reading - part 1

I  am an avid reader. Last Jan. when I came across a proposed reading challenge on FB (thanks Tracey Fletcher King!), I enlisted a couple of friends to join me and we tackled the list of 50 reading categories. I finished all 50 categories ...... the last book wrapped up about when the ball dropped on new year's eve.  :)

I posted progress fairly regularly on FB, but for those of you out there who are also readers, here's what I read last year....the 50 categories plus another 26 books for a total of 76 books!  You can see my reviews on Goodreads (tpurk13). By the way, if you're on Goodreads, message/friend me - I'd love to follow along with what you're enjoying.

  JANUARY
Bk with a 1-word title:   Innocence, Dean Koontz   (B) - supernatural thriller
Bk by new-to-you author:   Tigerman, Nick Harkaway  (B)   recommend  something different
Pulitzer prize winner:   Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout  (B)    relationships in a small town
A funny book:   Gone to the Dogs, Mary Guterson  (C) (not very funny)
no category:   Alarm Girl, Hannah Vincent   (B)   family issues set in Africa

    FEBRUARY
Bk set in a different country (Sweden): The Farm, Tom Rob Smith  (A)  recommend (thanks Karen!)
Bk about or w/ animal as main character:  The Sound & the Furry, Spencer Quinn  (B-)
Bk written by author w/ your initials:  Little Saigon, T Jefferson Parker (tp)  (C)  mystery
Bk based on a true story:  Driving over Lemons, Chris Sewart  (B+)  recommend  buying a farm in Spain and starting over
no category:   Daddy's Girl, Lisa Scottoline   (B)   mystery

  MARCH
Bk published this year:   Epitaph, Mary Doria Russell (A) highly recommend  life of Wyatt Earp brothers - very well researched & new perspectives
Bk that made you cry:   The Lobster Kings, Alexi Zentner  (B+)  recommend   family relationships
Bk by a female author:  Eden Close, Anita Shreve  (C)
Bk w/ color in the title:   White Nights, Ann Cleeves  (C)    mystery
Bk w/ more than 500 pgs:   All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr   (B+) recommend  unique perspectives on WWII

   APRIL
Bk recommended by a friend:   The Paris Wife, Paula McLain  (B+) (thanks Debbie F)  recommend  Hemingway's life told from wife's perspective, based on letters & extensive research
Bk started but not finished:   The Serpent of Venice, Christopher Moore   (F)
Bk from author you love but haven't read:  Divine Justice, David Baldacci  (B)  mystery
Bk with a love triangle:   The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway  (D)   classic
Mystery / thriller:   A Tap on the Window, Linwood Barclay  (A)   recommend    mystery
A trilogy:   The Magician King, Lev Grossman  (B)   magic along lines of Harry Potter but different
A trilogy:   The Magicians, Lev Grossman  (B-)

   MAY
A trilogy:  The Magician's Land, Lev Grossman  (B+)
no category:  Case Histories, Kate Atkinson   (B+)   recommend   mysteries
A memoir:   Up Till Now, William Shatner   (C-)
Bk you own but haven't read:   Memory Thief, Emily Colin  (B)   love & loss
Bk w/ number in title:   The Nine Lessons, Kevin Alan Milne   (C+)  using golf, father teaches adult son life lessons

    JUNE
Bk set in the future:   The Martian, Andy Weir   (C)   movie better than book
Bk set somewhere you want to visit:   The Most Beautiful Walk in the World, John Baxter  (C+)
Bk published year you were born:   The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison   (D)  classic
no category:   The Racketeer, John Grisham  (B-)
no category:   The Gathering, Anne Enright   (F)  didn't finish
no category:  You can Draw in 30 Days, Mark Kistler   (B)   helpful sketching exercises
no category:   No Time for Goodbye, Linwood Barclay  (B)  mystery


This takes you through the first half of the year......stay tuned for part 2!

2013 was a good year

2013 was a very good year for me creatively.  I settled into some comfort levels with my artistic endeavors; I tried new techniques and solidified some old stand-bys.  A few days ago I read Hanna's list of accomplishments and why she thought it important to write them down.  Then I read Karen's.  Then Tammy's. All busy, talented ladies who convinced me that there's value to tracking where you've been so you can figure out where you're going.

Hanna even wrote a list of 10 reasons why you should list your accomplishments.....the reasons that spoke to me from her list are:  list making is fun (!), document the positive, and being grateful.

As I started my list in my Documented Life notebook, I found I wasn't able to remember much.  So I browsed back through my blog posts, photos I took last year, I looked through my card 'journal', I looked at my mail art, reading and movie lists. I played off the lists of those other women to help me remember some of my own accomplishments.  So here goes.......

My biggest goal for the year was to make 365 collages, which I did.  Woohoo! I experimented with composition, size, color, and material (even made some from wood veneer).

I sent out 375 pieces of mail art.

