Sorry for the long absence, new job, new city, new home etc etc… all take their toll and blogging has had to take a back seat for a long old time.
Things are beginning to settle down now, I started my new job a few weeks ago, and I have now completed my relocation to Cambridge and moved into my new home. I forgot how many books I have, and will need to have a serious clear out as the new flat is a fair bit smaller than the house I was in before. When you have to sacrifice some of your precious books how do you dispose of them? I’m considering various options (it will be almost completely paperback fiction)…
1. Donate to the local library
2. Donate to a charity shop
3. Sell online (ebay? Gumtree? Green Metropolis?)
4. Give to friends?
5. Any other options, please add suggestions below...
Option 4 above would be lovely, but I've moved 90+ miles from most of my friends, and I have no local friends here yet.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Confessions of a returning blogger.
I'm back online, back in the UK, back to blogging (I hope), and back to reading.
You can blame this new post on a goodreads reviewer who mentioned reading aloud...
Confessions of a reader:
When alone I sometimes like to read aloud. There, I said it.
When I do read aloud, I try to speak in the accent of the character. So when reading The Color Purple I tried a southern american accent. It's easier with some than others. The Color Purple for example is particularly easy as it's written as it would be spoken.
I have no delusions about my vocal ability, or that I get all the nuances between Celie in The Color Purple and Sookie Stackhouse in the Southern Vampire series for example, but I kind of enjoy it, and find it sometimes helps me immerse myself in the story or character.
Sometimes I sound dreadful, and then I stop, as that's no help at all. For instance I know my Irish accent it awful, and my Scottish drifts into Scouse after a little while.
Anyway there you have it. Do you do it too?
You can blame this new post on a goodreads reviewer who mentioned reading aloud...
Confessions of a reader:
When alone I sometimes like to read aloud. There, I said it.
When I do read aloud, I try to speak in the accent of the character. So when reading The Color Purple I tried a southern american accent. It's easier with some than others. The Color Purple for example is particularly easy as it's written as it would be spoken.
I have no delusions about my vocal ability, or that I get all the nuances between Celie in The Color Purple and Sookie Stackhouse in the Southern Vampire series for example, but I kind of enjoy it, and find it sometimes helps me immerse myself in the story or character.
Sometimes I sound dreadful, and then I stop, as that's no help at all. For instance I know my Irish accent it awful, and my Scottish drifts into Scouse after a little while.
Anyway there you have it. Do you do it too?
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Reading Frustrations...
I know I said no blog posts for a while, but I've been on my own all day with little to do but read, and decided what the heck.
Luckily I was left to my own devices with a fridge full of food, and my eReader, so it's not all bad! Though my plan to get back on track with my weight loss didn't account for the Portuguese custard tarts left over from last night. They're calling to me now.
So between custard tarts I've been reading (Aussie TV hasn't got much better in the last 6 years), and am thoroughly enjoying re-reading The Hobbit. I've loved the recently released movies, and now I hear Martin Freeman's voice in every word and thought that Bilbo has. Love it!!
My other frustration was with a friend who keeps correcting me... Firstly about the old saying of Aussies throwing another shrimp on the Barbecue, but mostly because I set a goal on GR of reading 48 books this year. Last years goal was 36, which I just about managed. I'm sure that I'm reading it wrong, but she commented that she reads 48 a month. The woman doesn't work and I just felt that she was somehow judging me for setting a goal so low. I wanted each time to respond and felt like I was defending myself, surely it shouldn't be that way? I didn't respond, but it has just stuck in my mind. Anyway, whinging Pommie time is over now.
Tomorrow I will ask my Aussie friend to take me to the station so I can get out of the house. Not sure yet precisely what I'll do, but apparently it's likely to rain, so I may check out my old faves like the QVB...
Luckily I was left to my own devices with a fridge full of food, and my eReader, so it's not all bad! Though my plan to get back on track with my weight loss didn't account for the Portuguese custard tarts left over from last night. They're calling to me now.
So between custard tarts I've been reading (Aussie TV hasn't got much better in the last 6 years), and am thoroughly enjoying re-reading The Hobbit. I've loved the recently released movies, and now I hear Martin Freeman's voice in every word and thought that Bilbo has. Love it!!
My other frustration was with a friend who keeps correcting me... Firstly about the old saying of Aussies throwing another shrimp on the Barbecue, but mostly because I set a goal on GR of reading 48 books this year. Last years goal was 36, which I just about managed. I'm sure that I'm reading it wrong, but she commented that she reads 48 a month. The woman doesn't work and I just felt that she was somehow judging me for setting a goal so low. I wanted each time to respond and felt like I was defending myself, surely it shouldn't be that way? I didn't respond, but it has just stuck in my mind. Anyway, whinging Pommie time is over now.
