Of Ramblings and Readings

Well, well, well...here it is, September, and I've finished two books in the past month. It's not that I haven't been reading, it's that what I've been reading has been slow going, and most of that blame can be squarely laid at my feet.

First I read The Twelve by Justin Cronin (see review below) and that sucker was HUGE and INVOLVED. Very, very well done but it took quite a while to move through all the layers and story lines.

Next I've been tackling:

I've been reviewing it for HNS so I can't post a review here yet. I will say that ultimately I loved it and I'll recommend it for those who love good historical fiction with a solid mystery.

Mostly, however, I've just been:

That's right, just plain old distracted. School started up August 1 and it's been a rough start with teacher evals, Core standards, and an eighth grade class shipped in from hell every day to give the devil a break. Plus high school band season is rolling and with youngest daughter in her junior year, we're as busy as ever with all that stuff. I've also become involved with an online group that writes fan fic and I am loving the opportunity to get back to writing! It's been good for me to be complimented on my writing skills and just plain fun interacting with the others in the group. 

Next up I'm going to enjoy

for review for HNS. I missed the first in the series so I hope that won't be detrimental to figuring out what's going on. This one looks super good! 

Finally, I took Thursday off to accompany K to the Country Music Hall of Fame where we went to an intimate interview with Keith Urban! You guys know I love me some Keith and he did't disappoint. Very down to earth answering the 400 high schoolers' questions and interacting with the crowd. 

That's it, that's all from me for now. What's up with you?

~taminator40

Where Have I Been?

Well, that's a good question, and I have an answer. In the past few weeks I have been:

• Reading books for the Historical Novel Society.  Had 3 to get through in a short amount of time (my fault entirely). But I'm done now and ready to move on!
• Starting school. Well, actually, school started August 14 but it's amazing the amount of time it sucks out of my life. With the new teacher evaluation system (don't get me started), this year is in overdrive already.
• Band. K is a sophomore this year and we're knee deep in marching band season. Our first contest is this weekend and then it's 5 weekends in a row...I'm getting a migraine.
• Band secretary. Yep, glutton for punishment, that's me. I'm the Band Booster secretary, which entails note taking for meetings (natch), and also upkeeping the band website (John Overton High School Band), and this year I've taken over the grocery store fundraising (about which our former president lied...it is SO MUCH MORE than 30 minutes per month).
• Jury duty. This past week I did my civic duty and reported to be a juror. Didn't get selected (thank goodness!) but I did report. It could've been 3 days or more, but one was all right with me. I feel like a good citizen.
• Learning the ropes as a new editor at the Historical Novel Society. It's fun but at times overwhelming. But I'm enjoying it! 

And my reading has sucked. Big time. I've been thinking I've been in need of a light, not much concentration required YA book, and I picked up Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan last night. I'm over 150 pages in already! Sometimes you just need brain candy. I'd like to think things are going to slow down a bit but I seriously doubt it. Oh well. Overall, things are good, if harried. Hopefully I'll get back to blogging more in the future.

~taminator40