I Lied

In my last post I was all like "I'll be better." But I lied. I am horrible when it comes to keeping on top of journals. That's all right though. So updates: I've been reading a bit less obsessively because I am now taking a transcription course which my employer was nice enough to pay for. Medical terminology is exciting. It is a daunting task as I haven't done any schooling in about 5 years, but I feel pretty good about it and I am doing well. We got a new kitty for Christmas. Her name Maude (inspired by the movie Harold & Maude). She's the cutest little puffball. Right now we are working on getting her and Dru accustomed to each other. It is going pretty well. Dru has done some growling and hissing, but when we let Maude out of the bedroom this morning they nudged faced. That is an awesome sign and we were pretty excited about it. Since I last posted I re-read the Southern Vampire series by Charlaine Harris, Neil Gaiman's Coraline, and George R. Stewart's Earth Abides. I participated in a book club for my friend & coworker's Ecopsychology project so I read most of Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver as well. The book was okay. It isn't really my kind of book, but I enjoyed it at least a little bit. Earth Abides was our last book and the member's seemed to enjoy it. What else.... Chuck Klosterman's Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs was pretentious and kind of fun too. Something for the dork in all of us. I skimmed the Wicca Handbook and the Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca. Turns out that even though I am a total dork I am not ready to go out hugging trees and casting pretend spells. It was worth a try but also, you know, ridiculous. Way to hokey for my tastes. I went through a Harry Potter audio book phase and then devoured Tales of Beedle the Bard when it came out. It was a little disappointing because it was so tiny... not to mention the Warner Brother's assholes deciding not to release the Half Blood Prince movie until July (as opposed to November) so that they could make a few more buckets of money. Good for them and bad for the fans who were looking forward to seeing it last month. Now Patrick and I are on a Buffy the Vampire kick. We started at season 5 and are now into season 6. Last night I watched the musical episode which was just as awesome as always. Okay.. so I think that is all for now. Here a couple pictures to wrap all this up:
Maude - this is the first picture that we were able to get of her that isn't just a blur. Turns out it is pretty difficult to take a picture of something that moves constantly.

This is Dru (Drusilla - inspired by the vampire in the Buffy series) at around the same age Maude is now. Never name your kitty after something that is totally evil unless you want her to turn out totally evil... well she's not really evil she's just crazy like the character she was named after. :)

Okay that's all we need to go to the store for kitty supplies.

Still absent,

I suck, I'm still reading, but not posting. what's up with that? I swear I'll try to be better.

Right now I am trying to win a bed. I'll have a better chance of winning a bed if you and all your friends click the following link:

So please do it. I need some rest. :)

I've been absent

Well, Patrick and I found a new place to live so much of the past month has consisted of packing, throwing things away, donating things, and squabbling with each other due to all of the stress. We are now officially out of the cave that we lived in. It is clean and we don't have keys to it anymore. Good riddance!

I have been reading and I will update that as soon as I find my bookmate that has the two Buffy books that I read before the move. I've got to keep things in order after all.

Regarding bookmates. They are absolutely amazing creations for those of us who would like to read as we do other things. Check them out: Reading will never be the same.

Here's a link to a new site I found out about: Literary Illusions. There's one for kids too!

I don't know a whole lot about them yet, but the site looks great and I plan to spend a significant amount of time there.

I'm a Dork and I Don't Care

25. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Little Things - Moesta
26. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Power of Persuasion - Massie

Still going on with that little Buffy obsession. These books are really guilty pleasures. They are really corny and quite teeny-boppery, but I really enjoy them.

Little Things was really fun because the villains were faeries that are vampires. Buffy and friends have to think small in order to defeat the baddies. This one took place after Spike had been implanted with the chip that hurts him if he hurts humans. Spike is one of my favorite Buffy characters so it was nice to see him playing a good sized part. I had forgotten how protective he was of Dawn.

Power of Persuasion was fun too. I really love mythology and this book took well known Goddesses and put them in the Buffy Universe. I won't reveal too much here because that's no fun, but there is some pretty sick stuff in this book. haha.

One of the things that I just really love about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel (On TV and in Books) is that the writers often take a well known story and twist it so it is something vaguely familiar. And then when you realize what is going on at the end you want to kick yourself because you should have known all along. I still have quite a collection of Buffy and Angel books left in my pile of books to be read and so I'll probably keep going with them for awhile until I get sick of them or I finish them.

