The Sunday Salon

The Sunday Salon – One Book at a Time

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This week I read:

The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien

Disquiet by Julia Leigh

I plan to start White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi later today.

I realized this week that I am definitely a one book at a time reader. I’m participating in the Lord of the Rings Read-Along and since I’m re-reading the series, I thought I would take it slow and read only a few chapters at a time. It didn’t work for me. Once I put the book down after only a few chapters, I didn’t pick it back up. I know what happens and I think knowing in the back of my mind what was coming next didn’t make me run back to the book like I would with a new book or a new author. I felt safe in picking up another book and moving on. But when I went back to the book, I found I was once again enjoying the story and I wanted to read more but I told myself it was a month long read and not a day or two day read and put the book back down. Then I started to feel like I would never finish the book because I kept putting it off. I decided to stop thinking about it, because I also realized that I was spending entirely too much time thinking about it, and just finished the book. So, I finished the book. I enjoyed the book, I found new things to like and new things to dislike about the story (dislike in good kind of way) and I’m happy I finished.

There have been times when I’ve read more than one book at a time but usually they’re in different formats — actual books versus ebooks. Because the format is different, I don’t have a problem picking one up and putting one down. I haven’t figured out why that is yet. I sometimes read more than one book when I’m traveling too but that’s usually because I have books for the plane and books for the rest of the trip. Books for the plane have to be so engrossing that I don’t want to put them down and those aren’t always the books I want to read, say, on the beach.

I know people who can read several books at the same time and have no problem keeping track of characters and plots. I can usually do that but I somehow feel like I’m just not finishing something and I think that really bothers me more than trying to keep tons of characters, events, and settings in line.

Well, that’s enough of me rambling this week.  Do you read more than one book at a time? How do you keep track of everything going on?

The Sunday Salon – Not Reading

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Yes, the title does seem out of place since I’m telling you what I read but it will make sense later in the post. The round-up this week. I read:

The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

I’m still reading The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien although I haven’t picked the book up since last week so I’m still on chapter five. I’m planning to spend some time in Middle Earth today and then start The Creation of Eve by Lynn Cullen later this week.

Library Loot. I picked up a few books from the library this week — The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner, Disquiet by Julia Leigh, and White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi. I planned to a Library Loot post this week but lost track of time so I’m just going to include it here today.

As promised, this is where the title of my post will begin to make sense. While reading the book section of The Guardian last week I came across this article — A week without books by Bibi van der Zee. She gave up books for a week and talks about how it went, side effects and all. It got me wondering. I read everyday but do have days when I don’t read more than five pages and others when I don’t read at all. Non reading days are few and far between but they happen. But I’ve never not read for more than one day or so and wondered if I could do it. The days I don’t read I have a really good reason — an illness is usually involved— but I don’t ever try not to read. I can’t imagine crawling into bed without a book. What would I do at breakfast and lunch? Withdrawal would be involved I’m sure. I would be a highly unpleasant person to be around. Needless to say, I won’t be trying this out myself but it did make me wonder about reading too much.

My husband and I don’t have children or pets so I have a lot of time to spend with my books. The hour or so I have to myself before my husband gets home from work is sacred reading time for me. It’s a way to decompress from work, relieve stress, and forget about my day. Saturday and Sunday morning I can be found curled up on the couch lost in a book. But do I read too much? I don’t think so but I also consider reading a part of my life and fit it in when I have a few hours to slip into another world. I don’t fit my life around my books. Anyway, I just thought it was an interesting article and wanted to share.

I’m now off to buy the third book in Helen Hollick’s Pendragon series. The Kingmaking and Pendragon’s Banner were gifts and I need to buy the third book, Shadow of the King now that it’s out. I loved The Kingmaking this week and I’m now hooked on the series, sucker that am for Arthurian legend.

Have a good Sunday.

The Sunday Salon

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The week’s round up. I read:

The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown

Isis: A Tale of the Supernatural by Douglas Clegg

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I also started The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien for the Lord of the Rings Read-Along. I pulled The Kingmaking by Helen Hollick off my shelf this morning. I’ve been wanting to read this book for months and I’ve decided that this is the week.

