you into that’s keeping you sane?

enjoy life…

quick lit – next page, please {june 2018}

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My list is smaller this month but that’s because I got a hold of the Millenium Series and each of these books is close to or over 600 pages. I definitely lost a lot of sleep behind Lisbath Salander.

Read

  • The Convenient Store Woman by Sayaki Murata. Very short easy to read tale. I enjoyed being exposed to a different culture that I am not familiar with but if it hadn’t been so short, I probably would not have finished it. (Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Pick #7) MMD Category: a book in translation
  • Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life by Cleo Wade. MMD Category: A book recommended by a librarian or indie bookseller. Since I was looking to fulfill this category I asked for a recommendation at Parnassus Books in Nashville. Grace, who is no longer there recommended this one.  I will be picking this one up again and again.  It would make an awesome grad’s gift.
  • Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done by Laura Vanderkam. I love everything Vanderkam does and this one was no exception. Picked up a lot of great ideas for feeling less busy while getting more done.:) No MMD Category; just the sheer joy of reading.
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson. This one was recommended by my friend, Joy (who has written a guest post for this blog) a long time ago. I started it, read 30 pages and abandoned it as not for me.  I should have read 60 pages because after that I couldn’t put it down.  So very good. MMD Category: A book over 500 pages long.  This one clocked in close to 600.
  • The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, #2) by Stieg Larsson. Once I got started on this series, I couldn’t stop. My MMD Summer picks has officially taken a back seat to this series until I can finish it. No MMD Category; just the sheer joy of reading. And it was sheer joy.
  • I’m still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown. I struggle to express my feelings on this one. Not sure I’m ready to be that vulnerable in this space.  Bottom line? I’m glad I read it.
  • The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine. I read this one for my Rocket City Mom Virtual Book Club (full review here). It was a great guilty pleasure pick.  Couldn’t put it down literally.  I read it in one sitting. And even more amazing considering that Liv Constantine is actually the pen name of two sisters who wrote the book together.  No MMD Category.

Currently Reading

  • The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (Millennium #3) by Stieg Larsson. By the time this posts, I will have probably finished this one and moved on to Millennium #4.
  • When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön. Yep, still reading this one. MMD Category: A book by an author of a different race, ethnicity, or religion than your own but The Widows of Malabar Hill did that.

Abandoned Reading – Temporarily

  • Art of the Memoir by Mary Karr. As I said last month, not quite ready for this one. I own it so I will pick it up in due course.

I only have three categories left in the 2018 Modern Mrs. Darcy’s (MMD) Reading Challenge: (1) a classic you’ve been meaning to read, (2) a book nominated for an award, and (3) A banned book.  I need some help with selecting three good ones.  Any suggestions?

What have you been reading this month?

enjoy life…