Now it is time for a bit more about the Ben Folds show. I am so sad that it is over because I'm sure that he'll never be back to Montana. He played a huge variety of stuff. Army and Not the Same were great because they are the major audience participation ones. As soon as he started Zak and Sara things got a little more wild and so everyone was standing. We were like ten feet from him. It was awesome. The audience sang Bitches Ain't Shit word for word which is hilarious because it is actually a cover of a Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg song. I don't know. It was just awesome - the whole experience, and now I want to do it again and again. I feel a little depressed though. I've never experienced that after a concert. I think it is because it is going to be one hell of a long time before anyone really worth seeing comes to Bozeman again. When I lived in Michigan it was different because everyone goes there. There are actually large cities in Michigan, but Montana... well no one really thinks of Montana.

C'est la vie

A Quick Post Before Sleepy Time

First of all - I am not tired at all.
Patrick and I went to see Ben Folds tonight. He was awesome. Ben Lee opened. He was also awesome.

So the show was spectacular. We had front row seats and we were so close that we could see spit flying as he sang and we could also see the calluses on his fingers from how hard he pounds the keys. It was so cool.

It was a very good time. I wish we could do it all over again.

The pictures are below. I like the third one the best. They're kind of blurry because they were taken on my cellphone, but Patrick did a great job.

I just don't even know what else to say. It was awesome. More tomorrow once I have had some sleep. I've also read another book, but Ben Folds is more important tonight.

Nighty-Night.

Books based on TV shows

24. Angel: Image - Odom

So, I did decide that I should read some fluff before attempting Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I like fluffy books. When I was doing some hardcore ordering from paperbackswap.com I got a bunch of books based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. I have been feeling the pull of the shows once again so I decided to read a book based on Angel. It was good. Not spectacular, not bad - just good. I still want to watch the shows though. I don't know what I'll read next.

In non-reading news:
*Last night Patrick and I went to Bozeman's first drag show. It was called Revolution. I don't know about Patrick, but I haven't had that much fun in a long time. It was hilarious. All the performers were great. We were sitting pretty close to the stage (Third row) and as soon as Foxxy V. Love came out and started interacting with the audience I was wishing that we had sat further away. (Only because we're shy. lol) So over the course of the show we got sprayed with a penis shaped water gun (courtesy of Sharon Fluids), our faces were brushed with a pink fan made out of feathers (Foxxy V. Love), and my husband got a lap dance form Mercedes Benz. It was a hilarious and very fun evening... especially after two very drunk girls who kept crawling onto the stage were removed from the building. It really gives me a little more faith in Bozeman. It is great to know that we can experience such diversity in a Montana town.

*The Ben Folds show is Tuesday! I'm really excited. We've got front row seats and I am so excited I could die. Nothing more to say about that. I will absolutely update after the show. I cannot wait!!!

*Sometimes it feels like we are fighting a losing battle in trying to find an affordable apartment that we can have a pet in. This town is infuriating. We've got calls out on a few places, but we'll see what happens. It is really hard to get the more affordable places because there is so much competition for them. So yeah... that's really frustrating. I hope we can find something soon. We had a stray kitty come to our door last week and I really wanted to keep her. She was absolutely beautiful and I am sure that she and Dru would've gotten along if they would have had the chance. We took her to the Humane Society. I am sure that they had found her owners if she had them or she is already adopted because she was so cute and lovable.

When did I get so slow?

23. The Magician's Guild - Canavan

So after attacking the monster that is Outlander I decided that I needed to read something a little bit lighter. The Magician's Guild was lighter, but not as light as I thought it would be. The story as a whole is interesting, but it was a struggle to move through some parts. I'm interested in finding out what happens in the next book in the series, but I don't know that I am willing to actually read that book. I don't know if I have the patience to wade through the boring just to find out what happens. I liked the story, but I didn't really enjoy all the reading. I don't know if that even makes sense, but there it is.

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is what I decided to read next, but now that I am a few pages in I am not so sure. I think I need to read some fluff before I attack that one. we'll see what happens.

In other non-reading news:
Patrick and I are still struggling to find an apartment that is affordable and allows cats. Every day I get more pissed off because of the ridiculously high rental rates in this town. And then today we couldn't even look because our newspaper website is only showing one classified ad. it is a help wanted ad for the newspaper. I was in a grumpy mood so I wrote a complaint. It is hard enough to find a place in this town without having to fall behind all the people who are able to subscribe to the newspaper. The classifieds online are already one day behind what is current. Missing this whole day does not help our chances of finding something.

