Book Dragon: Another Year, Another Challenge

Posted on February 16, 2018 by ToilandTomes

Well, as I predicted, I didn’t quite make it to my 70 book goal for 2017.  (October to December were especially tough months during a family crisis).  However, 61 out of 70 still has me feeling successful regarding my reading choices.   It was definitely more books than I read in 2015 and 2016. I even kept up my personal promise to branch out and explore new genres and authors. Not all of these journeys were successful experiments  though. The Magicians by Lev Grossman was an unmitigated mental disaster.  However, I did manage to find a few new books/authors that I truly enjoyed (and still enjoy) reading. So for the first post of 2018, here’s the clear winners for last year’s challenge.

  1. Warlock Holmes: A Study in Brimstone by G.S. Denning:  Now, I will admit reading anything that includes Sherlock Holmes is not much of a stretch for me. I love anything Sherlock Holmes related.  That being said, this books deserves the praise.  In this version, Watson has the detective skills and Sherlock is a warlock with a severe lack of impulse control. With sorcery, vampires, and a few appearances by a lovable ogre, the book is hilarious without losing the charm and wit of the original material. I impatiently awaited the release of the second story The Hell-Hound of the Baskervilles after I devoured the first novel. Both books were thoroughly enjoyable and I eagerly added them to my growing library.
  2. The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman:  I’m not going to lie, this series on occasion can waffle between quick and slow, but the premise of the book is what intrigued me from the beginning. The Library exists outside of time as we would define it, a space between many worlds.  In this universe, different books have the power to plunge words between order and chaos.  Depending on the power behind the material, Librarians find themselves in highly militaristic societies or one in chaos complete with Fae folk and magic.  Unfortunately, it does have the typical YA triangle of one heroine and two men, but I adore that the heroine rarely gives into the “woe is me” vibe.  In many YA novels, I find heroines wallowing in self-pity unbelievably irritating.  But this novel, I easily fell into, and quickly order books 2 and 3.  The heroine is older (definitely not a teenager), wiser and has the intelligence and wit to carry her through many situations both on her own and with her companions.
  3. Collapse by Jared Diamond:  There was a time when I swore I’d never read another Jared Diamond work. One of the many things left over from my college Anthropology days.  However, I will admit that the man knows how to research a topic.  This book is dense.  I mean really dense. I was lucky if I managed to read 6 pages within 10 minutes.  That being said, the research is intriguing.  Diamond examines how societies both ancient, recently passed, and present have succeeded or failed based on their interactions with the surrounding environment. He examines factors such as deforestation, rainfall, population growth, warfare, hunting, gathering, agriculture etc.  He also does cross-comparisons, not just among similar cultures but across oceans and continents.  Its a very different perspective and builds on Guns, Germs and Steel, from a different angle. Diamond, as always, brings a solid research prowess to the work, which provides an interesting premise.

I went for a shorter route for 2018, choosing just 40 books for my challenge this year. I’m still searching to expand authors and genres and hope to document more of the trials and errors as I exhaust my local library resources.  Cheers!

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Toil and Trouble: A Personal History

Posted on May 18, 2017 by ToilandTomes

My extended family are a fairly religious bunch, and it is a wonderful mixture of different beliefs.  My father was raised Lutheran, my mother Baptist. I’ve got one godfather who is Presbyterian and another who is Mormon.  Friends occupy the spectrum from religious to agnostic to atheist. It makes for some very interesting conversations at times.  While my parents were not big on attending church services for personal reasons, as children my brother and I attended random services with various family members, school groups, and Boy/Girl scout troops. My parents always left it open for both of us to make our own choices.  If either of us had chosen to commit to the church, I’m sure both of them would have supported us. However, it was very clear for me at a young age that monotheism was not my path.

I knew at 15 I was Wiccan, but that particular path has not always been easy.  By 18, I was “out of the broom closet” to my parents and a few friends. I learned to be careful about who I talked to and what I said out loud, after being called into the school counselor’s office because someone was worried I was a Satanist. Even during college, I was still careful for the first couple of years.  By senior year though I was done.  I stopped hiding my religion. I wore my pentacles proudly, I talked about my holidays and studies to those that wanted to know. Teaching English in Japan, I had no problems saying I was Wiccan every time I was asked about religion.  That being said, I’ve lost a few friends along the way, and I’ve had to defend my path to more than a few family members.

