It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

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Last time I posted, I had just started reading The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.  Well, guess what?  I'm hopelessly addicted.  Each time I finish a book in the series.  I say to myself, "Maybe I should look for something different to read for awhile."  And then I say to myself, "Ha!  Who are you kidding?" and start the next book in the series.

So now I'm on book 6.  I think I need to pace myself.  Slow down, take it easy.  After all, what will I do when I have read through all of them, and have nothing left to live for?  I haven't felt this way about a book series since Harry Potter.  Come to think of it, The Dresden Files IS a "Harry Potter" for grown ups.  Even the main character's first name is Harry.  (Although the ubiquitous Harry Dresden was named after the Magician, Harry Houdini.)  Harry the grown up Wizard isn't in Magic School, he's living in Chicago where most people don't know about or don't believe in magic.  Yet he manages to make a living as a Supernatural Investigator, doing all kinds of odd jobs that mostly end up with him battling the ultimate evil and almost losing his life.  He has to skirt around the rules laid down by the White Council, very much akin to how Harry Potter had to question the sanity and integrity of the Ministry of Magic.  With each book there is a new case, a new mystery to solve.  Yet there is an ongoing plot line that continues through each book and takes you deeper into Harry's past (which haunts him), and effects how and why he makes choices through each book.

Did I mention I just LOVE this series?

Anyways, I am in the middle of Book Six, Blood Rites;

"For Harry Dresden, there have been worse assignments than going undercover on the set of an adult film. Still, there’s something more troubling than usual about his newest case. The film’s producer believes he’s the target of a sinister curse-but it’s the women around him who are dying.

Harry’s even more frustrated because he only got involved with this bizarre mystery as a favor to Thomas-his flirtatious, self-absorbed vampire acquaintance of dubious integrity. Thomas has a personal stake in the case Harry can’t quite figure out. But Harry is about to discover that Thomas’ family tree has been hiding a shocking revelation that will change his life forever…"

Sample of Chapter 1; http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/blood-rites/br-chapter-1

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Monday Ramblings.
Onward, another week to conquer.  This week the kids go back to school.  (They were out on Spring Break last week)  I have my usual work schedule, and faithful hubby is working 7 days a week.  So far, it's been 14 days since he last had a day off.  This week in Mom-Land I will try to stay on top of housework, focusing on Laundry and organizing my Master Bedroom.  I have something exciting to share with you tomorrow for Tackle It Tuesday, so come back tomorrow to see it!

Have a Great Week!  Please leave a comment and tell me what YOU are reading right now!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

 

It's Monday!  What are you reading?

 

Last week I started reading Storm Front by Jim Butcher.  It's the first book in a series called The Dresden Files.

 

"Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he’s the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the “everyday” world is actually full of strange and magical things — and most of them don’t play well with humans. That’s where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a — well, whatever.

There’s just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name. And that’s when things start to get… interesting.

Magic. It can get a guy killed."

So far I am REALLY enjoying this book!  It is action packed... just when you think Harry Dresden might catch a break, he finds himself in bad situations again.  Like being threatened by a mob boss, hit on the head with a baseball bat, or attacked by a demon.  He's just trying to earn a paycheck to pay his rent by helping the police solve a double homicide, but of course this puts him in all kinds of danger.  The best part of the book is Harry's narrative.  Despite being a powerful wizard, he is pretty down-to-earth, and reacts to his changing situations in a realistic and human way... his character is very believable and you can't help but relate to him and root for him. 

How is it that I didn't even know this book series existed until now?  There are 13 books in the series, so I know I will have plenty to read!  Thanks to my friend Amanda who suggested this book for me!

What are YOU reading?  I want to know!!

 

It's Monday; What are you Reading?

Joining in again at Book Journey; come and see what is being read by others!  I like to check out the posts by others to get ideas of what to read in the future, although my "Books I want to read" list just grows exponentially!  So many books, so little time!  I feel a little odd reporting that I am STILL reading the same book I posted 2 weeks ago.... A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

I am really enjoying it!  Along with delighting in the amazing prose of Dickens, I am learning a bit about the French Revolution and a period in history I didn't know much about.  I usually read through books more quickly than this, but... well there was a Thanksgiving Vacation thrown into the mix, and then an injury to my shoulder (which actually gave me MORE time to read, but the pain medicine made me drowsy so I would fall asleep while reading!)  But also, I am just taking time with this book.  It's like a delicious home cooked meal made by a master chef.... something to be savored and eaten slowly to fully enjoy every flavor.  Sometimes I go back and re-read a paragraph a few times just to let the words swirl around my brain a few times the way that one would taste a fine wine.

"The mill which had worked them down, was the mill that grinds young people old; the children had ancient faces and grave voices; and upon them, and upon grown faces, and ploughed into every furrow of age and coming afresh, was the sign, Hunger.  It was prevalent everywhere.  Hunger was pushed out of the tall houses, in the wretched clothing that hung upon poles and lines; Hunger was patched into them with straw and rag and wood and paper; Hunger was repeated in every fragment of the small modicum of firewood that the man sawed off; Hunger stared down from the smokeless chimneys and started up from the filthy street that had no offal, among it's refuse, of anything to eat.  Hunger was the inscription on the baker's shelves, written in every loaf of his scanty stock of bad bread; at the sausage shop, in every dead-dog preparation that was offered for sale." - from A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Also lately, when I am not reading I am listening to music.  When a song strikes me, I like to look up the lyrics and read along while I listen to the song.  So here is what I have been reading/listening to today; Amanda Palmer!
I really enjoyed the lyrics to Ukulele Anthem so I will share them here for you; Enjoy!  Oh and I might actually ask Santa for a Ukulele for Christmas, just because of this song!