I got hit by some strange flu-like bug on Friday and spent a good part of the afternoon asleep and spent most of Saturday on the couch flipping stations on the TV and reading Catching Fire. I had a review due for another website that I write for and it took a lot of strength to get myself up and moving. I’m happy to report that everything somehow managed to wrap itself up even though I’m not sure how it all happened.

Last week I took a long look at my TBR list and realized that I’m about to break the 100 book mark on the list and this year is only a scant three months old which made me wonder when I was going to find the time to read everything. On average I read about two to three books a week, and yes, if you do the math, (52 x 2 = 104) I can easily finish off the list with a few extras. But the problem is that the list won’t remain in it’s current state. I only expect it to get larger as the year goes on. One comes off, two, sometimes three go on… So, I started to weed. Yep, I took books off my list. Some I don’t remember adding and some, after looking them up, found I don’t have any interest in reading. I took out my red pen and knocked a few books off the list. Who knows, maybe someday those deleted tomes will find their way back on the list, but for now, it’s somewhat more manageable.

Do you have a list? What do you do when it gets out of hand? I had thoughts of ignoring it, but I’m a list maker and I hate when a list gets out of hand especially since the silly list was supposed to be making my life easier! 🙂

Since I’m feeling much better, I’m off to enjoy the lovely weather we’re having today. Happy Sunday!

The Sunday Salon – Weekly/Monthly Wrap-Up

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The round up this week. I finished:

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Magicians & Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

This month I read:

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Magicians & Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw

Tonight I plan to start The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown.

I finished The Girl with Glass Feet this morning and spent the next few hours wondering if I liked it or not. It was a sad book and I wasn’t prepared for that although I should have been. A death hangs over the book and I read quickly hoping to escape it but it happened faster than the ending. I still don’t know what to think of it.

The Lord of Rings Read-Along said goodbye to The Fellowship of the Ring this month and I was pleased to find out that I love this book as much as when I first read it. The story is still fresh even after several re-reads. I plan to do a longer post later in the week so I won’t say more here. I’ll be continuing with the Read-Along with The Two Towers in March.

I’m going to make it a short post since I have a few other things planned for today. I wish you all happy reading.

The Sunday Salon – Thoughts on 3 Books

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The roundup this week. I finished:

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

I’m still reading:

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Magicians & Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

I’m attempting to read The Fellowship of the Ring slowly but with only a few chapters left, I think I’ll be finishing up in the next day or two. I plan to have a mid-book check-in post tomorrow for the Lord of the Rings Read-Along which talks a little bit more about the book so I won’t say much more here.

I’m reading The Magicians & Mrs. Quent on my Nook. So far it’s so so and moving a bit slow but I’m hoping it picks up soon. I’m about half way through the book and there hasn’t been a mention of Mrs. Quent yet but Mr. Quent has finally shown up. I’m curious as to how a few things will be tied up so I plan to keep reading.

Remarkable Creatures was a lovely book. The last Chevalier book I read was The Girl with the Pearl Earring which I enjoyed and Remarkable Creatures was just as entrancing. The main characters, Elizabeth Philpot and Mary Anning, are endearing. Elizabeth is cold, harsh, and way too outspoken for a woman at the time (around 1810) which sometimes gets her in trouble. She takes a minute to grow on you, but once she does, you’re infinitely grateful for her forwardness and willingness to stand up for what she thinks is right. Mary on the other hand is too trusting and you wish she wouldn’t be. While the book is about Mary’s fossil discoveries of previously unknown sea creatures, the ichthyosaurus and the plesiosaurus, and the ways in which her discoveries changed the scientific community and brought about a discussion of the theory of extinction, the book really is about the friendship these two women forge. Elizabeth is an educated spinster from London with no prospects for marriage and Mary is a poor, uneducated girl from the seaside town of Lyme Regis who hunts for fossils on the beach to sell to tourists. Other than the fossils they both love and obsessively hunt, the two have little in common. You get to watch both grow and challenge the men who want to tell them how to act and what to think. It’s a wonderful read and I recommend it.

