Fangirling Here

No.  I did not see the movie last night.  According to reports from the release of Twilight, the theaters are packed with nothing but screaming, shrill, overly emotional teenagers who do nothing but shriek each time Robert Pattinson walks on screen.  No. Thank. You.  For the first movie, several girls from work and I took a half-day of vacation and went to an early afternoon show.  The theater was practically empty, and the audience consisted of nothing but adults.  I could actually hear the movie and savor the (sappy) dialogue. 

Considering how much success we had for the first movie, we took the same action plan for New Moon.  I will be leaving work early to see the 12:50 PM show.  When I bought the tickets several weeks ago, there were more empty seats available than full ones, so I imagine we'll have the same pleasurable experience.  I'm trying to go on news lockdown right now, so as to not spoil anything, but I have heard that for the fans, it is pretty much universally adored.  (Twilight still had its detractors.)  I get more and more excited as the minutes tick past.  And yes, I pulled out my "Edward Cullen Fan/Bite Me" shirt AND My Pocket Edward is my date. 

12:50 PM can't come fast enough!

I'm Still Here!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth this week.  This carpet thing is exhausting, even if the rooms look fabulous.  Our contractor is completing the rest of the rooms today, which means that my husband and I can finally put our house back together.  This is a VERY good thing, as the entire household is unsettled.  The kids are acting up, the dogs are restless.  Jim and I are both exhausted and can barely function in the evenings.  I have been completely unmotivated to even turn on my laptop in the evenings.  It is time to get ourselves back to normal, which will only occur when the furniture is put back into position, the beds are made, and we can use all the rooms in the house again. 

I should be back online in a more permanent fashion tomorrow night.  In the meantime, I hope everyone is having a great week!

Booking Through Thursday - Posterity

I don't know about you, but I am ready for this week to be over!  Thankfully, it is Thursday, which means we are one step closer to the end of the week I so desperately covet.  It also means that it is time to answer another deep question about books!

Today’s question was suggested by Barbara:

Do you think any current author is of the same caliber as Dickens, Austen, Bronte, or any of the classic authors? If so, who, and why do you think so? If not, why not? What books from this era might be read 100 years from now?

Wow.  I have no idea where to begin.  Honestly, I'm not certain I want to do so either.  Hear me out.  We're talking about Dickens, Austen, Bronte and hundreds of others who are still popular.  Their writing style - the detailed characters that come to life, the time and patience they show when building the suspense and developing the plot, the plot itself - is just not popular anymore.  It takes time and effort to read works by classic authors, sometimes one can read more than 100 pages into these novels before anything good starts happening.  Considering last week's question that discussed if life was too short to read books that didn't pique your interest within a set number of pages, the two do not mesh.  Most people who answered last week's question regarding life being too short drew the line at fifty pages, which means that these same people would put down Dickens, Austen, Bronte, or any other classic author because the novel was not interesting in the first fifty pages.  Following that rule, there would be very little classic literature that would be read! 

By comparison, from what I've seen, today's authors are more concerned with developing the plot as quickly as possible.  Get people interested immediately to keep them reading.  It works and is successful but is completely different from how authors used to write.  I like both and firmly believe there is room for both in today's society.  But to say that they are of the same caliber is like comparing apples and oranges, in my opinion. 

As for whether any current works will continue to be popular 100 years from now, I honestly think there will, but nothing comes immediately to mind.  Granted, that in and of itself may be an indication that today's authors will not be popular in the years to come.  Then again, future societies may discover a relatively unpopular author today and tout them as the best of the era.  The reading audience is a fickle thing and, in my opinion, very difficult to predict.  Who knows what the future will hold for today's authors? 

What do you think?  Can you compare today's authors with classic ones?  Which of today's authors do you think will remain popular in the decades to come? 

REVIEW - Elynia by David Michael Belczyk

Title: Elynia

Author: David Michael Belczyk

No. of Pages:  208

First Released: Still waiting to be published

Synopsis:  "It examines four generations of characters diverse in time and place whose varied struggles distill a unified expression of human need. The characters are interconnected in unusual but intimate ways, for example: the immigrant shoe-man works his life away in a dying town to see his son wrongly arrested by a man whose shoes he shines; as a student, the son watched his friend betray the memory of a departed mother by stealing her makeup for a drunken gag; the friend marries a waitress who secretly loves a man atoning for his past by refurbishing a house; a man whose paintings were rejected by his love, the granddaughter of the woman who boards the shoe-man after a fire. Elynia is the only named character in the manuscript but appears only in reference by others. The other characters occupy iconic roles, each representing a stage or state in life. The reader's second-hand knowledge of Elynia mirrors the search for identity that haunts the unnamed, tactile characters and blurs their distinctions."

Comments and Critique: This is one of the hardest reviews I have ever had to write.  However, in my unfailing attempt to be honest about every book I read, I must go forth.  I will confess that I realized my dislike of poetry while reading Elynia.  The lyrical prose in which this book is written kept me from ever becoming immersed in the novel because I was spending all of my time trying to figure out what was happening or solving the question of who exactly was Elynia.

