Song of the Week: This Good Day

For week four of every month, my Song of the Week post will be centered around Christian music. For 2012, I would like to be a bit more purposeful with my music listening, and Christian music certainly has its place in my life.

I was unable to find a video of This Good Day to embed, so I will have to be satisfied with sharing a link to the song.

 

PLEASE do click over and listen to This Good Day by Fernando Ortega, AND then come back to this post.

This Good Day is one of my most favorite Christian songs.  Actually, Fernando Ortega ranks on my favorite Christian artists list, and quite possibly the favorite.  No matter my mood, This Good Day is always a good song to listen to. A good mood, I am uplifted further. A bad or so-so mood, I am reminded that no matter my troubles…. “This good day, it is a gift from You. The world is turning in its place Because you made it to.” And so…. “I lift my voice to sing a song of praise. On this good day.”

Many years ago, about 11, I took my oldest son- Benjamin – along with my mom and sister to Breakfast with Moody that featured Fernando Ortega. He was present during the morning radio show, and played live for those who were able to attend. It was a fantastic experience.  Fernando Ortega was simply wonderful to hear live, and to speak with during a brief album signing moment. I would love to see him in concert.

If you listen to Christian music – which song is your favorite?  If you listen to Christian music – do you listen often?  If you listen to other music music that feeds your spiritual needs, please share.

 

Song of the Week: Have You Ever

Trying to do something different with my Song of the Week posts. Not certain if my idea will really pan out into a good thing. Time will tell.  Until proven as a not so good idea for this brain of mine, I am going to start theme weeks for this post. 

Pandora week, this is.  One week per month, I am going to feature a song that came to me by way of listening to Pandora.  At first, I thought the song should be a new find, but I have concluded that it could be a familiar song that I have not listened to for a while but brought back to my attention through Pandora listening.

This you must know, Brandi Carlile is a favorite of mine. I absolutely LOVE her music. I have seen her in concert at least three times, she is fantastic and I blogged about her at least twice -  Music Musings: Brandi Carlile and   A Fantastic Show…Brandi Carlile.  What occurred over the last year, in my quest to diversify my music, I did not listen to her much. What a shame. Upon listening to Pandora, I kept seeing my Brandi Carlile channel. I finally played it, and guess what…I miss listening to her music.

Have you Ever is a simple song yet has meaning. What that meaning is, I cannot tell you. But, I will say, for me, the meaning changes a bit with my mood and life, but it always resonates feeling.

Any finds this week for you by way of a radio service such as Pandora?

Song of the Week: Little Lion Man

I am very excited, indeed, to share with you a new-to-me discovery. Last November, while listening to Pandora, I came across Mumford & Sons. I immediately took a liking to their music.  I created a Mumford & Sons channel with far more immediacy than normal. That was a great move. I have been listening to this channel heavily since December.  And,  I will say, I like almost every song that pops up on the Mumford & Sons channel.

January 1st, I found myself browsing for music over on Amazon – a favorite place of mine to purchase music. I came across Mumford & Son’s album – Sigh No More, and I thought about it for a nano second before snatching up the disc.  Sometimes, I do not buy my music in mp3 format, sometimes I need to have the album in hand – this is the case for this amazing band.  I love this album! Love it! I love almost every single song. 

It was very hard to choose one song from the album to feature on this post, but I wound up going with Little Lion Man mostly because it is readily available on YouTube, and because I really like this live version.

Talent. Talent. Talent. I would love to see them play live; they look fun. Writing this post, a thought came to mind -  I can see myself becoming obsessive over this band; their music. It is a feeling that washes over me – utter enjoyment, reflection, emotion - when I listen to them that gives me that thought. Over the last two weeks or so,  I have not let one day go by without listening to their music. Oh wait, I already am obsessed. A good obsession it is.

Sigh No More is this young band’s debut album, and I expect that we will see some more great stuff from them as time goes on - how exciting! 

What do you think?  Great stuff, or not? 
No matter, I love them.

Side Note:
Do you have a Pandora account? If so, have you followed anyone? I am curious, how the following works. I think it would be great fun to follow others, that I know, to share music that is currently being listened to. Maybe come across something that I may not otherwise. What do you think?

 

Foundation Group Read– Part One

Welcome to my thoughts on the first part of the Foundation Group Read hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.  This group read will consist of two parts for Foundation, book one of The Foundation Novels series by Isaac Asimov.

As some of you may know, I am not a big sci-fi reader, and immediately shy away from classic sci-fy books. Based on this,  when I first saw Carl’s post for the group read I immediately decided that it was not for me. Then, for some reason, I gave a second look, and thought that maybe this book could be a good “get my feet wet” classic sci-fi read because it is only 244 pages. Add to that, Carl holds fantastic group reads.  So, here I am, one week into my reading and very ready to give you a few of my thoughts on Foundation....thus far.

For our first round of discussions, Carl provided questions to answer.  This discussion is based on reading about half-way into the book.

