Athena's Reading List 2013

[Signor Finzione]

3 words on the subject of R E Feist: The Empire Trilogy. <3

[Devi]

3 words on the subject of R E Feist: The Empire Trilogy. <3

Its my favourite too! I loved loved loved them.

[Devi]

Re r.e.f - I'm currently reading the first book of the last saga now.

Edited September 26, 2013 by Devi

[Athena]

Devi, enjoy!!

 

Dex, I hope you can find them cheap sometime! I think there's two books I don't have yet, so I'm waiting for those to be cheap / out in paperback.

 

Signor Finzione (I'd call you SF but that stands for science-ficion, hmmm..), I'm glad to hear you liked The Empire Trilogy, I hope I'll enjoy it too when I get around to reading it.

 

I've put Magician, the first book to start with, on my TBR-soon (along with quite a few other books, I went a bit mad I suppose ), hoping that maybe that'll make me read it sooner (the thing is, there are just so many great books!).

Edited September 26, 2013 by Athena

[Signor Finzione]

I've read loads of Feist from across the series (not necessarily in the right order). I'm looking forward to eventually having the whole Riftwar Cycle so I can read them all from the beginning.  

 

Oh, and just call me Laura, it's easier.

[Athena]

Eileen Roth and Elizabeth Miles - Organizing for Dummies

 

 

Genre: Information

Format: Kindle

Pages: 408

Synopsis (GoodReads): What's the favorite four-letter word of people who are less than fully organized? "Help!" So many technological, social, and economic changes affect your life that you need organization just to keep up, let alone advance. Many people have two jobs - one at the office and one taking care of things at home. If you have a family, you may count that as a third job. Caring for elderly relatives or have community commitments? You can count off four, five, and keep right on going.No matter what life stage you're in, getting organized can make every day better and help you achieve your long-term goals. "Organizing For Dummies" is for anyone who wants toPolish his or her professional reputationExperience less stressIncrease productivityBuild better relationshipsMaximize personal time

 

Organization isn't inherited. With the human genome decoded, the evidence is clear: DNA strings dedicated to putting things into place and managing your time like a pro are nonexistent. Instead, organization is a learned skill set. "Organizing For Dummies" helps you gain that skill with topics such as: Understanding how clutter costs you in time, money, and health; Training your mind to be organized and developing a plan; Cleaning house, room by room, from basement to attic (including the garage); Creating functional space for efficiency and storage; Time-management strategies for home, office, and travel; Scheduling, delegating, and multitasking; Making time for your family; Managing your health - physical and financialFinding time for love; Organizing and cashing in on a great garage sale.

 

Getting organized is about unstuffing your life, clearing out the dead weight in places from your closet to your calendar to your computer, and then installing systems that keep the good stuff in its place. Organizing is a liberating and enlightening experience that can enhance your effectiveness and lessen your stress every day - and it's all yours simply for saying "No" to clutter.

 

My thoughts:

 

I liked this book, but not as much as I thought I would. For example, I liked Lissanne Oliver's book Sorted (or as I read it in Dutch: Alles Netjes Opgeruimd!, more).

 

The book contains some good tips, but what sometimes bothered me was that some of the things mentioned were targeted towards the American market. Ie. they recommend certain containers or an item to help you store things, whereas such things simply aren't for sale here (that I know of). Another thing that bothered me what was most of the book was meant for people with bigger homes, whereas later on I most likely will have a small house and therefore won't have as many rooms or space as the book's detailing. There is one chapter for people with small houses or flats (or condo's.. not entirely sure what that is), but that's about it. I spend part of the book thinking "but I'll never have an X room" (not that I would want a playroom for children, though). These are the two main things why the book is getting a lower rating from me (7/10).

 

I agreed with many of the tips offered, but some I found less useful and didn't agree with. Overall it's not the book about organising that I recommend, though if you do live in the US and have a larger house, it might be a lot more useful. A lot of the information will probably be a lot more useful if you can buy the kind of items they recommend (sometimes I wasn't sure what was meant since I didn't know the words).

 

I have to admit, I skipped a few sections that weren't applicable to me at all, or that were just confusing. I did read about the playroom but I didn't read about certain things for the office, for example, because there were some words in it I didn't know etc.

 

One thing that's slightly bothersome, about most of the For Dummies books on Kindle that I've read so far, is that sometimes, due to formatting errors, parts of images or tables aren't visible. With most of the other ones there wasn't much missing but with this one it happened several times that parts of images or tables were missing.