I realize that this is Mr. Belczyk's first attempt at a novel, and I respect his courage at putting himself out there as he has.  Unfortunately, I feel that with this novel, he was trying too hard to be different from other authors.  First we have the fact that the entire novel is written in lyrical prose.  As I already mentioned, this narration device just did not work for me.  Then we have the words themselves.  I consider myself well-read and erudite, but the vocabulary used throughout the novel left me scratching my head.  Either Mr. Belcyzk was making up words or he was using words I have never seen before in print. 

The storm metaphor for love and for life, to me, was extremely depressing.  The storm's power and the futility of the individual rain drops to stay cohesive was rather upsetting to me.  I took away with me the clear idea that no matter what our intentions and struggles, things will never turn out the way we expect them to do.  Does anyone else find this a sad commentary on life? 

The storm metaphor begins each chapter, and then we get to the epilogue.  Despair and the futility of our efforts permeates each chapter except for the epilogue.  That is filled with such love and hope that I had to wonder if I was reading a completely different book.  Then I began to question whether I had missed the entire point of the book.  For the epilogue completely negates the idea that life or love is futile.  It was a disconcerting switch in opinions.

That being said, I feel I was not the best audience for this book.  It really is intended for those who enjoy poetry.  I do not.  I felt like I was missing too much to truly enjoy it.  I found the lack of names confusing and distracting.  I also confess that I read this on a plane, which was not the right environment for this type of book.  It requires careful,  contemplative reading - something I was not able or willing to give at the time I read this.  For this reason, I cannot lay the blame for my discontent with the book or the author.  I fully take the blame for not liking Elynia and strongly feel that others will definitely enjoy it more than I did.  

I do thank Mr. Belczyk for entrusting me with a copy of his book and wish him all the luck getting it published!

Weekly Geeks 2009-42: Podcasts Anyone?

This idea comes from Dewey's own Weekly Geek idea list which she shared on her blog, and which I, thankfully, swiped before her blog was removed and can now glean from as I ponder new and hopefully fun Weekly Geek tasks.

Dewey worded it this way, "find and review a link to a book podcast." I'm modifying this just a bit and am asking you to share with us a podcast you love, preferably book related, but not necessarily so. Give us the link, of course, and share with us details about that podcast and why you enjoy it so much. If you have a couple or three favorites, share them all!

Then, as the week goes on, check out every one's suggestions, find time to listen to a few, then come back and let us know what you discovered, and if you've found a new favorite podcast.

If you don't listen to podcasts at all, tell us why, or what it would take to peak your interest in them. Perhaps you could do as Dewey suggests, and do a little research (Google book podcasts) and find one, then post on your blog what you discover and if you liked it or not.

I have never gotten into the whole podcast thing.  I want to do so, but as in tune as I am with the latest and greatest in the online world, I confess that I just do not understand podcasts.  What exactly are they?  How do they differ from audio books?  Why are they popular? 

So, rather than me taking the time to do a little research, which I do not have this week, I open this up to my fellow bloggers to help me understand just what they are, why they are appealing and recommendations for dipping my toes into the world of podcasts.   If I were to download one podcast, what would you recommend?  When do you listen to podcasts?  What got you started in them? 

The Sunday Salon - November 15, 2009

People, it is the middle of November.  Seriously.  This means that I need to get my act in gear to start prepping for the holidays.  And now that I actually have time this year - no finals, no homework, no mandatory daily participation in my online classes - I'm hoping to be super-prepared.  (***snorts with laughter***) Yeah, right.  In my mind, I think how wonderful it would be to be as organized as Martha Stewart, but I do realize that I am inherently lazy and will probably be rushing to send out cards before Christmas...again.

Anyway, how was your week?  I feel like mine was a complete blur.  I had a business trip that took me away from home for two nights.  Those things leave me mentally and physically exhausted, and I have yet to figure out why.  It took me at least one day to recover.  Then, my husband and I started carpooling to work.  We might as well take advantage of us working for the same company, right?  Unfortunately, it means getting up about thirty minutes earlier so that I can get to work an hour earlier, which is when he needs to go into work.  I don't mind going in early because it is wonderfully quiet, but the loss of sleep?  That's going to take some adjustment!

Our upcoming week already has me exhausted too.  Today, the kids have a piano recital right smack dab in the middle of the day.  Tuesday is ballet class, an H1N1 vaccine clinic for the kids and the first day of our new carpet installation.  Wednesday brings piano lessons, and Thursday brings Connor's first band concert.  Friday starts the indoor soccer season, and Saturday sees us attending a make-up piano lesson.  Whew.  I'm sure our second day of carpet installation will also be some time this week too.  I'm opting not to clean the house this weekend knowing that the dust and dirt from the old carpets will be flying.  Since school never gave me the opportunity to do any spring cleaning, which means my house has not seen a deep cleaning since the day we moved in almost five years ago, I plan to give my house just that.  I have to literally take everything out of each room anyway, so at least the furniture movement portion will already be accomplished!