 

For the purpose of satisfying curiosity, is this your first time reading Foundation or have you read it before?
This is my first time reading Foundation. As I indicated, I am getting “my feet wet” in classic sci-fi, and I tend to shy away from these type of books. I always figured - if I am not sci-fi reader, then surely, I will be bored to death with a classic sci-fi book.

 

For those reading Foundation for the first time, what expectations did you have going in and has it met them or surprised you in any way?
I expected to be bored, but thought that since it is a short read at 244 pages then I could certainly muster enough motivation to get myself through the book. I wanted the experience. I wanted to read a sci-fi book of this nature and say that I did it. I wanted to be able say, with confidence - yep, classic sci-fi is not for me.  I certainly did not expect the surprise that was in store for me - I am loving this book. It has been exciting, intriguing, and engaging right from the start. The style of writing speaks to me; works well. How did I ever think that I would be bored? That, I certainly am not. I am psyched, no pun intended or was it?

What are your thoughts about the structure of the novel thus far? (I am referring to the brief glimpses of different parts of the history of the Foundation with big time gaps between events in the novel)
At first, when I realized the shift in time occurred, and that we jumped ahead 50 years - I was disappointed. I wanted to know more about Gaal Dornich, the trial, and the path taken afterwards. But then, I quickly became engaged with the events on Terminus, and felt that the past was not neglected - it was blending into this portion of the book. Then, the story jumps ahead again in time by about 30 years. This last jump, however, did not bother me at all, but did take me a moment to acclimate myself to the fact that a jump in time occurred again. I was clued into this by reading the Encyclopedia Galactica passage in the beginning of part three, and with “In the forty years I’ve known you…”  This last jump served to gain my attention even more because the intrigue seems to be building. The time gaps are filling in - one piece at a time - which adds to that sense of intrigue with the present as well with the past. My attention is certainly being held. Why is this all working - these jumps?  I think because the writing is smooth, and the history of Terminus and the galaxy has not been neglected which actually are very integral to the current lives, and storyline.

What are your initial thoughts on the field of psychohistory?
At first, I felt that psychohistory was hogwash, mumbo-jumbo… a field made up by Isaac Asimov…and made the story somewhat crazy.  Even so, it was explained, and blended into the story so well that before I knew it – psychohistory became believable. As the field gained believability, I thought this concept is working great, and works for a sci-fi book. And now, at this point of the reading, I think it is a pretty neat idea - a field that could make some predictions based on behaviors of a group of people by combining the sociology aspect with math, and history.  You loose me with the math, but with the history and sociology - I am there. Pretty neat.  Even though I think this is pretty neat, I would not actually like the reality of it. There are potential problems with predictions - a god like complex could happen with society.

What, if anything, is holding your interest thus far, what are you enjoying about Foundation?
I am greatly intrigued with how the predictions are being played out.   Mostly, the undercurrents that say an uprising will occur on Terminus. The power control that is underway - the disasters, failures, etc that are bound to happen are making me so ever curious. Suspenseful.

What, if anything, are you not enjoying about Foundation?
The lack of strong character connections.  While I do like the time jumps, they seem to happen right around the time I start making a connection.  I am a character centric reader, so this could be a potential problem with me, yet at this point, the story is holding my interest. I attribute that to the quick pace, and writing style.

You may have covered this in answering the other questions, but if not, what are your thoughts/feelings about the Galactic Empire.  Is it a practical thing to have a galaxy spanning government? Can you imagine such a thing and do  you think it would work?
This is an incredibly huge concept for me. The Galactic Empire is an intriguing, and for the most part, believable as it is written. For my brain to wrap around the hugeness of the Galactic Empire, my mind could not help but wander into Star Wars as a foundation for the concept. However, this huge empire is just not practical so it is of no surprise to me that its power has been stripped away.  The galaxy is simply too vast of a span for one power. Frankly, one government even for Earth would not be practical or achievable. Okay, maybe at some point in time it could be achieved, but for how long? The people would not truly have a voice in a large singular government, and the intricacies involved to rule an incredible span with a huge population would be too complex to avoid some sort of rebellion.

What are your thoughts on Hardin's creation of a religious system in which to house scientific ideas and technology while keeping the users of that science and technology in the dark?
Disaster waiting to happen. That was the thought that came to my mind when I learned of this religious system. The thought has not left.

To join in on the discussion, or just to see what others have to say about part one – head on over to Foundation Group Read, Part 1 (of 2)

2011: End of Year Music Roundup

Oh whoa!  First off, I royally bombed with posting weekly for my Song of the Week Posts.  For 2012, I am going to improve my 2011 stats which are found at the end of this post. I would also love to increase conversation regarding music - what you are listening to, music new to you, etc.  Any suggestions, on how to increase music related conversation, I gladly will accept.

 

Top 10 Favorite Featured Songs for 2011: 
The song's title is linked to my posts.

1.  Alla Luce Del Sole by Josh Groban

 

 

2.  Oceano by Josh Groban

Josh Groban - Oceano from Aicha_Italy on Vimeo.

