Look At Them All! They’re Mocking Me!

March 13, 2013 by · 34 Comments

At night after dinner and before the gym, Will and I will put on reruns of Two and a Half Men and Big Bang Theory while I blog or read and he looks at shoes (he is a Nike whore) and does whatever he does on ESPN.com (seriously I don’t understand how he spends that much time on there..there are only a certain amount of games!). We were watching last night and I wasn’t really paying attention until this clip because that is SO ME!

I’m sure MANY a book blogger could have this same meltdown.

(You can skip to about 1:25 where it actually becomes relevant to my discussion. Favorite line: “Look at them all! They’re mocking me. I haven’t read any of them”  )

 

I’ve been having this freakout a lot lately. Mostly because tons of big life things have happened in my life and my family’s so I’m like WAIT WAIT WAIT where has time gone?? How is my baby sister going to college next year? How am I almost 30?? TIME OUT PLEASE. Then I feel the need to drop everything and go do ALL OF THE THINGS I want to do.

My freakout comes out the most in two areas:

1. When I think about all the places I’ll never get to see and experience. The people I’ll never meet while exploring. The food I’ll never try. The sunsets and sunrises I’ll never gaze upon from a new vantage point.
2. The books I’ll never read.

Let’s talk about that point number 2 since HEY this blog here talks a lot about books. I seriously stare at my shelves wide eyed sometimes knowing all that I own. Plus calculating the number of new releases coming out this year. AND THEN thinking about all of the amazing books that everyone raves about that I’ve never read and have been out for years or decades or centuries. I could start hyperventilating now.

I mean LOGICALLY I know HEY JAMIE..you can’t read them all. Get over it. There is just no way. And honestly I don’t want to spend my life holed up ONLY reading books. So there’s that. But sometimes I just very overwhelmed about the stories I’ll never read and the characters I’ll never meet and the way my life might be changed in some way by an amazing story. There’s so many good sounding books and I’m sure some will be duds but I want to inhale them all. I feel a little bit of this same book story frenzy Alan experiences whenever I think about it too much. I try to prioritize my reads according to what is personally important to me but even then…I know I’ll never get through even a fraction of what I want to. It’s maddening!

And really I know it is just a much bigger reflection of what I think about LIFE and not having enough time to do all the things I want to do. Reading is just one of those things.  When the crazy part of my brain pipes down I know that I just need to enjoy what I experience in life, not think too much about what I could miss out on and prioritize the hell out of my life — in books and all other things. Make time for the things that mean a lot and interest me. Allow myself to cease doing things I don’t enjoy or make me feel lively anymore (or stop reading books that aren’t grabbing me). Recognize when my priorities and tastes and interests change and be ok with it because that invites NEW things.

Whew, I need to breathe before I have an existential crisis. I will say I think it is helping me, in theory, to not BUY books at this breakneck pace that I do because realistically a lot are just going to sit. It’s really getting me excited (sort of) to cull my books more often and get rid of things that don’t match my tastes anymore!

Do you guys have freakouts like Alan did? Do you feel absolutely overwhelmed by all the books you know you are going to never be able to read? How do you prioritize? Do you cull books that you have bought but over the years haven’t read and your interests just aren’t there anymore? If anything, PLEASE tell me I’m not the only one who thinks about this too much.

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I Get Rambly But I Can’t Stop Thinking About This!

March 3, 2013 by · 16 Comments

So if you follow my updates on Goodreads of books I’m reading I noted this quote from Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley and have been thinking about it ever since.

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“Most times when I look at Shadow & Poet’s work I see something different from what the words are telling me. I like that about art, that what you see is sometimes more about who you are than what’s on the wall.”

 

 

 

It resonated with me so much because I feel like that about book sometimes. Books are  intensely personal sometimes and how your heart and soul interacts and wrestles with them is a beautiful thing beyond the surface of the story. Sometimes my heart reacts so powerfully that I nearly can feel it beating right out of my chest and wonder, “Was this book written for ME personally?” Or sometimes I feel like I can UNDERSTAND a character that maybe on the outside seems terrible or hard to relate to, but when I look at myself under the lens,  I see that we aren’t really that different because of  a similar experience. So much of my reading experience (especially in the contemporary realm) is tied to my own life experiences, values and feelings.

This  has especially felt true to me being part of this community. I love seeing how one book can feel so many ways to different people. It’s  amazing to know that other people are reading the same words and the same story is being laid out  but we are experiencing it a thousand different ways. The random thoughts that invade our brains at different moments. The different memories that become unearthed as we read a scene. The character who reminds us of somebody we know. My brain isn’t just solely processing the words I am reading but it’s like this explosion of memories and thoughts and FEELINGS.

