Finally A Usable Forcast

It has started snowing and the forecast is predicting everything from 1 inch to OMG WE ARE ALL GONNA FREEZE TO DEATH IN AN INCALCULABLE AMOUNT OF SNOW.  Lucky for us this local library has provided us with a much more accurate forecast

Anne Arundel County Library

This graph gives us an accurate estimate of how many books an average bibliophile will need to obtain before being snowed in.  Lucky for me, I have stocked up and am ready to go!  Happy Reading Everybody!

Happens All The Time

Keeping up my streak of awesome reading

Sleep Optional LOL  I'll write more when I've finally attempted some sleep.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Me In A Nutshell

About 1000 people have posted this to my timeline :-)

The Real Joy of Reading

I think they may be on to me lol.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Happy Turkey Day

Happy Turkey Day to everybody stateside!

Happy Reading Everybody!

Bookish Problems

Bookish Problems is a series of absolutely true and funny ecard type deals.  I love them to death.  Here are a few of my favorite.

I'm sure we could come up with hundreds more lol.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Don't Go Extinct

Dear Everybody, this is an important service announcement.

Don't go extinct...READ!!!!!  Happy Reading Everybody!

Reading Problem

About 5000 people have sent me this picture today.

I'm guessing they are all trying to tell me something...on that note I'm off to by a sixpack of books!
Happy Reading Everybody!

Super Short Classics

Some days you just don't have time to get through a whole book...especially some of the epic tomes that we consider classics.  So here are some shorter versions that I think we all have time for.

I hope you all enjoyed these quick little classics.  Visit this guys site, he is pretty funny.
Happy Reading Everybody!

What Did I Just See On The Bookshelf ?!?

I am in a really weird mood right now...a whole bunch of bourbon and S'mores may have a wee bit to do with it...but anyways...what was I saying...Oh yeah!  To celebrate my mood of weirdness here are a couple of the weirdest books I have ever seen on a bookshelf (DISCLAIMER I have not actually read these so they may be awesome...).

What's Your Poo Telling You?

With expert advice on everything from the color to the "floatiness" of your poo, you will be completely covered in the feces area...bonus activity book sold separately (no seriously, there is an activity book!)

The Pantyhose Craft Book

To be honest I don't even remember the last time I wore pantyhose...much less made a windcatcher out of them...

How to Sharpen Pencils

Because apparently we have all been doing it the wrong way?

The Beginner's Guide to Sex in the Afterlife

For those of us who can't bear the thought of going without...even after we have shuffled off this mortal coil.

Be Bold With Bananas

So many ways to go with this...so many innuendo's...so much weird!

Ok I'm sure you have all had more then enough of my weirdness today...so just go ahead and tell me the weirdest book that you have ever read/seen.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Forty Two

Ha I am totally amassing a new TBR pile, except I'm gonna have to call this one my To Be Rambled pile.  I have finally caught up with my reading and am now ready for some rambling.  Um...hmmm...let's start with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.  This book is beloved by many people around the world, and especially by weirdo's like me.  I had not read it in a while and wanted to see how it stood up to the test of time.  As always SPOILERS AHEAD!

Arthur Dent is having a really bad day.  His house has been zoned for demolition to make way for a highway bypass and he is not happy about it.  Arthur does what any reasonable homeowner would do and lays down in front of the bulldozer.  Meanwhile his friend Ford Prefect comes along and convinces Arthur to have a quick mid day drink with him.  What Arthur is soon to find out is that Ford is actually a very human looking alien who has been chilling on Earth to work on the new edition of the titular Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.  Arthur finds all of this out when Ford informs him that the planet Earth is slated for destruction to make way for an intergalactic bypass.  The two hitch a ride on an unsuspecting Vogon ship...which is not really a pleasant place to be.  Ford pops a translation fish into Arthur's ear and the language of the galaxy is now accessible to him...just in time for him and Ford to be blown out of an airlock by a very shout happy Vogon.   Against all odds (two to the power of two hundred and seventy-six thousand, seven hundred and nine to one against to be exact.) the duo are picked up by an impossibly amazing ship called The Heart of Gold, which had been conveniently stolen by the galactic president Zaphod Beeblebrox of the two heads and three arms and his current girlfriend, the Earth girl Trillian.  Arthur and Ford are escorted by the depressed robot Marvin to the bridge and the four embark on a mission to find the lost planet of Magrathea, where an advanced race used to make custom planets for the insanely rich.  Upon arrival to the mysterious planet all kinds of craziness ensues...as it does in these types of books and Arthur is separated from the group.  Eventually he finds out that his planet and people were actually custom made to be the ultimate computer in which trans-dimensional beings would use to find the question to the answer 42.  Unfortunately the planet Earth was blown up right before the computing was to be completed, bummer.  The beings (who appear to humans in the shape of mice) try to convince Arthur to donate his brain so that they don't have to start all over again.  Arthur understandably refuses and the four make their escape with the help of the eternally depressed Marvin.  The four hop back on their ship and head off into the universe for more adventures.

