Showing posts with label Round up. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Round up. Show all posts

Monday, February 11, 2013

Weekly Roundup 1

I have not finished any books this week.  However, I've made progress on a few.

Uppity Women:  About 60% done.  I have finished the Medieval times and started on the Renaissance.  I just finished reading about Catalina de Erauso, who is my favorite woman so far.  I'd never heard of her before, but I think she sounds pretty fascinating.  I'll tell you about her later this week.

Musketeers:  I feel like I did a lot of reading in this book, but I'm still at the very beginning.  Only 16% done so far.  The Musketeers and d'Artagnan have been in 2 fights so far, and d'Artagnan is quite the swordsman.  I'm really enjoying this book so far.

Hitchhiker:  A bit of progress made, I'm almost 1/2 way done.  I do wish there was more information about Trillian, I think she could be my favorite character if I knew more about her.  And honestly, Slartibartfast is the best name ever.

I haven't read any of my other ongoing books this past week, so, no further updates to give is what I'm saying.

How are your reading goals coming along?

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Completely Unproductive

Unfortunately I got the flu last week.  Which resulted in a lot of nothing but naps happening.  Yes, I even missed an entire week of work, which honestly bummed me out.  Taking a week off so I could be in a NyQuil induced haze was not how I planned my first "vacation" of 2013.

Luckily, I am mostly well now and was pleasantly surprised how much I was missed at work.  (Damn right!)

While I have no new books going on, I made great progress on The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy this week.  In fact, I have technically finished book 2 (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe) in the series and have started on book 3 (Life, the Universe and Everything).  I am enjoying it overall, but I do see why a lot of comments on Goodreads don't recommend reading all of them at once.  There is something to be said for letting some things digest. 

I also made a bit of progress on 4000 Years of Uppity Women, and for those of you who have read past posts, don't judge.  It's surprising how many women of note there were in pre-medieval times.  It's a shame that there just isn't more info available on most of them to learn more about them and the lives they led.  Honestly I find it quite surprising there are so many women that were allowed to do or just did the things they did.  I find it kind of amazing that a lot of "ancient" ladies wrote, practiced medicine, were merchants, etc.  I mean, think back to pre-Cleopatra days, have you really heard of any women that weren't concubines, slaves or someone's wife?  Way to kick ass ladies of yore.

That's pretty much all the book progress I've had.  So far at least, this week is shaping up to be a bit more productive!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Ongoing Books: Part 2

Confession time:  I read in the bathroom.  I think most people do, honestly, but not everyone is willing to admit it.  So why am I confessing this?  Today's ongoing books are about my 'Bathroom Books'.

4000 of Uppity Women:  As the title alludes, this is about women throughout history.  Typically only 2-3 pages per woman, which makes it a perfect bathroom book!

Weird Encounters: True Tales of Haunted Places:  Another book with only a few pages per place, making it another great bathroom book.  I've really just begun this book, but scary stories are never a bad thing.

The Whistling Season:  This is a novel, not short stories, it's more of a bathtub book, but I don't take baths....Anyway.  I really enjoy the parts of the book that tell of the family living on the Montana prarie.  Those parts remind me of the Little House on the Prarie books, which I love.  However, some parts are told from later in the protagonists life and I don't find them as enjoyable yet.  I have not gotten to the point where these two stories blend together, and I really hope they do.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Ongoing Books: Part 1

I'm one of those people that read multiple books at the same time.  Often people ask how do you keep the stories straight?  My response:  how can you not?  With the variety of books I read, it's pretty easy to not confuse them.

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:  This is all 5 of the books in one edition.  Technically, I've finished the first book and have started the second.  However, since it's all together, Goodreads counts it as 1 book.  So far, I do find this book rather amusing, but it seems to be mostly puns and one-liners.  It feels like each paragraph is a set up for the next joke, but I do see why this book is so popular.

The Three Musketeers:  10% done with this one.  The first of my 'classics'.  I have always found the classics to be a bit challenging, due to the antiquated language used.  Not to say that I don't understand what's being said, but as they are more flowery with words and not at all how I speak or what I typically read, I am much slower at getting through them, than say, a Stephen King novel.  However, I have found a few amusing passages that I'd like to share with you.  (Again, this is a kindle edition, so locations not page numbers are what I have to reference.)

Location 775:
How do I know that this is not his Eminence who has honored you with the commission to procure my head?  Now, I entertain a ridiculous partiality for my head, it seems to suit my sholders so correctly.  I wish to kill you quietly in a snug, remote place, where you will not be able to boast of your death to anybody.
Location 901:
...parrying like a man who had the greatest respect for his own epidermis.

Getting Things Done:  I have heard good things about this book, and a co-worker recently mentioned she had trouble with time management.  I suggested we both read this book and have a mini-book club about it, so that we can support each other in improving our work-selves.  I'm only a few pages in, and while I don't recommend reading it on a comfy couch when you haven't had much sleep the night before, so far it seems to be filled with very practical advice.  I hope to make a lot of progress on it this week.