2013 Book Challenge Update

New Reads So Far

My Booky Wook – Russell Brand

I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This – Bob Newhart
The Body in the Library – Agatha Christie
A Princess of Mars – Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – Deborah Moggach
Shakespeare’s Landlord – Charlaine Harris
Hero at Large – Janet Evanovich
Cat Among the Pigeons – Agatha Christie
 

Re-reads So Far

The Mysterious Affair at Styles – Agatha Christie

Murder on the Links – Agatha Christie
Poirot Investigates – Agatha Christie
The Labors of Hercules – Agatha Christie
The Hobbit – J R R Tolkien
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring – J R R Tolkien
Around the World in 80 Days – Michael Palin
Persuasion – Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
 

Currently Reading

Devil in the Smoke – Justin Richards

Murder on Monday – Ann Purser
The Queen Mother: The Official Biography – William Shawcross
The ABC Murders – Agatha Christie (re-read)

 

And yet…it feels like I’ve hardly been reading at all! 

 

- HistoryDiva

*Yawn*

Know what I haven’t seen in forever?  One of those silly surveys with pointless questions. 

 

What happened to those?  Did they fall out of fashion?  These things used to plague my work inbox but I’ve seen nary a one in several years.  

 

Perhaps this is a good thing, really. 

 

But…I’m bored today. 

 

So, I’m totally recycling one from the bowels of the blog (2008-ish).  Let’s see how things have changed. 

 

About Me 2013

1. What time did you get up this morning?  6:05 AM, which is when the second alarm went off  

2. Diamonds or pearls?  Diamonds

3. What was the last movie you saw?  At home: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows – in the theater: I don’t remember…I know it was animated…something TiaDiva wanted to see

4. Where is the most beautiful place you've ever been?  New River Gorge, West Virginia

5. What do you usually have for breakfast?  A to-go mug of hot tea

6. What is your favorite food?  Chinese

7. What food do you dislike?  Anything fried *ugh*

8. What is your favorite CD lately?  CD?  Really?  Damn, this thing IS old.  Ummm…oh!  Adele “21”

9. What kind of car do you drive?  Chevy Malibu

10. Favorite sandwich?  Grilled Cheese   

11. What characteristics do you despise?  Blatant stupidity

12. Favorite item of clothing?  My new ‘snow sneakers’ from LL Bean – they keep my toes warm and have good grip on slippery ground  

13. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go?  Tough call…there is so much of the world I would like to see…but right this very moment the greatest place in the world would be a little cabin in the woods where I could spend a week reading and cross stitching in front of a cozy fire while drinking lots of tea and having NO ONE bother me.

14. What color is your bathroom?  Blue

15. Favorite brand of clothing?  I can’t afford clothing that has a brand…but Hanes comes to mind.

16. Where would/will you retire?  I would like to retire to a Pacific Island...I’m thinking about New Zealand.  

17. What was your most memorable birthday?  They are all memorable…just not always in a good way.  

18. Favorite sport to watch?  The Olympics – both summer and winter

19. When is your birthday?   In October

20. Are you a morning person or a night person?  I was such a night person in college it wasn’t even funny…and I still stay up way too late sometimes.  I’m not a morning person but I’m no longer a staunch night owl.  

21. Pets?  One cat, one roommate

22. What did you want to be when you were little?  Something new every other day…but mostly a teacher.

23. What are you today?  Customer Service Representative Extraordinaire   

24. What is your favorite flower?  the Daisy…standard white with yellow center

25. Do you wish on stars?  Can’t see them thanks to urban sprawl

26. Do you believe in Angles?  Yes, what would a trapezoid be without them?

27. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?  Sky blue  

28. Pet peeves?  Quite a few…but for now we’ll just go with dishonesty

29. Favorite television show?  Doctor Who

30. Siblings?  None

31. What was your favorite toy as a child?  The same thing it is today: Legos

32. What is under your bed?  The cord for the electric blanket and the cat’s collection of used dryer sheets

33. Who is the friend you've had longest?  Ummm…well, let’s see…I’ve known TiaDiva for 30 years, the Weird German Girl for 16 years, the HOPSF for15 years, the LibraryDiva for 8 years

34. What are you most afraid of?  Clowns…and taxes

35. How many years at your current job?  3 and a bit   

36. Favorite day of the week?  Thursdays are usually pretty good

37. Least favorite day of the week?  Tuesday

- HistoryDiva

A Very "Blissfully" Birthday

So here we are...5 years in and still blogging.

Who'd have thought?

- HistoryDiva

A WanderingThought

Back in the 90s, when the Furby was originally launched, a friend of mine bought one.  She tired of it quickly and happily passed it along to her mother, who was very taken with the endlessly squawking bug eyed toy and the Furby promptly took up residence on the coffee table in this friend’s living room, where it and her mother (who was unemployed) would spend their days chatting.  The electronic soul sucker had soon dropped all traces of its original ‘Furbish’ language in favor of a slightly ‘southern-fried’ vocabulary instead.  It also became enamored of the family’s cordless phone, which sat beside it on the coffee table all day…to the point where it began to mimic the cordless phone’s ringtone.  Additionally, though I never saw them in the house, the demon toy also latched onto the word ‘banana.’  At random intervals this possessed possession would launch itself into a fit of maniacal laughter, ring like the telephone several times, and round out the performance with an ear splitting chorus of “BANANA BANANA BANANA!!!”  Which was mildly annoying when it happened during the dinner hour…but was totally unsettling when it occurred at 3:00 AM.