All right, that's all the bitching I have time for right now.

I feel faint

22. Outlander - Gabaldon

Well, not really. Reading Outlander was quite an adventure. I feel like it took forever, but I really enjoyed it. I was worried there for a bit, but as soon as she got to 1743 I was good. Things got a lot more interesting. I liked it a lot, but I don't know if or when I will continue the series. These days I don't like to have to try all that much in my reading and Outlander was difficult. There is just a lot of detail. Sometimes it really frustrated me because I just wanted to know what happened next while all the details were laid out. I like details, but it kind of felt like too much. Especially since I like to read quickly and move onto the next thing. Gabaldon doesn't allow that and as infuriating as it is I guess I don't mind too much. The story was great and there was always just enough of a cliff hanger at the end of the chapter to make me not want to put the book down. What I really want to know about is Geilie Duncan.

So yes, Outlander was enjoyable.

P.S. I just checked Wikipedia to see how many books are in the series and read a bit of a synopsis of Dragonfly in Amber . I might just have to continue after all, but my brain needs a break first.

Okay, bye now.

Vampires, Time Travel, Real Life

21. All Together Dead - Harris

I obviously had to take some time off from Outlander when I was able to get this one because I had eagerly anticipated it far days. (A little impatient, I know)

I am really impressed with Charlaine Harris. Even though I have really enjoyed all the books in the series I was getting a little bit bored with having kind of the same plot line in each of the books. This one took Sookie completely out of her comfort zone and it was actually a bit more serious. That is probably because it was written after Hurricane Katrina. The book did mention that, and in general there was just a lot more disaster. I really enjoyed reading it, and I'm sad that it is over. Luckily I only have to wait until May for the next installment. The first chapter of From Dead to Worse was included at the end of this one so I got a little taste of what's to come. I'm looking forward to it.

And now - Outlander. It took me a bit to get into it, but now I am really enjoying it. I wasn't that interested until the woman read Claire's tea leaves and her palm. It has continued to get better from that point. More about that one when I've finished though.

In other news - I am taking Monday and Tuesday off so that I will have a four day weekend. I am hoping that it will keep my head from exploding... work has been stressful for a few days. Working at a mental health center is rewarding, but sometimes I wish I had a job that had a lower death toll. I hadn't experienced much loss in my life until the mental health center and now it has really compounded. I wonder if it is something that I will ever be able to adjust to... I also don't know if it is something that I want to adjust to. Anyway... it is difficult.

I think I've made a decision

Outlander - Galbadon

I started reading last night. I've heard that it is really good, but I've never been a huge fan of historical fiction... I am a fan of time travel though so I am going to give it a try. I haven't really gotten into it yet, but there hasn't really been any action either. I will have patience... At least until tomorrow when All Together Dead is out. ;)

Don't Fight It or Recognizing Denial

For quite some time now I have insisted that I do not like reading romances or westerns. Well, I've been thinking. I cannot say that I don't like romances... well I can, but I think I might be lying. They just have to be supernatural romances. I think the elitist English major in me didn't want to admit that I could thoroughly enjoy fluff... (I don't know why I've got such a negative attitude towards romance in the first place).
So I am just going to get this off my chest:

Over the past year or so I have read a few supernatural romances and I have really enjoyed
them. I have denied and denied, but I will deny no longer. I really like reading supernatural romances.

Okay I feel better.

20. Definitely Dead - Harris

I finished this afternoon. Unfortunately I don't have All Together Dead yet, but I am anxiously awaiting Tuesday when it is released. I think I may be going through withdrawals, but I don't know and maybe I wouldn't admit it if I were. So yeah, just as good as the rest, still pretty sexy and now there's a weretiger. That's pretty cool. I found it funny that I said Sookie was kind of a slut in the last post, but in this one she wasn't so much. (Not that I mind a slutty Sookie. She certainly keeps me amused.) She didn't have actual sex with anyone in this book. And she only kissed a couple different guys so that's pretty chaste for her.
I have one complaint about these books so far. This is definitely the English major in me speaking, but here it is: Would it kill the people who publish these books to hire someone who can read and pick out various grammatical errors. Every single one of the books has had at least a couple that made me stop and re-read just to make sure that it was really there. It is so distracting. There were situations where the wrong word was used and the sentence made absolutely no sense. Is it so difficult to proofread? I've never encountered this in any other series, but it frustrates me. The errors will not make me quit reading the series, but I am still annoyed.
I'm done now. I have no idea what to read next. Maybe I'll take a day off. Maybe not.

