Archive for the ‘Books’ Category

Harry Potter 7, just not feeling the love.

Friday, July 20th, 2007

So unless you live under a rock, you are probably aware that the last (7th) Harry Potter book comes out at midnight today/tomorrow. I am just not feeling the need to buy it and it is kind of upsetting me. I really enjoyed the first 6 books, I mean they weren’t the best books I’ve ever read, but they are enjoyable. I am also sure I will enjoy the 7th book. All the “Potter Mania” surrounding the book however, is really destroying my motivation to read it. So many people seem to think it is a defining moment, and while I am sure it is going to be a good book, it is just a book. All the news reporting, talk, rumors etc. about it is just making me feel blegh about the book.

The publicity is really getting to me, and that upsets me since I really did enjoy reading the first 6 books and I’m sure I’ll enjoy the 7th when I pick it up. I just am not sure it will be tomorrow or even this weekend when I do, so that the intense potter mania may die down a bit.

nanowrimo, so I’m not insane…

Monday, November 6th, 2006

In other words I am so not participating. On the other hand Dan is. He has done over 2,000 words so far, which is good, but he needs to have 50k by the end of the month, and I have no clue how he figures he will finish. I wish everyone trying this the best of luck though. I will be sitting here watching and not writing since I know there is no way I would be able to finish a 50k word book in a month.

Dang apparently Americans don’t read?

Friday, July 7th, 2006

Found the following here.

58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.

42% of college graduates never read another book.

80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.

70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.

Source

This scares me. We go to the bookstore 2 or 3 times a month normally, though occationally we go 2 or 3 months without visiting a bookstore if finances are tight. However, we buy between 50 and 200 new books a year so even with the couple of months off we are still buying a ton of books. I can’t even imagine not ever reading another book? What would I do instead? Of course I don’t watch TV so I may have more time then your average American. Though I would think my computer time would take up some of that.

I do have to say if I don’t read at least 1 book a night I feel deprieved and there are days when I read 5 or 6 books in day. Just the thought of not reading another books gives me shivers. I just can’t imagine not going to the bookstore and picking up some new books and authors to imense myself in their world.

Sudoku and Other Book Like Things

Sunday, August 28th, 2005

Thursday we went to Borders. Dan needed to pick up the next two books in a series he was reading and I’m always up for the bookstore. While we were there I picked up a book with Sudoku puzzles in it. If you don’t know what Sudoku is just click on the word and it will link to an explanation. A basic explanation is it is a number puzzle.

Now it may come as a surprise to some of you, (not sure who, but I am sure it will come as a surprise to someone) I like numbers and math and logic. So a number puzzle is right up my alley. I don’t like crosswords, just random info to throw in here. I do like logic puzzles and the such and Sudoku is sort of a catagory all its own. I am finding getting the numbers to work in the puzzle is a lot of fun. I need to work on it some so I can go faster on them but it is definately a nice way to spend some time and enrich my mind.

On another note. Two more of my books from Amazon Marketplace have arrive. The best part of this is that the two books include the first book I will need for my history course this semester so I am really glad they have arrived. I am still waiting on three books. One of them I have gotten an e-mail about it shipping, but they shipped media mail, which I’m not a great proponent of because it can take awhile for it to get through. The other two I have not recieved info about shipping, but I am hopefully they will show up soon. One of the ones I am waiting for is my logic book for math and I would like for it to arrive so I have some time to read through and review it. The other two are history books, one of them being a book that sells new for $40 give or take, which I was able to purchase for $4.50. So great savings just need it to arrive now.

Friday we headed back to Borders because we had a coupon for 25% off and I wanted to buy Milton’s Paradise Lost. I found a nice copy of it, well two nice copies, but the Penguin Edition was a bit beat up and the hardback edition by some other publisher wasn’t. Unfortunately I didn’t pick it up because the coupon was for 25% off a cd or dvd. Oops, need to remember to read the fine print next time.

Otherwise, I am still working my way through Dante, I hope to finish The Inferno soon and start on the next book and I should finish all three books by the end of the month. I’ll probably start Don Quixote or The Count of Monte Cristo next, but I may just pick up Milton and do him next instead or maybe Chaucer I’ll just have to wait and see what I’m in the mood for.

Started Reading Dante

Sunday, August 21st, 2005

Well today I started reading my copy of The Divine Comedy that I picked up yesterday. I really like how this book is layed out. The intro and notes from the translator aren’t that important to me, but they do have decent information included within them. I sort of skimmed through the first 25 pages or which included the intro and the translators notes. Mainly because I wanted to actually read the verse of the story not the notes.

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