Last year, Goodreads asked me how many books I believed I could read in a year and challenged me to complete the task. I failed. Miserably. I challenged myself to read 25 books over 52 weeks. I figured that was 2 weeks per book. It was more than enough time. Wrong! One book in particlar took me 2 months to read. Another, just 2 days.
So this year I have decided to still give myself another reading challenge, but to tweak its design just a little bit. This year I have picked one particular author, and I plan to read an entire series penned by said author.
And the lucky author is.......... Patricia Cornwell.
My intention is to read the entire Kay Scarpetta series before the end of the year. That is 22 books in total. A little less than my previous 25, but I am hoping that a good murder mystery will keep me reading into the wee hours of the night.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year! Wish me luck!
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Television and Movies Verses the Printed Word
Like many other people, I look forward with great anticipation to someone turning one of my beloved books into a movie or a television show. And like many of these same people, I walk away from the screen with a great amount of disappointment. I should know by now that the movie is never the same as the book, BUT the television show is a completely different story. Shows like Game of Thrones and Outlander have again made me a believer.
Game of Thrones is for lack of a better term, freaking amazing! As both a reader and a viewer, you sit on the edge of you seat eagerly anticipating what is going to happen next to your favorite character. And guess what ladies and gentlemen, the books and the show are almost exactly the same! If you can't wait to find out what happens in the next season, George R.R. Martin is there for you with a 1000 page book in hand. (I have hurt my shoulder carrying around books this large before, so I also recommend the Games of Thrones series on audiobook. It is great to listen to on your daily commute. Hello, Audible!)
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon is also a compilation of some very large books. However, it is an amazing combination of fantasy and romance. The new television series on Starz is a great reason to order an extra channel. And Scotland is it's on beautiful character. If you watch for nothing else, watch for the scenery. But trust me, you will want to watch and watch and watch.
In both series you want to root for the characters. You want Jamie and Claire to find their happily ever after in the gorgeous Scotland countryside. You want to give Jon Snow a hug; because well, because he is Jon Snow and he has had it rough.
I don't want you to think that television always has it right though. I mean, look at True Blood. Each season just moves further and further away from the original stories. Each is a gripping fantasy on it's own, but I wish that they had stayed closer to the books; I loved the books for a reason. I loved the mystery, the love triangles, the fantasy of it all. You can't read 10 books about vampires, fairies and other mythological creatures and not want some fantasy in your life.
If you want to check out these books or series on your own, follow the links I have below. You will not be disappointed.
For more information on the Outlander series visit:
www.dianagabaldon.com
www.starz.com/originals/outlander
For more information of the series A Song of Fire and Ice visit:
www.georgerrmartin.com
www.hbo.com/gameofthrones
And for more information on the Sookie Stackhouse/ True Blood series visit:
www.charlaineharris.com
www.hbo.com/true-blood
Game of Thrones is for lack of a better term, freaking amazing! As both a reader and a viewer, you sit on the edge of you seat eagerly anticipating what is going to happen next to your favorite character. And guess what ladies and gentlemen, the books and the show are almost exactly the same! If you can't wait to find out what happens in the next season, George R.R. Martin is there for you with a 1000 page book in hand. (I have hurt my shoulder carrying around books this large before, so I also recommend the Games of Thrones series on audiobook. It is great to listen to on your daily commute. Hello, Audible!)
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon is also a compilation of some very large books. However, it is an amazing combination of fantasy and romance. The new television series on Starz is a great reason to order an extra channel. And Scotland is it's on beautiful character. If you watch for nothing else, watch for the scenery. But trust me, you will want to watch and watch and watch.
In both series you want to root for the characters. You want Jamie and Claire to find their happily ever after in the gorgeous Scotland countryside. You want to give Jon Snow a hug; because well, because he is Jon Snow and he has had it rough.
I don't want you to think that television always has it right though. I mean, look at True Blood. Each season just moves further and further away from the original stories. Each is a gripping fantasy on it's own, but I wish that they had stayed closer to the books; I loved the books for a reason. I loved the mystery, the love triangles, the fantasy of it all. You can't read 10 books about vampires, fairies and other mythological creatures and not want some fantasy in your life.
If you want to check out these books or series on your own, follow the links I have below. You will not be disappointed.
