- Blog More. I feel like this is happening, even if it is just book reviews right now. I'll try to work on some non-book related posts in the future.
- Gym. Yeah, lets not talk about that one right now.
- Quality time with my husband. We had a lovely get away, and are planning more.
- Quilt with my mom. Having been sick most of January and part of February I haven't been real eager to get together with people and make them sick. This will happen.
- Embroidery. Nothing yet, but I still want to do this.
- Hang out with my sisters more. Working on that one-that would be a good blog post!
- Play games/watch games with friends. Need to work on this too-but not being sick is a step in the right direction.
- Read more. I have actually been reading a lot. I have finished a few trilogies now, need to finish blogging about the last one. I'm already on to a new book.
- Correspond more. I would like to be doing better with this one, I need to make time for that.
- Find my music. Also need to work on this more.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Revisiting My 2015 Goals
It's almost the end of February and I thought I'd check in with my 2015 goals and see if I was actually accomplishing them, or trying to do the things I want to do.
Friday, February 20, 2015
Book: Divergent by Veronica Roth
I was a little hesitant to read the Divergent Trilogy (Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant by Veronica Roth), or watch the movie. I watched Hunger Games and was more upset by it than I thought I would be, to be fair I didn't have a complete handle on what I was in store for. I was afraid I would feel the same way about Divergent. I have not read the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, I did read the Wikipedia summaries because after the first movie I felt like I needed to see if it was more of the same before I invested my precious reading time into it. Thanks to Wikipedia I have a pretty good understanding of what happens over the three books. That's not to say I may not watch the movies, or eventually read the books because I have friends that liked them, and I have no doubt they are well written. I know, right now, it's just not what I want to be reading. My sister, Melanie, is an avid reader and happens to have similar taste as I do when it comes to books. She said I should give the Divergent Trilogy a try. I usually like to read the book first, and then watch the movie but I ended up watching the movie first. Then I had concerns I wouldn't enjoy the book or the books would ruin the movies for me. Melanie assured me that would not be an issue. She knows me. I trust her. She was right.
There may be spoilers, but I will do my best to not share all the good stuff.
Divergent, the first book in the trilogy, is a young-adult (although at times it didn't feel very young-adult) novel set in a post apocalyptic version of Chicago. People are designated into five factions: Abnegation for the selfless, Amity for the peaceful, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the brave, and Erudite for the intellectual. The story follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior through the process of testing, choosing, and initiation into a faction. Tris grew up Abnegation, but always felt like she didn't fit the faction. When her test to determine what faction she was best suited for came back with more than one possibility she realizes there is something different about her. The test administrator warns her not to tell anyone about her results, because if anyone else found out she was Divergent her life would be at risk. Because of her ability to fit in with more than one groups way of thinking, she shows independent thoughts and is a threat to the social structure of the factions. She is told it is her choice what faction she wants to join, but is told what ever she choices she has to be careful. With the motto "Faction before blood" ingrained, she has to choose between her family and where she thinks she belongs. At the choosing ceremony she is surprised when her brother, Caleb, chooses Erudite. I think his choice may have made her choice to change factions a little harder, but she does and chooses Dauntless. As she struggles through the initiation process, which is pretty brutal, she learns a little about herself and about the factions. The structure of the five factions is starting to crack and Tris finds herself fighting a battle she didn't see coming. She makes friends, and some enemies. I enjoyed watching her start to come out from her "Stiff" up bringing. I hope we see her friendships continue to grow and develop, especially her friendship with Christina, a former Candor who seems to have no filter whatsoever, and her instructor, Four.
I have to say I enjoyed the book (I had trouble putting it down), and even though I had watched the movie first I didn't have any of those moments where I was mad about something being changed or omitted. The book went more in depth on some things, but the movie did not leave out anything crucial, It was one of the better adaptations I have seen, and am looking forward to the next installment.
There may be spoilers, but I will do my best to not share all the good stuff.
Divergent, the first book in the trilogy, is a young-adult (although at times it didn't feel very young-adult) novel set in a post apocalyptic version of Chicago. People are designated into five factions: Abnegation for the selfless, Amity for the peaceful, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the brave, and Erudite for the intellectual. The story follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior through the process of testing, choosing, and initiation into a faction. Tris grew up Abnegation, but always felt like she didn't fit the faction. When her test to determine what faction she was best suited for came back with more than one possibility she realizes there is something different about her. The test administrator warns her not to tell anyone about her results, because if anyone else found out she was Divergent her life would be at risk. Because of her ability to fit in with more than one groups way of thinking, she shows independent thoughts and is a threat to the social structure of the factions. She is told it is her choice what faction she wants to join, but is told what ever she choices she has to be careful. With the motto "Faction before blood" ingrained, she has to choose between her family and where she thinks she belongs. At the choosing ceremony she is surprised when her brother, Caleb, chooses Erudite. I think his choice may have made her choice to change factions a little harder, but she does and chooses Dauntless. As she struggles through the initiation process, which is pretty brutal, she learns a little about herself and about the factions. The structure of the five factions is starting to crack and Tris finds herself fighting a battle she didn't see coming. She makes friends, and some enemies. I enjoyed watching her start to come out from her "Stiff" up bringing. I hope we see her friendships continue to grow and develop, especially her friendship with Christina, a former Candor who seems to have no filter whatsoever, and her instructor, Four.
