Sunday, August 24, 2014

The Crazy Week that Has Been Bout of Books

Bout of Books
Bout of Books
So....I mentioned that I was going to do Bout of Books.  But to really participate....I would needed to have posted goals, posted progress from day to day, and do lots of reading.  However, if you remember I told you that school started this week.  And holy crap busy!!!! I came home late every night and was so tired that there were a couple of days where I didn't even open my home computer never mind a book.

So today I thought that I would mention that it isn't that I forgot about the challenge--it is just that life got in the way. I have been able to listen to my audio book a lot more because of the increased commute and I have gotten a lot farther.  I am currently listening to The Confession by John Grisham.  On Monday, I was on disc 4.  Today I am on disc 10 out of 12.  I really want to finish it in the next few days so that I can get a new book in the car not that it isn't good--but that I have lots to read.  And I really want to know how it ends! So I will let you know in the review.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Bout of Books!

It is time again for Bout of Books! I am excited for the new week to try to get some reading done.  As I mentioned in my last post--I have a lot of books that need to be gotten through!
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team
 The first day of school is that Wednesday so I hope that my reading ends up being more than just the audio book in the car on the way back and forth. I will post goals later in the week, I hope to have a better idea of what next week brings before I set those.

Bout of Books

Monday, August 11, 2014

Right Now I Am....

So as promised...life update time.  As I was thinking about how I wanted to do this I thought of how one of my favorite bloggers Trish does it (Check her out at Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity).  I messed with the order a little so that the two things people really need/want to hear about are at the top, but the headings are all her.

Feeling: Better. This is the most often question that I'm getting from people right now which is why I put it first. I had surgery last week of July to hopefully deal with the pain I have been dealing with since April last year. We haven't had a diagnosis really until now--possibly endometriosis.  I have taken a while to heal but I am pushing through thanks to pain killers.  The nice thing about still healing is that the pills work better and I am in less pain longer.


Yep coming home with boxes was not in the plan
This is only half of them too
Loving: The time off...so in part of my life update I must update everyone that I no longer work at Cedar Ridge Academy. I will be starting at Vernal Middle School teaching 7th grade English in just a few days--first day of school is about a week away. I really needed the time off....though not as early as CRA wanted me to be. They decided to lay me off a month ahead of time. Prompted me to have to pack up my room late at night and not having closure with the students. Just liked to remind me why I was leaving--I was done not being treated like a professional or a person.

Listening To: Almost done with City of Bones--two discs left.  Will probably put it in when I get done with this. Also listening to The Confession by John Grisham and enjoying it.  It has been awhile since I've read a Grisham novel.

Reading: I have a lot of books juggling right now.  The Classics Club spin book was #17---so for me Fahrenheit 451. I also want to get in on Austen in August--so I'm going to read Lady Susan because it is also on my TBR Pile List....though I really need to start it!  Still reading Fablehaven #5--current really wanting to get through it so I can move on.  Just been busy with other things and not in too much of a reading mood.  And I need to start Gone Girl for book club.

Main Image

Watching: Lots since I have been in bed or on the couch for about a week and a half. I got through two seasons of How I Met Your Mother.  I have loved seeing how well they really set us up for the series finale....and the connections to Friends.  Maybe one of these days I will devote a blog post to it....since I did when the series finale came up.

Eating: Anything that sounds good....I was cooking more in July because I was home and then I lost my appetite and I bet a couple of pounds after surgery.  Appetite back to normal so that's good.  Hopefully going to do some freezer meals in the next few days for the school year.

Making: I am knitting a great purple blanket....can't wait to show it to you. I finished a yellow one earlier this summer that will be featured in a new blog post to come.

My awesome planner :)
Planning: Mentally constantly writing to-do lists and then writing them down--I have my planner that I bought at the beginning of the year and I am using it more now than I did at my job--more time to write again.  I am re-evaluating what I want...plans for the blog, plans for writing more, planning ideas for school...I think my brain is more active now that I'm not at school but easier to shut it off when I go to sleep.

Hope that fills everyone in...as always I am a pretty much open book so ask away :)

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Classics Club Spin Challenge

The Classics ClubSo I haven't blogged in awhile and I seriously owe my readers a life update--and that was the plan for today. But it is late, I'm tired and the update part is just going to have to wait.  I will update tomorrow--I hope! :) But I want to hop on this challenge because I haven't done this before. This challenge is done by the Classics Club . So I go through my Classics Club Reading List to pick 20 books that I will put in a numbered list.  They will tell everyone a number tomorrow--and then we read the book that goes with that number in about a month and a half.  Sounds great to me, especially since I haven't looked at this list since I wrote it! (And I seriously should update with what I have read)

So here are my 20--here goes nothing.

Ones that would be really hard to do by October--because they are really long or I have given up on them before:
1. The Pickwick Papers
2 Mansfield Park
3. Les Miserables
4. We the Living
5. Anna Karenina

Ones that I want to read:
6. Lady Susan
7. Things Fall Apart
8. The Secret Garden
9. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
10. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Wouldn't Be too Hard to Do:
11. Little Men
12. The Cask of Amontillado
13. Emma
14. Pride and Prejudice
15. Oliver Twist

Miscellaneous because I need 5 more:
16. Wuthering Heights
17. Fahrenheit 451
18. Gulliver's Travels
19. Their Eyes were Watching God
20. The Three Musketeers