For more information on the Outlander series visit:
www.dianagabaldon.com
www.starz.com/originals/outlander
For more information of the series A Song of Fire and Ice visit:
www.georgerrmartin.com
www.hbo.com/gameofthrones
And for more information on the Sookie Stackhouse/ True Blood series visit:
www.charlaineharris.com
www.hbo.com/true-blood
Monday, September 8, 2014
FABULOUS Thrift Store Finds
Today Beau and I had to get out of the house, and we could think of nothing else to do besides shop. And so shop we did! The first place we hit was the local Goodwill, and it was there that we hit the jackpot! While looking for more books in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, we discovered most of the Lemony Snicket series. Now, I have never read this series. All I really remember about it is the Jim Carrey movie, but I could not be more excited. I was able to purchase 10 of the 13 books in the series for $9! I couldn't believe my good luck. Now all I have to do is find time to read them.
Here is a list of all 13 titles in case you have any desire to read them for yourself.
- The Bad Beginning
- The Reptile Room
- The Wide Window
- The Miserable Mill
- The Austere Academy
- The Ersatz Elevator
- The Vile Village
- The Hostile Hospital
- The Carnivorous Carnival
- The Slippery Slope
- The Grim Grotto
- The Penultimate Peril
- The End
I am going to start reading the books tonight after Masterchef. Yes, I do have to get my reality TV fix in before I can do anything else tonight.
All I can really say now is, "Bring it on, Snicket! Let me see what events you have in store for me!" (And yes, I did rush home after our shopping trip and ordered the last three books on Amazon.)
Sunday, September 7, 2014
I am a slacker.
Yesterday I realized that I have not posted in over a year. A year!!! So, even though I am pretty sure I have said this before, I promise to be a better blogger and post more. I have recently started using Audible. Have you heard of Audible? If not, it's amazing, and you should check it out. Here is how it works. For a monthly fee you download an audio book onto you phone, computer, I Pad, etc. It is that simple. I have been able to get a lot more "reading" done. And by reading, I mean listening. My I Pad is now officially attached to my hip. I listen while cooking, cleaning and driving. It has been a real life saver.
So far I only download one book a month. (Unless there is a sale. I make no promises when there is a sale.) And the last book I downloaded was A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.
Synopsis: Diana Bishop is a Yale educated historian who is completing research at Oxford for her latest book. One day while conducting her research she discovers a manuscript that will change her life. Diana, along with the 1500 year old vampire named Matthew Clairmont, embark on a journey of discovery that she could have never imagined.
As the first book in the All Souls trilogy, I expected this book to contain a lot of background information. But I found myself at times wondering why was this relevant to the topic? How does this tie in to the overall mystery that Diana and Matthew are trying to solve? A mystery, which I loved and could not wait to be solved. Now, don't get me wrong, the plot did grow and flourish at the end of the novel. It set up for a second book, which I will be reading here in the next few weeks. The first two-thirds of the novel developed very slowly, however. Leaving me to take longer to complete this novel then it normally would have done.
I don't want you to think that this novel isn't one that should be read. It is. I mean, all three books are on the national bestseller list for a reason. Just don't expect a lot of action in this first novel. It builds for the second two novels. It develops a love story. I'm not sure how I feel about the love story either, but I will let you make your own conclusions on that one.
And if you have any inclination, please do try Audible. The narration of this novel is amazing. It is a work of art in and of itself. And I am willing to bet that you can even find narrations from some of your favorite actors.
So far I only download one book a month. (Unless there is a sale. I make no promises when there is a sale.) And the last book I downloaded was A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.
Synopsis: Diana Bishop is a Yale educated historian who is completing research at Oxford for her latest book. One day while conducting her research she discovers a manuscript that will change her life. Diana, along with the 1500 year old vampire named Matthew Clairmont, embark on a journey of discovery that she could have never imagined.
As the first book in the All Souls trilogy, I expected this book to contain a lot of background information. But I found myself at times wondering why was this relevant to the topic? How does this tie in to the overall mystery that Diana and Matthew are trying to solve? A mystery, which I loved and could not wait to be solved. Now, don't get me wrong, the plot did grow and flourish at the end of the novel. It set up for a second book, which I will be reading here in the next few weeks. The first two-thirds of the novel developed very slowly, however. Leaving me to take longer to complete this novel then it normally would have done.
I don't want you to think that this novel isn't one that should be read. It is. I mean, all three books are on the national bestseller list for a reason. Just don't expect a lot of action in this first novel. It builds for the second two novels. It develops a love story. I'm not sure how I feel about the love story either, but I will let you make your own conclusions on that one.
And if you have any inclination, please do try Audible. The narration of this novel is amazing. It is a work of art in and of itself. And I am willing to bet that you can even find narrations from some of your favorite actors.
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