I have to say I enjoyed the book (I had trouble putting it down), and even though I had watched the movie first I didn't have any of those moments where I was mad about something being changed or omitted. The book went more in depth on some things, but the movie did not leave out anything crucial, It was one of the better adaptations I have seen, and am looking forward to the next installment.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Book: Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey
I wrote posts about the Expanse Series, a space opera by James S. A. Corey. The posts were about Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War and Abaddon's Gate. This one is about the fourth book, Cibola Burn.
Now there is a race to travel through the gate and find a new planet to colonize. A group of settlers from Ganymede has traveled though the gate and landed on a planet they call Illus which they make their home. The problem is a corporation wants to make the planet, they call it New Terra, their property. The settlers, including Basia who we met in the second book, strike out against the Royal Charter Energy (RCE) people who are come to lay claim to the planet for the corporation. The settlers believe the planet is already theirs. RCE has brought in scientists and security people to study and take control of New Terra. The conflict between the settlers and RCE gets enough attention that Avasarala recruits Holden to go mediate the situation. Things do not go as planned. Not only is there tension on New Terra, it carries to the ships hanging out in New Terra's orbit. Holden finds himself in trouble on the ground with the spokes person from RCE, Murty (a real jerk), and on a planet that seems intent on killing everyone. Naomi and the crew of the Rocinante have their hands full with the RCE crew trying to assert their control from above, as directed by Murty of course, Once I finally got into this book it was hard to put down. There was a lot of tension, and me wondering how they were going to get out of the different situations that just kept coming.
One thing I really could have done without in this book were the interlude chapters. I pretty much hated them. The were strange, they didn't make sense, and after sort of reading the first one I didn't read any of the others because they didn't seem to matter.
Also, as I was reading this book I wondered what Cibola Burn was referring to. I don't remember seeing the name Cibola anywhere. And then I realized none of the other titles really made sense either. It doesn't really matter, I didn't think about it until now. Maybe it is something that will just make sense as the series develops. There are going to be nine books total, the fifth one is supposed to be coming out in June of this year. The authors have created a pretty big world to work with, I can't wait to see where they end up next, and what trouble Holden has to get himself out of! Until then, on to the next series!
Now there is a race to travel through the gate and find a new planet to colonize. A group of settlers from Ganymede has traveled though the gate and landed on a planet they call Illus which they make their home. The problem is a corporation wants to make the planet, they call it New Terra, their property. The settlers, including Basia who we met in the second book, strike out against the Royal Charter Energy (RCE) people who are come to lay claim to the planet for the corporation. The settlers believe the planet is already theirs. RCE has brought in scientists and security people to study and take control of New Terra. The conflict between the settlers and RCE gets enough attention that Avasarala recruits Holden to go mediate the situation. Things do not go as planned. Not only is there tension on New Terra, it carries to the ships hanging out in New Terra's orbit. Holden finds himself in trouble on the ground with the spokes person from RCE, Murty (a real jerk), and on a planet that seems intent on killing everyone. Naomi and the crew of the Rocinante have their hands full with the RCE crew trying to assert their control from above, as directed by Murty of course, Once I finally got into this book it was hard to put down. There was a lot of tension, and me wondering how they were going to get out of the different situations that just kept coming.
One thing I really could have done without in this book were the interlude chapters. I pretty much hated them. The were strange, they didn't make sense, and after sort of reading the first one I didn't read any of the others because they didn't seem to matter.
Also, as I was reading this book I wondered what Cibola Burn was referring to. I don't remember seeing the name Cibola anywhere. And then I realized none of the other titles really made sense either. It doesn't really matter, I didn't think about it until now. Maybe it is something that will just make sense as the series develops. There are going to be nine books total, the fifth one is supposed to be coming out in June of this year. The authors have created a pretty big world to work with, I can't wait to see where they end up next, and what trouble Holden has to get himself out of! Until then, on to the next series!
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Book: Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey
I wrote posts about the series I'm currently reading, the Expanse Series, a space opera by James S. A. Corey. The posts were about Leviathan Wakes and Caliban's War. This one is about the third book, Abaddon's Gate.
