dtrpath27

I do that too! Once I get hooked on a show, I have to finish the whole thing and can hardly get anything else done until I do. Netflix is the nemesis of my productivity!

600 pages of one piece is a lot!!! I don't think I'd have the discipline for that; I tend to skip from thing to thing. And you're right, Athena is a mad-fast reader! I wonder if she's taken a speed-reading course... I'm curious about NOS4A2 & can't wait to read your review. Just the title has me wondering!

I stumbled across this indie sci-fi writer in the Kindle store while looking for things for the read-a-thon, and I can't say enough great things about him. I snagged three of his short stories for free and one of his novels for next to nothing. Every single one was great! I'll put detailed reviews on my book list post, but here are the titles I read: The Last Rail-rider The Caretaker The Dark Age (love, love, LOVE!) The Man Who Ended the World If you're looking for a new author, he's definitely worth checking out. I think even people who aren't usually a fan of sci-fi/post-apocalyptic will enjoy his writing. I'm hooked!

So here's my final tally for the weekend: Novels - complete A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole - 394 pages, fiction Time Traveler by Dr. Ronald L. Mallet - 198 pages, non-fiction The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd - 334 pages, mystery The Man Who Ended the World by Jason Gurley - 270 pages, science fiction Novels - incomplete Ports of Call by Jack Vance - 38 pages, science fiction The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper - 1 chapter, classic literature Short Stories - complete The Dark Age by Jason Gurley - 31 pages, science fiction The Caretaker by Jason Gurley - 41 pages, science fiction The Last Rail-Rider by Jason Gurley - 38 pages, science fiction The Sky Used to be Blue by Patrice Fitzgerald - 63 pages, science fiction My original goal for myself was 1,000 pages. At over 1,400, I'm pretty pleased with how I did. Quite unexpected, because I had a hard time settling into what I wanted to read. I really had a lot of fun reading this weekend and I hope everyone else did, too! Now for the reviews...

Then this is definitely not the book for you! Truth be told, I went around the house and checked all of the light fixtures after reading this one.

I've found that certain books take a lot longer for me than others to read. Also, I definitely have to be in the mood to read it, so I often switch from book to book until I settle in on one in particular.

Sigh...I fell asleep early last night and woke this morning with a book on my chest. Needless to say, I didn't get as much reading done as I had hoped. Just finished a book that I didn't enjoy at all... On the upside, I discovered a new author that I absolutely love, read four short stories, got about 50 pages each into two other books, and started a non-fiction work that seems really promising!

Pippi Longstocking! I loved that one!

I had to work all day, so I'm a bit behind schedule. I did manage to read 35 pages of The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd before breakfast and a chapter of The Last of the Mohicans during lunch. I'm at home now and settling in for a night of reading!

Lol! The one literally had maybe 15-20 pages of writing altogether, if that, despite the fact that all told it was 115 pages. Believe me, I am no speed reader. I'm so new back to reading for pleasure that sometimes I feel like a turtle - a very slow turtle with limited comprehension. It does seem to be picking up a lot this month, but in January I felt as though I had to flip back every few pages just to make sure I was really following along. Thanks everyone for the encouragement on review writing! I am quite new at it and am still trying to shake that "I'm going to get a bad grade on my report card" sort of feeling.

I just caught several items for free.on Kindle today: three short stories by Jason Gurley and a book by Patrice Fitzgerald. Most of the rest of Jason Gurley's stories were just 99 cents. I haven't read any of them yet but they all seem to be sci-fi/dystopian sort of pieces and the synopses seem promising. Regardless, you can't beat free!

Slap head with hand! The Margaret Atwood I picked up at the library has to go back because it's the third one in a trilogy. How did I miss that? Is that anti-progress?

March 2014 - Book Four Freedom is Blogging in Your Underwear by Hugh MacLeod Publishing Information: ©2012 by Penguin Group Pages: 115 Genre: Non-fiction Humor Synopsis: Blogging cartoonist Hugh MacLeod muses about the power of the internet. Impression: It took me longer to format and write this review than it did to read this book. This is not due to insanely fast reading skills on my behalf, but rather the fact the entire book has a VERY generous peppering of Mr. MacLeod's sketches interspersed with his clever, but brief, reflections. Due to the short length, I would not personally spend my very limited book funds on this one (unless it's a 99-cent Kindle special, or something), but if you have 15 minutes to kill at the library, it's worth a read.

