Hour 3: Lunch Break and Reading 9 Replies

Posted on October 20, 2007 in Books

Becky and I have been named Readers of the Hour at Dewey‘s blog. I am about 120 pages into First Among Sequels, and I just had lunch. I’m going to finish my current chapter, and then go off on an errand hoping to be back in an hour for an Hour 4 Update. I’m going to make some tea and finish this book before I go to bed tonight, and definitely start another one. Good luck to fellow participants, and thanks for all the comments so far.

Also, I highly recommend the Thursday Next series I am reading if you have not tried it out, pick up the first in the books called The Eyre Affair. Review of First Among Sequels after the Readathon.

, [Top]
Hour 2 Mini Challenge: Setting 9 Replies

Posted on October 20, 2007 in Books

Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next books are set in a fictional alt-universe version of Swindon, England. Here are some five facts about the real Swindon via Wikipedia.

  1. Swindon’s motto is “Salubritas et Industria” (Health and Industry).
  2. Peope from Swindon are called Swindonians
  3. It is located in the south west of Englan, in Wiltshire, about 130KM west of London
  4. As with many towns in England, Swindon owed much of its growth to the Industrial Revolution.
  5. Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is also set in Swindon.

From 43 places, only 7 of 15 people think Swindon is worth visiting. Ending on a positive note, Swindon was the location for Polish refugees during World War II and many remained.

, [Top]
And we’re off 5 Replies

Posted on October 20, 2007 in Books


Just got up, and am ready to read. I’m going to start off with Jasper Fforde’s First Among Sequels, the latest in the Thursday Next books. I’ll also be posting about a couple of book challenges I’ve joined for 2008 and their tentative lists as I pick them today. Cheers!

, [Top]
The Pre-Readathon Post 6 Replies

Posted on October 19, 2007 in Books

 

Tomorrow is the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon. It starts 2PM GMT which is 9AM EST for me. There is a good chance I’ll start at 10AM because I will work late tonight. I do not plan to stay up all 24 hours because I can’t afford to do that during the school year, and I’ve only ever done that when travelling or when I did blogathon a couple years ago (in the summer). I intend to update every couple of hours at least. I’ll post book reviews of any books I finish after Sunday.

I’m very excited because I have not been able to read very much at all this year. It’s been hectic and it seems it continue to be as I get older. So it’s good to take some time to dedicate to reading. Here are some books I plan or may read tomorrow:

First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde – I got it today! I love the Thursday Next books; I’m pretty psyched to read this.
The Illyrian Adventure by Lloyd Alexander – Which I first read when I was 11.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksande Solzhenitsyn
Hunrgy Planet by Peter Menzel
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

So I doubt I’ll finish more than two books (if I’m lucky) in the marathon since most of these books aren’t small and not all are exactly light. These are actually the shortest of the books I have in my TBR queue. See you all tomorrow then!

, , [Top]
Thrummed Mittens 2 Replies

Posted on October 10, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting

Thrummed Mittens

Thrummed Mittens, started August 27, 2007, finished October 8, 2007
Pattern: Thrummed Mittens Interweave Knits Winter 2006 by Jennifer L. Appleby
Yarn: 1 skein – Naturally Naturelle 10ply (100g/186yds – 157 – aran/worsted) and alpaca/correidale rovings
Needles: #4/3.5mm and #6/4.0mm DPNs
Modifcations: Needle sizes changes, thrums knit tbl as advised by the Yarn Harlot
Cost of Project: $5 yarn + $6 rovings = $11
Would I knit it again? Maybe, but with pure wool because the alpaca was fuzzy. I also miss having a thumb gusset.

Warmth and Fluff

Pattern Notes and Comments: I became sick not too long after starting this project which is why the first mitten took me a month to make while the second one took only about a week. The second mitten is a little longer and a little less than dense than the first one because my thrums for the first one were thicker. I made the Child’s size which makes them quite snug because I also went down needle sizes. The yarn was on clearance, and it’s 100% pure NZ wool. It’s nice, and I think there’s a tiny bit more lanolin in it than other pure wools I’ve used. The rovings I bought were fuzzy. I hope they felt when I start wearing them in the winter.

, , [Top]
Decades ’08 4 Replies

Posted on October 7, 2007 in Books

Time for the 2008 book challenges to start popping up and getting organized. This is Decades ’08: Eight books from eight consecutive decades. That’s the minimum, and I can change my list at any time. The following is a tentative list which is subject to change at any time, and I’ve just named a couple books I’d like to read for most of the decades. I really only intend to read one from each.

Continue reading →

, [Top]
Street of Riches (Rue Deschambault) Leave a reply

Posted on October 7, 2007 in Books

By Gabrielle Roy. A Governor General’s Award Winner 1957. This book retells tales from a girl named Christine growing up in French-Canadian community of St. Boniface (now Winnipeg), Manitoba in the early twentieth century. Originally published in French, it is in Roy’s autobiographical and vignettes style. I’ve read one other Roy book before this, and I chose this because I needed to brush up my French and my Canadian literature. The former did not work out as it took me weeks to finish this 160 page book due to school, and I read only two chapters in French. I finished it mostly in English for time constraints. The book is not fast paced either. The vignettes creating a feeling of short stories of similar characters. I think Roy is a good writer, and she’s certainly smart and observant about Canadian culture especially in regards to its minorities. Her style of writing characters is simple, but somehow very poignant. There are some nice moments in this novel. This does not mean I’ll read even more from her; the vignettes sometimes made me wish for a more cohesive plot. The novel is a story of growing up in Canada, and I think I could relate to it even today. It’s probably a very candid and honest look of Canada in the early twentieth century. I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone though because of the pace, but like all stories about growing up, we can glean things from it.

[Top]
Booking Through Thursday – Decorum 6 Replies

Posted on October 4, 2007 in Books

Do you have “issues” with too much profanity or overly explicit (ahem) “romantic” scenes in books? Or do you take them in stride? Have issues like these ever caused you to close a book? Or do you go looking for more exactly like them? (grin) – BTT

Not really. I take them in stride, and I first started reading books intended for adults when I was a preteen. That was a surprising, but I learned to take it in stride. Censorship in books is rather an anathema for me. I usually like the books I read so the writing works with these elements or around them to make a decent book. I have looked for these books before, but I’m usually let down by the result. Overly explicit “romantic” books can be rather overrated in the published world.

, , [Top]
Peter Pan in Scarlet Leave a reply

Posted on September 30, 2007 in Books

This is the sequel authorised by the Great Ormond Street Hospital which has owned the rights to Peter Pan since J. M. Barrie’s death. Peter Pan is without the doubt one of my favourite books growing up, and it remains a story close to my heart. This sequel was better than Spielberg’s film Hook, and I think I like it better than Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s prequel Peter Pan and the Starcatchers. While that book was fine, this one has more heart and more of a sentimental value for me because Geraldine McCaughrean uses the original characters such as Wendy, John, and the Lost Boys. I always have trouble getting into sequels without the original characters being there. This is one of the reasons I don’t like the later Narnia books as much as the first ones; I couldn’t warm to the new kids like I did the original four Pevensie children. Though I really liked The Magician’s Nephew. Though I do think Barry’s and Pearson’s story probably moved a bit faster than this one. This novel was a bit slow in the middle, but I quite liked the end. I also think another big strength in the book is how well she writes the original characters. She really knows the characters; her mimickery of Barrie’s writings and style is good. It’s true to the original which is why I find the book has a certain sweetness and warmth that’s just right as a sequel.

, [Top]
Tweedy Beret 1 Reply

Posted on September 30, 2007 in Knitting & Crafting

Tweedy Beret, started September 13th, 2007, finished September 28th, 2007
Pattern: Purl Bee Beret
Made for: No one in particular, but I think I’ll give it to Sandy.
Yarn: Rowan Rowanspun Spun 4ply SH705 – 1 skein
Needles: US#3/3.25mm DPNS and 16″ circular
Cost of Project: $5 for yarn
Would I knit it again? Yes.


Pattern Notes and Comments: The tweed knits up very pretty, but the yarn was a bit persnickety. It’s a bit flimsy, and not as good as other yarns in this weight (sock yarn, etc). It didn’t hold up well on DPNs, and I had more ladder issues than normal so the resulting stitches are not as neat as I’d like. It even snapped at one point which was the first time that’s happened to me. This doesn’t look that bad since the hat is so rustic and tweedy; it masks all the mistakes and shortfalls. I still have another skein of this discontinued yarn so I can make another one for myself or another friend. The pattern is marvelously easy and quick. One of these days, I’ll do it with the intended Koigu.

, , , [Top]
The Man Who Never Was Leave a reply

Posted on September 29, 2007 in Movies

The Man Who Never WasBased on the book of the same name, this film recounts the based on true story tale of the British military’s Operation Mincemeat, a plan to fool the Axis powers that the Allies intended to attack Sardinia and Greece rather than Sicily.  I watched a bit of this film a few weeks ago on TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies which is a treasure for a classic film lover like me. The film is a little gem of suspense and classic espionage. It doesn’t have a lot of special effects, and though I knew how it would end, the tension build up and drama were just right. I have a thing for spy films so this fits right up my alley. It’s also humorous in the deadpan, ironic British way at times. Though there is a romantic B plot that serves as the fictional drama, it fits seamlessly into the film. In all, the film does not over extend itself to what it really is. A very well adapted, acted, and directed movie about this World War II deception plan. Smart and underrated old flick

, , [Top]
The Cult of Lululemon 3 Replies

Posted on September 28, 2007 in Beauty & Skincare, Fitness, Musings

Lululemon Velocity Gym Bag

A friend and I joke about that Lululemon is a cult. It bases itself on yoga philosophy, and in the beginning, produced all its clothing in Canada. Now, it makes it in China like every other business, but their yoga pants are still like $80. I refuse to to buy their clothing; it’s out of my budget for one thing, and it’s ridiculous how trendy and expensive it is.

But I bought one of their bags today. Namely the Velocity Gym Bag pictured above. For a lot of money. Why? I have a thing for bags. I love handbags. I constantly rotate my bags for the occasion and the “season” as it were. I bought a H&M bag last year for much less to be my book bag, and now this one will replace it. Due the cult of Lululemon, the bag is popular for school, but not as popular as the less expensive Aritzia TNA bag which is of similar size and style.

The bag does look sturdy, and it should last me a few years considering what I paid. The vinyl is waterproof which is a big advantage. My Macbook fits snuggly in with lots of other room. I also do intend to use it as a gym bag. I will use the included wet bag for my running shoes, and the pockets for my H20 and cell. As well as the external straps for a yoga mat. I also love removable straps as I won’t always have to carry this under my arm. It seems to be a great bag for carry-on airplane travel too.

All in all, I can say this is my back to school gift to myself. But I’m just making excuses. Oh why must I adore the bags?

In other news, I am finding it difficult to find a decently priced moisture-wicking tank top that I can wear for running, gym and yoga. The running is great though; I’m back on Week 5 since the illness set me back a few weeks. A few more weeks and I’m going to do my first 5K.

Image from Google Images.

, , [Top]
<< previous posts || next posts >>