 

3. Yes by Coldplay

4. Solo Por Ti by Josh Groban

5. Voce Existe Em Mim by Josh Groban

 

6. All In by Lifehouse

7.  Bratja (Brothers) -Fullmetal Alchemist

8. Princess of China featuring Rihanna by Coldplay

 

9.Someone Like You by Adele

10. Major Minus by Coldplay

 

 

My Favorite Music Artist for the Year 2011:
Josh Groban

Clearly, I had a thing for Josh Groban during 2011. I cannot deny it, my blog proves that he stole my attention away from other musical artists. He was featured at least six times on my blog during 2011 - not counting inserts in other posts. Not only did 4 out of my 24 weeks of Song of the Week posts find a song from Josh Groban, I also wrote a couple of Josh Groban music event posts. Also, I know for a fact, that I listened to him far more than my blog indicates.

2011 Song of the Week Posts:

Alla Luce Del Sole by Josh Groban

Care by Kid Rock

The NEW Canon Rock by Matt Rach

Influences of my Brothers - miscellaneous songs

Early 80's music

Oceano by Josh Groban

Bratja (Brothers) - Fullmetal Alchemist

Rolling in the Deep by Adele

Mushaboom,  I feel it all,  Honey Honey by Feist

Solo Por Ti by Josh Groban

Soundtrack Fest - Tremble for my Beloved by Collective Soul, Friends by Band of Skulls, Monsters by Hurricane Bells, Bach/Break from August Rush, This Time - August Rush - Jonathan Rhys Meyers

Yes by Coldplay

Animal Arithmetic by Jónsi 

All In by Lifehouse

Voce Existe Em Mim by Josh Groban

If You Leave by OMD, Do Wot You Do by INXS,  Need You Tonight by INXS

Major Minus by Coldplay Princess of China by Coldplay

 Someone Like You by Adele

Something in the Water by Brooke Fraser

By and By by Royal Bliss,  Here They Come by Royal Bliss

 

Other Music Posts...

Music Event - Josh Groban

David Garret week in lieu of song of the week

Gushing Over Josh Groban

Oh Yeah!  Bon Jovi!

 

 

Surprises.....

~ I did not post one single song by Muse.  What is up with that?

~ I did not post one single song by Bon Jovi - not including the music event post. What is up with that? I could have sworn I did, but alas, I cannot find one. Hmmm...I listened to them tons.

~  The Song of the Week feature was posted far less than I realized.

Song of the Week Stats:

~ 20 weeks plus 4 weeks highlighting Christmas albums = 24 weeks

~ Josh Groban =  4 weeks + 2 other music post

~ Adele = 2 weeks

~ Coldplay = 2 weeks (3 songs)

 

Again, 24 weeks worth of Song of the Week posts is rather pathetic. I am going to try to increase my post count for 2012.  Even so, I am pleased with my choices for 2011, and have greatly enjoyed listening to them as I wrote this post.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

"People aren't' supposed to look back. I'm certainly not going to do it anymore." p. 20 (ebook)

Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
copyright: 1969
publisher: Random House Publishing
format: ebook
pages: 275 print pages
source: library

Goodreads Description: Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the world's great anti-war books. Centering on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we are afraid to know.

First Sentence:
All this happened, more or else.

My Thoughts:  This is one great, bizarre, and interesting book. I loved it. Not only was it bizarre, it was weird and crazy with a dull, wasteful, and emotionally blank main character - Billy - who experienced  many horrific, disturbing, and haunting moments during the war. Not only that, Billy’s marriage was very bleak, and his wife was pathetic. Their lives, in a large way, were meaningless which I found disturbing. Still, the book was engaging, and I found myself not being able to put it down. I credit that aspect to the incredible writing talent of the author - Kurt Vonnegut.  Truly, his prose, and ability to draw me into the story was magnificent.

You may be thinking, at this point of my post, that this book sounds depressing, and dull. It is not. This book is bizarre more than anything else, and that aspect of the book is what intrigued and engrossed me into the storyline. My mind just kept wanting more.

I kept wanting more because not only was I captured in the incredible bizarre nature, I also really liked the shifting in time - the nonlinear delivery of plot.  I liked it very well.  I liked the writing style very much too; short clipped sentences...concise, to the point, matter of fact ... which all really mean the same thing with a bit of difference and all gave the book its tone.

This book does indeed have time-travel sequences, but I looked at it as more of shifting points in time. I liked how the story took me from one point then right to another. This shifting in time kept the story interesting, and moving, and was not once confusing.  I will point out - as I was reading through the story, I started to come to the opinion that this story does not have time travel.  It is a metaphysical thing, for certain, but a metaphysical thing for a loon.

I do not think that Billy really time-traveled. He did, in his own mind and that was all. I certainly gained an impression that he was a character who was not motivated to do much in life. He wanted to abandon life early on.  He did things and became things as they fell into his lap. He did not really do anything out of ambition at all.  His appearance, I am sure, reflected this aspect.   He was apathetic.  He was dull and wasteful. Not dull in an uninteresting way, but dull in enthusiasm.  I think the narrator/Billy was nuts, and that is how I viewed the character. Yet with all of those negative character qualities, I liked reading his story. 