I think this is why I have such a hard time saying something is a BAD  book. You read my reviews and you know I honestly tell you the things that did/didn’t work for me and whether or not I  liked a book but it’s hard for me to say definitively (there are exceptions) that X book is a HORRIBLE BOOK THAT NOBODY SHOULD READ because I know that books that others hated have resonated with me.  I know that, in fact, sometimes my reading of a book DOES have more to do with who I am and my experiences than it does than the words on the page.  As a reviewer, I try to tell you enough about why it was such a good/bad experience for me for you to decide if it’s a book that you want to give a chance to. Note: this has nothing to do with how ANYBODY else reviews because this is just how I operate.  I’m just saying that, FOR ME, it’s always hard to say stuff like that because I am SUCH an emotional reader who is very aware that my experiences and values and feelings about things very much affect the way I read something. Obviously, there are books that are more FUN for me and don’t really have this effect and it’s very much whether or not I liked the plot or the writing and yada yada yada...but I know it’s how I read a lot of the time.

I think this is why I feel sad when people get blasted for their opinions on a book..because reading is such a personal thing and is special for each and every reader. You can’t help that you didn’t like a book or feel the way so many other people did. I think maybe sometimes some authors wouldn’t erupt into AUTHOR HULK MOOD over a person simply not liking their book if they thought about it like that — that “sometimes art is more about who you are than what’s on the wall (pages in this case)”.

I love that people interact with art. That it means something. That it can make you feel so deeply one way or another. I’m glad we don’t just simply read the words on the pages but interact and provide our understanding.  If we all read it with the same lens we probably wouldn’t have much to talk about.

So let’s talk: What do you think about the quote I shared? Do you think this is true or not so much? I’m curious to know what you think about that quote in relation to how you read (and review if you are a reviewer) books or if you don’t find that to be the case at all for you?

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I Should Just Start A Blog Called “Things Jamie Fears” Apparently

February 21, 2013 by · 54 Comments

Ok, so here we go with another thing I’m terrified of (I seriously have issues – first this, then this and now we have  to have this discussion). I have a lot of bookish fears that I’ve been realizing lately.

This one crept up on me because…gulp…a ton of my favorite authors have new books that have either come out recently (Gayle Forman, Ruta Sepetys) or that are due out this year (Jessi Kirby, Stephanie Perkins, Sarah Dessen, Sara Zarr, David Levithan).

It goes something  like this:

Breaking News: My  favorite author has a new book out!

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I wait, and wait and wait for what seems like forever.

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As the release date draws nearer….reality sneaks up like the bitch she is and says,” HEY, there’s a chance you could REALLY REALLY hate your fave new author’s book.  What nowwww?”

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And that thought gives me the case of the major sads, dear friends. I mean, there’s always that potential of not enjoying a book when we pick it up….but the bar is set so HIGH with a favorite author. They have already moved you, enraptured you in their story or beautiful prose or gave you characters to love. Your heart is already theirs. It’s just a different sort of feeling. Who wants to hate their favorite authors newest book? (I have this similar problem with my favorite bands when they put out new albums).

A lot of the times I end up loving the new books. Maybe not as much or maybe in a different way but I think there is something there initially, at least in my own experiences, that had me declaring “favorite author status” (which I’ve totally done after one book because I feel so strongly) in the first place  — something that in some way makes its way into other books. Sometimes there is a dud unfortunately. And that is an awful feeling. The one that had me terrified the most recently? Just One Day by Gayle Forman. I LOVE Gayle Forman. Her books just do things to my heart that make me remember why I love reading so much and she creates the most memorable characters. Luckily  I LOVED Just One Day SO MUCH but I was seriously afraid of that feeling of “Uh oh…I’m not digging this so much” because I wanted to love it so much. (PS. I’m always super aware if I’m just being blinded by “favorite author status” when I’m reading. I take a bit to digest and think  through it before I review just based on OMG THIS IS MY FAVE AUTHOR).

So I want to know…do you ever feel this way when it comes to your favorite author’s newest book coming out? Or am I the only neurotic weirdo that things of these things? Do you find that you end up loving it because, as I mentioned, there’s just something THERE that made them your fave in the first place?  Have you ever unfortunately NOT LOVED a book put out by your favorite author? What are some books coming out soon by your favorite authors that you are looking forward to? Have you ever felt blinded because it was a favorite author to sit back later and think, “hmm that wasn’t that great.” Is it easy for you to get back into their works after a dud?

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Do You Juggle?

January 3, 2013 by · 96 Comments

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When I was a wee little reader I used to read multiple books at one time. I’d read a chapter of Little House on the Prairie, then a chapter of an RL Stine book and then perhaps a chapter of the Babysitter’s Club. I’d literally sit there with a stack of books and just diligently read a chapter from each and then on to the next one until I finished one and then would put another into rotation. I have no idea WHY I did this. I can’t really recall if it was because I just wanted to read ALL OF THE BOOKS, if I couldn’t pick between them or if I just had an attention span like a gnat.

