Literary Costume

Better start indoctrinating her while she's young :). Literary costumes are the best! Here's our very hungry caterpillar:

And the two pear(ent)s that she ate through:

Of course, for our church trunk or treat, I figured, why not?

Now I've got to decide what I can dress her as next year...

My Bookish Birthday Gift

Just wanted to show this beauty off. Does my husband know me or what? (There might have been some strong hints, but still :)

Love feeding my Tolkien obsession!

Lord of the Rings Read-Along, Part 5

Question on Kami's Library Thoughts.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

I've been trying to come up with something to say about the discussion question (basically, we can talk about some kind of theme from this book).  I loved seeing all the responses so far and they all made me think even more about the book.  What I decided to focus on was the idea of sacrificing all in order to do some small good.  Throughout this book in particular, but in other ones as well, characters make the choice to do something that seems like it will fail and they will die, but knowing that full well and still choosing to do it.  Pretty much every time I read those kinds of things, I feel like my heart swells and I have all the feels going on.  Here are some examples:

-Rohan riding to the aid of Gondor - Theoden as well as Eowyn and Merry all assume this will be their last act
-The seige of Gondor - pretty much the entire time, the people assume this is the end, but they will still make a stand
-Faramir going out to defend Osgiliath - everyone knows this is a suicide mission and there is no point, but he goes because his father asks him to go
-The march to the Black Gates - all of the people know from the start that their chance of survival is miniscule.  I love the part where Aragorn sees that some of his people are overwhelmed by fear and he offers them the option of still maintaining their honor, but not having to face something they are not able to.  Pippin, right near the end of the book, says he's going to go out with a fight. 
-Obviously, Frodo and Sam feel like they are on a doomed mission from the first, but they just keep going.  And yet Sam always has such a positive outlook on it.

I just feel like the kind of courage it requires to make the choice consciously to fight even knowing you will fail or die is something inspiring.  It always makes me wonder what kinds of choices I would make if I experienced those kinds of odds and knew it was a choice between making a stand and dying or running away.

And since I've mentioned how very obsessed I've been with Lord of the Rings (see this tribute for some proof), I decided I'd post a bit of my fan art. I'm not super creative, so most of this is just me copying stuff from the movies. 

I had a Legolas obsession (movie Legolas, of course)

I loved the jewelry from the movie - some seriously beautiful pieces

And, of course, Eowyn!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

1, 2, 3...and I'm Back (Maybe?)

Hello blogging world!  If anyone is still out there reading this, kudos to you for sticking with this empty blog.  I think I may be heading back to blogging, though.  Slowly and probably with boring stuff like reviews only (I'm only around 40 books behind...), but still!  I've survived the first three months of baby's life and I think I may be emerging from the dark sleep-deprived cave into the light :)

One month!

Two months! (I think she looks like a queen ruling over her lowly subjects :)

Three months!

Proof that I am alive (or that I was when the photo was taken...)

Some days we just gotta cry :)

Anyway, I've got some reviews written and ready to publish.  I have become a bit lazier, so the summaries are taken from goodreads and the read-alikes are kind of sparse.  Also, they might be a bit boring.  Thanks for sticking with me!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

 

Surprise!

I've been a bit absent from blogging for a little while and here's why:

 

Baby librarian, born on Tuesday and weighing in at a hefty 4 lbs 15 oz; she was about 3 weeks early and apparently anxious to make her debut!  We are smitten with our miracle baby!  Hopefully I'll be back in the swing of things in a month or two, but no promises :)

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Armchair BEA, Day 1, Introduction

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads

It's the start of Armchair BEA and I'm happy to be able to join in for at least some of the days.  To find out more about this fun event, check out the Armchair BEA site.  Today is introduction (and classic book discussion, though I'll probably not get around to that) day!  Here are my answers to five burning questions you have about me (haha).

Where in the world are you blogging from? 
I'm blogging from the hot, hot Arizona desert.  It's been reaching into the upper nineties (and a few days of 100+ already), but lest you think this means no rain ever and nothing grows, I'll give you a few photos I've taken since we moved here:

 This was a lovely rain storm complete with flooding.  Monsoon season!

Next up we have some of the gorgeous flowering bushes strong enough to survive the heat.

We also have some pretty amazing sunsets down here. And we're always thankful when the sun finally sets :)

Plus, we have one of these. You know, the Grand Canyon. Just sayin'.

What are you currently reading, or what is your favorite book you have read so far in 2013?
A few favorites this year include The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, and Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (review coming soon)

Tell us one non-book-related thing that everyone reading your blog may not know about you.
I just realized this is the same non-book-related thing I shared last year, but I'm hoping you'll all have forgotten.  I LOVE to go camping and hiking.  With views like this, who can blame me?