While entrenched in Billy’s world, I did appreciate learning about his part of WWII - Dresden. It opened my eyes up to this aspect of the war.  It should be noted,  I like war stories, anyway. Plus, I like history. So of course, those aspects worked very well for me, but I must once again point to the talented writing of the author. His ability to embed these facts of history into Billy’s story is what makes this war story stick in my mind.

There seemed to be no true point to the story - nothing much really happened yet things did happen.The story felt meandering, and it worked for the style of writing, pointlessness.  Yet through the meandering, and pointlessness, there were many life experiences of the character which were relayed to me well.

Overall, this is a great book. I cannot fully explain way except that it left an impression.  The pointlessness, and meandering aspects worked well for the style of writing, and it worked well for Billy’s story.  There were no moments of boredom or wishing the author would just get on with it. The story is not dull at all.

Bottom Line: Bizarre, and incredibly engrossing. This is not a book to be missed.  Would this be a book for me to re-read? Nope. BUT, it is a book that I have found myself recommending to others, and I gifted it to two people for Christmas - my dad, and Suey.  I hope they will appreciate this bizarre story as I did.

Book Cover: Gotta tell ya, I am not loving it. There is nothing about this book cover that draws me to the story.  I will say, I think it is very cool how he writes/draws his signature.

Side Note: As a reader who just reads a story for what it is and does not look for some deep hidden meaning - I did not come away thinking of this as an anti-war story. I think people see it as such because they have background knowledge of the story or author. I think people come away thinking of it as such because that is how the story is touted. I really knew nothing of this story before reading it. I did not know what Slaughterhouse-Five refereed. I did not know anything about Dresden. I read this story, as I read most of my stories, because I came across a person or a blog post stating how much the book was liked which in turn made me curious enough to read it myself. The point is, I did not know what it was about; not really. The first time I realized that this book is considered an anti-war story was when I came across the Goodreads description. Besides, I think war could be all those horrible experiences described in this book so just because they were embedded into the story does not necessarily equate a view point of anti-war.

~  Haruki Murakami has a similar writing style, and was reminded of him while reading Slaughterhouse-Five.  Murakami stories captivate me, and yet, there is not much going on...no real point...yet a  point is there.

Note Worthy Quotes: 

"My wife and I had lost our baby fat. Those were our scrawny years. We had a lot of scrawny veterans and their scrawny wives for friends.  The nicest veterans in Schenectady, I thought, the kindest and funniest ones, the ones who hated war the most, were the ones who really fought."  p. 13 (ebook)

"I have told my sons that they are not under any circumstances to take part in massacres, and that the news of massacres of enemies is not to fill them with satisfaction or glee."  p. 18 (ebook)

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (and Giveaway)

“Life before death.  Strength before weakness.  Journey before destination.”  p. 607, hc

The Way of Kings
The Stormlight Archive: Book One
by Brandon Sanderson
Copyright: 2010
publisher: TOR
format: hardcover, and mass-market paperback
pages: 1007 (hc), 1258 (mmpb)
source:  own both

Goodreads Description: Roshar is a world of stone and storms. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soiless ground. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter.
It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Men trade kingdoms for Shardblades. Wars were fought for them, and won by them.
One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. In a war that makes no sense, where ten armies fight separately against a single foe, he struggles to save his men and to fathom the leaders who consider them expendable

First Sentence:
Kalak rounded a rocky stone ridge and stumbled to a stop before the body of a dying thunderclast.

My Thoughts:  The Way of Kings is grand.  Grand in style, depth, pace, world-building, prose, story, and characters. This was all pulled together magnificently. A world - a story of brilliant epicness was created.  Reading this epic story has left me in utter awe of Brandon Sanderson’s talent. 

Sanderson crafted a story that was far from one dimensional yet not confusing at all.  He crafted a story that paid attention to detail yet was not bogged down.  His fabulous world-building was amazingly interesting in simple and intricate ways. The details were well-balanced which never left me feeling like Sanderson was droning on. This ability to create a fabulous world was made even more so by the fact that the story remained front and center - not the world-building itself.

The story...umm...wow!  It evolved with smooth pacing and unfolded page by page with suspense, intrigue, and action.  The story grew as each of the several story lines developed.  While these story lines were independent, they converged into the larger story with a subtle naturalness that set my mind whirling with incredible satisfaction. The various story lines were brilliant in that they were each able to seamlessly give the reader (that would be me) an incredible view of the world and its troubles, cultures, and events.   These perceptions were shown via the unique individual story lines of the main characters. These story lines, when put together, gave an incredible complete story without reader confusion.

