I'm back! well...sort of.

You may have noticed I haven't been posting lately. My last post was an abrupt 'see ya later' and something about needing a break. Well I've taken a break and I'm ready to return to reading and writing on a regular schedule...except not today, haha.

I'll explain--over said break, my mind wandered and I toyed with the idea of switching platforms, especially since I wasn't actively blogging. And wouldn't you know--I did. Somehow, I did. It's not exactly where I want it yet...but it's pretty darn close.

This site will be up and running for a little while longer. I may even find another use for it, but most of my rambling and musings will occur at this place---> A Morose Bookshelf (same name, new face!)

It would be wonderful if you stopped by and gave feedback and stuff...and subscribed, haha.

Okay, ciao.

--A.

I'm sick...watch this Grizzly Bear video.

Hola...I am currently under the heavy haze* of medication for a cold or whatever the hell this is...so I won't be posting anything book or reading related today. Instead, I decided to post one of my favorite Grizzly Bear songs, which also happens to be one of my favorite artsy music videos of all time because of its storytelling (kudos to Allison Schulnik)

Enjoy.

I love the entire song but I especially love it at 1:55. 

*I feel like that clay yeti (?) right about now...

All the way from Indiana--a package!

Look what came in the mail!

...it had to be inspected first.

...and then once again after I opened it...animals are so silly. 

Anyways, it's a copy of Wolf to the Slaughter by Ruth Rendell, courtesy of Bev at My Reader's Block. In 2012 I participated in her Color Coded Reading Challenge, and was selected as a winner of sorts...so she gave me the option of choosing a book and I chose this one. Exciting because 1) I'm not one of those people who win things--ever (unless it's a competition) and 2) I love getting packages in the mail..

Reading List for Color Coded Reading Challenge 2012 

Thanks Bev!

Awards and such...

Sidne at Reading Rendezvous Reviewz has tagged me for the Liebster Blog award. You're tagged if you have under 200 followers and do a good job blogging. Those who are tagged then share 11 random facts about themselves, answer 11 questions posted by the person that tagged them, and then create their own set of 11 questions for others to answer. 

Why eleven? This is a lot of work.
I feel a strange way about this, but I'll participate... 

First, eleven random facts about me:

1) My favorite color is orange.

2) I have a Miniature Pinscher named Roxy (a very cute terror).

3) I was born in Germany.

4) Forrest Gump is one of my all-time favorite movies. 

5) I NEED to see the Mars Volta live. 

6) I'm approximately 69 inches tall.

7) Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana is catnip for me.

8) I want to learn Portuguese and French.

9) I think Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is a boss.

10) International Relations intrigue the hell out of me.

11) I like apple martinis

Now, the 11 questions I have to answer:

Romance or Historical? Historical.

Dystopian or Mystery? Mystery.

Christian or Sci-fi? Sci-fi.

Chick Lit or Thriller? Thriller.

Poetry or Memoir? Poetry.

Short Stories or YA? Short Stories.

Historical Romance or Paranormal? Neither.

Spiritual or Fantasy? Fantasy.

Cookbook or Health & Fitness? Cookbook.

Erotic or Street lit? Anything but Street lit!

Q's I'm asking:

1) You're going to be stranded on an island. You can only bring three books. Which three?

2) One book you wish you had written.

3) Do you speak more than one language?

4) Which one is the better actor: Matt Damon or Mark Wahlberg? 

5) What are you listening to?

6) What is the worst book you've ever read?

7) Do you have a doppleganger?

8) SVU or Criminal Intent?

9) Three authors that 'get' you or you really love

10) Do you have any other hobbies?

11) Are you okay with reviews containing spoilers? 

I never realized what a lazy member of the book blogging community I am. I don't know 11 blogs with under 200 followers. Anyways, I'm tagging:

Chris @ In A Bookshelf
Denee @ Novel Reveries
Rowen @ My Little Library
Neal @ English Major Versus the World
Amy @ Book Musings
Grace @ For Those Who Live to Read
LibraryBaby @ So Many Books, So Little Time...
V @ Bookborne

Eight is almost eleven, right?

 

Happy Fourth of July

America you are awesome (most of the time) and I hope everyone enjoys their Independence Day filled with food, fireworks, friends, family and fun.

...did you know three founding fathers died on July 4th? Adams, Jefferson and Monroe.

Inferno.Cabin Fever.Futbol.Books.

I don't know if you've noticed, but its been really hot lately. Stupidly hot. Like 100+ degrees everyday for the past week. I've confined myself to air-conditioned spaces but I'm getting cabin fever. I watched my Germany lose to Italy in futbol. I watched my USA beat Canada today (women's) There is only so much television one can watch. But I have been reading...sort of.

Anyways, the inferno that is the United States right now (except maybe Alaska) made me think about the books I've read with hot settings--deserts, jungles, cities, anywhere the heat left an impression on the characters and/or reader. And a strange thing happened--I could only think of three!

For me, its so much easier to go the other way with this. I've read numerous books where it was cold, and the cold meant something for the characters...thematically, metaphorically etc. But not so much for the heat.

Here's what I scraped from my memory:

The White Woman on the Green Bicycle by Monique Roffey

(Description via Goodreads)

Set on the island of Trinidad, characters reflect on the how the island heat enchanted a husband, detached a wife and set off island politics.

It touches on some tense topics: civil unrest, racial segregation, adultery, corruption. One character in particular constantly complains about the heat on the island. They're always sweating and whining and angry about something. The heat will do that to a person.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

(Description via Goodreads)

You know, the only reason I thought of this is because a portion of the story takes place in Mexico city. I've never been there, but I imagine it to be this hot, grimy, artsy place.

Kingsolver suprised me with this one because its oddly political. Also, despite the setting and situation, I found the protagonist to be reserved and somewhat cold.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

(Description via Goodreads)

Technically, I haven't read this one yet...but I will read it at some point in the summer. A friend of mine read it already and thought it would fit on this post.

I like the cover.

 That's it. That's all I got.

What else is there?

Author-On-Author Insults

I was surfing the world wide web and stumbled across A Solitary Passion, a pretty cool blog which posted a great list of insults stated by one notable writer about another. This caught my attention because most of my friends know how much I strongly dislike anything Jane Austen, John Steinbeck or James Joyce. The insults made me laugh so I thought I'd share a few:  

Virginia Woolf on James Joyce:

“[Ulysses is] the work of a queasy undergraduate scratching his pimples.”

Ernest Hemingway on William Faulkner:

“Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?” 

Vladimir Nabokov on Ernest Hemingway:  

“As to Hemingway, I read him for the first time in the early ‘forties, something about bells, balls and bulls, and loathed it.” 

James Dickey on Steinbeck:

"I can't read ten pages of Steinbeck without throwing up." 

Mark Twain on Jane Austen:

"Every time I read ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ I want to dig her up and hit her over the skull with her own shin-bone.” 

The last one is my favorite. I'm sure everyone has that one author (or handful of writers) that really annoys them. Read more insults here --  'Nastiest Literary Insults of All Time'