 

Rating: *** (6/10)

Edited September 29, 2013 by Athena

[Athena]

I've read loads of Feist from across the series (not necessarily in the right order). I'm looking forward to eventually having the whole Riftwar Cycle so I can read them all from the beginning.  

 

Oh, and just call me Laura, it's easier.

x

That'll be exciting .

 

Sure ! You can call me Gaia, if you like (or Athena, whichever you prefer).

 

EDIT: I've added a number of books counter to the first post, so I know how many books I've read more easily (I hope this doesn't come across as arrogant! )

Edited September 26, 2013 by Athena

[Signor Finzione]

x

Sure ! You can call me Gaia, if you like (or Athena, whichever you prefer).

 

So you're a Greek goddess either way? That's pretty cool. 

 

EDIT: I've added a number of books counter to the first post, so I know how many books I've read more easily (I hope this doesn't come across as arrogant! )

 

What a good idea! It's not arrogant at all (also, if I'd read as many books as you I think I'd be shouting it from the rooftops  ).

[Athena]

So you're a Greek goddess either way? That's pretty cool. 

x

Thanks !

x 

What a good idea! It's not arrogant at all (also, if I'd read as many books as you I think I'd be shouting it from the rooftops  ).

x

I'm glad to hear that . How many books do you normally read per year, do you know?

[Signor Finzione]

I'm not sure, actually. I used to read a lot when I was younger, but I also used to re-read a lot of the same books again, and again, and again (I think I read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix about 10 times in one month  ).

 

 When I was at university I'd have to read around 30 books per semester (2 semesters in a year, so roughly 60 books) and then whatever I could squeeze in during the holidays. BUT it would take me longer to read those kinds of books as I either didn't enjoy them as much or had to read them really carefully and make notes as I went along for essays and stuff. University almost spoiled reading for me; although it did introduce me to a few great books that I might never have read otherwise.

 

I'm reading a lot at the moment as I'm between jobs and don't have much else to do. I think I joined this site about 3 weeks ago and am on my 6th book since then, so I guess at the moment I'd be on track with you! Is 100+ a year normal for you?

[Athena]

That's pretty good ! I've never read any book more than once a month, I tend to re-read them when it's been a while since I read them.

 

When I was a child I read a book pretty much every day, sometimes multiple books a day. Of course some of the books I read were shorter than some of the ones I read now, but we had to go to two different libraries each week so that I'd have enough to read (I had the card that allowed you to take the most amount of books). I also owned some books myself and re-read those a lot. I read both fiction and non-fiction (I think also because we were allowed to take ie. 8 fiction and 8 non-fiction books, this way I could read the maximum amount. Plus, I was interested in both, as well.) If I think about it, I might've read about 10-20 books a week.. I should point out, after school (primary school), I usually went to my room and read (in the weekend I spend a lot of time in my room and read). I saw friends only now and then, on occasion I played with my sister and later on brother, but most of the time I sat in my room, on my bed, and read. We had, at some point, a games console that I played on on occasion, and also a computer that I played some games on, but I mainly read.

 

As an adult, I didn't record how many books I read when, until June last year. Last year from Jun-Dec (2012) I read 43 books (according to GoodReads). This year so far I've read 103 (though more short books). Since I've never recorded it properly I'm really not sure what I normally average, say in the past five years. When I studied (ie. in 2012, first half of 2013, and many years before that), I was often tired so I didn't have much energy to read. I did read a lot in the train, while I travelled to and from my university (sometimes I'd study, sometimes I'd read). I also read in the time before classes started, since I was often quite early there (if there were no delays). I'm not sure how many books I read. I mainly read smaller paperbacks, though sometimes I'd just take a bigger or heavier book with me since I really wanted to read it. And sometimes I'd bring paperbacks with me that had over 1000 pages. (I was also carrying heavy university books and sometimes a laptop, with me).

 

Now that we have the read-a-thon, I tend to read more shorter books. A few years ago, I mainly read science-fiction and fantasy, which tend to be longer books than contemporary fiction and chick-lit, for example. This year I've also re-discovered some children's books, such as Roald Dahl's books (that I bought off Ebay), that I'm re-reading in English (I read them in Dutch when I was a child). So I'm reading shorter books. I've read more pages so far than in 2012 (of what's recorded, at least), but the difference isn't as big as the amount of books. I've also read some shorter free ebooks, for example I read quite a few short stories by authors that I like.

