New template

Blogger told me they had new design templates so I decided to try it out!! I wasn't 100% happy with what I had before and I like this new look. Let me know what you think!!

Booking Through Thursday: Can I have your autograph?

Question: June 10, 2010: Do signed copies excite you? Tempt you? Delight you? Or does it not matter to you?

Answer: I have to admit I think signed copies are pretty cool. I do think it's special if you got to meet the author in person to get the signature/autograph-as I did with Kate Jacobs (for The Friday Night Knitting Club AND Knit Two-at The Purple Purl knitting store nonetheless!). I did buy a book for my dad last year for Christmas and when I saw that I could get a signed copy for the same price-I thought that it was pretty neat!! It was one of the Giller prize books-I think Linden MacIntyre's The Bishop's Man. As I said, I thought it was pretty neat-not sure it really mattered to him though!!

What do you think? Do you have any signed copies? Does it matter?

Definitions

I came across a list of words I meant to look up while cleaning up my desk tonight. I don't remember which books these came from, but figured I wrote down unknown words, I should look them up and make them known (to myself at least!!). Definitions from thefreedictionary.com:

1. Bloviating: To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner.

2. Autodidacts: A person who is self-taught.

WAIT NOW I REMEMBER!!! I was reading Her Fearful Symmetry!! I remember (FYI-I first typed "remember" as: trmrmbrt) looking up autodidacts on wikipedia too!!!

3. Particulate-based on context I think it must be: A substance or suspension composed of such particles, such as sand or smoke. (My guess: able to see particles in the air).

4. Discomfited: To make uneasy or perplexed; disconcert (My guess: to make people uncomfortable-pretty close!!)

5. Hirsute: Covered with hair; hairy (ewwww).

What words have you looked up lately??

Living life to the fullest

A quote I just read in the Oprah Magazine (yes I read O) that struck a chord:

"I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well."
- Diane Ackerman

Book Review: The Patron Saint of Liars

Bel Canto was the first (and only other) book I read by Ann Patchett. It was very different from other books and was hoping that The Patron Saint of Liars would strike me the same way. And it did, sort of.

The quote on the front cover by the New York Times Book Review was "A fairy tale...a delight". I couldn't disagree more. What do you think of when you read the words "fairy tale"? I think magical, wonderful, and happy. I know there is tragedy in many fairy tales but that is not what I generally associate the words with. This book was quite depressing to be honest with you. Here is a quick recap with some potential spoilers (I'm warning you!!!).

Rose is a young woman who is unhappy with her marriage. Growing up a fairly devout Catholic she hoped for a sign from God to let her know if she should become a nun or get married. She married a man who she thinks might be right, but realizes pretty early on that she isn't happy. Then she finds out she is pregnant. What does she do? Runs away. Leaves her mom (with whom she has a close relationship) and her husband a note and then asks her priest for information on where she can go to have this baby. She drives from California to Kentucky to a Catholic home for unwed mothers. She marries Son the caretaker-45years to her 24ish and ends up keeping her baby and moving into his house (yes she is technically married to 2 men). Rose is a distant mother and wife as the years go on and she has a touchy relationship with her daughter Celia-who is not aware that Son is not her real father. Fifteen years later Rose's first husband tracks her down by letter to inform her about her mother's ill health. When Rose reads he is coming to speak with her in person what dose she do, ups and leaves husband #2 and her 15 year old daughter. Oh and in the past 15 years she has moved out on her own but in close proximity to her husband and daughter. Strained relationships through and through!

It's all really weird to be honest with you. I didn't really like any of the characters and I just found Rose's actions incredibly cowardly. I fully believe that everyone should be happy, and I also realize that sometimes other people's lives and happiness may be sacrificed for that, but I don't think it's acceptable to just leave. In my opinion the mature, responsible thing is to confront those issues-I'm not saying stay somewhere you aren't happy-but have the guts to deal with it and not just run away. People deserve the truth, and they deserve to be treated with respect. I do know though that this is definitely easier said than done!

Not my favorite book-and definitely no fairy tale in my opinion!!!

To do list: write blog posts

Sorry for the lack of posts!! I had a crazy fun weekend and didn't have much time. I did the 25km Ride for Heart this morning in the cold rainy wind with some friends and finished in an hour and a half!! I was terrified I might not make it and was super happy to finish in much less time than I was hoping. Our 5 person team Clotbusters was able to raise $1,350 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Many to thanks to our supports both financial and emotional!! This evening my slo-pitch team The Fockers had a game and we won 12-5 or 6 I think. It was a really great game, and I'm happy to be playing baseball again after a 9 year hiatus!

Coming up this week: at least two reading related posts, Booking Through Thursday, and potentially a beading related post!!

Way to go teams: Clotbusters and The Fockers!! (p.s. four fifths of team Clotbusters are also part of The Fockers!)

Booking Through Thursday: Short or Long...STORIES!!!

June 3, 2010 question: Which do you prefer? Short stories? Or full-length novels?

Answer: FULL LENGTH NOVELS!! Hands down, no thought required. I'm not a big fan of short stories-I always want more!! Even when it comes to novels, I've always enjoyed LENGTHY books. Or even better, series-so the story keeps going. The best-LENGTHY books in a SERIES!!!

I have to admit, I've only really read one collection of short stories in the past hmmm....in the past ever I guess. They were good, but I wanted more. I read on a blog somewhere that you need to read short stories with a different frame of mind-maybe I'll have to give them another chance!

How about you guys? YES YOU!!! Do you prefer full length novels or short stories??