Not an Addict

I thought I'd pop in here briefly to talk about the reading that I've done in the past two-ish days.

18. Dead to the World - Harris
19. Dead as a Doornail - Harris

So I've pretty much not stopped reading in the past few days... with the exception of working. (But even then I read on my lunch break)
These two books have been every bit as good as the others by Harris. They really sweep you up. I've been thinking about it a bit, and I've realized that they are addictive like Buffy the Vampire Slayer is addictive. They're not like great literature or anything, (Sorry Charlaine) but they have all sorts of twists and turns. They are brimming with sexual tension. There is romance, action, fantasy, etc.
I think I am just surprised that I have become so immersed in these books when they are so different from what I usually read. I do, of course, read fantasy a lot but they don't usually contain scenes that make me blush. Seriously - They're naughty. Interesting that Sookie goes from being a virgin to being kind of a slut.
Anyhow... all I'm saying is that it is unusual, but I won't fight it. I am enjoying the books as much as and as quickly as possible despite the effect that the total immersion kind of conflicts with real life. My husband is still driven crazy by the constant reading and he is still threatening to call the people that run the show Intervention because I so obviously need one. ;) I could totally quit if I wanted to with no problem. I just don't want to... Trust me... I've got it under control.

I suppose that it should go without saying that I'm well into Definitely Dead at this point and that's okay.

Ready? Okay.

So I dragged my husband to Hastings to pick up the remaining Sookie books, but they only had two of the four. (Sad, I know) We went to Barnes & Noble and they had one more. So now I have Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead as a Doornail, and Definitely Dead.

Apparently All Together Dead hasn't been released yet, which I didn't realize. I just checked amazon.com and I guess it is a reprint. So that's cool. I can wait until Tuesday. Book eight From Dead to Worse is due out on May 6. I have mixed feelings about that because I will obviously want to read it immediately, but unless I wait to buy the paperback my set won't match. It is a real dilemma. I'm sure I'll break down and buy it.. that is just my way. Poor me, right? :p

Okay, I suppose I should go start reading now... these books certainly are not going to read themselves. ;) Plus, Lost is on in an hour so I have limited time.

Must. Stop. Typing.

It is so difficult. I love my new blog.

Now the Current Posts Start

16. Living Dead In Dallas - Harris
17. Club Dead - Harris

Have I mentioned my deep and quite new love of Charlaine Harris? I don't think I have. I am going to say this now... I am obsessed. I had heard good things about the Sookie Stackhouse Series. When I asked for suggestions on paperback swap for books that feature vampires (because I'm obsessed with Buffy) I ordered several of the books. This was quite a long time ago... and for some reason my stupid brain was like "No Bethany, read every other thing first don't open that book that you'll absolutely love even though you don't even know it yet." (I've got great internal dialogue).

But I'll stop that now. All I have to say is that the Sookie series is absolutely amazing. I finished Club Dead yesterday and went through withdrawals on my lunch break because I didn't have my nose stuck in a book. When I got home from work I nonchalantly mentioned my addiction to my husband. He sees right through me.
"Go ahead and order the next one" He says.
"But there are several" I say.
"How many?" He says with deep trepidation.
And at that I swiftly pull out a list of books that I printed out while at work today... that totally gave my whole scheme away. (As if it was a secret to begin with... I am so transparent.)

We will be going to Hastings a little later.


Okay... so impressions of books two and three in the Sookie Stackouse series:

• Adventurous
• SEXY
• Probably shouldn't read them at work.
  
• I want more right now.
  
• Who would've thought that there could be three characters in a single book who you really want to do the main character? AND you don't care which one it is! (Sorry, but it is true).
• Charlaine Harris is my hero.

Okay, my brain is too clouded by desire for the rest of the books that I cannot think properly, but suffice to say: The Sookie series is a keeper for me, and I will proudly display the set alongside my complete set of Harry Potter, my autographed Neil Gaiman selections, and my recently acquired hardcover copy of The Neverending Story.