Tomorrow I will ask my Aussie friend to take me to the station so I can get out of the house. Not sure yet precisely what I'll do, but apparently it's likely to rain, so I may check out my old faves like the QVB...
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Best Laid Plans.....
Well, I got part of my way through the November challenge, just couldn't complete it.
I am in the process of being made redundant along with a colleague, and I'm two weeks away from finishing my job. The last two years feels like a bizarre turn of events, but right at the time I'm meant to be closing down my job, handing over and just being on call for my India based replacements it has transpired that they can't take over just yet and I am covering for them! My colleague has left already, and now my workload has doubled!
It's been a stressful couple of years, and I'm leaving just before Christmas, then there will be New Year, and then in early January I am on a long vacation to Australia to my 2nd favourite place in the world - Sydney. I'll be back in the UK in February in time to celebrate my 40th birthday, and then job hunting will begin in earnest.
I may find that I have plenty of time to blog, but also no time, so I thought I'd post my excuses and have a break from the blog, to resume hopefully in February.
In the meantime - have a lovely Christmas and New Year, or if you're not that way inclined - Best wishes of the season to you.
During my time off from blogging I will endeavour to read through my 'Started' pile of books and plan my reviews...
The started pile looks like this at the moment:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
What was lost by Catherine O'Flynn
Epitaph for a spy by Eric Ambler
Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguru
I am in the process of being made redundant along with a colleague, and I'm two weeks away from finishing my job. The last two years feels like a bizarre turn of events, but right at the time I'm meant to be closing down my job, handing over and just being on call for my India based replacements it has transpired that they can't take over just yet and I am covering for them! My colleague has left already, and now my workload has doubled!
It's been a stressful couple of years, and I'm leaving just before Christmas, then there will be New Year, and then in early January I am on a long vacation to Australia to my 2nd favourite place in the world - Sydney. I'll be back in the UK in February in time to celebrate my 40th birthday, and then job hunting will begin in earnest.
I may find that I have plenty of time to blog, but also no time, so I thought I'd post my excuses and have a break from the blog, to resume hopefully in February.
In the meantime - have a lovely Christmas and New Year, or if you're not that way inclined - Best wishes of the season to you.
During my time off from blogging I will endeavour to read through my 'Started' pile of books and plan my reviews...
The started pile looks like this at the moment:
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
What was lost by Catherine O'Flynn
Epitaph for a spy by Eric Ambler
Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguru
My Life in Books 2013
A little earlier than planned - see post 'Best Laid Plans'...
I saw this Mad-Libs style meme earlier this year when I started my blog and loved it so much... Each year Pop Culture Nerd makes up new sentence starters and you complete the sentence using the book titles you've read that year.
Here's my 2013 list:
My to-do list looks like The Ministry of Fear (Graham Greene)
If a peeping Tom peeked into my bedroom, he'd [take a trip] Down the Rabbit Hole (Juan Pablo Villalobos)
If Martians meet me, they'd think [they'd met] The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Catherynne M Valente)
My doctor is always telling me [to eat] Quesadillas (Juan Pablo Villalobos)
The weirdest thing that happened to me this past week [was a visit to] Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs)
I often daydream about Whiskey Beach (Nora Roberts)
The US government shut down makes me [think they've done] The Vanishing Act (Mette Jakobsen)
If I win the lottery I'd [go to] The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman)
My superpower is Nightfall [Isaac Asimov & Robert Silverberg)
I knew I was a book lover when [I saw] The Light Between Oceans (ML Stedman)
My blogging experience has been Calculated In Death (JD Robb)
You can find my 2012 list here
I saw this Mad-Libs style meme earlier this year when I started my blog and loved it so much... Each year Pop Culture Nerd makes up new sentence starters and you complete the sentence using the book titles you've read that year.
Here's my 2013 list:
My to-do list looks like The Ministry of Fear (Graham Greene)
If a peeping Tom peeked into my bedroom, he'd [take a trip] Down the Rabbit Hole (Juan Pablo Villalobos)
If Martians meet me, they'd think [they'd met] The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Catherynne M Valente)
My doctor is always telling me [to eat] Quesadillas (Juan Pablo Villalobos)
The weirdest thing that happened to me this past week [was a visit to] Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs)
I often daydream about Whiskey Beach (Nora Roberts)
The US government shut down makes me [think they've done] The Vanishing Act (Mette Jakobsen)
If I win the lottery I'd [go to] The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman)
My superpower is Nightfall [Isaac Asimov & Robert Silverberg)
I knew I was a book lover when [I saw] The Light Between Oceans (ML Stedman)
My blogging experience has been Calculated In Death (JD Robb)
You can find my 2012 list here
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