I’ve spent half my life as a Wiccan and I learn every day I practice. I learned that the solitary path was better because my experiences with covens hasn’t been spectacular.  I learned that a blend of structure and free form feels more natural for me. I continue building my pagan library to find new ways to practice. Through all of this I’ve come to embrace the fact that stagnate paths don’t allow for growth.

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Book Dragon “Lets Talk About… Goodreads”

Posted on April 27, 2017 by ToilandTomes

Goodreads. (www.goodreads.com)

LOVE IT.

Over the last couple of years I have found myself using Goodreads for many of my literary needs (academic, scholastic, or just general curiosity).  I still use my local library of course, but more and more I find myself checking out e-books because its easier. (The closest library branch is a 40 minute drive). Of course, nothing beats browsing a bookstore on a rainy Saturday, especially if that bookstore also has a café, but I have to plan around those trips. If I step foot in an actual bookstore, 2 or 3 hours disappear and suddenly my hope of accomplishing all those pesky little household chores rationalize into next week’s problem.

Goodreads has a lot of positives for me.  I’m a list person for starters. I have running lists for day-to-day tasks, groceries, monthly goals, gym schedules, social calendars…. (I’ll just stop there).  They float around my purse, planner, and home like teeny tiny paper ghosts of plans that never solidify.  Goodreads keeps my reading list manageable, organized, and most importantly, in ONE place. I research pieces of interest and add it to the ever growing list on my profile.  The OCD portion of my life is a little more content with my decision making skills, and I don’t constantly lose the list amongst the forgotten ghosts.

I find it easier to branch out using Goodreads.  Attempt new genres and authors. Fall down the rabbit hole of new fandoms. While I browse through bookstores, out of habit I always find myself spending the majority of my time in the same sections. I’m not sure why it is easier for me in a virtual format, but it works.

I also 100% adore the fact that they have literary quotes for days.  Every year I choose a month where I do nothing but quotes in my Facebook status. It breaks up the monotony of cooking, fandom, and hamster-related posts that make up the day-to-day.

And the dragon… the dragon has a hoard –never, ever empty and full of such interesting potential.

For the last 2 years, I’ve also been participating in the “Reading Challenge.” Picking an arbitrary number, I make a personal and mostly silent commitment to reading for the year.  I love it. There’s a level of accountability to the challenge that resonates for me.  I absolutely detest when the meter states “you are 1 book behind schedule.” Last year I decided on 52 books. I made it to 50. I was completing my Masters at the same time, and when that ended in October 2016, I refused to pick up another book for the rest of the year. My brain was beyond fried…

The magic number for this year is 70. I had a rocky start the first couple of months.  I was sick for what felt like the entire month of March though, and the lack of energy to do anything requiring movement led to a marvelous little book binge. I’m 13 books ahead of schedule, which translates into about 2 months of my yearly reading goal.  I do know that 70 may have been a bit much in the long run, life intrudes on the goal a lot. However, I’ll have to cross that bridge when I decide to pick another number next year.

 

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To Ponder or Not to Ponder

Posted on April 27, 2017 by ToilandTomes

I would love to sit here and state that I am passionate about only one hobby to the exclusion of anything and everything else.  Unfortunately, that would be the Godzilla of lies. I am passionate about many things, and despite continually hopping from hobby to hobby like a distracted hummingbird, I don’t foresee this changing much in the coming years.

Most, if not all, of the “how to start a blog” articles suggest sticking to one topic alone. I view this as more of a guideline than actual rule (cue Pirates of the Caribbean theme song). Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of positives to this advice, and most of the time it comes from people with ample experience making mistakes.  One single focus allows for the author to research, contextualize, and organize a single, ongoing narrative. It allows for a specific target audience. In the case of bloggers who want this platform to be their future, it provides easier networking or sponsor opportunities.  However, none of this interests me at this point. Simply stated– I am doing  this for me.

Journaling the tried and true way never seems to work out very well. I have found that I journal only when I am working through personal issues, and therefore reading the journal entries months later presents a rather depressing outlook on life. Blogging seemed like an excellent choice– an additional creative outlet if you will.

Perhaps, in the future, I’ll get a flash of insight and have that “aha!’ moment. That “one” topic will appear out of the list and become an entirely different path. But, for the moment, topics abound and the hummingbird reigns. So, here’s to the new adventure…

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