Christmastime is past! The New Year approaches! I got one book on makeup (not a hint, I requested it) and The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones. So exciting. So much backstory.
My entire family, complete with four kids, two partners and two tiny kids (plus my parents, obvs) stayed in Chicago for three days, and I have just left them, after spending part of the evening alternately yelling at my little brother for making a whizzing sound with his nose all night, and calling his cell phone to wake him up.
As is usually the case when I'm around my family for any period longer than a day, I got a lot of reading done, so I've now finished up some books I was preeeetty close to being done with, but hadn't quite made it. So #3 in The Edge Chronicles! Done! Feast for Crows the fourth in the Game of Thrones series! Done! And then I started like three other books because LOOK WHAT THE PLACE WHERE WE WERE STAYING HAD:
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We were at the University Club in Chicago. Their collection goes back to the library's founding in 1897, and did you know sitting in giant soft leather armchairs and browsing old weird books is most probably the best way to spend your time because you will invariably come across sentences involving the word 'ballyhoo' and spend a not inconsiderable length of time reading Books and the Man from 1929, which discusses how Daniel Defoe added the 'de' to his last name to make it fancy, and also how Walt Whitman was possibly terribly gauche for publishing Emerson's complimentary letter to him on Leaves of Grass.
I spent most of the weekend focusing on Image of America, by R.L. Bruckberger, written in 1959 and translated from French. He's a Dominican priest writing about America and our history and trying to explain America to those overseas, but I am basically in love with this book AND with Father Bruckberger. I don't want to, y'know, RUIN the book, but he calls Hitler an assiduous dunce. He also says:
I mean. I have a bunch of quotes. Because I love this book.
Finishing Feast for Crows means I have ONE MORE until I have to wait with everyone else for GRRM to think about publishing the penultimate (one hopes) part to his series. So I'm gonna hold off on A Dance With Dragons for a bit. Mayyybe until he has a definite publication date for the sixth. Because in the back of Feast for Crows he's like "I will DEF have the fifth one out next year. So. 2005. Yeah, for sure." And then it was not published until 2011.
2015 reading goals? Oh, I don't know. I'm like halfway through the Old Testament, so I guess...finish the Old Testament. Chronicles is a damn bear to get through, although I did just read "So Hanun seized David's envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away." So that was fun. Every year I say I'm gonna read more books on my shelves and it never happens, so I'm not gonna say it again. Maybe it'll be some weird reverse things where maybe I DO then. We'll see.
My entire family, complete with four kids, two partners and two tiny kids (plus my parents, obvs) stayed in Chicago for three days, and I have just left them, after spending part of the evening alternately yelling at my little brother for making a whizzing sound with his nose all night, and calling his cell phone to wake him up.
As is usually the case when I'm around my family for any period longer than a day, I got a lot of reading done, so I've now finished up some books I was preeeetty close to being done with, but hadn't quite made it. So #3 in The Edge Chronicles! Done! Feast for Crows the fourth in the Game of Thrones series! Done! And then I started like three other books because LOOK WHAT THE PLACE WHERE WE WERE STAYING HAD:
We were at the University Club in Chicago. Their collection goes back to the library's founding in 1897, and did you know sitting in giant soft leather armchairs and browsing old weird books is most probably the best way to spend your time because you will invariably come across sentences involving the word 'ballyhoo' and spend a not inconsiderable length of time reading Books and the Man from 1929, which discusses how Daniel Defoe added the 'de' to his last name to make it fancy, and also how Walt Whitman was possibly terribly gauche for publishing Emerson's complimentary letter to him on Leaves of Grass.
I spent most of the weekend focusing on Image of America, by R.L. Bruckberger, written in 1959 and translated from French. He's a Dominican priest writing about America and our history and trying to explain America to those overseas, but I am basically in love with this book AND with Father Bruckberger. I don't want to, y'know, RUIN the book, but he calls Hitler an assiduous dunce. He also says:
We are continually told that vice corrupts society, and this is true. But fanatic love of virtue has done more to damage men and destroy societies than all the vices put together.
I mean. I have a bunch of quotes. Because I love this book.
Finishing Feast for Crows means I have ONE MORE until I have to wait with everyone else for GRRM to think about publishing the penultimate (one hopes) part to his series. So I'm gonna hold off on A Dance With Dragons for a bit. Mayyybe until he has a definite publication date for the sixth. Because in the back of Feast for Crows he's like "I will DEF have the fifth one out next year. So. 2005. Yeah, for sure." And then it was not published until 2011.
2015 reading goals? Oh, I don't know. I'm like halfway through the Old Testament, so I guess...finish the Old Testament. Chronicles is a damn bear to get through, although I did just read "So Hanun seized David's envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away." So that was fun. Every year I say I'm gonna read more books on my shelves and it never happens, so I'm not gonna say it again. Maybe it'll be some weird reverse things where maybe I DO then. We'll see.
With regards to Christmas soul, some have it, some don't. I'm nevertheless despite everything I wish my companions a Merry Christmas, Happy, and so forth.
ReplyDeletePerhaps your folks couldn't stand to do an appropriate Christmas when you were close to nothing, either due to cash or time. Also, do my math homework for me presently that you're more established, perhaps they figure you needn't bother with it or it's past the point where it is possible to begin.