I participated in 25 MMSA mail art swaps (Karen hosted 45) and a hand full of Swap Bot swaps.

MMSA bird swap

I turned a spare bedroom into my own personal art space and love having the space to gather hoard materials and work in my own messy space!  I love that I have a sewing "zone", painting "zone", collage "zone" and plenty of room to stack books and papers.

Participated in Hanna's spring postcard swap and Kat's Liberate Your Art postcard swap.

I completed Tammy's summer ICAD challenge for the third year (don't think I finished the first year).

Read 49 books and saw 124 movies (mostly Netflix.....only 7 in a theater).

I took a glass blowing class (a Christmas gift from my son last year).

I painted a few canvases that I like well enough to hang in the house.  I created my first "art series" - four 6x6 mixed media pieces.

I sent naked pumpkins through the mail to friends and family for Thanksgiving.  Picked up the pumpkins at the $1 store, decorated them and sent them - everyone was VERY surprised to receive them.

I created a book for Dan for his 60th birthday.  I contacted friends and family and asked for a written memory to share, typed them up on digitally enhanced pages and made a book.  I was trying for 60 memories but think I ended up with a little over 50.....pretty good!

I had one of my ALAW projects selected for a gallery show.  It was exciting to bundle it up and send it off but unfortunately the show was in Australia so I didn't get to go.

Though my goal was two, I did finish one ALAW project in 2013.

I created a photo book commemorating our trip to China a couple years ago with Dan's siblings and spouses.  I created the 100 page books digitally and when Winkflash had their sale, I ordered them for Christmas gifts.

When we went on vacation (cruise and a week in Florida) I actually planned ahead and took a small bin of art supplies so that I could draw and sort of keep up with my collage challenge.  I discovered it's fun to have art supplies on hand when I'm home in the evenings with my tired feet up.  Won't ever travel again without SOME kind of art supplies with me.

I participated in my first ever round robin event with five other ladies.  Though a little intimidating working in someone else's journal, I got over it and found it was really fun.  This was a great group of women who mailed on time and kept everyone's journal safe. AND filled the journals with beautiful work!

I broke down and bought a gelli plate which gave me hours of pleasure and experimentation and created stacks of collage fodder.

I sold some of my photos through my ETSY shop.  I added new photos and changed my shop to allow the photos to be downloaded or ordered as a photo print.  (it's a virtual frame)

I worked on improving my lettering styles and skills.

From the round robin journals

I've started exploring Instagram and though I don't use it a ton yet, I will use it more in 2014.

So, I guess my year was more productive than I thought.  Plus all these activities were satisfying, rewarding, enriching, and most of all, FUN!

What did you accomplish last year?

lists

I'm a list maker from way back.  I LOVE a good list. I make lists for everything just because I enjoy the structure, the organization it gives me and my little brain.  Other list makers surely understand what I mean.  I kept a list of every movie I watched last year (124 movies! though only 7 were in a theater). I keep lists of places I've traveled, digital scrapbooking elements, and so on - and yeah, I do keep a grocery list! :)

Over on Daisy Yellow, Tammy shared her list of books she wants to read for 2014.  Since I'm an avid reader, I have all sorts of books lists - every (mostly) book I've read for the last 15 years or so, a list approaching 900 books I still want to read (I swear I take books off the list every year but there's just so many good books out there!), lists of award winners, etc.

I love a good murder/courtroom drama book, but I read a wide range of genres - if you've got a favorite author or book, do share.  I'll add it to my list! :)

Here's what I read in 2013:
The Remains by Vincent Zandri
Collage Discovery Workshop by Claudine Hellmuth
Ireland by Frank Delaney (excellent)
Black River by GM Ford
Die for You by Lisa Unger
Gold by Chris Cleave
XO by Jeffery Deaver
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (unexpectedly good)
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (unexpectedly good)
The Amber Room by Steve Berry
Afraid of the Dark by James Grippando
Entombed by Linda Fairstein
Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein
The Informant by James Grippando
Murder on the Mind by LL Bartlett
Borderlines by Archer Mayor
Scent of Evil by Archer Mayor
Fruits of the Poisonous Tree by Archer Mayor
The Ragman's Memory by Archer Mayor
The Land of Decoration by Grace McCleen
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Acrylic Solutions by Julie Pritchard & Chris Cozen
Stolen Prey by John Sanford
Secret Admirer by Patricia MacDonald
A Wanted Man by Lee Child
The Executor by Jesse Kellerman
No Good Deeds by Laura Lippman
Defending Jacob by William Landay
The Strangler by William Landay
Cover to Cover by Sherrie LaPlant (bookbinding)
Shadow of Power by Steve Martini
Scavenger by David Morrell
Ghost Writer by Rene Gutteridge (bad)
Sarah's Key by Tatiana deRosnay
The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
Serena by Ron Rash (bad)
Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Book Store by Robin Sloan (good)
2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson (good but long)
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
And the Mountain Echoed by Khaled Hosseini (excellent)
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
The Promise of a Lie by Howard Roughan
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Trust Your Eyes by Linwood Barclay
Phantom by Jo Nesbo
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