Ukulele Anthem
by Amanda Palmer

sid vicious played a four-string fender bass guitar and couldn’t sing
and everybody hated him except the ones who loved him
a ukulele has four strings, but sid did did not play ukulele
he did smack and probably killed his girlfriend nancy spungen
if only sid had had a ukulele, maybe he could have been happy
maybe he would not have suffered such a sad end
he maybe would have not done all that heroin instead
he maybe would’ve sat around just singing nice songs to his girlfriend

so play your favorite cover song, especially if the words are wrong
‘cos even if your grades are bad, it doesn’t mean you’re failing
do your homework with a fork
and eat your fruit loops in the dark
and bring your etch-a-sketch to work
and play your ukulele

ukulele small and forceful
brave and peaceful
you can play the ukulele too it is painfully simple
play your ukulele badly, play your ukulele loudly
ukulele banish evil
ukulele save the people
ukulele gleaming golden on the top of every steeple

lizzie borden took an axe, and gave her father forty whacks
then gave her mother forty-one, and left a tragic puzzle
if only they had given her an instrument, those puritans
had lost the plot completely
see what happens when you muzzle
a person’s creativity
and do not let them sing and scream
and nowadays it’s worse ‘cause kids have automatic handguns
it takes about an hour to learn how to play the ukulele
about same to teach someone to build a standard pipe bomb
YOU DO THE MATH

so play your favorite cover song, especially if the words are wrong
‘cos even if your grades are bad, it doesn’t mean you’re failing
do your homework with a fork
and eat your fruit loops in the dark
and bring your flask of jack to work
and play your ukulele

ukulele, thing of wonder
ukulele, wand of thunder
you can play the ukulele, too
in london and down under
play joan jett, and play jacques brel
and eminem and neutral milk hotel
the children crush the hatred
play your ukulele naked
and if anybody tries to steal your ukulele, let them take it

imagine there’s no music, imagine there are no songs
imagine that john lennon wasn’t shot in front of his apartment
imagine if john lennon had composed “imagine” on the ukulele
maybe folks would have more clearly got the message

you may think my approach is simple-minded and naïve
like if you want to save the world then why not quit and feed the hungry
but people for millennia have needed music to survive
and that’s why i’ve promised john that i will not feel guilty

so play your favorite beatles’ song
and make the subway fall in love
they’re only $19.95, that’s not a lot of money
play until the sun comes up
and play until your fingers suffer
play LCD soundsystem songs on your ukulele
quit the bitching on your blog
and stop pretending art is hard
just limit yourself to three chords
and do not practice daily
you’ll minimize some stranger’s sadness
with a piece of wood and plastic
holy fuck it’s so fantastic, playing ukulele
eat your homework with a fork
and do your fruit loops in the dark
bring your etch-a-sketch to work
your flask of jack
your vibrator
your fear of heights
your nikon lens
your mom and dad
your disco stick
your soundtrack from “karate kid”
your ginsu knives
your rosary
your new rebecca black CD
your favorite room
your bowie knife
your stuffed giraffe
your new glass eye
your sousaphone
your breakfast tea
your nick drake tapes
your giving tree
your ice cream truck
your missing wife
your will to live
your urge to cry
remember we’re all going to die
so PLAY YOUR UKULELE

credits

released 31 October 2011
Written and performed by Amanda Palmer (hear the song here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZaR_4us6Ec )
It's Monday!  What are You Reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I found this blog meme at Book Journey and thought I would join in!  Since I am pretty much ALWAYS reading something! 

It's Monday!  What Are You Reading?

I was looking through books on my Nook last night to find something new to start reading.  I have several Terry Pratchett Discworld novels on there I haven't read yet, but since I have read like 7 of those already this year, I kind of wanted something different.  Neil Gaiman? Hunter S. Thompson?  Chuck Palahniuk?  While these great authors are certainly considered Classics in my mind, I decided I wanted something really classical.  Something I should have read, because it's considered a Classic.  So I browsed through my Classic book collection.  Emily Bronte'? neh. I tried reading a few pages of Wuthering Heights, which I read in High school... but I just wasn't getting into it.  Back to the Nook library.  A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens.  Hmm... maybe?  I hang my head in shame when I say this; I have not read this novel before.  So what the heck, I will give it a try.

The first chapter; pure magic.  Dessert for my eyes, a magnificent treat for my brain.  Yes, yes!  Give me more!  I am really going to enjoy reading this, I can tell already.  And I've already chosen what book will be next on my reading list.  Just in time for the Holidays... after A Tale Of Two Cities, I shall read A Christmas Carol!

I would love to know what my followers are reading!  Leave me a comment and tell me what you are reading right now!  And check out It's Monday!  What Are You Reading? To see what other bloggers are reading right now too!

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I should actually be getting ready for work right now.  But before I go, just a quick family update!  We are all excited about our upcoming family vacation!  We have never taken a family vacation before, and thanks to the generosity of my parents, we are finally able to do so!  So, there might not be many blog posts this week, I just wanted to take the time to wish you all a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!