On the reading front, I was able to finish two books this week and made great progress on my book club selection.  I've started Thad Carhart's Across the Endless River.  It is a fascinating read.  I would love to be able to finish it tomorrow but know that I have to pay bills and empty out at least one room.  Did I mention the first two rooms we are doing require me to move my entire library?  But I digress.  I've been working through my review copies but am getting ready to purge my brain with something light and fluffy.  I've got a few new vampire books that have caught my eye, but I do feel obligated to get through these review books.  They've been sitting in my TBR pile for so long, I feel horrible.  What do you do in these situations?  I think I'm down to one really old one, one not so old one, and two that I received this week.  (I'm not counting the two I received through the BBAW.) 

Speaking of books, one of the books I read and reviewed this week involved a discussion of bibliophilia versus bibliomania.  The difference is that bibliomaniacs feel an overwhelming urge to amass books, whether it is rare books or books in general.  I always thought that I just enjoyed books, that I wasn't obsessed.  I have to report that I have since realized that this is just not true.  I am a full-blown bibliomaniac.  This week, while on my business trip, my co-workers wanted to stop into a bookstore to pick up a book for the plane trip home.  Never mind the fact that I had brought four novels with me to read for a three-day trip, I warned them not to let me step foot in a bookstore.   What happens when I do?  I walked out of there with five more books, only one of which was for my son.  I would have gotten more had I had more room in my suitcase.  Yes, I know that I should really go to the library, but I don't have the time to go to one, and I am a book snob.  I like owning my books, not borrowing them.  So, I think I have a problem.  Please tell me I'm not the only one!

What are your plans for the week?  I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday and even better week to come.  Happy reading!

Back Home Again

I'm back home again after a short business trip to Minneapolis for my women's leadership group.  Normally, I really enjoy these trips.  They are short enough where I do not get a chance to miss my children horribly but long enough that I get some much-needed alone.  For some reason, I didn't enjoy myself this time.  I missed my family, my friends.  I even missed work.  Go figure.

A large part of this women's leadership group is development and self-awareness.  I now know that I am opinionated and forthright.  I am not afraid to share my opinion, and I know that this can rub certain people the wrong way.  So, while I have met some wonderful women and have made some great friends, I do realize that there are others in the group who wish I would just shut my mouth and be quiet.  Because I am now self-aware enough to realize this, it makes for an emotionally exhausting day to subconsciously battle this.  I don't know why, but it really bothered me this time.  I found myself slipping into my anti-social tendencies, dreaming about taking a sandwich back to the hotel room and hiding from the world.  I didn't do that, but I was so tempted. 

By halfway through the second day, I missed my friends and I missed my family terribly.  I missed being surrounded by those who know exactly who I am and love and accept me as I am.  I never realized how they support me and boost me up.  It is such a wonderful feeling to understand just how lucky I am.  I am going to luxuriate in my family and my friends and enjoy being home!

Does anyone else experience this when on business trips?   Am I just slow on the uptake here?  Does anyone else experience such exhaustion when traveling or in emotional situations?

Booking Through Thursday - Too Short?

I'm sitting in an airport waiting for my next flight that will take me home to see my family.  So what better way to spend a few minutes than answer this week's book-related question?  

Suggested by JM:
“Life is too short to read bad books.” I’d always heard that, but I still read books through until the end no matter how bad they were because I had this sense of obligation.
That is, until this week when I tried (really tried) to read a book that is utterly boring and unrealistic. I had to stop reading.
Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?

I will confess that I always finish a book.  Well, let me amend that.  There is only one book that I have not finished in my life - Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler.  I stopped reading it because I was getting ready to move to Germany and could not bring it into the country via my carry-on luggage.  By the time we received our household goods two months later, I had moved on to other books and have failed to pick it back up again since then.  I do have every intention of doing so though; my bookmark is still holding my place where I left off all those years ago. 

But other than that, I do read every book to the end.  I do this not out of any sense of obligation but more because I want to do so.  I remain optimistic that a book will get better or that I can find something redeeming from it, even if it takes me to the very last page to find it.  Is life to short to read bad books?  I know that it is a very popular idea, but then again, I really do not think that books are bad.  We might dislike the plot, the writing, the character development or something else, but the book itself is still a learning opportunity - whether about the subject matter or more insight into your own personal likes and dislikes. 

What do you do? 

Happy Veteran's Day!

Thank you to all vets, both past and present, for generously sacrificing your time and for putting yourself in harm's way to ensure that we retain our freedoms and rights.  Thank you for protecting us and keeping us safe.  Thank you for helping spread democracy to others.  You deserve more than just a day of thanks.  You deserve our undying gratitude.

To my own personal vet, thank you for serving in the Army for all those years.  Even though I might not have liked the hours or the constant time apart or the fact that you were in a dangerous profession, I was so proud that I was an Army wife.  I love the fact that you felt compelled to serve our country and think it says more about your character than any else you will do.  I love you and support you always!