We went out of our way to have a fun holiday and staying off the computer as much as possible was one of my commitments. Well, darned if that doesn't backfire on a gal. You guys post too much! There are currently 838 posts in my Google Reader and I desperately want to read them all, but I think it would be best to do a mass-cleaning job and start out fresh. Is okay? Nobody hit little Bookfool?I am working on various catch-up projects and should be back to regular posting, soon.
Coming up:
2008 Reads in Review
A review of Tender Graces by Jackina Stark
Reading Goals for 2009 (I really only have one -- finish nothing crappy) and possibly blogging goals
A post about joining Anna's WWII reading challenge (even though I'm challenge challenged)
And, finally . . . a post on my first set of 100,000-Hit Celebration giveaways
Gah, that all makes me want to take a big nap.
My little post-holiday poll will close, tomorrow, then final results should show up. But, I can't say for sure, since I've never done a poll. I feel all fresh and new in a poll-creating way. Most everyone seems to feel deflated after the holidays. Personally, I'm a combination of at least three of those but I lean heavily toward the slashed-pool feeling. If you didn't get a Christmas card from me and you were expecting one . . . well, shucks. Blew it, again. I'm planning to toss together a letter for Old Friends Who Have Ditched Us and The Few Relatives Who Still Remember We're Here, not necessarily including the one who keeps calling and writing because she wants something I took out of my mother's house. What's up with that? Till the funeral, it's like she'd evaporated. Otherwise, I think I may call it a bad card year and give up. .
I finished my first read of 2009, this morning: 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff.
Here are the other books I finished whilst away from the blog:
Looking for Alaska by John Green
- Oh, man. Someone make this guy write faster. Can anyone say "author crush"??Relax, It's Only a Ghost by Echo Bodine - A very disappointing story of ghost-busting by a chick who sometimes just leaves the ghosts there and calls it a day.
Petted by the Light by P. Tobin & C. Doley - A parody of the 90's I-swear-I-died-and-went-to-heaven hit, Embraced by the Light . . . starring cats, particularly a cat named Lucky, who tests the 9-Lives Theory repeatedly.
Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily - A tremendously fun, light read about a dating expert who finds out she's been ditched by her husband whilst appearing on national television.
How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill - The memoir of a formerly-wealthy ad executive whose life improved when he got a job at Starbucks.
I want one of these:
Happy, happy 2009!!
Happy New Year, Nancy! I know what you mean about your Reader. We were gone for a couple of days and I came home to tons of post on mine. I had to skip lots of them - it's the only way you can ever get through them all. Tell your son congrats on his ACT score. He must have gotten his brains from his mama.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Kathy!
ReplyDeleteI just did a mass-delete. I think you're right; sometimes you just have to clean out the files and get a fresh start.
Thank you! I'll tell the kiddo congrats, if he ever wakes up. I fed him lunch in bed and he went right back to sleep. Seriously, he's been out all day. I think the poor baby much have exhausted himself. Best bit of the ACT: He got a 33 on the reading section! Wahoo! I'll take at least a little credit for encouragement, there. :)
Happy New Year, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteAnd 838! Definitely do a mass cleaning :P
About John Green: yup, author crush here too. Does he remind you too of Douglas Coupland in some ways?
Nymeth,
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! And, in case I forgot (which I think I did), thank you for hosting the Christmas Blog exchange! That was so fun!
I did a mass cleaning. It was just too much to handle.
John Green's characters are quirky and so are Coupland's. They both write thought-provoking, unique storylines. I can't recall whether or not Green's books have that sense of spirituality that Coupland's do, but his characters are always in search of something, I suppose. Yep, I do believe there are some parallels! Also, I adore them both, if that counts for anything. LOL
Seriously Nancy, with 838 posts in your Reader, who can expect you to read all of those :p I have 45 in my Reader right now and it's stressing me out :p If I get over 100, I ususally "mark all as read" :O I know, it's a horrible habit...I'm so glad to hear that you enjoyed Looking For Alaska so much :) He really is a fantastic author. Happy 2009 to you and the fam!
ReplyDeleteChris,
ReplyDeleteI deleted them and I'm already back to 14 posts! Waaaah! I'm not so sure this google reader thing is that great, just because it amps up the stress level, you know? That's a good idea, emptying at 100. I hate watching that number go up.
Green is just an outstanding writer, isn't he? I'm afraid to read Paper Towns because then I'll be totally out of his books!!! Horrors!