The war scenes were written with attention and balance of showing the prelude to battle, the battle itself, and the after effects. Not only were the war scenes great, attention was paid towards relationships - formed, broken - simple they were not. Honorable and dishonorable intentions were seen throughout. The fantasy elements were unique - I loved the concept of the Lost Radiants, the shardblade, the shardplates, the lashings, stormlight, and the spren. There were more elements than just named, and not only were they unique - they made sense and fit the story - they were believable.

As the story moved along, so did my understanding of what was, what is, and ideas formed of what will be. The Way of Kings does not spoon feed information, rather it was woven within the story and characters. My eyes were riveted upon the pages.

The characters were top-notch. Fascinating from the first page all the way to the last page. What struck me with awe was how the main characters evolved - grew and developed - much depth.  One dimensional characters - there were none. Facets of each character was discovered as many layers were peeled away as the story progressed. With each step of the way, I gained more understanding of the characters.  I was greatly intrigued by each, but not by each all the way through. This struck me too.  While, Kaladin was a favorite from the start and still remains. I thought I did not care for Shallan only to see her story progress - enlightened, I started to understand her better - by end of the story, I liked her greatly.  Sveth is a character of enormous intrigue, and one that I do not have fully figured out. Part of me is hoping that he will not remain a puppet, and the other part of me looks upon him with sadness and disgust.  It is a testament to Sanderson’s talent in that first impressions of a character changed and grew. I went from not liking or sort of liking a character to either liking, and/or having great appreciation.

Kaladin is a favorite but Dalinar is the character I most admire. I must admit, I am a bit startled by this because he is an example of a character that I felt somewhat lukewarm towards in the beginning. By end of story,  I came to look upon him with a sense of amazement. As Dalinar’s layers were shown to me - understanding was gained. He is a man of great worth. He is to be respected, not because he demands it, but because he has earned it.  Perfect he is not - errors have been made - but he has learned. I hope that he does not crumble. I worry that he will as time goes on because I hold him high above the others. He is inspiring.

I could go on and on. There is so much to say, but I have certainly expressed enough and then some for one post. Let me finish by saying.….

For me, a sign of a brilliant story is the depth of writing achieved by moments, actions, and decisions that make me pause to ponder what was just read, and to assimilate the awe felt.   I paused many times throughout this book.

Bottom Line:  Brilliant!  Simply, and magnificently brilliant.  The Way of Kings is Grand - simply put.  Not only was I beyond satisfied with this epic creation, I was left in awe.

The Cover:  Can I love an actual physical book as much as I love this one? Don’t think so.  The cover itself is fantastic and by end of story I was far more intrigued.  The actual hardcover was embellished with a sword on the front cover.  The pages are smooth and feel rich.  The maps, charts and illustrations gave me a rush of fantastic delight.  The actual physical hardcover book is beautiful to my eyes.  Let me note, the mass-market paperback is missing all that beauty - the images are not produced with the same awe.

Side Notes:  This is not a story to be missed, but I fear that it will be missed by many just because of its massive size.  I encourage those who love fantasy, especially epic in nature, to not pass this one by based solely on the number of pages. Indeed, it took me six weeks to read this one, but let me tell you this - it was extremely worth the time.  The first 4 weeks were during August, and my reading was not going well in general.  I made it through the first two parts of five.  I finished this book in December. In two weeks, I read parts three - five. I did not speed read, rather, the story’s pace lent itself to the ability to polish away three parts in two weeks. I did not read all day - only in chunks here and there.  What I am saying, this book is very doable to read in parts. You do not necessarily have to read it straight through. You can set it aside if a break is needed to feel a sense of reading accomplishment. I do not recommend setting it aside because it is compelling, but it can be done.  So, if the massive amount of pages make you shy away from this one, then think about reading it in parts at a time.

~ I am not a huge fan of prologues, especially lengthy ones. As a rule, I tend to want to skip them, and usually find them a waste of reading time. Let me attest that the prelude and prologue of this story should not be missed/skipped.  These were one of the most exciting I have ever read. Rich with detail and action.  I scrambled to truly understand what was going on - not chaos just layers of depth. I am glad that I did not succumb to my usual rule.

Note Worthy Quotes:  There are many -  I will restrain myself.

“Say what you mean and ask for what you want.” p. 52, hc

“Authority doesn’t come from a rank.” Kaladin said, fingering the spheres in his pocket.
“Where does it come from?” (Syl)
“From the men who give it to you. That’s the only way to get it.”   p. 257, mmpb

“Act with honor, and honor will aid you.”  p. 376, mmpb

“If we do nothing with the knowledge we gain, then we have wasted our study. Books can store information better than we can - what we do that books cannot is interpret.  So if one is not going to draw conclusions, then one mights as well just leave the information in the texts.”  p. 572, mmpb

“Death comes to all.  But life comes first.  Cherish it.  Death is the destination.  But the journey, that is life. That is what matters.”  p. 610, hc

“One did not write the ending of a lifetime of faith with a sloppy last chapter.”  p. 712, hc

“If I should die,” Dalinar said, “then I would do so having lived my life right.  It is not the destination that matters, but how one arrives there.” p.980, mmpb

“Protesting simply draws attention to the issue.”  Dalinar said.  “the finest defense of character is correct action.  Acquaint yourself with virtue, and you can expect proper treatment from those around you.”  p. 1022, mmpb

From My Shelves Giveaway:  I own both the hardcover and mass-market paperback. I do not need nor want to keep both. I would love to pass on my copy of the mass-market paperback.  Let me warn you though, the cover is slightly creased, and a bit worn. I do not handle mmpb gingerly as I tend to throw them around in my bag. This one traveled many miles with me and it shows not terribly so, but it certainly is not in pristine cover condition. The pages are in great shape.