World Building - The book is set in various ships, planets and places through out the galaxy.  It is a bit sci fi, a bit humor, and a bit tongue-in-cheek.  Each environment is unique and painted clearly enough to give us some flavor without boring us with unending detail.  The little bits and pieces of the Guide interspersed through out the book also add to the world building of this book in a consistently humorous way.  The way the book is written, a completed world building is not needed as the humor is the over arching structure for the book.  It is just the right amount for the story.

Story - This book is less about the story and more about idea's and humor.  There is an overarching story line that gives the book a sort of beginning middle and end, but I think it is the overall flavor of the book that really shines.  It is silly, irreverent, meandering and just plain fun.  It is the type of story you want when you just want to relax and enjoy what you are reading with out too much effort.  It is a story of inside jokes and anybody who reads it and enjoys it is instantly admitted to a club where the members can have whole conversations just from various quotes from this book.

Characters - The characters in this book are super fun, and really pretty much every person, alien, ship, robot, computer and animal have some sort of distinct personality.  The various interactions, asides and outrageousness of them all are really what make this book so special.  I also really appreciate that as light hearted and chaotic as this book is, all of the main characters are remarkably consistent in their portrayal.

Editing - This book is all over the place...in a good way.  The main story itself is pretty straight forward and simple, but it is the asides and sidetracks and interruptions that give this book it's humor and charm.  The chaos is intentional and well thought out.  I have read books that try and use this style and fail because they get to muddled, this book however worked well in that even with the craziness it still flowed pretty well.

The Guide - My favorite part of this book is the excerpts from the Guide through out the book.  It is fun to see the various descriptions, opinions and just plain weirdness that these little snippets provide.  Many times they relate directly to the story, giving us an extra bit of world building and info, but sometimes it's just random stuff for fun.

The Movie - There is a movie based on this book and I have to say I don't hate it.  It's not perfect, as a book to movie rarely is, but I thought they did a decent job.  What I liked best was the casting, I felt that each character was more or less cast fittingly.  I especially like Alan Rickman as the voice of Marvin and now every time I read the book I here his voice...I miss that guy.

The Camaraderie - This is one of those books that instantly makes you part of something.  It is a book that people read and love and quote and pretty much once you have read it you become a part of it.  I love that a book, especially a weird little book like this, can bring the most random of people together.  This just continues to prove the power of the written word and how people from all walks of life can read it and instantly bond over it, makes this little bookworm happy.

Overall Impression - This book is just fun.  That pretty much sums it up for me, it is a book I read when my brain needs a break and I just want to turn pages of a good book.  Oddly enough for as easy a read as it is, there are definitely some thought provoking ideas within the pages if that's what your in the mood for, so pretty much this book works all ways.  I would recommend this book to anybody with a sense of humor, likes writing with a twist, or just wants to be part of the club.  I give it 8 out of 10 Improbability Drives.

Happy Reading Everybody!

Feeling The Snark

I'm in a bit of a snarky mood today (also I really love the word snark).  Apparently the internet also loves snark...and reading...and reading related snark...who knew?  Anyways here are some fun tidbits that caught my snark today.

Ahhh now that I've shared the snark I feel better.  Happy Reading Everybody!!!

Seriously Useless...(Not Really)

So I just asked my Mamma for a post topic and she had nothing...so you get this instead.

Because that is just the mood I'm in.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Midnight Rodeo

Hello all, how was your weekend?  Mine was fabulous and as it included reading and finishing a couple of books I thought we would start of the week with a rambling.  Today's book was a gift from a very good friend of mine who along with sharing my love of lights and sirens is possibly crazier then I am (in a good way).  She gave me this book for multiple reasons, some very personal and also 'cause she thought I would enjoy it.  She was right on both counts.  The book is Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson (who is also known as The Bloggess).  I'm gonna jump right in, as always SPOILERS AHEAD!

So this isn't really a book that one can sum up plot wise as it is more of a memoir/random topics/rambly style of book (which is probably one of the reasons I liked it).  Instead I will kind of go back and forth and...well...I call them ramblings for a reason.  The author is bat shit crazy...but so am I and so is most of the rest of the world, so this works for me.  She has been diagnosed with a number of illnesses both physical and mental and this book is a combination memoir and coping mechanism, with a great dose of suggestions for people who either have and/or are dealing with loved ones in the same position.  The author gives us glimpses into her life, some humorous as when she uses her pair of taxidermied raccoons (yep the same ones on the cover) to ride her cats in a midnight cat rodeo while battling insomnia.  Some are sad and scary while she shows us a night she pulls her hair and gouges her scalp to cause herself pain for reasons that are only partially known even to her.  Then we get a mix, like when she battled panic, fear and reason to board a plane with her friend to Australia to run around in a Koala suit and try and cuddle the bears.  These little pieces of her life are interspersed with introspection, therapy sessions and random musings.  A mix of entertaining, informative and for some of us very helpful.