Hope you loved 84 Charing Cross Road! I should re-read it and try (yeah, right) to get through some of her authors. I think Hanff is the only person I "know" who read that deeply, but the book was so charming and the relationship with Q a joy.
ReplyDeleteI actually bought a copy of Walton's Angler, but it has been on the shelf--lo, these many years, unread, unappreciated. Sorry, Helene.
OK - adding Looking for Alaska.
Yikes! Your 800 definitely beats my 600. I'm down to 300 now and still heaviliy hitting that "Mark all as read" button, which I hate doing.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year to you!!
Happy New Year Nancy!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think that I have too many feeds in my feedreader, but then there are so many great bloggers out there that I don't want to miss!
Jenclair,
ReplyDeleteI did love 84 Charing Cross Road. I thought it was sweet and funny and, yep, want to see the books -- especially any that had illustrations. Charming is a good way to describe it. I had tears running down my face at the end, though, and kept rereading the postcard from her friends who were mobbed by the staff when the Marks & Co. employees found out they were Miss Hanff's friends.
So far, both of the Green books I've read have been awesome and Chris sent me Paper Towns. Along with the Guernsey book, it gets toted from room to room. They're too precious to read. I'm saving them for a day when I desperately need some wonderful reading. That's probably completely nutty.
Trish,
I actually came back, now and then, and basically watched the reader go from 400-800 -- it was like a nightmare. LOL The posting just happened too fast. Could be I need to pare down my links a bit!!
Happy New Year!!
Marg,
I think that's part of the problem -- I'm just watching far too many blogs, these days. But, I honestly love them all, even if I don't have time to comment on everything!
Happy New Year!!
Happy New Year, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I need to stop reading blogs. I have fifty dollars left to spend from Christmas on books and every time I read a new blog, I want to change my mind! I really want to read John Green now... I should just spend it and get it over with before I get so overwhelmed I don't buy anything! lol
I've been periodically unsubscribing to blogs. I just can't keep up like I want to. And there are some bloggers who posted over 30 posts in the past 2 weeks. Sheesh...
ReplyDeleteWhile in between reviews come sit with us over at a new group blog for the humanities in Mississippi! It is the 4Ws for TN Williams, Richard Wright, Eudora Welty, and Margaret Walker at http://ms4ws.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteAnother MS blog, yea!
Kailana,
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
I know; it's a killer, isn't it? John Green is worth the money, though, I promise. He's all kinds of wonderful. Sometimes I can't decide what to get with the gift cards and end up handing them to my guys. Duh. They buy stupid things like geek magazines. LOL I'm going to plan carefully, this year. Best of luck figuring out how to spend yours!
Nancy
ReplyDeleteI have gone reading challenge crazy! Help! I love that serial button too. I have no idea if I am going to actually be able to read all these books in time. :)
Trish,
ReplyDeleteI'm going to work on clearing out a few blog links to those I don't know well, in the coming weeks. None of us really need all that extra butt time, do we? LOL Yeah, there are some heavy posters. Some, like J. Kaye, I skim over and just read those that I consider relevant (book reviews, mostly -- not into reading challenge updates).
O, Maggie,
Thou art an evil temptress. But, gosh, that sounds fun. I'll peek in. :)
LOL Brittanie!
ReplyDeleteAt least you're good at finishing them, you crazy book gobbler. :)
I wouldn't fret about those challenges. I only do those I think I can complete and then . . . sigh. Well, at least I try. Last year, I removed myself from one challenge. You can always back out and just make the little buttons disappear.
Happy New Year, Nancy! It sounds like you had a great holiday. I'm glad you are back!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!! I never feel guilty about marking all read anymore-I usually end up catching up with my closest bloggy friends eventually anyway. So I won't hit you. ;)
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you're almost at 100,000 hits-that's so incredible!!!
It is so hard to keep up with my Google Reader so I completley understand where your coming from! I think a mass-cleaning and fresh start would be good for you.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Nancy
1.LOVE love L.O.V.E the alien header - cool.
ReplyDelete2.laughed out loud at you being challenge-challenged. YES!
3. 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff - I want to read this!!! and it shows up in your post catching me all unawares. How DO you do it?
4. I feel so behind in blog visiting and reviews and funny (only attempts at, actually - never as good as yours) posts about not-much
5. GLAD YOU ARE BACK
6. wahoo to the wahoo-est!