All you have to do is fill out this form.

Ends on January 25th.
Open to US/Canada mailing addresses.

Winner will be emailed and announced in the comments of this post.

Sunday Post: Happy New Year!

In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want.   
- Irish Toast -

For many people, January 1st seems to be a time for reflection, and I am no exception.  For the last several years, I have written resolutions/goals and have joined in on numerous challenges.  For the last several years, I have not accomplished much of what I hoped.  Not total failures, but mostly, wrong direction and too listy.  This year’s  motto will be in line with the Irish Toast, and with the mindset of simplicity and minimalism.

 

2012 Motto of the Year:  Focus on the simple, the minimal, the doing, the living. 

2012 Verses of the Year: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”    – Isaiah 30:21, NIV

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
- Jeremiah 29:11, NIV

The motto, for me, means that I will try to live life in a more simplistic, minimal way while focusing on the now of the doing and the living of life. I have a habit of planning, and thinking, and listing, and planning….but the doing and the living get lost somewhere in all of that.  Life can be crazy. Life can be full of chaos.  Life can be of change. Live be of stagnancy. Life can be dull. Life can be fun. Life can be unfulfilling. Life can be enriching. Life can be full of wants. Life can be too self-centric. Life can be of loss. Life can be of gains.  Life is for living – for doing.  To quote from one of my favorite books read in 2011… “Death comes to all. But life comes first.  Cherish it. Death is the destination.  But the journey, that is life.  That is what matters.”  The Way of Kings, pg 607 (hc).

Focus on the simple, the minimal, the doing, the living…. I want to live the journey.  So while my motto has potential to help eliminate the craziness of stuff, and clutter of unproductive thoughts, and attitudes - I know, that I cannot live the journey on my own accord. This is where my verses of the year comes into play ….Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”   And… For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

While I will not stop my planning and thinking and listing – all of that is good and wise – I do need to keep in mind that the Lord has already done this for me and that living my story and choosing which paths to take will do me no good if I rely only on myself.  Relying on God’s accord, and the listening to His voice gives room for the doing and the living. This is not always easy to do – the listening and relying - I fully admit as my life attests.  But, I do believe that He has outlined my story for me to live.

I hope to maintain focus on my year’s motto and verses as life does not lend itself to ease, lack of of difficult choices, and lack of questioning. Life does not always lend itself to an easy path of living.

 

To keep in accordance with focusing on the simple and the minimal, and the living of life….I am not going to make grand lengthy resolutions or goals.  The ones I do make will remain personal, minimal and simple. But, I do have a few that I will share here.

1.  New Year Journal – make an entry
This will be the place, from now on, where I write out my summary/reflections from the year prior (2011), check to see if goals/wishes from prior year came true or were met, and then write a few goals/wishes for the coming year (2012).

This idea came from a book I read last year,  Coming Up for Air.

2. My 2012 Book Manifesto
I shared my manifesto last week, and I do hope to accomplish what I have laid out.

3. Bookish Plans for 2012
The idea with these plans is to help maintain focus on the simple and the minimal, and on the doing and the living.  While also – hopefully – enriching life and  eliminating/decreasing the needing and wanting of what is the newest and latest.

 

I do wish, each and every one of you, a Happy New Year that finds you never in want but in extending friendship.

I wish you a Happy New Year that finds you living your journey.

 

2012 TBR Pile Challenge–the Elliana edition

My daughter, Elliana - age 12, is an avid reader.  Her book collection has become quite HUGE over the last several years. In line with My 2012 Book Manifesto, I am encouraging her to read further into her TBR pile rather than wanting new (to her) books to read. I am not going to cut her completely off from book purchases throughout 2012, but I certainly would love it if the majority of her reading was from her TBR pile and the library.  She agrees, and has accepted the TBR Pile Challenge.

Due to her age, I have not officially signed her up on a challenge hosted by another blogger, instead, I am holding her accountable with this post here on Polishing Mud Balls.

Guidelines:  The only rule I set in place for her was that she must already own the book. No restrictions on length of ownership or published date.

Her prize if she accomplishes this goal - a gift card of her choosing to purchase 2 books which will not count towards her book purchase limit for the year.