Somehow this particular item ended up getting run over by a semi- truck in the drive way…an incident about which I may or may not have additional knowledge.

- HistoryDiva

Curious

The first book I’m reading for the 2013 Book Challenge is Russell Brand’s first memoir, My Booky Wook. 

I’ve gotten more comments (all unsolicited) about this book than any other title I’ve ever read…including the books I read in college which were heavily discussed during various classes. 

The waitress at dinner last night even volunteered her opinion when she overheard me mentioning the book to my family. 

Having actually had my sanity questioned publicly for selecting this title, here’s what I have to say about it in my defense. 

First and foremost, I shouldn’t have to defend my decision to read this book, or any book for that matter.  This is America, it’s 2013, and I’m an adult.

Second, I openly and freely admit that I’ve wanted to read this book since it was originally published in 2007.

Third, this book is a run-away #1 best seller in Britain and Europe.

Fourth and finally, if I want your opinion on a book I’m currently reading I’LL ASK YOU FOR IT.

The 2012 Book Challenge: Final Update

1.   And Furthermore by Judi Dench
2.   Ghosts of India by Mark Harris
3.   The Doctor Trap by Simon Messingham
4.   Girl Singer: An Autobiography by Rosemary Clooney & Joan Barthel
5.   Shining Darkness by Mark Michalowski
6.   I Am A Dalek by Gareth Roberts
7.   Made of Steel by Terrance Dicks
8.   One for the Money by Janet Evanovich
9.   Revenge of the Judoon by Terrance Dicks
10.  Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russell
11.  The Eyeless by Lance Parkin
12.  1st to Die by James Patterson
13.  Judgement of the Judoon by Colin Brake
14.  A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
15.  The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil
16.  The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
17.  Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
18.  The Professors' Wives' Club by Joanne Rendell
19.  A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White
20.  The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch
21.  Fool by Christopher Moore
22.  Around the World in 80 Days by Michael Palin
23.  Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
24.  I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away by Bill Bryson
25.  The English American by Alison Larkin
26.  The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
27.  The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison
28.  The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure
29.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
30.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
31.  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
32.  If You Ask Me by Betty White
33.  The Slitheen Excursion by Simon Guerrier
34.  The Sontaran Games by Jacqueline Rayner
35.  Ghost of a Threat by Beth Dolgner
36.  Ghost of a Whisper by Beth Dolgner
37.  Ghost of a Memory by Beth Dolgner
38.  Prisoner of the Daleks by Trevor Baxendale
39.  Code of the Krillitanes by Justin Richards
40.  Apollo 23 by Justin Richards
41.  Ghost of a Hope by Beth Dolgner - Test Reader Copy
42.  The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
43.  Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie
44.  Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie
45.  Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie
46.  Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie
47.  The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie
48.  Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie
49.  The Labours Of Hercules by Agatha Christie
50.  Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie
51.  A Texas Christmas by Jodi Thomas
52.  The Big Four by Agatha Christie 
53.  Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie
54.  The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding by Agatha Christie
55.  Lord Edgware Dies by Agatha Christie
56.  Death in the Clouds by Agatha Christie
57.  The King's Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy by Mark Logue
58.  The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
59.  Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
60.  The Enchantress by Michael Scott
61.  Roswell: History, Haunts and Legends by Dianna Avena
62.  Miss Hillary Schools a Scoundrel by Samantha Grace
63.  If He's Wicked by Hannah Howell  
64.  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
65.  If He's Sinful by Hannah Howell
66.  Death And The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I and the Dark Scandal That Rocked the Throne by Chris Skidmore
67.  The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
68.  Night of the Humans by David Llewellyn
69.  A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
70.  The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery by Justin Richards
71.  If He's Wild by Hannah Howell
72.  If He's Dangerous by Hannah Howell
73.  Lady Amelia's Mess and a Half by Samantha Grace
74.  The Blooding by Joseph Wambaugh
75.  The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
76.  Three Act Tragedy by Agatha Christie
77.  Anything Goes: My Autobiography by John Barrowman
78.  On Hitler's Mountain: Overcoming the Legacy of a Nazi Childhood by Irmgard A. Hunt
79.  Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
80.  Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
81.  Pole to Pole by Michael Palin
82.  Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
83.  Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Most True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
84.  Full Circle by Michael Palin
85.  Manifest: An Alice Meriwether Novel by Beth Dolgner

And it's done!  I finished the final book on December 30, leaving me about 24 hours of 'wiggle room.'  So...with all that time on my hands...I started reading the first book in the 2013 Book Challenge.

- HistoryDiva