Oh my goodness, you've given me my best laugh of the new year!
ReplyDeleteI just finished Looking for Alaska, too. And ditto your comments. LOVE THAT BOOK.
May your 2009 be simply Wahoo-ey!
Welcome back Nancy and Happy New year to you.
ReplyDeleteI am planning a John Green-fest at some point this year, and your suggestion that he reminds you of Coupland is only increasing my anticipation. I am waiting for a while to be able to really look forward to him.
Mark as Read!
Giggling over this post. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteI love Helene Hanff! What a great book to start the year with.
ReplyDeleteWendy,
ReplyDeleteThanks! Happy New Year to you and yours! We did have a great holiday. I hope you did, too!
Eva,
Thank you. I will definitely remember you as the one who said, "I won't hit you." :)
I'm kind of stunned at the amount of traffic I get in here, too. I think there are quite a few flies on my wall. LOL
Teddy Rose,
I did a mass cleaning, just after posting, and found that by the evening there were already about 30 posts, so I obviously need to weed a little and get back to just reading blogs of those I've grown to think of as friends (which is still a pretty big number).
Happy New Year!
I just ordered two John Green books with Christmas gift cards. I haven't read him before but his web site (http://nerdfighters.ning.com) convinced me that I needed to.
ReplyDeleteHi Care!
ReplyDelete1. That's a poppet in my header. Isn't she cute? You probably desperately need to own a poppet.
2. It's a sad confession, but challenges and I have been fighting each other, this past year.
3. How do I read your mind or how do I catch you off-guard? The mind-reading involves lots of Coca-Cola. Expect me to lose my psychic abilities; I'm taking myself off Coke. Misery.
4. It's hard to keep up. I'm never deliberately funny, just naturally weird. Don't tell.
5. Thank you!! It's good to see you!
6. I wish you many wahoos in 2009 and onward!!
Debi,
Always happy to elicit a chuckle.
Isn't LFA amazing? Have you read An Abundance of Katherines? If not, you must.
Thank you! Wishing you and yours many wahoos in 2009!
Raidergirl,
Thank you! Happy New Year to you, too!
John Green has some similarities in originality and creativeness, but I should be careful -- he reminds me of Coupland in uniqueness less so than style. Still, you can't lose with Green, IMHO. I can't wait to hear what you think of his work.
Thank you! I did a mass delete and it was a very wahooey feeling!
Heather,
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!! I'm glad you got a giggle. :)
Tara,
My sentiments exactly. I started out thinking Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy was going to be my first read of the year, but it's going to be a DNF, instead, so I turned to something I thought would start the year off right. And, it did turn out to be perfect! :)
Colin,
ReplyDeleteYou won't regret buying Green's books, I promise. Aren't his nerdfighter vids fabulous?
I know! I kept snickering when I saw you on line. I had the same idea, to steer clear of the computer. But I think that this is the most that I have posted consecutively since I started my blog!
ReplyDeleteFunny picture- fire truck AND ups. Both of whom I love.
I need to take myself off of Coke too I think!
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteStaying off the computer is kind of a misnomer. I have to give myself a list of do's and don't's and just allow myself to do a few select computery things. So silly. Methinks the bookfool needs to work on self-control in more ways than one (the other being the book collecting).
Me, too! I thought it was so cool to catch a fire truck and a UPS van in the same frame. I used my phone camera, which I love. Forget calling people. My cell is for snapping when I've left the real camera at home!
Marg,
I'm not succeeding, so far, but I'll keep trying. Diet drinks make me sick, but I've got to get off that sugary stuff!!!
Happy New year! Good for you, for trying to stay away from the computer. I agree, delete old reader post and move on, that is WAY too many.
ReplyDeleteMyUtopia,
ReplyDeleteThank you! Happy New Year to you, too! I did a mass delete, but today I haven't even looked at my reader. Oh, no. I hope it doesn't get out of hand, again! :)
You've just convinced me to NEVER sign up for a blog reader utility. I like to click on my bookmarked blogs (using Firefox's tabs so I can open 6 or so at a time) and simply read what I can when I can. If I had a list with that many waiting to be read, I'd be too overwhelmed and unplug the computer, possibly forever. Somehow, not knowing how many posts are awaiting my perusal works better for me. Often times, I'll read 2-3 posts on one blog then move on to the next. I have a few blogs I check every day - yep, yours is one. :)
ReplyDeleteSorry for the ramble. I'm wiped out after another long day/week at B&N. We've been swamped for the past 2 weeks. No sign of a recession in Lincoln, NE! I'm ready for things to settle down next week. It's not even 9 pm and I'm ready for bed.