If you even skimmed over this list, you're likely a reader too.......if you want more info about any of these or some recommendations of my favorite books, just let me know - I love to share!

reading

I love a good book. I love to curl up and tuck into an engrossing story. Many times I don't have a block of time to read so I squeeze it in where I can. I'm one of those lucky people that can pick up a book and read a page or just a paragraph and know right where I am when I next pick it up - 5 minutes or 5 hours later. I always carry a book with me and often can be found reading at a stop light while waiting for traffic to move, or as the passenger when we've run out of things to talk about, or standing at the kitchen counter waiting for the oven timer to go off.  Sometimes it's an art book, most often a novel. If you want to know what I'm reading, or what I've read this year, I'm keeping the list and short reviews on my Reading Corner tab up above.

I'm not alone.......here's proof people love to read!

  

by Jean-Honore Fragonard

So, why read?

It's relaxing and informative.
  Now here's a library to drool over!

It contributes to making you a better conversationalist.

by Renoir

It's portable - you can do it anywhere, any time.

Your neighbors won't complain the book is too loud.

It improves and strengthens your vocabulary.



It's something you can do with your kids.

by Nelda Piper

Can you do anything with books besides read them?  Well, you all know the answer to that - you're artists after all.  Altered books are being created in every style and theme and genre - here are a few I found that are intriguing (all via pinterest - my other computer obsession - follow me and I'll share all the artsy goodness I find).


David Kracov



Folded books by RhymesWithMagic

      from an Anthropologie window, posted by Lynne Bryne @ DecorArtsNow

  Lots of patience goes into making these little jewels!



   So, are you inspired to pick up a book now?  What are you reading?  I'm always on the lookout for something new to read - I read just about any genre, so.....lay it on me!  What should I read next?

inspiration ave: words

Words.  My fave.  I love reading; I love quotes; I love inspirational snippets (poetry, not so much).  Look what I've made using words, photography, paint, whatever.....   Be sure to visit Inspiration Avenue to see other interpretations of this theme (in honor of poetry month).

Sometimes the words are more subtle ("share" is collaged and painted over, there is French text on the wings)

Taken yesterday at the Washington tulip fields.  (more of these to come)

But, here are my favorite words - bound in book after book, all for anyone's reading pleasure and enrichment.  I was cleaning my bookshelves so had them stacked on the floor so I could dust ... man oh man books collect a lot of dust.  I read everything from mysteries to family sagas to popular novels (The Hunger Games, The Help) or what's showing up on a "Best of" list, or books about other cultures or .... I do tend to read mostly fiction though I've been known to pick up a 'teaching' or 'enlightening' book now and then.  Do you have one I need to add to my list?

By the way, I'm tracking all my reading for this year on my Reading List tab at the top of the page so you can see what I'm reading at any given time.

I love words.

love a good book

I absolutely love a good book.  I read for undiluted pleasure, to relax, to fill time while waiting, to transport myself to a different culture or time, and to keep my vocabulary sharp. For years I have kept two lists - one of books I want to read someday (whenever I see a promising review or someone recommends a book) as well as a list of what I read.  I can go back 10 years and tell you every book I've read!  (I know, a little compulsive.)

Though there's nothing artsy to share here, reading is such a big part of who I am and what I enjoy, that I thought I'd share a little. (it is my space after all :D)  This year I read 64 books (not counting the occasional art or instructional book) and have a few favorites.  If you're a reader, you might consider trying one of these:

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
  (Dutch settlement in 1800's Japan)

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audry Niffenegger
  (odd story of identical twins and a ghost)

I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron
  (lighthearted memories by author/director; some hilarious sections about a woman getting older)

Room by Emma Donoghue
  (critically acclaimed story of a little boy who's raised in a single room the first 5 years of life)

Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
   (maybe my favorite book of the year, 900 pages following the life of an Australian criminal as he makes his way in Bombay India; loved the depiction of Indian people and beliefs and life in a slum)

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
  (recommended by my son, it's a quick, fascinating read about how we think and make decisions)

For lighter fare, any legal thriller by James Grippando (ongoing character Swyteck is a wise-cracking lawyer)

And, like the rest of the world I read the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series of which I thought the second was the best.  I also read the Hunger Games series which reads like Young Adult fiction, simply written with a clear plot and characters, but gripping none-the-less.  What were your faves last year?

read:  Kat's reflective post about focusing thoughts & energy
see:  gray skies
taste:  ghiradelli chocolate & caramel squares
hear:  construction noises from back yard
think:  time to refocus my creative energies
feel:  how can my son be 30 already?
(idea from Bohemian Twilight)