A new year - new resolutions

It would appear that my blogging has been lacking in the recent days last year. So, in an effort to read more (I've been slacking lately), I'm taking a college English course. This will be the fourth course I've taken over the last three years, and I have to say that I'm really excited. The previous courses were British Literature, American Literature, and the Bible as Literature. Very broad courses that provided me with a better understanding of genre and history of authors. 

Beginning in just a few weeks is Novels - the opportunity to read 10 books in 15 weeks and write 10 papers. Sound like fun? Thankfully, all but three of the books I have read before. Rereading a book is just another opportunity to further understand and comprehend the subtleties of the story. The new ones? I admit - I'm a little nervous at trying to read, comprehend, and write a paper on something completely unfamiliar in just 14 days. The bright side is that I have several friends taking the class with me and I'm looking forward to opportunities of talking about the novels throughout the semester. Stay tuned for (hopefully) more posts about what I'm reading. Who knows - maybe this will propel me into reading more this year!

Royal History

My current read is this book "Royal Panoply" about the lives of Britain's monarchs. Each chapter shares a brief overview of every ruler, from the circumstances of their rise to power, to their demise, while also showing why they are remembered. These quick snippets of history make me want to read a biography of each person!


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Utopia

Utopia - an ideal state or place; perfect government and society. This is how the dictionary defines the term. Sir Thomas More took the term to a whole new level when he wrote a work on how the word could be lived out. While many of ideas More had were far fetched and unrealistic, we catch a glimpse into the struggles More was facing in 16th century England. He was faced with a changeable sovereign, Henry the Eighth, who ruled based on what was convenient for him. The people of the kingdom never knew what to expect. More longed for a perfect society where everyone was treated with respect and dignity, was able to worship as they saw fit, and no one suffered. I was intrigued while reading how many ideologies have been carried through the centuries and how many of More's struggles are still talked about and discussed today. This is not an easy read - it took me about 4 months of occasional reading. My brain needed several days between readings to process everything! In spite of this, it is worth reading and considering today.

Harry Potter

Over Christmas, I began the journey of reading the Harry Potter series and watching the movies. I was able to get through the first four books without any problems. When the semester started, I borrowed book five from a friend and it has sat on my table and not been touched. There is no excuse for this, other than the fact that American Idol started and work became busy. 

You may be wondering why I decided to read this series. Well, I'll tell you. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always been fascinated by a good story. Each of these books represents an incredible amount of imagination. From the characters' names, to the detailed descriptions, to the creation of animals/plants, everything is fresh and new. While I don't usually enjoy stories centered around witchcraft and magic, these stories are innocent in their intention and purpose. 

Future posts will contain favorite characters and moments, but for now, this will have to suffice.

So many books, so little time

Well, my goal to read consistently was blown to bits once the semester began. The list of books to read continues to grow but there aren't enough hours in a day to read everything I want to read. Over the last month, I have read bits and pieces of several books (see other posts for details), but have yet to complete any of them. I'll share in the next few posts what these books are and when I hope to finish them.

Kindle

My wonderful co-workers gave me a gift card to Amazon for my birthday with the suggestion that I get a Kindle. Their suggestion stemmed from my love for reading and my ever-growing collection of books. So, I did lots of online reading on the different options available, read newspaper articles, talked to friends, etc. After several weeks of considerations, I decided to purchase a Kindle. In contemplating how much I would use it and the types of books I'm looking to read, I went with the basic model (wi-fi only). 
It arrived yesterday and last night I spent over an hour playing with it and reading the manual. I'm not a tech-savvy person (that's why I have friends) so there are still some features I haven't figured out yet. So far, I'm very pleased with my purchase and will probably write additional posts the more I use it. If you're interested in purchasing a Kindle, just visit Amazon and read the reviews!

Beauty and the Beast

Have you ever read a fairy tale and been disappointed because it wasn't how you remembered it as a child? While flying home for Christmas, I downloaded Marie le Prince de Beaumont's version of Beauty and the Beast. It wasn't what I remembered from fairy tale books as a child. Most of my memories are, unfortunately, a result of Disney's retelling of this story. In Beaumont's version, Beauty, her father, sisters, and brothers are forced to live in a small cottage as her father's ships have been lost at sea and their fortune with them. While waiting, her father stumbles upon a castle in the forest and is forced to promise to bring back one of his daughters to live there forever. The beast is lonely and desires companionship, which is found in Beauty's willingness to live in the castle.
I won't tell more because you really need to read this - it won't take more than 30 minutes. It's a free download on Amazon's Kindle and worth the time.

Becoming Queen Victoria

While traveling during Christmas, I picked up this book and was captivated by the history I'd never known. Granted, I've read about Victoria and Albert: their reign, their children, the influence they had upon the world, etc. What I didn't know was the background to Victoria's reign and the circumstances that allowed her to become queen.

Kate Williams does an excellent job of including the historical facts but still keeping flow and interest. Never did I think about quitting as the story pulled me in and I wanted to fill all the gaps that I didn't know existed. The number of people who should have been crowned, but through unusually and tragic circumstances were unable to produce an heir, is what allowed Victoria (at age 18) to take the seat of one of the most powerful countries at that time. By her own account, Victoria did not fully believe she would become the sovereign. Her uncles and several cousins died, thus leaving the throne to her.
The kings and queens of Europe have always been fascinating to me, and this book provided more information and piqued my interest in studying some of the lesser-known royals of the early 19th century. 

Christmas Vacation

Every vacation I have a tradition. It's not something the ordinary person does: I go to the local library and check out several books to read. Today, I picked up the first 2 Harry Potter books, a biography of Elizabeth I and Philip of Spain, Becoming Queen Victoria, and a biography on the daughters of Queen Victoria. This may sound like a hefty reading list, but it's only for this week! With a trip to see family and 10+ hours in a car, what's a person to do besides read? In addition to this, my Dad showed me several of his books, written about the so-called greatest books of all time. 
Is this what you do over Christmas vacation? If not, you should start!

Little House on the Prairie

Laura Ingalls Wilder's memoir of her life growing up on the prairie fascinated me and my sister growing up. We made molasses cookies, watched the tv show, and even thought our mom should be like Ma Ingalls. (You know: always nice, never making us do chores, that sort of thing). I recently reread this series as I live in NE Wisconsin and so many things make sense now. The vastness of the land, the howling wind, and excessive amounts of snow - I struggle living in these conditions and it amazes me that people survived 150 years ago without all the things we have today! What I love about these books is the simplicity of the life described and even in the midst of little, they had each other and were content. These are books everyone should read. Not just because they describe another time but because they are timeless.