Happy New Year!!
Les,
ReplyDeleteYou know, there are many things I love about Google Reader, but I think it's easier just blog-hopping through your own links, myself. The one thing that I really love is that you can save a post that you love, so you don't have to print it out or remember to go back. I've hit "star" on quite a few recipes, lately.
You would be horrified to know how many posts were loaded to my reader by 7:00. 100!!! I decided I'll go through and remove bloggers I really don't know, later on, but in the meantime I'm automatically deleting all challenge posts and things like Friday Finds, which don't really interest me. I really just like the reviews and chatty posts, more than anything.
Talk about rambling. LOL Wild that you haven't had a drop-off in traffic at B & N. I hope you get a nice, dull day sometime soon. Just one. Don't want any reason for bookstores or bookstore jobs to go away! :)
I didn't know you'd read the Echo Bodine book. I didn't like it either...something about it all just hit me the wrong way; maybe the way she just left the ghosts or the fact that she thought a house could hold literally hundreds of ghosts for no known reason. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteTammy,
ReplyDeleteI should just ask you before I buy or check out anything ghosty! Both those things hit me wrong. I thought you'd have to be a pretty lousy ghostbuster to just walk away and leave the ghosts behind, but I also thought it was strange that she said ghosts hang out together but don't intermingle. That didn't mesh with what most people say, that a ghost returns to the place it considers home or where the person died.
She also said most ghosts are harmless, but then she went on to say that most of them are angry so you have to be careful. It doesn't make sense to me that an angry ghost that can push people down the stairs is harmless, you know?
Blogger ate my comment!! boo hoo! Anyway, sometimes that "mark all read" button can be such a nice friend. Really, it's okay. That's what it's there for.
ReplyDeleteI've got Fifteen Minutes of Shame on my booksfree list to hopefully read this year.
Debi,
ReplyDeleteI hate it when comments disappear! You're so right. I need to clear out a few blogs that I just added to my reader because they looked cool and stick with favorites, but in the meantime . . . "mark all read" it is. :)
Fifteen Minutes of Shame was really fun and I liked the fact that the heroine has a heart. I think you'll like it. Can't wait to find out!
I desperately need a poppet? I'm not sure exactly what a poppet is, but I'll go explore more.
ReplyDeleteAlso, wanted you to know that I love your replies to comments as much as I enjoy your posts. Happy Monday, Care
Care,
ReplyDeleteWait a second and I'll go find you a link:
http://stores.ebay.com/Poppet-Art-by-Lisa-Snellings
There you go. Now you can go look at bunches of poppets and get yourself into trouble. Lisa Snellings-Clark is the artist who created poppets and they love to be posed with books. Mine, however, have spent most of the past year in a sequined bag, poor things.
You do? Well, thank you! I'm glad you enjoy my replies. I wish you lived next door so we could talk in person. I think we'd have loads of fun, don't you?
Happy New Year, Nancy! (I'm a bit behind on blog reading myself!)
ReplyDeleteI can never do a mass delete, but there are so people who post SO MUCH that I can mark all read and not feel too guilty. I also turned off the number of unread so it doesn't really stress me out to see it!
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! I can never quite seem to catch up on blog reading, to be honest. My do lists are always huge and I'm trying to spend less time sitting on my expanding fanny. :)
I didn't realize you can turn off the number of posts that haven't been read!
On the left column in Reader where the blog list is at the top of the column there is a little down arrow. If you click that there is an option to hide unread counts- you can hide just the total at the top next to "Home" or you can go down to the part where it says "Subscriptions" and it'll hide all of them. I like to leave them showing on the individual blogs, but hide the overall total. It's all an illusion, but it does help with the stress! There's not a number staring me in the face all the time, and it's easier to read at my leisure.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the poppet link! I'm on my way over there now...
ReplyDeleteCare,
ReplyDeleteYou're likely to get in all sorts of trouble, really. I like the little yellow guys with the antennae.
Wishing you the best in '09! I enjoyed my break from the computer, but I had hell to pay. Google Reader said 1000+ today. I had to clear out a ton of posts and start over.
ReplyDelete--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
Anna,
ReplyDeleteThank you and right back at ya!
Ooooh, 1000 is way, way too many. Yep, time to clear out and start over!