 

Now that I'm done studying I want to try and do quite a bit of reading. Not only do I love reading, but it'll be good to read some off the TBR. I bought a lot of books while I did my master research, because I was so stressed from it, so I want to try and read some more. After all, I have some time now and I need to rest and relax, so reading is good for that usually .

[bobblybear]

When I was a child I read a book pretty much every day, sometimes multiple books a day. Of course some of the books I read were shorter than some of the ones I read now, but we had to go to two different libraries each week so that I'd have enough to read (I had the card that allowed you to take the most amount of books).

 

This is like me when I was a child. I borrowed so many books from the school library every day, and then on weekends we would go to the city library, and I would come out with an overflowing bag. I loved just browsing through all the books they had - it was one of my favorite places to go.

 

 

Now that I'm done studying I want to try and do quite a bit of reading. Not only do I love reading, but it'll be good to read some off the TBR. I bought a lot of books while I did my master research, because I was so stressed from it, so I want to try and read some more. After all, I have some time now and I need to rest and relax, so reading is good for that usually .

 

This is the problem I'm having at the moment. I'm studying and will be for next 2 years and it eats into so much of your personal time. I think part of it is I have to organise my time better, but even so it's still not easy. Can't wait till it's all over.

[Athena]

I understand, it does take up a lot of time. Maybe you could analyse your time, think about what you do when and how much time you spend on things? ie. my brother sometimes spends a lot of time procastrinating, whereas if he'd do his work straight away he could then do something fun after that. Depending on the study, it can take up a lot of time. Do you have a lot of contact hours? A lot of things you need to read or exercises to make after your lectures are over?

[bobblybear]

I think the problem is that I don't study effectively, until I hit panic mode and then all I do is study. What I should do earlier on is start answering questions and past exam papers, instead of just reading through the text book and leaving the questions until a week or so before the exams. I work full time as well, and as soon I come home from work we take Reuben out. Then we have dinner, and by then it's probably 7pm or later. My study is all self-study, but I still need to put in a couple of hours a night, which leaves me with very little time for other things. Of course, I could stay up later, but then I'll be tired the next day and won't be able to concentrate on work or study and end up going to bed early. It's a vicious cycle. I think I just have to put up with it for now. I'm doing 2 subjects each half-year. I could cut that down to 1 subject but then it'll take me longer to finish the course.

[Athena]

Wow, that sounds pretty difficult, having a full time job and studying. No wonder you don't have a lot of spare time. Normally I find it's good to both read the text book and your notes, as well as look at previous exam papers and exercises. That way you know most of the matter, in my opinion. Do you make a schedule for yourself? Perhaps try to include some time for answering questions earlier on, that way you know more about what kind of things they're going to ask on the exam. For my exams, usually we didn't have a previous exam to look through, sometimes we did though (it was always nice when we did). So most of the time I read my textbook, notes and did the exercises I'd made and we'd discussed in the class. Good luck with your studies , it sounds pretty difficult to do it while also having a full-time job. My aunt has just started a study too, while she also has a job (I think it's slightly less than 38-40 hours per week). What kind of subjects do you get in your study?

[Signor Finzione]

The main problems I had when I was studying were based around the fact that I was always doing something else alongside. E.g. during my undergraduate degree I was working part-time, and during my Masters I also did my PGCE (teaching degree) at the same time. All of that left little room for fun reading, especially the planning/marking involved in the teaching. I used to get so burned out from studying that the last thing I wanted to do was pick up a book, which is why I ended up playing so many of the games we were talking about - it just seemed like less mental effort.

 

I was like you as a kid - I hardly left my room and always had a book in my hand. There was only one library near me and it was small, so I soon ended up borrowing the same books to read again and again. My school didn't have a library, and I never had enough money to buy more than a few books a year, which is why I re-read the ones I had so many times (and also why I started on my dad's Stephen Kings/James Herberts at a young age).

 

Christ, I went all Charles Dickens then, didn't I? Or 'The 4 Yorkshiremen'.  

 

Good luck with your studies bobblybear! What are you studying?

[Athena]

Nice to hear about your experiences, Laura !

 

nice clip!

Edited September 27, 2013 by Athena

[bobblybear]

Thanks Athena and SF.

 

SF, I'm studying CIMA (Management Accounting).