 

 

Elliana’s 12 Books:

1. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

2. A Crack in the Sky by Mark Peter Hughes

3.  Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers

4.  The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

5.  Graceling by Kristin Cashore

6.  North! Or Be Eaten by Andrew Peterson

7.  A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

8. Blackbringer by Laini Taylor

9. Tirissa and the Necklace of Nulidor by Willow

10.  Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

11.  The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

12.  The Dark is Rising Series by Susan Cooper

Read Aloud Books:  
Books that she wants her and I to read together

1. The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

2. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherine M. Valente

~ Her list will be updated throughout the year to indicate when a book has been read ~

Side Note:  I must give Elliana props for accomplishing an amazing goal for 2011.  Congrats to her….she read the entire Bible during 2011.  She completed her reading on December 30, 2011.  Yay!!!!

Please wish Elliana luck in completing her 2012 TBR challenge. But, mostly wish her tons of fun while she reads throughout the coming year.

Bookish Plans for 2012

Books...books...books. I love books - no surprise there.  Several years back, I discovered the book blogging world, and oh my, the world of books opened up to me so much more than I could have dreamed.  With the discovery of the book blogging world, book challenges became a part of my reading life.  Over the last several years, I have learned, I do not complete challenges - for the most part. Why?  I  just cannot abide by a list especially since my reading moods overtake.

The following are my bookish plans for 2012.
For each plan, I will briefly explain my intent.

My 2012 Book Manifesto

Logan at Rememorandom posted about his 2012 Book Manifesto. I like his plan, and it fits well with where I am at in my thoughts on wanting to decrease accumulation into my life. Also, it fits well with where I truly would like to focus my bookish life.

I am going to take Logan’s lead.

My 2012 Book Manifesto.

The following three challenges, bookclub, and other reading will keep in line with my manifesto.

2012 TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Adam at Roof Beam Reader.

I have HUGE TBR pile, and I did not do very good with decreasing said pile during 2011. I am determined to decrease it during 2012. This TBR challenge is the motivation, and the help that I need to hopefully stay focused on my 2012 Book Manifesto.

Adam has set up specific guidelines for this challenge. I like these guidelines because it forces me to choose older books that have been sitting around waiting for some reading love.

For further information and to see my book list for this challenge - please see my 2012 TBR Pile Challenge  page.

Yes, yes....I am signing up for two TBR type challenges.  Why?  They have their distinct differences which I think will help me stay motivated to read through my TBR pile rather than the newest book rave of the year.

The 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge is  hosted by several bloggers, and they have come up with a way to keep motivation going throughout the year. At the end of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. For participating in the mini-challenge you will get +1 entry.

This Challenge is Hosted by:
Evie from Bookish - @SeoEvie
Nicole from All I Ever Read - @Nicoleabouttown
Bonnie from Hands and Home – @HandsHomeBlog
Donna from Book Passion For Life - @BookPforLife
Caitlin from WatchYA Reading – @caitlingss
Rie from Mission To Read - @missiontoread
Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea - @alouetteuette
Christa from Hooked On Books - @ChristasBooks
Jenna from Fans Of Fiction - @fansoffiction
Angel from Mermaids Vision - @mermaidvisions

For further information and  to see which level I chose for this challenge as well as my book list - please see my 2012 TBR PILE Reading Challenge page.

A Classics Challenge is hosted by November’s Autumn.
Not only do I want 2012 to be the year I concentrate on my TBR pile of books, I also want to read more classics than I did during 2011.  Besides, this one looks fun as November’s Autumn has added a neat twist.

For further information and to see my classics reading list - please see my A Classics Challenges page.

Reading To Know Bookclub
I do love bookclubs, and I do enjoy reading Carrie’s blog - Reading to Know.  When I saw her post for a bookclub, I was intrigued.  I looked over the list of books, and thought....I am interested...this should be fun and a challenge.  Beyond that, I do not feel any pressure to read every book.

Here is a bit about the bookclub:
I asked a handful of other bloggers that I know fairly well to each take a month next year and choose a book for the rest of us to read together. These other bloggers will host the bookclub discussion each month here at Reading to Know.
Again, each month we'll read and talk about their selected choice! Each individual will lead the discussion but the common meeting ground for the group will be here.

The Books:
January - Beyond Opinion by Ravi Zacharias.
February - Running Away to Home by Jennifer Wilson
March - The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
April - Any title by P.G. Wodehouse of your choosing
May - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
June - A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton Porter
July - Any book in the Chronicles of Narnia series (as part of the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge hosted annually at Reading to Know)
August - The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente
September - Professionalizing Motherhood by Jill Savage
October - Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
November - Jewel of Persia by Roseanna White
December - A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

For further information and to join up - please see Reading To Know Bookclub.

Beyond all that I have listed, I do plan on participating in group reads that come my way that gain my interest. I also will continue with my Wheel of Time buddy read that I have going with Suey at It’s All About Books.  There are also smaller challenges that occur throughout the year that I may join.

I should not forget to mention - I will be reading something in regards to the Bible. Either, reading through the Bible using some sort of plan, OR reading through Charles Swindoll’s Great Lives series.

Whew! This is all enough for me. I am certain some spontaneous books will be thrown in throughout 2012.

Happy Reading to you all during 2012!

Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber

"The heart must make choices."  p.293

Darker Still
Magic Most Foul, book one 
by Leanna Renee Hieber
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Format: paperback
Pages: 317
Source: library

Back cover: New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.

First Sentence:
 Sister Theresa handed me this farewell gift with such relief that it might as well have been a key to her shackles.

My Thoughts:  I really enjoyed my reading of Darker Still.   It was a fantastic blend of finding one's place in the world along with paranormal elements, and sleuthing.  The pacing was suitable for the tale, although, there were moments that I read quicker just because it was slightly dull, but those moments were very few.  Mostly, from page to page, I felt intrigue with what was going on, and how it would all turn out.

I absolutely adored Natalie -  our heroine with a twist - she was unique, well-grounded, and endearing.  Her interactions with her father, Mrs. Northe, and Lord Denbury fit the mood and flow of the story almost perfectly. Not only did I find her narrative appealing; she gave the story its believability.

What I loved best about this story was truly the eeriness and unique storyline. I really was enthralled by the paranormal events. I was truly captured by the eerie sense felt throughout. Intrigue was maintained.

This is the second book I have read by Hieber, and the second time I have been struck by her writing style. She has a fabulous gift for writing in the Victorian setting while embedding an incredible eerie, mysterious and unique elements through out.  Not only that, the narratives are spot on for maintaining this mood throughout the entire book.  Hieber knows how to stay true to her tone, and pace while bringing unique stories alive. I am definitely going to continue to read books by Leanna Renee Hieber.  Her books do not disappoint.

Bottom Line: If you are in the mood for a unique Victorian, paranormal coming- of-age book, then this book is for you too. Be prepared for an eerie mood that draws you into the heroine's world. Be prepared to walk away with a sense of reading satisfaction. Be prepared to want to read more books by Leanna Renee Hieber.

The Cover: I liked the cover - it was interesting enough to attract my attention. However, I think it portrays Natalie in a far more glamorous light than how she is in the story. Still, it caught my attention and that really is the purpose of book covers, right? right.

The Day After….

~~ Josh Wilson – Jesus is Alive ~~
My favorite Christmas song for the year – 2011.

 

Two packed whirl-wind days has left me exhausted. Those two days seem to take forever to arrive, but go by so very quickly.  Considering the state of my tired mind, I am just going to randomly list out our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

~ Christmas Eve was a working day for me. I was able to go home fours hours early which allowed me to go with Robert to his family’s celebrations.

~ We arrived home, on Christmas Eve, around 9:30 pm.  The kids tucked away in bed by 10:30 pm.  Wrapping of presents commenced around 11-11:30 pm and ended around 3:00 am.  Yes, this is a yearly tradition…late night gift wrapping while listening to Christmas music, and helping Santa polish away his cookie treats.

~ Christmas morning, 8:00 am, blurry eyed I was, but Christmas morning activities must be started.

~ We read The Advent Book straight through – the Christmas Story must be read first before gifts.  Once done reading, presents were opened.  It seems all were satisfied and happy with their bounty.

~ Christmas breakfast was served. A yummy apple french toast was enjoyed.

~ Morning clean-up, resting a bit, looking over our bounty, and cooking were all done before heading off to my brother’s home for some more family fun.

~ Christmas afternoon – evening was spent with my family.  The Varsek clan enjoyed gift giving/receiving, and dinner.  Happy Birthday sung to Jesus; cake, pecanut pie, cheesecake and other goodies devoured. A packed day that found us back at home close to 7:30 pm.

~ Monday, the day after, found us spending time at home – playing, cleaning, going through numerous photos, annoying one another, playing, reading, eating, blogging, eating, and then….back to bed soon.

~ All in all, a good Christmas season this has been.  Our advent journey was good – some hits and misses, and yet again – we read from The Advent Book throughout the season.

~ Food, I must give you a few dishes that I made and turned out quite good.

French Toast Apple Bake – so very yummy, prepared the night before.

Caraway Cabbage and Pasta – this was not the biggest hit, but I like it very well.

Spinach and Feta Casserole with Brown Rice and Parmesan – yum, yum, yum.

~ What did I receive?  Some nice stuff.
To name a few….

iPod Nano (yay!)
The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett (very excited about this book, thanks to Memory’s review)
blender (umm…more for the kids than me, I think)
jammies (can always use more)
shirts and cardigans (definitely needed more)
food storage containers (not boring as it sounds – I love storage containers…yeah, I’m weird that way - my mom and dad know it)
several other things that I like very well.

~ Music….oh where or where was my last Christmas Album of the Week post? Oh, it was in my head, but the busyness of the day(s) made writing the post impossible.  The 4th favorite album was hard to decide – I do own 20+ Christmas albums.  The Choice?

Trans-Siberian Orchestra – Christmas Eve and Other Stories

I do love this album, and it suited this season and  last week very well with its upbeat tracks.

A few more photos for you….. and more to be viewed here, if you so desire.

Merry Christmas! …. the day after.