Sunday here in DC has dawned bright and sunny and I’m off to enjoy the beautiful day. Happy Sunday everyone.

The Sunday Salon

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The roundup this week. I finished:

The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

And I continued reading The Fellowship of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I’m trying to reign myself in and only read a few chapters at a time since this is supposed to be a read-along and not a devour the book in one afternoon reading session. Unlike The Hobbit, I plan to make this one last till the end of the month, if I can. I make no promises…

Reviews/discussions posted:

Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell

Nook review

The Fellowship of Rings, discussion 1

I hope to start Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier today or tomorrow but I don’t think I’ll be getting much reading in with all the cooking we’ll be doing this afternoon. My husband and I don’t go out for Valentine’s Day but we do cook a big fancy meal at home. This year I have planned a 5 course dinner — salad, soup, roasted pork, a cheese course, and a chocolate and strawberry cake to top it off. I’m really looking forward to dinner tonight! I baked the cake last night and it looks pretty good. Although I will admit to having to channel my grandmother and use a bit of icing to fix the slightly lopsided top. Thanks Gram! 🙂 I’m hoping to get a head start on the rest of dinner this afternoon so we can relax and enjoy it without getting too stressed.

This coming week I hope to get started on a few books that have been sitting around my house namely The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova. I also have Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel that I want to read and a few books by Helen Hollick that are also sitting on the shelf waiting for my attention. Who knows, maybe that will be this month’s reading.

Happy Sunday and Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Enjoy the day. I’m off to cook! 🙂

The Sunday Salon – Snowocalypse

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I had a whole weekend of reading planned to keep me busy during the snow storm but didn’t do much reading at all. I have a few pages left in The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott which I plan on finishing this morning but that was the extent of it this weekend.

The reason for the abandonment of my beloved books – SNOW! Yes, we got snow here in Washington, DC. About 20+ inches in the end. So instead of talking about books this Sunday, I’m going to share a few pictures from Snowocalypse 2010.

Friday night we decided to venture out for a short walk to a favorite neighborhood place.  This is a street in our neighborhood.  A real winter wonderland.

The best closing sign ever. 🙂

Saturday afternoon we took a walk downtown to see if we could get tickets to the Georgetown/Villanova basketball game.  Unfortunately, the game was sold out but we did get some good pics.  Thanks to the snow there are a ton of trees down all over the city.  This one on someone’s car.

The best way to get around on Saturday afternoon.

On the way home, we made a pass by the White House.  This picture was taken in Lafayette Square in front of the White House.

The best part of the day — snow ball fight in Dupont Circle!  About 2,000 people showed up to toss snow at each other.  So much fun!  Later we saw it on CNN and several people called to find out if we went.  Yep, we did.  🙂

Enjoy your Sunday!  I’m off to finish a book.

The Sunday Salon – January Wrap-up

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Since today is the 31st, I thought I’d do a monthly wrap-up. Looking over the list, I’m surprised by all I read this month. I think I may have been trying to make up for not reading a lot in December. Here’s what I read this month.

Tender is the Night by F. Scott. Fitzgerald

Versailles by Kathryn Davis

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy

The Wild Hunt by Elizabeth Chadwick

The Wife’s Tale by Lori Lansens

The Black Tower by Louis Bayard

Ligeia from The Tales of Edgar Allen Poe by Edgar Allen Poe (short story)

The Fall of the House of Usher from The Tales of Edgar Allan Poe by Edger Allen Poe (short story)

The Midnight Guardian: A Millennial Novel by Sarah Jane Stratford

Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell

Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler

Conspirata: A Novel of Ancient Rome by Robert Harris

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

That’s 12 books and 2 short stories for January. Not a bad month of reading really. I reviewed 5 books and plan to write a few more reviews in the next week or so.

I had planned to read only library books this month and then read my own books in February. That plan has not worked out like I thought it would. I read 2 of my own books and a few short stories and then I did borrow a few books from the library when I was not really planning to. I’m not very good at returning books to the library and leaving empty handed. All those books are there just waiting to read after all. 🙂 Oh well, in the end, it’s been good reading even if my plan didn’t work out.

Happy Sunday everyone!