It’s Been Awhile…

Hello there. So, it’s been awhile…a lot has happened, I think.

I officially moved to Pittsburgh – address change, new job, the whole nine yards.

Oh yeah…I quit my job as a full-time teacher and took a part-time job at a nearby Barnes and Noble. Crazy, right? I took an 85% pay cut and only worked about 16 hours a week. HUGE change. And then, before I had been there two full months, I was promoted to Head Cashier/Front of Store (FOS) Lead, given full-time status with health benefits and a raise. BOO-YAH! Honestly, I couldn’t be happier.

I miss teaching, but the stress is gone and the BS is gone. I have a bad day at work…who cares? I drive home (which only takes 6-10 minutes), play with the pup, kiss the BF, and enjoy the evening, worry-free. I have time to read, time to write, time to enjoy life. (And yes, time to take care of the house chores.) Money might be tight, but everything else outweighs that one con.

I just have to learn to stay out of my head. It says stuff like:

1. But you went to PSU for teaching and have a Master’s in English. Don’t you think you’re throwing that all away?
2. What do you think others think? How do you think they’re going to look at you now?
3. What about all those goals you set and achieved? What’s the goal now; what’s the plan now?

Here’s the thing world/society/brain…I’m happy. I’m not throwing anything away. I’m trying something new. Things change, plans change. And that’s okay; it’s good and healthy and normal. And as for others and how they perceive me, they can judge all they want. They see the surface-the obvious. They have no idea what’s underneath that first, visible layer. As Shrek says, “Ogres are like onions…Onions have layers. Ogres have layers.” It’s true. Ogres are like onions and so are humans. We have layers. And that is what makes us beautiful and unique.

So you see, a lot has changed. As Fall came and went, and as the Christmas season blew us into 2017, I found out a lot about myself. I am no longer afraid of change. I am capable of learning something new and enjoying the process. I can sit back and relax, rather than creating an hour-by-hour timetable and rigidly sticking to it. I am not a “career woman,” nor am I a “stay at home woman.” I am me. And I have finally found a way to enjoy being me.

As the year continues, I hope to use this blog more. I don’t want it to be about book reviews alone. I want it to be about me. So look for reviews and writings and experiences. Look for philosophy and research and opinions.

To new adventures! Cheers!

 

Review – Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Genre: fiction, romance, 20-something adult fiction

Themes/Motifs: death, quadriplegic living, finding your calling, perseverance, courage, caretaker, love against all odds, acceptance, grief, autonomy

Similar Media: My Sister’s Keeper, Jason’s story on Friday Night Lights

Tone: bleak, real, heartbreaking

Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You had me laughing, crying, nodding my head, heart thumping in dread, and I loved/hated every minute of it. I truly didn’t think I would enjoy the book, but I took a leap into the deep waters. I actually started it in honor of the first Bout of Books 17.0 challenge: book to movie adaptations. It brought me out of my comfort zone.

This book was in my face right from the start. It’s so real…and it doesn’t skirt by the touchy/delicate issues of being disabled. I particularly liked Lousia’s story – I identified with many aspects of her life: 26, not sure what to do with her life, the trapped feeling, and then the feeling that if you don’t succeed at that one big thing, it means you’re a massive failure.

Me Before You deals with death by looking at life through a cynic’s eyes…and Will has every right to be cynical. I both hate and love the ending. I understand and then again, I’m infuriated by it. But one thing is for sure, if you want a book that will make you feel like dancing, and then rips your guts out, read this one.

On the Hogwarts Express

Happy September 1st! Today is the best day of the year. It marks the day students return to Hogwarts for a glorious year of magical learning, and in the Muggle world, things aren’t too bad either. Today is the beginning of fall (at least to me). When September hits, there’s a charge in the air, an electricity so vibrant, my bones sing with it. I feel new and whole and I have this inexplicable feeling that all kinds of wondrous things can happen.

Today, I celebrate by sitting down with a cuppa and traveling back to Hogwarts, my home away from home.

Now please excuse me while I meet the Weasleys, Hermione, Neville, and the three goons once again.

Review – The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins

Genre: fiction/fantasy

Themes/Motifs: Magic, Ireland, history, battle of good v. evil

Similar media: Lord of the Rings, Stardust

Tone: lyrical, nostalgic, fast-paced, intense

What a wonderful book! I didn’t want to put it down. At once lyrical and fast-paced, with its smatterings of history, fairy tale, and legend, Thompkins has created a fantasy worth reading…and then reading again.

A friend recommended this book to me, and for some reason, I actually read it, within two weeks of the suggestion. I very rarely listen to recs and actually read the books, but I’m so glad I went for this one.