March 2014 - Book Three I Forgot to Remember: A Memoir of Amnesia by Su Meck with Daniel DeVise Publishing Information: ©2014 by Simon and Schuster Pages: 275 Genre: Autobiography Synopsis: This is the unbelievable, true story of Su Beck, a young wife and mother, whose life was changed forever when a kitchen ceiling fan inexplicably dropped onto her head causing a traumatic brain injury that erased all memories of not only who she was, but of everything she knew of the world around her. With little understanding of the true extent of her injuries, doctors released her after only three weeks, thrusting her into a reality for which she, and those closest to her were ill-prepared. Still plagued with blackouts, excruciating headaches, and the inability to form new memories along with the loss of knowledge of how to complete even the most basic tasks, Su was unbelievably left to care for two toddlers and a household while her husband travelled extensively for work. This book chronicles what she has been able to reconstruct of the over 20 year journey that she took to find herself again. Impressions: Stunned. Just stunned. How she survived. How her children survived. How no one around her really knew. How the doctors didn't know. How they let her, no, expected her, to do so many of the things that they did is unbelievable. Whether of not she remembers who she once was, she must, at her core be one of the strongest, most determined people ever. Her story really is amazing and worth the time to read. The writing is simple and direct, but her own voice shines through, laying her soul bare and making this memoir an incredibly intimate one to read.

I'm almost half way through I Forgot to Remember by Su Meck. Astounding so far. Her story is just mind-blowing. I can't even fathom what she went through.

"...it's not homework." I love that! I'm someone who tends to take things too seriously, so that's a good reminder for me. I agree, Athena, I think it will get better with time. I have quite the stack ready for the upcoming read-a-thon, so I should get plenty of practice!

Welcome and happy reading!

Tea is more soothing, anyway. (Says the woman finishing her third cup of coffee, ahem!) It sounds like you really have your hands full! Just think how peaceful your house will be next week - plenty of time for reading. Stay strong! Those adorable little munchkins can smell weakness.

What really bugs me is that the return button on the Kindle is awkwardly placed and too long so every time I go to hit the space bar I hit the period instead. It also bugs me that row three is not offset and I have to awkwardly stretch to use the t, y, g and v keys. (Truthfully, these problems could all be alleviated if I just didn't have such stubby little thumbs. As I can do nothing about my thumb length, or lack thereof, the good folks at Amazon must take the blame!)

My daughter would like to join as well. She already has her stack prepared, but informed me she needs to pick up a few more before the weekend. I had seven new ones along with two others that I'm already working through, but I read two and picked up three. That puts me at three non-fiction, one autobiography, one mystery and three fiction along with two classics that I've already started. I might pick up one more mystery just to be safe. I won't read anywhere near this amount, but I never know what mood I'll be in, so I like to have an assortment on hand.

Welcome & happy reading!

Truly!

I don't think it's silly. I'm brand-new to writing reviews, and with all the very experienced reviewers on here, I find it a bit intimidating. I worry that my reviews are too superficial, or that they reveal too much, or that they review too little, etcetera. It really does take me quite some time to write one. When I go back to read it, what I thought was quite thorough was actually just four or five sentences - barely a proper paragraph! I think I need to resign myself to the fact that my review is simply my opinion and if it's not to someone's liking that there are plenty of other reviews out there to be read. (I don't mean that glibly, truly.) However, someone just might find something I've said helpful or interesting or reason enough to read the book and find out for him or herself. If nothing else, it's a great way for me to organize my thoughts on what I've just read and to hopefully become a more engaged, aware reader. Maybe if I looked upon that as my primary objective, and anyone else coming along for the ride as icing on the cake, then I would find review-writing to be a much less stressful and more enjoyable undertaking. Sorry to ramble...

March 2014 - Book Two Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt Publishing Info: ©2010 by Fig Tree Genre: Fiction Major Themes: Classified as psychological fiction Setting: Primarily London between Wednesday, July 22, 1964 and Monday, July 27, 1964 Main Characters: Esther Hammerhans (librarian at the House of Commons, widow, and landlady), Mr. Chartwell (her tenant), Beth Oliver (fellow librarian and Esther's best friend, and Winston Churchill Synopsis: This story takes place in the days leading up to Winston Churchill's retirement. Winston is paid an unwelcome visit by a longtime companion, Mr. Chartwell. Later the same day, Esther opens the door to greet her new lodger, finding none other than the same Mr. Chartwell. Although initially opposed to his continued presence in her home, Esther is eventually convinced to let him stay only for awhile. The story reveals how Mr. Chartwell insinuates himself into every aspect both Mr. Churchill and Esther's lives, drawing them closer together until eventually they meet, uncovering the true identity of Mr. Chartwell and the purpose of his visits to them. Impressions: This book has a very original way of dealing with a very common theme. The author's juxtaposition of the great Mr. Churchill and the lowly librarian Esther further underscores the universality of it within the human experience. Elaborating on this point, however, would reveal too much about the story. I felt that the true subject matter was obvious rather earlier than the author seemed to have intended, leaving me to mentally urge Ms. Hunt to "hurry up and say it already, " rather like reading a mystery and figuring out whodunit halfway through the book. The difference was, however, that Ms. Hunt was able to endear me to her characters in such a way that I became invested in hearing their stories to the end. I think that this book would merit a second read, if only to further examine the subtleties of each character and relationship.