Still Going Strong

March 16

15. Elsewhere - Zevin

I had a very good feeling about Elsewhere. When I read the description I thought it would be similar to The Lovely Bones which I really enjoyed. It did turn out to be similar, but not quite what I expected.

Elsewhere was clearly written for younger people. It was a very quick read, but also quite good. At times I was a little bit annoyed at how childish it was, but I worked hard to keep the audience it was intended for in mind. Zevin did a very good job of creating characters that you really care about. Part of the reason why I finished in a day was that I just really wanted to know how Liz's journey would progress. It had great ups and downs. I really enjoyed the read.

Up next: Living Dead in Dallas - Harris

Done

March 16

14. Tinker - Spencer

I finished this one a whole lot quicker than I thought I would. Tinker is the most original fantasy book that I have read in a very long time. It has the feel of regular fantasy (I think it is called High Fantasy or something like that), but it blends technology in as well. It is often difficult to separate magic from science. I just really don't know where to begin for this book. It is just all around surprising. I'd get to a point where I felt like I knew how everything was going to be and then there would suddenly be a steamy sex scene. Then there would be a description of fairly extreme gore. There is romance, action, fantasy, science fiction, and more. This book has pretty much anything that you could think of.

I guess I just have to say "Wow." So someone recommended this a long time ago. I don't remember who, but I would like to thank that person because this book restores my faith in the fantasy genre. It is nice to know that once you've sifted through all the typical books and have ended up thoroughly frustrated with the lack of selection that you can still find something that is truly original.

All right, I'm done gushing. Now I've just got to decide what to read next. I got a box of books from amazon today and I don't know what to choose.

Another one bites the dust

March 13

13. Downsiders - Shusterman

It took some time, but I did eventually get into this book. It wasn't as good as most of the other books that I have read so far this year, but it was interesting. The basic idea of it: Forbidden love between two teenagers who are just trying to figure out who they are and who they are going to be. It was nice and you get to see a lot of character growth.
So.. I've definitely read better, but it was nice for filler.

Next up: Tinker - Spencer

I've heard good things about it so I hope it lives up to my expectations.

Life As We Knew It

March 8

12. Life As We Knew It - Pfeffer

This book was great. I had heard good things about it and they were all true. It was truly an engrossing read. Since I finished reading it, I have caught myself thinking about what it would be like to truly be in that situation. It really puts things into perspective. The only complaint that I can think of is that there are some things about it that are just not realistic, but I can deal with that. It is just a book and it is meant for teens so they have leeway there.

I've just started Downsiders - Shusterman I'm not really feeling it yet, but I will still give it awhile. I have been feeling kind of ill for a couple days anyway so that could have something to do with it. It is definitely an interesting concept so we'll see what happens.

2008 Books

March 4
I didn't do so well with the new author challenge last year so this year I am just going to keep track of what I read. I've been a little crazy with reading this year so here is the list (in the order that I remember them) so far:
1. Artemis Fowl - Colfer
2. Ender's Game - Card
3. Poison Study - Snyder
4. Magic Study - Snyder
5. Fire Study - Snyder
6. Dead Until Dark - Harris
7. Alien Secrets - Klause
8. The Fall - Nix
9. Which Witch - Ibottson
10. The Book of Names - Peel
11. Julie & Julia - Powell

I am satisfied with my choices so far this year. Several of those books are kids books, but I think they fueled the fire. Ender's Game was amazing.. It was so much more than I expected it to be and I cannot wait to continue the series.
Poison Study, Magic Study, and Fire Study were all fabulous. As soon as I finished Poison Study I had to have Magic Study and was pleasantly surprised that there was a third book. I am sad that it is over though.
I finished Dead Until Dark tonight. I was pleasantly surprised with that one too. I love the random vampire story and this one was no disappointment. It was kind of sexy too. ;)
All right, that is all for now. Next up is Life As We Knew It.

Why I'm Here

Since I was a very young girl I have read. I often read to the point of driving others (a.k.a my loving husband) to the brink of insanity. Apparently that can be annoying. The reading obsession kind of goes in phases and I am in the midst of one of the more severe phases right now. I cannot seem to stop... and I don't really want to. On March 4 of this year I decided to record all the books that I read this year. I've been keeping track with notebook entries at paperbackswap.com, but I have now made the decision that I would like to be a bit more formal in my record... hence the blog.
So I am now transferring my notebook entries to blog entries.

So as to avoid being too annoying that will start in the next post.