Oh dear. I have totally flaked on this poor little blog. And that whole "I'm not going to buy any more books until I read all those that sit on my shelf?"
Yeah.....about that...
But I ask you--can a girl ever have too many books? The answer is no. Cats? Yes. Books? No.
And speaking of that, a friend posted a link to this piece she found somewhere on the great wide Internet and it is ever so charming. And true!
Anyways, It's been a great year. I have read about 50 books (not too shabby), acquired some great new finds, and parted with some novels that I wasn't really feeling, but hoped that someone else would love. Here's to 2012 and trying to figure out what books I'm looking forward to most for 2012.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Review: "Tunnel Vision"
The next book on my personal quest to actually read all of the books that I own is "Tunnel Vision," by Keith Lowe.
When it comes to researching stories, there's a fine line. When dedicating yourself to writing a novel, you need to know your material to make the story believable. However, there is also a point where you can overwhelm your plot and your readers with way too much info.
I recently read "Tunnel Vision," by Keith Lowe. I had found the book at a used book store for a whopping price of one whole dollar (I love a good used book deal!) and though the plot sounded slightly intriguing, it was really the cover art that drew me in. Yup, that's right--I judged a book by its cover.
Clichés aside, I finally found myself picking up this book within the last month. The story is of one man's quest to travel the London tube system in one whole day--the day before his wedding--with a lot riding on his journey being fully completed. At first, the public transit rider that I am was a bit skeptical. But as the chapters (quickly) progressed, I found myself wondering if it was possible to do such a thing--travel one public transportation system in one whole day. As Andy struggles to complete his adventure, I found myself quickly becoming immersed, sitting on the tube with him and running to the next connection. Not only does Lowe write such well-written characters, but the research he had to have done was unbelievable. It seems like something only one could do after having taken many many trips on mass transit. From the connections and secret shortcuts to the exact timing needed between interchanges, I was utterly impressed. Having never been to London, I felt as if I had taken the tube every day of my life.
Another impressive feature was the maps that highlighted each section, letting readers follow Andy's journey as he traveled from station to station. It was a really nice touch for those that might need more of a visual to help with the number of lines and stations mentioned in each chapter.
Overall, Keith Lowe's "Tunnel Vision" is a great read. I give it a 5/5. Onto the next book!
When it comes to researching stories, there's a fine line. When dedicating yourself to writing a novel, you need to know your material to make the story believable. However, there is also a point where you can overwhelm your plot and your readers with way too much info.
I recently read "Tunnel Vision," by Keith Lowe. I had found the book at a used book store for a whopping price of one whole dollar (I love a good used book deal!) and though the plot sounded slightly intriguing, it was really the cover art that drew me in. Yup, that's right--I judged a book by its cover.
Clichés aside, I finally found myself picking up this book within the last month. The story is of one man's quest to travel the London tube system in one whole day--the day before his wedding--with a lot riding on his journey being fully completed. At first, the public transit rider that I am was a bit skeptical. But as the chapters (quickly) progressed, I found myself wondering if it was possible to do such a thing--travel one public transportation system in one whole day. As Andy struggles to complete his adventure, I found myself quickly becoming immersed, sitting on the tube with him and running to the next connection. Not only does Lowe write such well-written characters, but the research he had to have done was unbelievable. It seems like something only one could do after having taken many many trips on mass transit. From the connections and secret shortcuts to the exact timing needed between interchanges, I was utterly impressed. Having never been to London, I felt as if I had taken the tube every day of my life.
Another impressive feature was the maps that highlighted each section, letting readers follow Andy's journey as he traveled from station to station. It was a really nice touch for those that might need more of a visual to help with the number of lines and stations mentioned in each chapter.
Overall, Keith Lowe's "Tunnel Vision" is a great read. I give it a 5/5. Onto the next book!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
The Excel Spreadsheet
I keep track of every book I own on an excel spreadsheet. True or false.
True. Like I could make something so random up.
The truth is that, yes, I have an excel spreadsheet updated with every book purchase I own. I document if it's been read, if it's out on loan to someone, if I'm missing part of a series...all of that good info to make sure that I know where my books are. It also has come in handy for the gift giving holidays, like my birthday (and yes, it counts), for those that insist on buying me books. Is this a bit much? Probably. Will I continue to update it? Heck yes.
That is all :)
True. Like I could make something so random up.
The truth is that, yes, I have an excel spreadsheet updated with every book purchase I own. I document if it's been read, if it's out on loan to someone, if I'm missing part of a series...all of that good info to make sure that I know where my books are. It also has come in handy for the gift giving holidays, like my birthday (and yes, it counts), for those that insist on buying me books. Is this a bit much? Probably. Will I continue to update it? Heck yes.
That is all :)
Sunday, May 22, 2011
My name is Brittany and I'm a bookaholic.
My name is Brittany and I am an admitted bookaholic.
Reading has always been important to me. I recall the days of going to the library with my mom and how excited I was, wondering exactly how many books the library would allow me to take out before cutting me off.
Over the years, I have developed my own personal library--a rather extensive library to be quite honest. Two bookshelves worth or approximately 345 books. You may be shocked at that number. I'm impressed at my skills to get that many books on to two bookshelves.
Okay, so it may be a bit of a problem to some. To me, the major problem is that I have only read 1/3 or less of the books I actually own. See, I'm an admitted bookaholic. Yes, I can go weak at Borders. But put me into a used bookstore--yes, they do exist--and oh, goodness. It's bad. Thrift stores? Same problem. Nothing like a used paperback of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca for $0.99 (in fact, that is a great find. note it.) So over the years, I have developed quite the number of books. But with things like, oh college and working, the amount of books brought in vs those I have read hasn't quite evened out. I'm sure there's a more mathematical way of putting this, but I suck at math. A lot. But I digress.
A year or two ago, I discovered the joy of Goodreads.com and that has certainly helped me keep track of some of my books (that and the Excel spreadsheet I have of all my books, but that's a whole other blog). However, this year, I decided that I was going to cut back on my book intake, and instead, challenged myself to work through the books that I own. And to make myself more accountable, I thought that if I started to write about this little adventure, I'd actually do it. Thus, this blog is born.
Reading has always been important to me. I recall the days of going to the library with my mom and how excited I was, wondering exactly how many books the library would allow me to take out before cutting me off.
Over the years, I have developed my own personal library--a rather extensive library to be quite honest. Two bookshelves worth or approximately 345 books. You may be shocked at that number. I'm impressed at my skills to get that many books on to two bookshelves.
Okay, so it may be a bit of a problem to some. To me, the major problem is that I have only read 1/3 or less of the books I actually own. See, I'm an admitted bookaholic. Yes, I can go weak at Borders. But put me into a used bookstore--yes, they do exist--and oh, goodness. It's bad. Thrift stores? Same problem. Nothing like a used paperback of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca for $0.99 (in fact, that is a great find. note it.) So over the years, I have developed quite the number of books. But with things like, oh college and working, the amount of books brought in vs those I have read hasn't quite evened out. I'm sure there's a more mathematical way of putting this, but I suck at math. A lot. But I digress.
A year or two ago, I discovered the joy of Goodreads.com and that has certainly helped me keep track of some of my books (that and the Excel spreadsheet I have of all my books, but that's a whole other blog). However, this year, I decided that I was going to cut back on my book intake, and instead, challenged myself to work through the books that I own. And to make myself more accountable, I thought that if I started to write about this little adventure, I'd actually do it. Thus, this blog is born.
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