But now? I can only handle one actual book and an audiobook while I work out. Two years ago, one of my bookish resolutions was to read more classics. I thought perhaps it would be such a good idea to read what I was normally reading and then also read a classic  too so that I could have something more fast paced while reading some of the classics that were a little bit more daunting.

But this is what I found instead of that little reader who so methodically juggled multiple books.
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I couldn’t switch back so easily between them because I’d prefer one more than the other and would just not pick up the other one or I’d like them BOTH so much that I just couldn’t pick which one to read at which time. Young Jamie must have had way more discipline.

You want to know what I’m blaming? College! So many nights where I’d be jumping from book to book to book reading anything from Old Testament history to business law cases to philosophy readings. My whole brain was just jammed with so much much stuff all at one time and now my brain is revolting and just wants to concentrate on a single story.

But all joke-blaming aside, I think that now in my old age I just like to enjoy and immerse myself in one story. There are so many more distractions in my life, at this age, that I don’t need to switch my attention to a new story because I’m always getting interrupted from whichever book I’m reading anyways. Either that or I’m just getting old and my brain can’t handle juggling more than one book?

(I will say that I’ve been able to read a chapter of a time management  book every other day or so while also reading my normal fiction. That’s about all I’ve got in me.)

But I’m just curious about YOUR reading habits? Do you read multiple books at one time or do you need to just be reading one thing at any one time?  Why or why not? I love learning about your habits — like about reading in the car or rereading or your bookish pet peeves!

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Today We’ll Be Talking About My Butt…Yes. My Butt.

December 13, 2012 by · 42 Comments

You all know I love (am insanely obsessed with) reading. And I love blogging. And I love have an addiction to Twitter. OBVIOUSLY I LOVE ALL OF THESE THINGS.

But from time to time I’ve really struggled (especially recently for some reason) with how much of the things I LOVE LOVE LOVE the most involve SITTING. I know this is a really strange post to write but let’s be honest..you know me…a post talking about my ass is probably not the most random post you’ll ever see.

Truly, lately, I’ve been struggling with not wanting to read or blog because I’m so darn sick of sitting to do these things. When I had a job before I got laid off, THAT required 8 hours of sitting with self imposed frequent breaks to make tea or go distract other people. So by the time it’s five o’clock  and I come home to read and blog — I’ve been sitting for FOREVER and my ass is ready to revolt. And then I’m going to sit some more? And more? And then I’ll go to bed and and lie down. I mean, I have other things that don’t require sitting (you know — that time I get off Pinterest to make a receipe) but the  two things I love doing most — reading & blogging — require an awfully lot of sitting. Some days it doesn’t bother me because I’d like nothing more than to snuggle up on the couch and read ALL DAY and just power through how bad my butt hurts. But other days I swear my butt and my legs are just going to get together and the next thing I know I’ll be frolicking around the apartment complex.

I know, as Americans (I’m an American..you may not be lol), we sit probably more than most people in the world (generalizing here) but sometimes it just GETS TO ME and then I have major reading slumps and don’t feel like blogging anymore (or just can’t sit down to comment on your blogs. Sorry. Sorry. I love you) because I think maybe I could find something better to do that doesn’t require sitting (though we all probably know it would end with me finding something else to do that requires sitting).

You all know that I’ve discovered that audiobooks HAVE helped me get more fit with my plan (though since Thanksgiving I’ve fallen off the wagon) but even with audiobooks in the mix while I work out or do household chores I STILL sometimes feel like not reading because I don’t feel like sitting. And I honestly…to add even more audiobooks into my day would be hard because I like reading with my eyes so much better and am wayyy faster than the narrator.

So in short, this ridiculously pointless post is a result of the fact that I sat down to write this post and my ass really hurt. So you get NOTHING of substance (ie: something that takes me longer than 10 minutes to write) from me today. NOTHING.


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What about you — do you often feel like you spend a lot of time sitting between reading and blogging? Do you ever feel really antsy about it like I do?  How do you balance all that SITTING with being mobile to still accomplish all of the reading and Interneting you do? And if I’m the only one who feels this way..we are going to pretend this post never happened. Let’s do that anyways. I just needed to express my frustrations!

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How Books Are Turning Me Into A Super Fit & Productive Person!

October 19, 2012 by · 54 Comments
Let’s have a moment of full disclosure before I begin: I am in no way a trained fitness guru or a doctor. Seriously, up until last month working out to me was walking to the freezer to mingle with my friends Ben & Jerry or car dancing to Call Me Maybe. This has just been my method to get myself more active with something I love.

It’s true.

I have discovered the amazingness of audiobooks in helping me curb the lazy and get done All Of The Things I Hate To Do But Have To Because I’m A Grown-up. I have been an audiobook participator prior to this. They made me a wee bit less stabby during my commute and I really started to not care about sitting in traffic (minus when I have to pee or when I’m really hungry). They’ve been great on long car rides when I’m by myself. I had become a fan of them finally after being scared of them.

