Yay! It's a Blog! 2002-2003 - Reading Archives
Recent entries from the Reading Category
Monday Madness
November 30, 2003
2. What book should be banned based on its boring subject matter? Honestly... if a book is that boring, I quit reading it and put it out of my mind as quickly as possible.
3. What book should be (or should have been) on the 'best seller' list but wasn't? Gosh... I couldn't say because I don't know what's been on the 'best seller' list and what's not.
4. What time of the day do you do most of your reading? At night, just before I go to sleep.
5. If you were to write a book, what would be its title? If I Ever Finish This Book, It Will Be A Miracle
The Talisman
August 21, 2003
The Talisman I finally finished re-reading The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub the other night. I read it the first time several years ago. The weird thing is that I barely remembered any of it. I thought I remembered stuff, but that stuff didn't happen in it. Plus most of the stuff that did happen was completely new to me. I remember when I read it before, I decided it was one of my favorite King books. But this time, I wasn't very impressed.
I'm not liking Stephen King as much as I used to. He gets pretty crude. That never put me off before, but it did this time.
I was spending extra time reading this week so I could finish The Talisman and start the sequel, Black House. But I started something else instead. I've had my Stephen King fix, and now I'm craving a good fantasy. Last night I started the Serpentwar Saga by Raymond Feist. I've not read Feist before. I hope it's good, or I might have to abort and go back to an old standby like "The Wheel of Time" or "Mordant's Need" or even "Lord of the Rings."
This or That - Reading
June 17, 2003
2. Books-on-tape or regular books? Regular.
3. Paperback or hardcover? Paperback.
4. Fiction or non-fiction? Fiction, mostly.
5. Sci-Fi/Fantasy or romance novels? Fantasy.
6. Borrow from library or buy books (either new or used)? I buy them. It takes me way too long to read a book to borrow.
7. Subscribe to magazines or buy on newsstand? I read them at the doctor's office or the oil change place or the hair salon.
8. Current best-sellers or classic literature? Current best-sellers, I guess. They don't have to be best-sellers, though.
9. Read books once, or re-read favorites every so often? I like to re-read favorites every so often.
10. Here in the U.S., we have two hot best-sellers...former First Lady Hillary Clinton's memoirs, and the new Harry Potter book (coming out June 21). If you had to read one, which one...Hillary or Harry? Why? I love Harry Potter books. 
Friday Five - Reading
February 28, 2003
2. What is your favorite novel? I love The Wheel of Time series, but I quit reading it because the final book hasn't been released. I like to know I can finish something before I start. When I started it, I didn't realize it wasn't finished! I have a great fear that Robert Jordan will never finish it.
3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!) Any poems I think of off the top of my head are poems I don't like. ha! So I guess the answer is no.
4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read? Nothing in particular. But I have soooo many books that I've never read. And like a dork, I keep buying more!
5. What are you currently reading? I'm between books right now, but have been planning to start Stephen King and Peter Straub's The Talisman since Christmas. I got the sequel, Black House, for Christmas, so I want to revisit The Talisman.
Friday Five - 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Things
January 24, 2003
2. What are two things you love about your body? I think I have pretty eyes. Other than that, I'm really thankful that all my parts work fairly normally.
3. What are three things you want to change about your home? Hopefully, soon, I will move somewhere bigger, but this is what I would want to change if I was staying:
1. Fix up the backyard. Get a new gate that hangs right and doesn't have holes in it. Get a solid yard full of good grass.
2. Take out the window in the dining room and replace it with a door to the backyard. There is no door to the backyard right now. I have to go out the front door and go through the gate.
3. Replace the linoleum in the kitchen. It's ugly orange right now. Ick.
Dang... I can think of a lot more than 3 things.
4. What are four books you want to read this year? Stephen King and Peter Straub's "The Talisman", Stephen King and Peter Straub's "Black House", J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series.
I suspect the only one I will read is "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" unless I can make myself turn off the internet and the TV.