I feel that this book is intended for a very specific audience.  First and foremost it is intended for other crazies like myself.  A lot of people hate that I throw that word around, they feel I am making light of a situation, or putting an un-PC label on people, but as a person with my own identified issues I love the word 'cause that's what I am folks.  Some days I'm crazier then others and some days my peeps are crazier then me, but I think that is part of what makes us interesting.  Anyways I think those of us who deal with the various stages, severities and varieties of what we have deemed mental issues, problems or illnesses will probably find some glimpse of ourselves and the struggles we face in this book.  I also feel the people who live with us, love us and deal with us (and face it probably have crazy of their own) would identify or at least nod and go "mm-hmm" when reading this book.  Other people (those rare so called "normals" with only "normal peeps) will get various mileage from it.  I had a bunch of stuff I was gonna write, but the more I think about it the more I feel like this book is gonna mean very different things to every person.  A lot of people will appreciate the humor...though many will be appalled that a functioning person can think the way the author does.  Many people will be able to use the tips and tricks...some will find them completely pointless.  A few of us will run out and buy a ton of spoons, tie them with silver ribbon and hand them out to everybody who needs extras and that is ok too. I like how the author does not disguise her struggles, and while she knows that she needs and can ask for help, she is not helpless.  She treats all her issues, physical and mental like diseases (which they are) and does what she can to treat all of it.  She tries when she can to use what resources she has to live a life worth living which is more then a lot of us can say.  I absolutely love that she reiterates over and over that she is not everybody and the each person has their own issues and her solutions are not the only ones, nor will they work for everybody.  I think the author just wants us to know we are not alone, and that it is ok to be broken, but we need to find, create and savor the good and pull those times out to get us through the dark parts. Overall I can't really talk about this book other then to say it was a good read, I got what I got out of it, I think everybody can get something out of it and that you should all go read it and tell me what you think. Also side note...I adore her Hubby who reminds me of a less crazy version of my own Hubbin.  I give it 8 out of 10 homicidal swans and will keep my happy days like pretty jewels to pull out on the bad days.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Mamma Shorts

My Mamma is here for a visit YIPEEEE!!!! We immediatly set about talking on one of our favorite subjects. Books.  This time though we got into an even better conversation.  Seems we have both been having some really lucid dreams that feel almost like stories.  So we poured a couple of Captain and Cokes and proceeded to discuss turning our dreams into short stories.

The result is a notebook full of short story idea's and a couple of slightly tipsy girls.  I'm am totally stoked for the rest of her trip which includes a day at the bookstore and at least one day nothing but coffee and reading.  Happy Reading Everybody!

Holding My Eyes Open

Skyping with baby sis today and realized we both suffer from the same problem on occasion...we can't stay awake to read.  We go to bed early with the intention of reading for an hour or two (a habit that we both still have from our childhood) and lo and behold we fall asleep a couple pages in.  There are several stages to falling asleep while reading.

 First you are all good to go, you start reading, getting into it. The next stage is you realize that you have read the same page a couple of times and still don't remember what you just read.  The third stage is when you rest your eyes for "just a second" only to drag them open a few minutes later to read one word and then rest them again.  Stage four is what I like to call the tired two year old phase, and this is when you know it's hopeless, but you refuse to actually go to sleep and force your eyes open one more time.  Eventually you hit the final stage and that is when your book slips from your fingers and falls to the floor and you just don't have the energy to lean over and pick up...and you finally admit defeat.  What happens when you fall asleep reading?  Happy Reading Everybody!

We All Scream For (Literary) Ice Cream

Ahh warm weather...that means ICE CREAM!!!!!  I love ice cream, mostly 'cause it comes in so many varieties you can eat a different kind every day and still not repeat yourself.  Here are some ice creams for when you are in a more literary minded mood.

These are all conceptualized over at QuirkBooks.com.   Go check out the page for the great ingredient descriptions for each one.  I am now off to go sit in a tub of ice and eat all the ice cream I can find, hopefully without dropping any on my books.  HAPPY READING EVERYBODY!

Nerd Alert

Anytime I want to declare my book nerd tenancies to the world, I just slip one of these on.

Library Stamp Shirt

I love the instant recognition of the stamp that this shirt gives off.

Book Symbols Shirt

100 nerd points if you can tell me what every book on this shirt is!

Partying Puns Shirt

Nothing screams uber book nerd like some Shakespearean puns

Book Party!

Sadly this is not entirely untrue :-)

Book Nerd Shirt

Of course the best way to declare your book nerdism is to just say it!

Alrighty all of my book nerds, get out there and read proudly!  Happy Reading Everybody!