But I never realized how fantastical they were as motivators.

How They Are Helping Me To Get In Shape & Be Productive Maniac Around The House

I’ve always been a pretty thin girl (runs in the family) but I’ve  noticed that the ol’ metabolism just ain’t what she used to be so the husband and I decided we were going to work out. Guys, I hate working out. I’m 27 and haven’t worked out regularly since I played lacrosse in high school. I’d rather been subjected to torture than willingly work out. Though working out really is about the same as torture. I feel like I am going to die every moment I’m working out and make the most hideous faces doing it. I call BULLSHIT on the glowing people who feel all magnificent and like they could conquer the world after working out. LIES. I look like death and feel like death afterwards.

I’ve never been able to be consistent about it until now. I mean, I’m only a month in but UM this is an accomplishment for me. Here’s the deal:

1. Pick an audiobook you know is going to REALLY REALLY capture your attention or that you’ve been dying to read. I go for something lighter because sometimes really densely written books are hard for me to concentrate on. I also ask other audiobook lovers or read audiobook reviews to find audiobooks with really great narrators. A narrator can make or break your experience, folks. Nobody wants to listen to someone that reminds them of the most boring, monotone professor they ever had. This is an IMPORTANT step because it ties into step 2.

2. Motivation is a problem for me and I needed strict rules. I’m like the horse that needs to follow the carrot. Thus I have made a rule that I am not allowed to listen to my audiobook anywhere else except for working out (or taking a walk) or while cleaning. This is why #1 is so important because I have to WANT to find out what happens and to finish the book. I made a strict rule about my “Active” audiobook not being allowed to be used in the car. I’ll have another audiobook for that.

3. Figure out what “active” is to you. The rules I have made for myself for now as I’m easing in to the workout thing is that I must do some sort of cardio for at least 30 minutes every day. Sometimes I do some free weights. I also let myself listen, as I said, when I’m being active around the house — washing dishes, cleaning, folding clothes or even yard work like raking leaves. I’ll cut myself some slack if I’m sick or in other situations where I may not be home and have access to a gym but that’s it. Even if I’m not feeling like I want to do a really intense workout, I still make myself at least walk on the treadmill slowly for 30 minutes.

4. Give yourself reward: The audiobook itself is a reward in a way but I’ve decided that for every three ( you can change this accordingly) audiobooks I complete I get to go out and buy a new book (y’all know I am still looking for work as I got laid off from work right before my wedding so this is a big deal to me). Pick whatever reward you want — new shoes, new makeup, a fancy dinner, a whole chocolate cake after your workout. Whatever will help motivate you.

5. Give yourself a punishment: You don’t HAVE to do this but I’ve made a rule for myself that if I skip a workout because I’m just being lazy that the next time I work out I am not allowed to listen to my audiobook or my music. So that’s THIRTY FREAKING MINUTES OF TORTURE IN WHICH I AM NOT DISTRACTED BY ANYTHING. It has helped me by making me less likely to skip a workout for lazy reasons.

6. Enjoy the results! I don’t feel like I’ve drastically seen a difference in my body yet but I honestly have stuck to my workout which I truly have never done before. I feel super productive because I’m getting through a book a want to read and keeping myself active and healthy. It’s funny because I also find myself sometimes getting done with a workout and ending on a good part and so I’ll come home and do the dishes just so I can end at a better place. The house is staying a little bit more clean and I really dread doing some of these tasks less because I’m doing something I enjoy. I still don’t enjoy working out but this helps. It does.

A few other things:

- Let’s do the math a little bit. Let’s say you work out/are active for an hour each day and your audiobook is 8 hours long…you can have that sucker done in a little over a week. So that would be 3-4 extra books you could be “reading” per month! WOO!

- I find them to be great for times when you might want to re-read a book in the series before the next book comes out. It will be easier for you to concentrate and follow because you are already familiar with the story. Same goes for old favorite. Harry Potter fans SWEAR by the audiobooks and say that the narrator is incredible so all you HP fans who are dying for a re-read it might be a good route to go!

- I’ve been utilizing my library for free audiobooks as well as their Overdrive system where you can download it online. Sometimes I can find decently priced ones on Amazon. There is also ITunes and of course Audible.  Another great option is Paperbackswap. You basically get credits for swapping books and sending them out to people in exchange for credits. I used to use it A LOT. That way when you are done with the audiobook you could put it back up there and get a new one!

-Be careful. I know it’s easy to get all caught up in a book but I don’t want to see this happen.

 

What about you guys…do you listen to audiobooks to help you work out or get things done around the house? What are some of your favorite audiobooks? I’m sure others (including myself) would love some good recommendations for audiobooks that were so captivating!

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