this little life of mine

For many years I have tried to include on my reading list some classic novels - some I've read before, and some I've never read. One of my friends and I even tried having a Classic Literature Book Club and would pick some classic novels we wanted to read. It was always fun, even when we didn't finish. Well, I've decided to try again in 2015 to read some classic literature, and here are my five selections. Enjoy!

1.  Walden by Henry David Thereau. I read this one in high school for College Prep English, and really liked it. I think about it periodically and finally decided to just go ahead and reread it. Maybe then I'll get it out of my system!

2.  Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. I've never actually read this book, though I have seen the Walt Disney movie (and probably owned the corresponding record album and picture book), and other Peter Pan related films like Hook. I tried to watch the dreadful live-action Peter Pan show on TV last week, but it was just too awful. I mean, seriously, you expect me to accept a 24-year-old woman as Wendy (honestly she and the actor playing the mother could've easily been the same age!!), and a 30-year-old woman as Peter Pan?!? Gah! It was so horrific, I couldn't even make it through the first half hour! Anyway, in order to get that horrible taste out of my mouth, I decided to immerse myself in the real Peter Pan, and will be reading the original novel pretty early on next year.

3.  The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Another book I've never read, although I have seen the movie.

4.  Something written by John Steinbeck. I was inspired to read some Steinbeck since vacationing in Monterey last month. However, I've already read Cannery Row and Of Mice and Men, so I can't really reread those, especially since I know he has several other books out. However I haven't had time to check any of them out and decide which one I want to read, yet, so stay tuned! 

5.  Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne. Never read it. Pretty sure there's a movie. Pretty sure I've seen it.

Well, there you have it! Feel free to read along with me this next year, if you like! Or let me know if there are any classic books you're planning to read in the comments! Cheers!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read •Open to a random page •Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) •Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm back to reading on my nook, and discovered I'd downloaded a new Rebecca Rasmussen book, Evergreen. I really enjoyed The Bird Sisters, so I am very excited to read this book! I got to chapter four this monring on the bus, and already I'm 100% invested in Emil and Eveline's story! Here are some teasers from page 21:

Eveline wondered what had happened to all the Yellow Falls girls who got married and moved south to Minneapolis and sometimes as far as Chicago, places that seemed like they were part of another world now. On a map, hunderds of rural miles separated her from them, but this distinction seemed more pressing than inches on a map: in Eveline's world girls talked to birds, and in the other one they talked to one another.

Yes, so far at least, there are birds in this book, too! It's quite delightful! Happy Tuesday! Cheers!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Last week I started reading the final Maximum Ride book, Nevermore by James Patterson. I've really enjoyed the Maximum Ride series - there's lots of action, mutant sci-fi weirdness, a little romance - usually not so much that it's distracting, but it's pretty heavy-handed in this last book, and it's getting kind of annoying - and great characters you want to see win the ultimate battle against evil. I'm just about done with this book actually - all the books are really fast reads - and I have no idea what I'll read next. I recently downloaded several books on my sad, lonely nook, so I might pick that up again and see what I've got on there. I do have several real books to read, too. 

Anyway, back to Nevermore ... here's my teasers from page  108:

"What?" Angel felt her skull prickle all over and her hands go numb. The air around her felt like it was vibrating, and she rested her head against the plastic wall of the dog crate, breathing deeply. 

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Cheers!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser this week comes from a novel called Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta. So far this is a wonderful book - beautifully written, interesting story and characters I already care about just a few chapters in. Possibly not as good as The Taste of Apple Seeds, but way better than The Qualities of Wood. This was actually the first of the three I bought in Spokane, and chose it totally based on the cover art: those eyes are mesmerizing! Here are my teasers from page  184:

Once the silent space around a secret is shattered, it cannot be made whole again. The cracks will grow longer and wider, reaching far and branching out like an underground network of roots, until it's impossible to say where it started and if it will come to an end.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading the second of three books I purchased on my recent vacation, The Qualities of Wood by Mary Vensel White. It's okay, but nothing like The Taste of Apple Seeds. Yes, the story is interesting and the characters are alright, if a bit stiff, but the writing is not as lovely and  lyrical, so while I like it and will continue reading it to the end, I'm not enjoying it as much. It's so hard to go from a beautifully written book to an average book. It's just so jarring. le sigh! Still, as I said, the story is good and it's holding my interest, and I'm curious to learn the secrets and find out "who dunnit".   Here are my teasers for the week from page 180 and 181:

As she neared the dark house, the voice of caution spoke and she shook off its message. What are you doing? Where do you think you're going? She avoided the wheelbarrow at the edge of the yard and stepped over a row of flowering bushes. A quick scan with the flashlight revealed tiny red blooms and leaves that were fat and round like tongues. She thought: Why am I suddenly suspicious of him?

