Sunday, October 13, 2013

Changed my mind

I miss blogging, so I've decided to come back in a limited manner.  Blog posts will be more snippety, not limited to books or cats (yeah, I know they've been pretty narrow in focus) and probably not as regular.  I like spending less time on the Internet, as I have been.  I'm not going to force myself to put a photo on every blog post and will try not to edit so thoroughly that it takes an hour to write a post.

Updates . . . 

Cats:  We're used to having just the two, again, and have decided we're open to taking on another kitty or two eventually, but not now and not deliberately -- just if one happens to find us, as they often do. The nights are cooling off, so snuggle season has opened.  The girls are adorable together.

Books:  Oh, Lordy.  I've only had about 4 books show up since I stopped blogging but ask if that's stopped me from acquiring.  Obviously, the answer is no.  I went to a local college book sale where books were priced at $1-2 and brought home so many I had to take an analgesic to relieve the shoulder pain from carrying them. Haha. Not going to list all those but I might take a photo of them.  Maybe.  

Arrivals:  

  • Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan from Random House (via Shelf Awareness newsletter - which is for some reason no longer arriving in my inbox and I can't figure out why).
  • A Great and Complicated Adventure by Toon Tellegen, Illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg from Sterling Kids.  Just read this one and loved it. 
  • Out of the Woods: A Memoir of Wayfinding by Lynn Darling - from HarperCollins
  • Priscilla by Nicholas Shakespeare - also from HarperCollins
  • Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano - purchased, already read it and liked it even better than the Chemical Garden books.  I'm looking forward to the next in the series.
  • The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath - purchased
Photography:  It took a while before I managed to pick up the camera after River left and I've still hardly taken any photos but I did take a couple bad pics of the cats snuggling in the cat carrier.  I need to go on some field trips with the camera.  

Things I've done:  I've been gone from home, quite a bit.  I'm considering applying for jobs but haven't found the resumé I wrote a couple years ago, yet, and I can't remember the details of when/where I've worked, anymore.  Will keep digging.  It's around here, somewhere.  

I've been going out with my new friend Mary Alice for lunch, shopping, whatever floats our boat (last week, an annual flea market), weekly.  We always have fun.  I redid my mantel decoration - had been stuck on Easter all summer long.  Now, it looks summery.  I bought a wild, abstract painting at the flea market and will hang that, soon, but it's just propped on the mantel, for now.

Reading:

Things change when you quit blogging!  I've been indulging in thicker books and have only read 3 books, so far, in October.  I'd like to keep that up.  Am just going to continue reading what I feel like. After I quit, I realized it was a huge relief not to feel obligated to blow through as many books as possible to keep up with obligations.  I don't plan to request anything at all, for now, although I did find myself a little sad to pass up two favorite authors' releases, while I was away.  

I've been reading The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt for about 5 days, now.  Should finish in a couple days.  It is quite an impressive read.  

That's all for now!


©2013 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

27 comments:

  1. So happy you're back! I've really changed my attitude about blogging over the past year and it feels so much better to write/review when I feel like it rather than when I feel I should. I'm also not following nearly as many blogs as I once did. I feel bad about that, but I want to be able to comment on my favorites and if that means I have to cut some out, then that's what I have to do. If I don't have an "online friendship" with the blogger, or I can't remember their real-life name, then they've been deleted. Harsh? Maybe, but I can't spend hours on this computer like I once did. I'm working 40+ hours a week and I need to make time to read my books. Hope you find a balance and are able to keep posting. You were certainly missed!

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    1. I've been pretty bad about visiting other blogs, anyway, so I'll just carrying on visiting when I feel like it. I know how you feel. I'm not deleting anyone from my sidebar list but when I have a moment I'll probably knock off a few I haven't heard from in a couple years. Maybe. I'm making no guarantees about anything, right now. LOL

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    2. And, thank you! Stepping away to think about things really did help clear my mind. I considered just redoing that new blog that I started a few months ago (already abandoned) and not telling anyone where I've gone (for the sake of just hiding away for a while) but decided working on a new blog was just too much effort. I'm into lack of blogging effort. There's too much else to accomplish!

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  2. I'm glad you're back - I had only very recently found your blog when you announced you were stopping! But sometimes it is good to take a break or cut back on blogging. I do hope you'll post your thoughts on Donna Tartt, this is a book I definitely want to read.

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    1. Thanks, Amy! Yes, taking a break is usually a very good thing to do. It's easy to become overwhelmed. I realized, while I was away, that I was putting way too much pressure on myself to read as fast as possible. Not going to do that, anymore. I'm just going to enjoy reading and writing what I feel like. The Donna Tartt book is amazing - really a book you can sink your teeth into. I do hope it has an upbeat ending, though, because it's been tragedy followed by big mess followed by tragedy, etc. The poor protagonist could stand a ray of light in his life.

