Tag: Spring Thing

Spring Reading Thing Countdown…

Spring Blossoms
Image by jnyemb via Flickr

Katrina over at Callapidder Days is hosting the Spring Thing Reading Challenge, 2011, and I’ve been participating.  It’s hard to believe that it will be done with the first day of summer (YAHOO) next week, but how exciting is that?  It was a pretty loosely defined challenge – challenge yourself to read books during the three months of spring.  You could add to the list, take away from the list, whatever you needed to do to challenge yourself.

My list has expanded greatly since my first post and one book that was on my initial list remains unread – so far.  I still have time.  It is in my possession from the library reserve.  It’s hard to say there was a favorite that stuck out in my spring reading, because there were quite a few books that I loved.  Or really liked, at any rate.  The Harry Potter series is so fun to listen to.  Jane Eyre was a great listen and I’m thankful for that experience.  I’m reading my second Maeve Binchy book of the spring and they just are so comfortable and lovely that they just feel good to read.  I really enjoyed The Carrie Diaries, meeting Carrie Bradshaw pre-NYC.  The Twenties Girl was fun fluff.  Major Pettigrew was a nice read.  Both Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet were sweet and not as heavy as I’d feared.

If I had to choose, I’d probably say I’m so glad I found a few Binchy books that I haven’t read.  They are reliably wonderful, in my book.

And when I’m done with Minding Frankie, I’ll start Fly Away Home.  I’ll also finish listening to book 6 in the Harry Potter series, on the list for book 7 from the library.  I’m sure that will conclude my Spring Thing Reading Challenge.

I signed up for a goodreads challenge, to read A Visit from the Goon Squad, which I have on audio, so I’ll listen to that after book 6 of HP, too.

INITIAL LIST:
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchy
the next book from the library… will have to look it up as it’s downstairs.  It was a new release that grabbed me.
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand

CURRENT LIST:

  • Mockingbird
  • The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
  • Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
  • Heart and Soul
  • The Hundred-Foot Journey
  • Fly Away Home
  • Winter’s Garden
  • Harry Potter (2)
  • Harry Potter (3)
  • Harry Potter (4)
  • Harry Potter (5)
  • Harry Potter (6)
  • Harry Potter (7)
  • Jane Eyre
  • Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
  • Twenties Girl
  • The Carrie Diaries
  • Minding Frankie
  • Sweet Revenge

Well, off to read!

Tick Tock…

Clock
Image via Wikipedia

And the days go by… and the blogging doesn’t happen!  Well, maybe 22 days isn’t too bad of a lag, but I think it is.  Mid-May was a very busy time, as “Take Note!”, the choir I am in, had a lot of rehearsals and performances over an 8 day span, with busy weekends and weeknights before.  It was a great time.  The third time I sang “Please, Mr. Postman” I really nailed it.  I should have front-loaded that work rather than being in panic mode.  But panic mode usually works for me, so c’est la vie!  I’ve had quite a bit of time off (for me) and haven’t been cranking through the books too much but have read a few.

I got official and final word Tuesday night / Wednesday that my position at work is being cut due to budget reasons, so the last five or six weeks I have been in crisis mode mentally.  I’m so “in my head,” as I call it.  Introverted.  Immersing myself in meaningless tasks.  Choosing audiobooks or podcasts over live conversations.  These last few days at work will be difficult – it’s hard to say goodbye over and over again – so I am looking forward to it being behind me.  June 7 can’t get here fast enough.  And all of this brings to point something I learned about myself after the flood – I really can only do one big thing at a time.  I couldn’t look for a new house until I sold my old house and had actually signed the papers.  Likewise, I can’t focus as much as I should on looking for a new job until this job is wrapped up.  So although I am going to pretend that I will do some serious job searching and applying tomorrow, most likely I will find some putzy jobs to do and then learn more about my rights through the union.  Hopefully soon I’ll be ‘normal’ again.  Ha.

But I have finished a few books since I last wrote.  I am half done with “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” and really liking it.  It’s quite easy to read, which is unexpected.  I thought it would be heavier, but maybe I’m just not there yet.  I hopefully will finish that soon.  I finished listening to “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (see above comments about immersing myself in audiobooks) and was amazed at how much I don’t remember from reading the book!  But it was nine years ago that the book came out, so that’s a long time.  I’m sure I’ll remember less about book six and I already know that I remember very little about book seven (it was the last book I read before my house flooded and something changed in my brain that day and that book disappeared – along with a little sanity!).  I am pretty sure I’ll reach the goal of reading the books before July 19 so that is exciting!

And I also finished my very first e-book loaned from the library!  I checked out one book, just any old book I could get, as most had a waiting list, and I didn’t like it.  I couldn’t tell if it was the book I didn’t like or the e-book that I didn’t like.  So I waited and finally got one I wanted to read (“Twenties Girl” by Sophie Kinsella) – a light and fun romp – and I ripped right through it!  It was easy to read and a good, fun book.  The 14 day loan period from the library is a little pressure, so hopefully the others will come spaced out good enough for me to not panic!  I read the book in less than three days, but I had to stop reading “Hotel…” which I didn’t like to do.

And so I ramble.  I must blog more so that I don’t have quite so much to say!  Yikes! I’ll just update my “Spring Thing Reading List” below and be off to read!

Spring Thing Reading List:

  • Mockingbird
  • The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
  • Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
  • Heart and Soul
  • The Hundred-Foot Journey
  • Fly Away Home
  • Winter’s Garden
  • Harry Potter (2)
  • Harry Potter (3)
  • Harry Potter (4)
  • Harry Potter (5)
  • Harry Potter (6)
  • Harry Potter (7)
  • Jane Eyre
  • Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand
  • Twenties Girl
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