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read

•Open to a random page

•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Oh. My. God. You guys! This book? Is amazing! I purchased it at the Paradies bookstore inside the Spokane International Airport (along with two others because they were buy 2 get 1 free; who could resist that?!?), and it was one of the best spontaneous book grabs I've ever done.  It was the first of the three I decided to read, and got over halfway through during my multiple flights home, later finishing it on the bus during my usual commute. I'm actually reading another book right now which is not as good,a nd is a bit of a let down after reading this one), but I wanted to feature The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena because it's just so dang good! Parts of it were pretty tough for me to read because it hit pretty close to home (not giving anything important away, but the grandmother had dementia), and I'm sure the gentleman stuck sitting next to the sobbing woman on the plane was not too thrilled, but it was just so good, I couldn't put it down! Anyway, here are my teasers from page 72:

 Her brain silted up like a riverbed. Then the riverbank began to crumble, until large chunks fell crashing into the water. The river lost its form and current, its natural character. In the end it didn't flow anymore but just sloshed in all directions. White deposits in the brain prevented electrical charges from getting through, all nerve ends were isolated, as was the person in the end: isolation, island, England, gland, electrons and Aunt Inga's amber bracelet, resin went hard in water, water went hard with a hard frost, glass was silicon and silicon was sand, and sand trickled down through the hourglass, and I should sleep now, it was late.

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop run by Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Check them out to see what other creative minds are up to!

WHAT I'M READING: I recently purchased three new books at the bookstore inside Spokane International Airport on my way home from one of the best vacays I've taken in a very long time. After much deliberation and coin flipping, I decided to read The Taste of Apple Seeds by Katharina Hagena. I'm almost three quarters through, and while I'm enjoying it because it's a beautifully written and interesting story, parts of it are tough to read because the grandmother's condition hits a little too close to home!

WHAT I'M WRITING: I haven't been writing anything lately, but my recent travels, photos, and the book I'm reading has sparked my creativity, so hopefully by next week I'll have something to write about!

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW: Going home, spending time with friends as well as reconnecting with college friends and high school classmates, and having some pretty nice alone time, too!

WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO: As you may have guessed, I just returned home from a super fun vacation that included a weekend in Victoria B.C., a couple days in Seattle, and a road trip across the state of Washington with stops in Cle Elum, Ellensburg, and Colfax, and a quick jaunt into Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for my class reunion.

Lord, I'm tired! Must sleep now! Cheers!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 Sorry I've been such a slacker at Teaser Tuesday the past few weeks. It's not that I haven't been reading some great books, but I've been extremely busy and extremely tired. Anyway, I'm back! So here are my teasers from the wonderful book The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway, page 66: 

Two days had passed since Eamon had confronted Julia in the study. He had spent the time running the full gamut of threats. Without result, of course, for Julia had no idea what Grandfather's talisman was or where it might be hidden. Indeed, she didn't even believe in it. She thanked God she didn't know, didn't believe. It was easy enough to keep a secret she didn't know.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week I'm reading Archangel by Sharon Shinn. A real, live book this time, not on my nook! I'm  quickly discovering why I like the nook (or any other e-reader brand) so much: reading on the bus early in the morning when it's dark is much, much easier on a nook! Also, you can adjust the font size, whereas with a real book, you're kinda stuck with whatever font size the printer used. All that said, this is a pretty good book. It's a sci-fi/fantasy genre, but very clearly follows the romance novel path as well. That kinda annoyed me at first because if I want to read a romance novel, I'll buy a damn romance novel, but I'm getting into the other aspects of the story now and just ignore the romance formula when I come across it. Or at least I try to. Anyway, here's my teasers for the week from page 196:

She tried to scrabble up, but rough hands pushed her back down. She felt a length of rope pass around her neck and shoulders, and tightened as if a noose were abruptly shortened.

Whoa, I'm not even this far in the book, so it's quite a teaser for me, too! Happy reading and have a great week!

Cheers!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 This week I'm finally starting a new book: The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo. It's been so long since I downloaded this to Nicky the nook, I didn't even remember what it was about, but so far it's quite a good story.  Here are my teasers from page 312:

I wished that I had never seen his face, yet it was seared into my memory. He had warned me not to look at him. Why had I not listened?