Something happens on Venus that is going to change the way the frontier has been defined. A gate has been discovered, and the race is on to find out what it is, what it does, and where it goes. Holden and the crew of the Rocinante find themselves in a heap of trouble between trying to get away with their ship and being the target of a revenge plot. Holden can't seem to get a break. While trying to keep his ship in the air and his crew safe he finds himself headed to the one place he didn't intend to go-the gate. So many things happen in this book it's hard to say anything without feeling like I'm giving something away. We see some return characters and of course meet some new ones. One of the groups headed to the gate is a ship full of different religious leaders and pastors like Anna. I liked the character interactions as the story unfolded, some of it was expected and some of it was not.
Really things are starting to get crazy. As story lines merge, new ones bloom. I have no idea where things are headed, or how long the series is going to go on but I'm looking forward to the fourth book. Sorry this is so short, but really I don't want to say too much and give anything away. You are just going to have to read them for yourself-it's worth it!
Something happens on Venus that is going to change the way the frontier has been defined. A gate has been discovered, and the race is on to find out what it is, what it does, and where it goes. Holden and the crew of the Rocinante find themselves in a heap of trouble between trying to get away with their ship and being the target of a revenge plot. Holden can't seem to get a break. While trying to keep his ship in the air and his crew safe he finds himself headed to the one place he didn't intend to go-the gate. So many things happen in this book it's hard to say anything without feeling like I'm giving something away. We see some return characters and of course meet some new ones. One of the groups headed to the gate is a ship full of different religious leaders and pastors like Anna. I liked the character interactions as the story unfolded, some of it was expected and some of it was not.
Really things are starting to get crazy. As story lines merge, new ones bloom. I have no idea where things are headed, or how long the series is going to go on but I'm looking forward to the fourth book. Sorry this is so short, but really I don't want to say too much and give anything away. You are just going to have to read them for yourself-it's worth it!
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Music: The Avett Brothers and Sarah Jarosz
David and I were watching Austin City Limits on PBS because Nickel Creek was going to be on. We had been reading about the show for a while so we were just waiting for the episode to air. It turned out their segment was the second half of the program, up first was a group we had not heard of before, The Avett Brothers. I was fixing dinner while they were playing and found the first song they played to be really catchy, it was "Down With the Shine." Any song where they sing about moonshine gets my thumbs up! Thankfully dinner was a quick fix, and I was able to give them my full attention. The sound was familiar but new. It made me think of Mumford and Sons (I love them). Their musical arrangements were beautiful-they have a cello player who was doing things with a cello I have never seen before. By the time they were into their last song, "Morning Song" I had tears in my eyes and knew I wanted to hear more. Nickel Creek's performance seemed glum and pained in comparison which was a disappointment because we had been really looking forward to their part of the show. After the episode was over, David went through some of The Avvet Brother's music on iTunes (I love iTunes previews). I had to have "Morning Song" which is on their album "Magpie and the Dandelion." I downloaded it a few days later, I'm one of those people that ponders things before I purchase them, and have been enjoying it since.
Another artist I've recently gotten into is Sarah Jarosz. Our household has been on kind of a banjo kick lately, so lots of Steve Marin, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and Tony Trischka (just to name a few) have been playing. I've been really enjoying it! As David was looking around at artists you might like if you listened to such and such (I love iTunes), Sarah Jarosz was one of those that popped up. She has a haunting, lovely, folksy voice that was hard to forget once she got in my ear. Her voice reminds me a little of Sarah McLachlan or Jonatha Brooke. David played the song, "Annabelle Lee" and I was hooked. She has a few albums out, but the one I have been unable to stop playing is "Follow Me Down." It has the "Annabelle Lee" track, but there is another song on it that is just beautiful, "Ring Them Bells."
I have not been disappointed, and am looking forward to building up my library with these two new finds. Who knows what they will lead me to next. I'm also open to suggestions, so if you have an artist you think I should check out please let me know!
Another artist I've recently gotten into is Sarah Jarosz. Our household has been on kind of a banjo kick lately, so lots of Steve Marin, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and Tony Trischka (just to name a few) have been playing. I've been really enjoying it! As David was looking around at artists you might like if you listened to such and such (I love iTunes), Sarah Jarosz was one of those that popped up. She has a haunting, lovely, folksy voice that was hard to forget once she got in my ear. Her voice reminds me a little of Sarah McLachlan or Jonatha Brooke. David played the song, "Annabelle Lee" and I was hooked. She has a few albums out, but the one I have been unable to stop playing is "Follow Me Down." It has the "Annabelle Lee" track, but there is another song on it that is just beautiful, "Ring Them Bells."