5. What are five promises you have kept to yourself? I don't understand the question. Are these promises I kept secret, or promises I made to myself and didn't break? I haven't kept any promises secret, so I'll answer it the second way. I don't know that I made five promises to myself. One promise was my new year's resolution to not spend so much time on the internet. I've kept that up, but not as much as I'd like. Another sort of promise I've made to myself is to stay current on the dish washing... not put it off until the sink is overflowing with dirty dishes. I've been doing good with that one. I guess that's it.
This or That - Periodicals
January 7, 2003
2. "Wall Street Journal" or "National Enquirer"? When I was an accounting major in college, I thought it was proper to read Wall Street Journal. I tried. I really really tried to get interested in business stuff. Then I realized... life's too short. Screw the Wall Street Journal. I don't care for the National Enquirer either.
3. "Sports Illustrated" or "Cook's Illustrated"? Sports Illustrated. Specifically the football section. I've never heard of Cook's Illustrated. If I didn't have a 9-5 job (which really equates to leaving the house before 8:00 and getting home after 6:00), I might cook. But I just don't have time.
4. "Martha Stewart Living" or "MAD Magazine"? Good lord. I don't have time for Martha Stewart stuff. And the only thing I like about MAD Magazine is that page that has a picture of something, but when you fold it a certain way, it's a picture of something else. That rocks. Do they still do that? I wouldn't waste my money on the magazine just for that, though.
5. "Cosmopolitan" or "Maxim"? *sticks finger down throat*
6. "People" or "Entertainment Weekly"? Either one, I guess.
7. "National Geographic" or "Readers Digest"? I love the pictures in National Geographic. Man. If I had the time and money and could travel by myself, I'd want to take pictures like that. I like Readers Digest, too. I used to have a subscription when I was a kid. I liked the true stories of tragedies where someone (or a dog or something) saves someone's life. I don't remember the name of that feature, but it was cool.
8. "Good Housekeeping" or "Popular Mechanics"? Popular Mechanics ROCKS!!!! <Eric Cartman Voice>Seriously, you guys!</Eric Cartman Voice> I used to read my Dad's subscription. Of all the magazines listed in these questions, this is the one I'd pay money to get. See... I really do think I'm part man. I love the futuristic inventions they put in there. And the concept cars. Good Housekeeping? *yawn*
9. "PC World" or "MacWorld"? I have a PC, so PC World. But I don't get into that whole MAC vs. PC competition that people get into. Get a life.
10. "Southern Living" or "Yankee" (magazine about New England living)? Hmmm... back to my feminine side. Southern Living is awesome with all the pictures of houses inside and out. I look through that book and dream. I've never seen Yankee, but if it's the northern version of Southern Living then I would like it just as much.
Post question analysis: Hmmm... some of those questions riled me up.
- Wall Street Journal reminded me of how much I hate "business" (note that I work for the government). I don't hate "business" as a customer... I hate it as an employee.
- Cook's Illustrated reminded me how much I hate that I don't have time to cook. That's not really true... I have time, but I don't want to do it unless I can relax and enjoy it. You gotta have lots of time to plan meals, grocery shop, cook and clean. I just don't have time to do that *and* relax *and* enjoy life.
- PC/Mac World reminded me how much I hate that "PC is better than MAC/MAC is better than PC" competitive conversation that people get into. Urgle! I could strangle people who get into that conversation. What a waste of time.
The only magazines I subscribe to are "Home Recording" and some entertainment magazine that started coming to the house all of a sudden. Home Recording is okay, but I'm cancelling it because I don't get a whole lot out of it. If it concentrated on recording vocals, I would get more out of it. Maybe. It would probably get too technical. I think I accidently clicked something I shouldn't have on the internet and started getting that entertainment magazine. I need to cancel that, too.
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 28, 2002
Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends.
I went to the store yesterday and my impulse buy at the counter was a copy of Stephen Ambrose's "Band of Brothers." I'm glad I watched the movie, or I probably wouldn't be able to keep the names straight. I still can't keep a lot of the names straight. It's a great book. I think I'll watch the movie again after I read it. Maybe I'll put the DVD on my Christmas Wishlist. It was a wonderful show.