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  3. Welcome back! It can be good to step back every now and then; one remembers why one enjoys reading.

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    1. Thanks, Vicki! Exactly!! I've read some fantastic books, this year, and I have publicists to thank for many of them but I wasn't enjoying myself, in spite of that, because I'd taken on too much. Stepping away helped me to understand what I need from blogging and reading. Hopefully, I'll continue to enjoy both more, now!

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  4. I'm glad to see you back, too. I look forward to hearing about what you've been reading, you tend to add a lot of books to my own lists!

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    1. I'll take that last bit about adding to your piles as a compliment, Jeane. :) Thanks! It's good to be back. :)

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  5. Yay, so glad to see you've returned! Blogging is a funny thing. I love it but there have been times that I have to keep reminding myself that I do it for me. To talk about books with friends but it's not a competition to read more books, get more books, etc. Because that makes it more like a chore to me. Gotta keep it fun for yourself!

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    1. Iliana, I know what you mean. Stepping away helped me realize that, even though I've read some fantastic books in 2013, I was putting too much pressure on myself to read for others, not for myself. I'm enjoying my reading a lot more, now, even though I've actually just read a terrible book. It was short; I'll give it that. LOL

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  6. So happy you are back to blogging. My Mom got a huge painting at the picture booth at the flea market too. Hers is doors of the French Quarter which is exactly that. They are so unique and colorful. I bought her a cross to hang on the wall that is three wooden layers. The bottom is brown then crème then blue with a flat cross on the top. It is pretty. I got a purse from Kindred Spirits Style. I love that booth. Its my favorite. This is the fourth item I have from them. lol Im a bag lady. :)

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    1. Yay for the flea market! Wish I could have met up with you, Brittanie. Maybe next time? My painting is an abstract. Not much to it but a lot of colorful blobs, which is honestly *exactly* what I was looking for. I also got a "fused glass" bowl, which is sitting on the island in the kitchen. There was some great stuff! Did you see the spinning metal yard sculptures? So cool! MA and I stood around playing with them for a bit, but they were too expensive for us. I saw the crosses all over the place. They seemed to be one of the "in" things, this year. LOL Bag lady. I love it. :)

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  7. I JUST DID A CHAIR DANCE!!! I missed this post because it was when I was hungover from the readathon. OMG OMG OMG! You're back. Any capacity is good. ;)

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    1. LOL Poor Andiloo. Reading hangovers are painful things. Thank you, m'dear! I'm glad to be back, even if it's just when I can. I've been babbling on about needing change for a long time but walking away really clarified things for me, gave me the chance to recharge and ponder. So much happier to be here, now. :)

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  8. If you're still having a problem receiving our emails, please contact help@shelf-awareness.com. Thanks!

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  9. I am so happy you decided to stay!

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  10. Aw, I'm glad you're back! I've become a really crappish commenter since I tend to be reading blogs on my phone more often than not, but I'll admit when I saw your post that said you were going to pack it in, it made me all sad-faced. I've definitely taken a huge step back from my blog lately, and turned it into a "when I feel like it" thing instead of a "must do this!" thing. I was thinking about pulling the plug on it for a while this spring, even drafting farewell posts in my head, but in the end, I decided that I didn't like the finality of that and that I much prefer just being a slacker blogger to being a good blogger or a non-blogger. ;-) It's been liberating not to "force" it and do the things a good blogger "should" do. Hope you enjoy blogging on your own terms, and it's great to have you back!

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    1. Thanks, Megan!

      I'm a crap commenter, too. I usually read blogs on the iPad and I hate typing on-screen so I just don't. Sounds like you made a good decision about your blog. I'm much happier being a "slacker blogger" (or, at least, more brief in my blogging). It's definitely a load lifted to make that decision not to let blogging feel like a job and return to the type of blogging I did in the beginning, when I just wanted a place to spill. It's crazy . . . what I was doing in the beginning was seeking an escape from the format of the very-formal online book group I was in -- and then I just kept getting more and more formal with my reviews, to the point that it was worse than the structure of that old group! Anyway, back to being casual and loving it. :)

      I'm glad you're sticking around, too!

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  11. I'm so glad you are staying! Big smiles all around.

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  12. Glad you are back, and I'm sorry I didn't say so earlier. I've been horrible about blogging and blog reading lately. I think I'm going to be changing things up again after the first of the year, hopefully changes that will make this even less stressful.

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    1. Thanks, Ryan! No worries. I'm pretty horrible about blogging and blog-hopping, myself. They're just not priorities, right now. I hope you can find a nice happy medium as I have. I'm no longer stressing about posting or not posting. I just get to it when I get to it. :)

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