Though the book, in my opinion, is plot-based, the characters and their motivations, and thus their development, is astounding. The Last Days of Magic is such a well-rounded, adventurous, must-read. (Wow. I like the hyphens today, don’t I?)

Anyway, pick up this book, whether or not you like fantasy. With its mix of the real and historical, I think it has a little something for everyone. There’s also a lot of dramatic irony – which makes for some really great suspense…something Tolkien’s works lack during those long battle scenes and war campaigns. Plus, there are demons and Patrick’s Blood Bell and exorcists. And much much more!!

Review – The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey

Genre: non-fiction, research, mystery

Themes/Motifs: WWI, England, subterfuge, Belvoir Castle, death and heirs

Similar media: Downton Abbey

Tone: tense, but hopeful

As part of the Bout of Books 17.0 reading challenge, I finally finished The Secret Rooms: A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret by Catherine Bailey. I had been reading it since mid-June.

Non-fiction, it was not my normal “type” of book, but I am trying to broaden my horizons; however, it was part of a Downton Abbey display at Barnes and Noble, so I decided that it was my type, and decided to read it.

I was decidedly disappointed – the title claims that the book is a story about a haunted castle. This part of the subtitle is purely for show, in order to get people to buy and read the book. Well, it got me. There’s only maybe five pages at the beginning of the piece that talks about the haunted castle.

It does, however, deliver on the plotting duchess and family secret, which I do have to admit, was fascinating in some regards. It read much like a mystery at some points, but also did not live up to the expectation that it would read like fiction, as a review stated it would.

Overall, I found the subject interesting, and to be the one researching the plot would have been exhilarating, but hearing of it second-hand, so to speak, was not quite as fascinating as I would have hoped. Though Catherine Bailey does a phenomenal job of exploring all possible avenues, I left the book feeling overall detached and disappointed – with the plot, the characters, and even the presentation. Even though this book wasn’t for me, I would still recommend this book because I think it still has merit and others might greatly enjoy it. It just wasn’t what I was looking for at the time.

Bout of Books 17.0 – Day 7 Update

Bout of Books 17.0 is officially over 😩, but it was great week full of reading and challenges. I met my goal by completing all three books I set out to read, and even snuck in some extra reading yesterday 😊. I can’t wait for the next Bout of Books come January!

Day 7 Stats:

Pages read 144

Books read 3

• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes 
• Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
• The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde 

Books finished 1 – Me Before You 

Weekly Wrap-Up:

Total pages read 768!!

Books finished 3.

Goal met ✔️

Challenges completed 4.

Cheers!!!

Bout of Bouts 17.0 – Day 6 Update

Yesterday was the most fantastic reading day. With the new house, came a new reading corner (slightly unfinished) and air conditioning, so while it was 96 degrees outside, I was inside sipping hot Scottish Breakfast tea with cream and sugar and reading two amazing books.  The result?

Day 6 stats:

Pages read 174 (eeekkkkk!!!)

Books read 2. 

Books finished 1 – The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins.

Total pages read 624.

Total books finished 2.

Challenges completed 4.
Last day!!! Gotta go get my read on!

Bout of Books 17.0 – Day 5 Update

I’ve cracked! I read 4 pages yesterday…4!!! Not 104, not even 14. Just 4. Wow. 

So today I’m going to read read read. I have to finish two books in just two days. Arggghhhhhh!!!

Day 5 stats:

Pages read 4.

Total pages read 440.

Books finished 0.

Total books finished 1. 

Challenges completed 4.

Let the true reading marathon begin!

Bout of Books 17.0 – Day 4 Update

Hello there!

So yesterday was a crazy, hectic, chaotic…is chaotic derived from both crazy and hectic…hmmm…day. BUT, I still managed to get 105 pages in. I was a little fidgety (manic) by 11:30, but I stuck it out and finished “just one more chapter” that predictably turned into three more.

So without any further ado, because I’ve been elected to pick up pizza and wings, here are the Day 4 stats:

Pages read 105.

• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Books finished 0.

Total pages read 436.

Total books finished 1.

Challenges completed 3.

Bout of Books Titles in the Tabloids Challenge

This is such a fun challenge!!!

TITLES IN THE TABLOIDS

Here’s my attempt – I’m not that great an sensationalizing in general, so let me know if you think my tabloid headlines are a bunch of crock. Feel free to post your own, as well!

SPOILER ALERT!!!!

 

The Secret Rooms by Catherine Bailey

Plotting Duchess Destroys Son’s Confidence…Then Ends Up Being Right

 

The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins

Mad Richard, Viking Turncoats, Irish Defenders, English Murderers!

 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Why Can’t Real Life Be Like Hollywood?

 

Whatcha think? Tell me in the comments below!