Name your favorite blog(s) and explain why they are your favorite(s).
I have a number of regulars that I read, though I don't always comment as much as I should. 
Suey at It's All About Books is a favorite, because her posts and reviews are always like chatting with a good friend.
Angie at Angieville is fantastic at making you NEED to pick up books.  She's very persuasive :)
Susan at Bloggin' 'bout Books has an eclectic array of reviews and never beats around the bush about how she felt about a book.
Charlotte of Charlotte's Library feeds my need to know about MG sci-fi and fantasy books that are fabulous.


What literary location would you most like to visit? Why?
This was actually the hardest question for me to answer.  But, I think I'd like to cheat and say England to visit some of the many, many literary locations in literature that I love.  Especially any Austen-related places. It's just a rich source for wonderful literary places.

Thanks for stopping by to learn more about me and be sure to let me know if you've done an intro for Armchair BEA so I can stop by and learn more about you!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Top Ten Tuesday: Pretend I Did This Two Weeks Ago...

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

So this Top Ten topic, Top Ten Best Bookish Memories, was from two weeks ago and I really wanted to participate because I LOVED everyone's answers, but just didn't get myself motivated enough then.  So now, I'm going to take that plunge and write about some of my favorite bookish memories. 

1 - One of my earliest is not a one time memory, but more of a combination of several.  I remember reading The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner and just adoring the idea of being a runaway kid and living in a boxcar (this was fueled by the creepy and very dirty boxcar parked in the fields of my grandmother's house).  Mixed with that was one of my other early favorite books with a similar runaway kid theme - Enchantress of Crumbledown by Donald R. Marshall, now out of print. There was just something about runaways that sounded so glamorous and exciting, but in real life would definitely NOT have been.  

2 - A number of years later, I recall discovering (and devouring) Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.  I think this book impacted me so much because it was my first introduction to a story that did not have a happy ending!  I couldn't believe how much more I thought about and wondered about the characters when I didn't know exactly what happened.  This was my first book/movie obsession and it was pretty obsessive (I've spared you the pain of seeing evidence, mostly because I'm not sure where all my GWTW paraphernalia went).

3 - Around the same time, when I was 14, I remember discovering Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte accidentally in the school library.  I was sucked into the story and first felt the power of romantic classics.  I adored Mr. Rochester and Jane with my simplistic understanding of their relationship.  This also happened to encourage my desire to find and watch every Jane Eyre movie made at the time.  And there were a lot even back then!

4 - One of my earliest favorites, and still a favorite, is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (what happened to my classics obsession?!?).  I can't even recall the first time I picked it up, but I remember reading and rereading that big (although, I discovered later it was abridged), battered paperback that was handed down from older siblings.  I couldn't believe Dumas could write such a complex story with so many characters and still make it exciting enough that I wanted to plow through it again and again.  Still one of my favorite stories and I've yet to find a movie that does it justice.

5 - I remember being completely engulfed in The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien the first time I read it in high school (pre-movies) and being totally blown away with the complexity and just epic nature of the story.  I have since become rather fanatic in my love for LOTR, though that has cooled somewhat.  It still stands as one of my all-time favorite fantasy series and it is just incomparable in my opinion.

6 - Again, not a one-time memory, but when I first started meeting authors it felt like a dream come true!  I remember hearing some young tweens comment at a Brandon Mull event that people were acting like he was a rock star.  And then saying that he kind of was like a rock star.  That is how I feel pretty much every time I meet an author. I've had favorite events, but each one has been such a treat for me.

7 - Along those same lines, meeting bloggers for the first time has definitely been a highlight in my reading life.  Since that first Utah Blogger social I attended, I have really enjoyed every chance I get to hang out with my fellow book-obsessed friends and it made me so happy to realize just how fun it is to hang out with like-minded folks.  

8 - Finally joining a book group!  I can't believe how long it took me to come out of my shell and find (and then start) a book group.  I adore the chance I get every month to chat about books with people who just love to read.  There's something about your bookish friends that just makes you feel at home.  

9 - I loved the few times I've managed to "make" readers out of those in my family who are not readers.  For a long time, this was mostly my sister, who suddenly began reading books I suggested and found she loved it.  But the ultimate achievement for me was when I finally got my husband (who had never liked reading) to pick up the Harry Potter books and he just ripped through them. While he doesn't have much time for it while he's in school, it's always so fun to introduce him to a new series (Maze Runner or Hunger Games) that he just can't put down.  One of the most rewarding experiences in a readers life, I think.

10 - This last memory is from this summer when I finally got to attend an ALA conference.  Despite not being able to afford going to any events or panels, it was so fantastic to just go and feel the excitement.  Even if I never get a chance to attend another bookish conference like this, I will consider that dream as fulfilled and count myself fortunate.

Any bookish memories you want to share? 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Well, There's This

You know how people are always coming up with excuses for why they haven't been blogging as regularly? I know I do. Life happens, work's busy, etc. Well, here's my current excuse:

Enjoy the obligatory creepy ultrasound image that no one but parents and grandparents really care about.