 

Athena, I don't really have a schedule except for study as much as I can in my spare time, which is usually from 7pm (or whenever we finish dinner) till about 9pm (or a bit later). Part of the problem is that I find is so hard to sit still and focus. I'll be reading the textbook for 10 minutes, then I'll go and get a cup of tea. Then I'll read for another 10 minutes, and decide that the washing needs doing or something.   It is a struggle, but I am focusing a bit more now that my exams are a bit closer and I'm starting to get nervous. The sort of subjects I'm studying at the moment are things like various methods of accounting, budgeting, and strategic planning. It's very diverse, and I'm doing one subject that's more calculation based, while the other subject is more theory and essay type questions. It just seems to be such a struggle to learn everything - it seems endless. Today, I've studied for several hours but still only managed to get through one chapter (plus lots of questions). It's going to feel so strange to have spare time once I've finished all this. I'm not going to know what to do with myself.

[Athena]

Good luck with your exams! It can be quite difficult, to concentrate. I've always been able to, relatively well at least, get myself to do my studying (unless there's a sound distracting me or I'm tired). My brother though for example, can have difficulty putting himself to work. It's interesting to hear about your subjects, it sounds quite difficult to me! I'm sure you'll love the extra spare time you'll have once it's over (I hope so, at least) .

[Athena]

Today I bought some books at a cheap book shop (they always have these deals, unfortunately they don't sell any English books) and at the local charity shop Terre des Hommes:

 

Jennifer Weiner - In Her Shoes (this was on my wishlist since I saw the film)

Louise Candlish - Prickly Heat

Anita Naik - Lekker Makkelijk Gezond Leven (or: The Lazy Girl's Guide to Good Health, but I bought it in Dutch)

Loethe Olthuis - Weekendkoken: Lekker relaxed! (Dutch cookbook)

[julie]

Athena

Just jumping in here when you guys were discussing how many books you have read ,as a child ,and up til the present time .

One of our librarians downtown has kept a journal, started by her mom when she was small of EVERY BOOK she has read in her entire lifetime. She is probably about 40 now I'd guess ,and still keeps up a running tally of books completed. She has boxes full of notebooks with every book read ,listed .

Can you imagine having that record ? It'd be neat to look back especially on the books read as you were growing up .

[chesilbeach]

Jennifer Weiner - In Her Shoes (this was on my wishlist since I saw the film)

 

I think you're in for a treat with this one, it's soooo much better than the film!

[Athena]

Athena

Just jumping in here when you guys were discussing how many books you have read ,as a child ,and up til the present time .

One of our librarians downtown has kept a journal, started by her mom when she was small of EVERY BOOK she has read in her entire lifetime. She is probably about 40 now I'd guess ,and still keeps up a running tally of books completed. She has boxes full of notebooks with every book read ,listed .

Can you imagine having that record ? It'd be neat to look back especially on the books read as you were growing up .

x

That sounds awesome!! I'd love to have that . I'm really regretting not writing these things down earlier in my life. It's really quite a shame. I remember quite a few books I read as a child, but I know they're many more I don't remember. Of some, I only remember the cover or what the story was about. I would love to have the titles and names of authors so I could look it up and perhaps buy it. I admire the dedication of your librarian!

x 

I think you're in for a treat with this one, it's soooo much better than the film!

x

Excellent, that's great to hear !

[Little Pixie]

Athena

Just jumping in here when you guys were discussing how many books you have read ,as a child ,and up til the present time .

One of our librarians downtown has kept a journal, started by her mom when she was small of EVERY BOOK she has read in her entire lifetime. She is probably about 40 now I'd guess ,and still keeps up a running tally of books completed. She has boxes full of notebooks with every book read ,listed .

Can you imagine having that record ? It'd be neat to look back especially on the books read as you were growing up .

 

How sweet ! What a lovely idea of her Mother`s.

[Little Pixie]

Good luck with your exams! It can be quite difficult, to concentrate. I've always been able to, relatively well at least, get myself to do my studying (unless there's a sound distracting me or I'm tired). My brother though for example, can have difficulty putting himself to work. It's interesting to hear about your subjects, it sounds quite difficult to me! I'm sure you'll love the extra spare time you'll have once it's over (I hope so, at least) .

 

Ditto. Good luck !

 

Athena, yay for those new books !   Does the cookbook have a spekulatsius recipe ? ( excuse the spelling   ) Love those biscuits.