I have not been disappointed, and am looking forward to building up my library with these two new finds. Who knows what they will lead me to next. I'm also open to suggestions, so if you have an artist you think I should check out please let me know!
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Book: Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey
I wrote a post about the series I'm currently reading, the Expanse Series, a space opera by James S. A. Corey. The post was about the first book Leviathan Wakes. This post will focus on the second book, Caliban's War.
Holden and his crew find themselves on the recently damaged planet Ganymede. Ganymede was a planet that was responsible for growing much of the food for the surrounding colonized planets, and it was also a planet of research and development in agriculture and medicine. A new kind of super solider was unleashed on the gentle planet causing mass destruction. Holden, while doing some investigating on the planet, stumbles upon one of Ganymede's survivors, a scientist named Prax who is starving and hell bent on finding his missing daughter. As the story continues we met a martian soldier, Bobbie, who was on Ganymede and witnessed the super soldiers in action. We follow her journey as she tries to make it right and finds herself allied with people she would have never expected, including a politician, Avasarala, from earth who is busy trying to keep a war for igniting over what happened on Ganymede. How does the story unfold? What about the protomolecule? You are just going to have to read the book to see what happens.
Some of my issues from the last book carried over, like the pronoun confusion. I think it's just going to be that way in this series for me. I think my favorite characters are Holden and his crew (Naomi, Amos and Alex). I enjoy the relationships between them and the general dynamic. I'm hoping that will continue through the series. This book left a few loose ends I'm hoping will be addressed or revealed in later books, like what happened with Mei (Prax's daughter). I will do my best to be patient. More to come!
Holden and his crew find themselves on the recently damaged planet Ganymede. Ganymede was a planet that was responsible for growing much of the food for the surrounding colonized planets, and it was also a planet of research and development in agriculture and medicine. A new kind of super solider was unleashed on the gentle planet causing mass destruction. Holden, while doing some investigating on the planet, stumbles upon one of Ganymede's survivors, a scientist named Prax who is starving and hell bent on finding his missing daughter. As the story continues we met a martian soldier, Bobbie, who was on Ganymede and witnessed the super soldiers in action. We follow her journey as she tries to make it right and finds herself allied with people she would have never expected, including a politician, Avasarala, from earth who is busy trying to keep a war for igniting over what happened on Ganymede. How does the story unfold? What about the protomolecule? You are just going to have to read the book to see what happens.
Some of my issues from the last book carried over, like the pronoun confusion. I think it's just going to be that way in this series for me. I think my favorite characters are Holden and his crew (Naomi, Amos and Alex). I enjoy the relationships between them and the general dynamic. I'm hoping that will continue through the series. This book left a few loose ends I'm hoping will be addressed or revealed in later books, like what happened with Mei (Prax's daughter). I will do my best to be patient. More to come!
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Currently
Doing: Fretting about things I can't control. So many stupid things in my head, including being frustrated that I've been sick for what feels like the last two months.
Thinking about: Some fun things that happen this month (assuming I'm not a succubus of the plague).
Watching: I feel so lost. I just said good by to two shows I loved very much-The Newsroom and very recently Parenthood. I distracted myself this weekend by watching all of Downton Abbey, Season 5, which was wonderful! But now that's done until next season. Thankfully The Walking Dead comes back this Sunday, and Better Call Saul debuts then as well. Grey's Anatomy is also back so I have that to look forward to (and catch up on). Some other guilty pleasures include Moonshiners (they crack me up) and Big Giant Swords (because there are not enough of those).
Looking forward to: Some time at the beach, and not being sick anymore. There are things we want to do, and not being sick is kind of important.
Reading: I'm finishing up the last book (well, the last one that is currently out) in the Expanse Series by James S. A. Corey. I'm trying to blog about it too, so if you are a follower you already knew this!
Loving: My husband, my family, and the flat whites from Starbucks. And peanut butter.
Thinking about: Some fun things that happen this month (assuming I'm not a succubus of the plague).
Watching: I feel so lost. I just said good by to two shows I loved very much-The Newsroom and very recently Parenthood. I distracted myself this weekend by watching all of Downton Abbey, Season 5, which was wonderful! But now that's done until next season. Thankfully The Walking Dead comes back this Sunday, and Better Call Saul debuts then as well. Grey's Anatomy is also back so I have that to look forward to (and catch up on). Some other guilty pleasures include Moonshiners (they crack me up) and Big Giant Swords (because there are not enough of those).
Looking forward to: Some time at the beach, and not being sick anymore. There are things we want to do, and not being sick is kind of important.
Reading: I'm finishing up the last book (well, the last one that is currently out) in the Expanse Series by James S. A. Corey. I'm trying to blog about it too, so if you are a follower you already knew this!
Loving: My husband, my family, and the flat whites from Starbucks. And peanut butter.
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