She's making her debut in June. Most of you don't know this, but my husband and I have been trying for kids for a looooong time. And we'd begun working on the adoption process. So, needless to say, this little miracle was a big, welcome surprise.  I've been trying to keep up on my blogging, but some days, I just don't have the energy. :) Thanks for being patient and for sticking around!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Hello, Life.

Friends!  I can't believe how dreadfully I've been keeping up with my blog.  I have lots of reviews I can post, but I get kind of tired of always posting reviews and nothing else (as I'm sure you do too).  But, you see, there's this thing that happened called Life.  Normally, I don't have much of one, but for some reason, things have gotten out of hand crazy!  My work has been super demanding the last few weeks and I'm generally exhausted by the time I get home (and really tired of looking at computer screens), so I just go home and crash, stealing a bit of reading time.  I have no desire to hop on the computer and use my brain to write anything.  Thus, you are seeing a few reviews and nothing else. 

Alas, I think this pattern will continue to hold for the next few months.  Perhaps there will come a time when instead of crashing at the end of the day, I have a need to talk about books.  We'll see.  But, in the mean time, I guess this is just your friendly neighborhood note to expect more of the same for a while.  Sorry if this makes you not want to stop by anymore, I hope some of you still will.  As I said, I've got plenty of reviews to post, so there will be that.  Also, I'm really looking forward to my Retelling event in January, which you WILL hear more about soon.  And now that I'm at the end of this post, I'm realizing just how little was actually said in it.  Oh well.  Thanks for reading!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

A Lord of the Rings Tribute

Since today is Hobbit Day, the 75th anniversary for The Hobbit being published, (and a Happy Birthday to Frodo and Bilbo), and the Hobbit movie coming soon, I thought I'd share a bit of myself.  I happen to be a Lord of the Rings fan.  Just a bit.  Ok, I had an obsession for a while.  I'm pretty sedate now, I think.  (Just wanted to note that I was a fan of the books way before the movies came out.  They just seemed to fuel my obsession.  Carry on.)

Here I am at perhaps the height of my obsession:

 Dressed as Galadriel (note the pointy ears - that was fun) and with a friend I convinced to go as Arwen.  It was for Halloween, I promise.

The next year, I went as Eowyn, my favorite, though I look about the same as last year.  Minus the pointy ears (and the smile).  Too bad you can't see all the details of the dress, cause it was pretty awesome.

In my defense, a friend of mine got the Legolas stand up for me.  I would never have been brave enough to get it myself.  Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it, obviously :)

Um, some  more Halloween fun.  It looked pretty good with a candle in it.  So good that someone stole it.  I was a bit upset about that.

My family might have noticed my obsession and got me a LOTR cake one year.  It was pretty great.

Here I am devouring a Hobbit hole :)

My mom, who is fabulous as sewing, helped me make this.  Personally, I think it's beautiful, but I may be biased.  I designed and cut out all the elements (borrowing from the designs in the movies and Tolkien's own work). 

My favorite part is the stitching around the edges (which you can't really see here).  It's the "One ring to rule them all..." verse in elvish script.  Oh, the geekery blows my mind.

And of course I have a shelf dedicated to Tolkien.  I'm seriously lacking in beautiful editions of his published works, though.  I need to get on that.

And a bit of art on the walls.

In the library, of course.

And with that embarrassment out of the way, were you ever obsessed with a series/book/movie to this degree?  (Please say yes.)

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Not So Bookish, If You Please

So today, friends, I decided I didn't want to post anything bookish.  No book reviews or lists or Name That Books (sorry) or books I want to read or anything like that.  Today, I decided to show you a little bit of our home improvement.  Since we bought our home in March, we've been slowly (very slowly) working on some projects.  First was getting in the wood/laminate flooring and then I decided to refinish the kitchen cabinets.  Wow, that one took a long time (what with the sanding and the varnishing and the finish on top, oh how naive I was about the time involved).  But I'm pretty proud of them, so I thought I'd give you a look at the finished project.  Enjoy!  I'm sure I'll have something more bookish for you tomorrow :)

This one was back when I had the bottom finished, but hadn't started on the top.  Our kitchen looked like this for longer than I wanted...

And those two give you a more complete view of what changes took place (you can see our newer floor too...sort of).  Either way, I'm much happier with the color and it goes much better with the counters and the floor.  And I'm happiest that the project is done...at least until I want to put some hardware on them :)

Do you like doing home improvement projects yourself or hiring someone to do it for you?

Where We Went

I just know that my dozens of readers noticed my web absence this weekend (ha ha).  I thought I'd still post about where we went and what we did, because I'm still recovering and it might be a bit before I get back into the swing of things.  So, we were...

Checking out rock piles

 Hiking steep mountains

Keeping rocks from falling

Generally enjoying the view

Oh, and hanging out on bridges

What did you do this weekend?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage