Blue Moon Fashion

Hi everyone,

Today we've got a blue moon in the sky (a blue moon is when there are two full moons in the same month) and I thought I'd share a rare outfit too in keeping with that theme.  What I did was allowed my husband Bryan to choose an outfit for me to wear on our date night this week, and I opened up my closet so he could use things in and out of my capsule wardrobe, coaching him through how things might work.  Here's what we got:

Top - Macy's, Necklace by Suzanne Love Jewelry (Raleigh artist), Purse - Target, Skirt - Torrid, Shoes - Toms

And here's an OOTD (Outfit of the day) I wore to the family reunion in Georgia last weekend:

The hair clip is from Modcloth, Top - Catos, Skirt - Catos, Sandals - Modcloth (Keri was my photographer here!)

The next day on the drive home I wore this comfy outfit.

Top - Anthropologie, Neckalace Phoebe Marie (Cleveland, OH artist),
Shorts - Levis via Amazon.com, Shoes Converse Kids via Macy's

And here are some shots from the trip and the reunion itself:

Hummingbird moths!

Mist on the Nantahala River

Teaching Keri to play Ricochet Robots

The yearly DS party

Sharing chips with our 8 year old cousin

These shots are at what has got to be one of the most beautiful rest stops I've ever seen.

All the Confederate flags!! But it was a cool little flea market.

At the Blue Ridge Parkway Folk Art Center...the lighting from those windows was too good to pass up!

As you can see I really enjoy taking pictures of nature when I can get out into it some!  It's been a busy week here and we're packing up to head the the beach, with DJ valiantly staying home to take care of the bun (our rabbit Scarlet, which you can see a video of here).  I'll write again once I get to the beach.

Love,

Lydia

More Fiction Reviews

Hi folks,

Today I've got 5 book reviews in store for you all, here goes!

Geekomancy by Michael R. Underwood is the first in a series of lighthearted adventures that I'm only halfway through.  I was really unsure if I would like this book, and at times I thought it tried too hard to get in as many geeky references as possible.  However, in all I really enjoyed the protagonist, Ree, and the rest of her world.  The premise that all things geeky can be used to power a type of magic and the stuff of most sci fi and fantasy stories has some kind of reality beneath it.  If you love all things geek this is fun, if not you may not like it as much, but it was enjoyable for me.

Celebromancy by Michael R. Underwood is the second in the series, and while I enjoyed hearing more about the world (or underworld depending on how you see it), I thought this book wasn't quite as good as the first.  This book looks at the magic of Hollywood and movie culture.  I found the characters a little less relatable, but still enjoyed the story.  I'll definitely be reading the next book in this series when I have the chance.

The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter follows up from The Long Earth.  The book looks at how within a generation those who've colonized the long earth are deemed less important by those in charge of the original earth.  They want to make sure they own the land across each world and can tax the citizens throughout since it costs more to send people and supplies to further worlds.  When war comes the way it's handled is unique and we see both familiar and new characters solving the problems of the long earth.

 The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter picks up not too long after the last book and explore space travel while also following Joshua and Lobsang on another of their adventures and watching what unfolds as original earth faces its own disaster.  I feel like this series is one you'll either love or hate from the reviews I've read, and personally I love it.  There's a storyline that should lead nicely into the next volume of this series and I can't wait to read it.

 The Reluctant Midwife by Patricia Harman is a novel I just picked up in the last week and have burned through quickly.  It's a great period book set during the Great Depression and manages to convey the gravity of the time very well.  We follow Nurse Becky's troubles and joys as she helps deliver babies and finally finds a community to be at home in.  If you like any of the things mentioned above with a dash of sound medical facts thrown in this is a great read for you.  It's the second book in a series, but I wasn't able to tell and found out after I finished reading it.

Hope this give you some great ideas for summer reads.  I'll be heading to the beach next week with a copy of Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson), and Trust Me I'm Lying (Ryan Holiday).  No promises on how much I'll actually read, because at the beach things are pretty unscheduled. But you all will hear from me as I continue posting about books, fashion, and life.

Beyond all that I've started editing my blog some and now have labels on all my posts.  At the bottom of each post you'll find some links with words related to the post so you can see any other posts on the same subject.  Hopefully this will allow you all to find whatever book, tutorial, or other story you need easily.  Let me know if you have any suggestion for words I should add to a post!  Thanks, I'll see you next time.

Love,
Lydia

Book Reviews in Fiction and Non-Fiction

Hello everyone,

I'm finally getting my thoughts down about all these books I've been reading.  Hopefully my mini reviews will help you discover some great new reads!  And if you're yearning for more after this I'll be writing many more posts like this in the future, usually on Wednesdays, or you can look at my Goodreads page to see my full reading history.

Without further adieu here are two of my fiction selections to start out with:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a classic that I've watched many times on the big and small screen.  The A&E version is my favorite of course!  I couldn't help but love it after watching it at girls nights at Mrs. H's when I was a teenager.  Mrs. H had all boys and would invite the young ladies from my church for a movie night and some of her home cooking, we'd always have a great time.  I'd bought myself a copy and read part of it, but finally came back to it and read it while also reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, going back and forth every few chapters.  I supremely enjoyed reading Austen's work, but found myself disappointed by Grahame-Smith's.  It's a period book, and Grahame-Smith nor the illustrator Philip Smiley took the time to properly research the clothing, and many other aspects of the time.  It just ruined it for me, and I didn't think the writing was particularly great either, since many aspects of characters were changed.  The dialogue was sadly much too modern in parts, which I also found jolting.  However, Austen's work engrossed me and I could easily imagine the world and characters she created between the films and her masterful prose.  There was a really lovely quote I wanted to share with you all, but I can't find it now that I'm looking.  Isn't that always the way that works?

Next up some non-fiction:

The Weekend Homesteader by Anna Hess is a great starting book for those who wish to start a home mini farm or be more self sufficient.  I really liked how it grouped different activities by the month they should be done in (more or less depending on climate of course!).  And she even ranks things by difficulty, which is helpful for those just getting started.  I found that at least half of the activities weren't the type I was interested in persuing, but still found it an interesting read.  If you're thinking about raising chickens and doing some serious work in your yard/garden this is a great read to start with.

Call the Nurse by Mary J. MacLeod is the memoir of an English nurse on the far Scottish isles of the Hebrides.  Her stories are both funny and poignant, which made me unable to put this book down.  She captures a time around 1970 when only a bit of modernization had come to the islands and many people still lived much the way their ancestors had for centuries.  Having picked this book up on a whim I'm now happy to recommend it to all of my readers who might enjoy a book of short stories that's sure to please.

My last selection in this category is Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates.  This is book documenting the journey of a pair of young single gardeners as they move into their first home and change the landscape into an urban oasis.  There are bumps along the way, lots of garden talk, and a bit of romance too.  I found it was a very insightful book for those looking to create edible gardens, but it's written more as a story that just happens to involve lots of plant life than a guide to growing.  It's an amusing read if you're into gardening and ecology, but a bit less approachable compared to the other two books above.

On a related note I've been writing an entry about gardening at our new house to share with you all next week.  I want to show you the whole house, but I'm not quite happy with everything just yet.  So I'm delaying the post on that until I can get things up to snuff.  Between the house, yard, fashioning my capsule wardrobe, games with Bryan's family, planning trips for summer and fall, making art, and reading I've been keeping quite busy!  I'll see you all Friday for another fashion themed post.  Till then keep being wonderful.

Love,
Lydia

My Summer Book Report - Overview

Hi guys,

I've been doing lots of reading, and also rereading books while moving.  But it's been a long time since I've written you all one of my bigger book review posts.  So this one is long past due!

The books I've read since my last post in February (oh man...so long ago!) are as follows The Weekend Homesteader by Anna Hess, Call The Nurse by Mary J MacLeod, and Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates - these are all non-fiction.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen, and Philip Smiley, Geekomancy by Michael R. Underwood, Celebromancy by Michael R. Underwood, The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter - these are adult fiction.

Fuse by Julianna Baggott, Burn by Julianna Baggott, Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire, The Swap by Megan Shull, Cipher by Aileen Erin, Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger,  plus the books I reread The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine, and Wild Magic, Wolf Speaker, and Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce - all YA fiction.

And finally with many more entries than I've had before comes the graphic novels/comics section.
Manifest Destiny Volume 1 by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts, and Owen Gieni, Amulet Volume 1 by Kazu Kibuishi, Thor: Godess of Thunder Volume 1 by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman, The Sculptor by Scott McCloud, Rat Queens Volume 1 by Kurtis J. Weibe and Roc Upchurch, Rat Queens Volume 2 by Kurtis J. Weibe, Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Sejic, and Ed Brisson,   Captain Marvel: Marvel Now, Volume 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick, David Lopez, and Lee Loughridge, Lumberjanes Volume 1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen, Ms. Marvel Volume 2 by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jacob Wyatt, Ms. Marvel Volume 3 by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Elmo Bondoc, and Mark Waid, Bride of the Water God Volume 1  by Mi-Kyung Yun, Avengers & X-Men: Axis by Rick Remender, Adam Kubert, and Leinil Francis Yu, Batgirl Volume 1 by Cameron Stewart, Babs Tarr, and Brenden Fletcher.

Also here's an updated list for my more complex reading challenge.  I'd love recommendations for books, and if anyone can think of a book set in Roanoke, VA that'd be fantastic!  I don't want to have to cheat and use a book about the lost colony, but I guess I could if I have to.

The big reason I have so many graphic novels on my list is because back in February Bryan and I happened to spot a new comic book store in a strip mall we often passed going on errands from our old house.  The place is called Fight or Flight Comics and it was exactly the kind of store we didn't even know we were looking for.  We always end up in some great conversations when we go in, and find new things to read too.  6 of the 13 comic titles are entirely thanks to them!  If you're in Raleigh or the Triangle area be sure to check them out, their shiny new shop is well worth the trip!  You'll probably hear more about them in the future as Bryan and I are hoping to get involved with a discussion group they have going.

Anyway, back to the books - I don't want to overwhelm you all, so I'll be breaking the actual reviews into 6 entries of 4-7 items each since there are 42 books in total on this list.  I'm very close to hitting my yearly goal of 52 books, because with all these I'm sitting at 51!  I imagine by the time I get around to writing the last of the 6 sets of reviews I'll have topped that and should be adding a couple more books to the lists as I go along.  Till next time.

Love,
Lydia

Reasons I Can't Do What I Want

Hey everyone,
So, I've been working on this post for a while.  I want to talk a bit about depression and how it's affected me over the years.  Also it allows me to share the talents and insights from others on this subject, all of which are much more eloquent than my own.  This is also going to be a long post, and sparse in the way of images, but hang in there with me.  It's worth it, I promise.

For me I first dealt with depression around when I graduated from high school.  Part of what caused it may have been related to a bad first breakup, but I think some of it might have happened due to family predisposition as well.  There's not a lot of way to know yet medically speaking.  Scientists are coming closer and closer to figuring why and how we become depressed, but there are still a lot of questions to be answered.

My first experience with depression was honestly pretty severe.  I wish I could say I'd gotten proper help with it, and told family, but I didn't.  I had no awareness of the family tendencies til much more recently, and having met the counselor someone I knew had seen, I felt their methods weren't worth my time.  And I thought all those in counseling were probably like that, or at least most.  The one thing I did right in all that time was hold onto my friends, and tell a handful of the closest ones my fears.  To this day I am thankful for the 17-19 years olds who kept me sane in my darkest hours, you all know who you are.  After most of a year where I little appetite and faked being ok to everyone around me while wanted to sleep all day and couldn't sleep at night I started to get better.  My whole life was getting better and my depression moved on with it for the most part.  Occasionally I'd still have a bad day here and there.

When I had a second bout in college I had a better handle on myself and got counseling, which did help some.  Learning to deal with it, using my faith and other ways of coping made things more livable.  Since that point I've had bad days off and on in small and sometimes larger amounts.  Today for example is not one of my better days.  But it's not exactly bad either.  I wanted to go back to bed all morning, or go sit someplace dark by myself for hours.  I withdraw at my worst times, sometimes that includes being emotional, sometimes it's numb, or simply very negative.  But I deal, and have found that part of the reason I may have more bad days in recent years may be connected to my thyroid problem.  This and other medical conditions can influence depression.  But I still kept working, going to school, and trying to be normal.  However, it can take time to get better and on days where I needed it I always felt guilty, because depression isn't a socially acceptable excuse for many things, like taking a day off from work when you're feeling terrible.  (Article in the link discussing this more in depth)

Some of you may already be familiar with the work of the internet famous Allie Brosh.  She makes marvelous cartoons about Alots and doing ALL THE THINGS! You can find them here if you want to check them out.  Her later comics deal with depression and her own personal experiences with it.  While my experiences are not exactly the same I can certainly relate and find that the way she writes about it can help people who've never personally experienced depression connect with some of the feelings that can be associated and behaviors that are common when dealing with the disease.  If you want to know more about what depression is like I recommend checking out her work.

If you want a more interactive approach then check out http://www.depressionquest.com/ It's a game (very simple to play!)  That shows just how limiting it can be to have depression.  If you wonder why some folks don't get treatment, this might help you understand why (aside from some of the socio-economic reasons or affordability and stigma surrounding the disease that still lingers).

Almost done now guys, I promise.  Two things left.  First in case you're still wondering, depression isn't made up.  Mostly people you meet who talk about it aren't looking for attention, few are, admitting to it means admitting you're weak, broken, etc.  At least culturally that's what we hear often.  However more and more we're finding that depression is physical and can even be related to the bacteria you happen to have living in your gut which can alter your health aiding and even causing Autism, Crohn's disease, depression, obesity, Parkinson's disease, and ADHD as well as other ailments.

I find some days hard to deal with, sure I want to write lots of great blog posts, make amazing art, and be a perfect wife with a lovely home and garden.  The impossibility of all those things at once should be absurdly obvious to you folks, but I know some people manage to accomplish some form of this that on the outside looks amazing.  You probably have some in your Facebook feed, showing off gorgeous slices of their own lives.  On the flip side of things depression often makes our failures, even small ones seem huge, and the admirable goals we set to be beautifully functioning human beings with time and motivation to do all we believe in....well it's a high standard when you just want to crawl into a dark closet.

I leave you guys with this incredible poem by my friend and brother DJ.
Love,
Lydia  

Oh, you want to get out of bed?

Well that’s gonna run ya ‘bout 3 nightmares,

a fear of that noise outside the door

and the crippling anxiety of another jobless

loveless

lifeless

day.

AND you want to get dressed?

Well first, let’s sift through yesterday.

And I’m not even talking about the yellow brick road

of clothes piled up from your bed to your door.

I mean that thing you said

at 2:08 PM

to that girl you’ve been texting

how you agonized for hours

thinking you scared her away

(too).

That shit didn’t even send.

Speaking of sending,

I see you want to make plans.

Well plans

are for people in the light.

Plans are for folks with open doors

and your deadbolts rusted

before you even realized you had them.

I’m not locked in here with you.

You’re locked in here with me.

I put on the inkblots

and you tell me who you see running away in them today.

And your friends?

What friends?

Oh,

you mean the pillars.

The people you lean on until they break.

Don’t you see that everyone you love runs away from you?

What does that say about love

and what does that say about you?

Love is a freeway that avoids me

and everything is a mountaintop,

thick forest,

broken GPS.

Are you hungry now?

Good. 

There’s nothing you could pay me to say

that you deserve food today.

I’ll make everything taste like asphalt

in the south

in the summer.

I’ll burn you with the only thing you thought would never judge you.

And yes, they are judging you.

They see you fumbling with your socks.

They see the holes in the wall,

the tokens of my ritual.

Everyone is fine.

No one is suffering.

This is all in your head.

Now fuck you,

pay me.

Want to go

anywhere?

How many auditory hallucinations

are you willing to pay me in?

How many flashing lights will you mistake for the cops?

How many times will you look at the shoulder

and imagine your car wrapped around the median,

barricade in your chest 

giving you the only hug I’ll let you believe?

And what are you doing now that you’re there?

Watching the entire room.

The cost of going out is taking the whole world in.

You are not wall flower.

How dare you compare yourself to something so beautiful on my watch.

I am not in your mind. I

am

your

mind

and you will give me what I’m owned or

well, there is no else.

Turn every day into your deepest fear

or you don’t have a day at all.

Stop

full stop

every time.

Give me my flesh.

Cut it out of your wrist. 

The payment for survival

is just that -

no living, no being, no enjoying.

Survive. Persist. Exist.

Subsist. Persevere. Extinguish.

Subhuman. Purloined. Excised.

Cut.

Cut.

This is the excise for the end of the day.

You pay to wake up

and pay to sleep

in blood.

In ashes.

In the splinters of the bridges of the day.

Don’t call anyone.

They don’t want to hear from you.

I am your best friend now

and we

are going to be immortal together.

That project

won’t make you live forever.

The obituary will

and you thought I was done bleeding you dry?

Run your shit

because death will cost you everything.

Who will you tell?

Your parents don’t believe you

your siblings need you strong

and your friends?

We’ve been over that.

Your friends will never know.

We’re going to have a going away party for two.

I’ll bring the rope

you bring the bleach

and when they ask what’s wrong

from the good side of a hospital bed

the better side of a casket

tell the truth.

See how they feel 

about depression

taking a toll on you.

Books!

Hi folks,

Thanks for all the kind words and responses to my last post.  It really does mean a lot to me as we try to be patient about the timing of having kids.  And I'd be happy to talk to anyone else dealing with infertility; I find it's really important to be able to talk to someone outside of your husband about it, or else feelings can get bottled up.  I tend to find people online through message boards (Babycenter) and other groups, though I'm less involved lately.

Anyway, I've been reading like crazy and have lots of additions to my reading list so far.  I'm up to 10 books finished so far this month, with a half dozen more started.  Apparently I'll be knocking out the 52 on the early side if I keep this up, though in some ways I'm not surprised.  There was a summer around 6th grade when I read nearly 100 books thanks to a fellow library patron who decided to challenge me more than the reading program at the library was.  I feel awful that I don't even know that woman's name, but perhaps soon I'll challenge a young reader myself and make it a tradition!

The books I've added are Injustice: Gods Among Us Volume 1 and Injustice: Gods Among Us Volume 2, which are comics involving the Justice League characters (Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, etc).  The storyline was written as a prequel to a video game (I didn't know this when I read it or I might have hesitated), but it was so well received as a comic that more volumes are being published to continue the story.  Most of the story revolves around the idea that the superheroes with all their power are nearly gods, and to some people are as one group takes over ruling the earth.  It's really well written and I highly recommend it.

Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont is a great guide to the natural trees, shrubs, and small plants of the south grouped by how they're found in nature.  It was a fantastic read (if you're into plants like me) and I'll be using several of the plants I found in here to craft my garden with.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale was a light read, that was fun and a follow up to her first Austenland book, with more of a mystery twist.  These books aren't as well written as the YA books she's known for, but I enjoyed them anyway.

The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country was a book that I had high hoped for, but was mostly disappointed by.  It had a lot of information that wasn't useful to me interspersed with a bit that was.  It read more like a textbook than anything though, making it dull enough that I skimmed it for what was interesting and finished it fast despite it's large size.

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi is a prequel to Lock In, and more of a novella than a full book.  It's available to read online for free here, which is how I read it.  I thought it was definitely as good as Lock In, if not better in some ways.  It reads a lot like World War Z by Max Brooks, giving a great historically styled narrative.

So, that's a bit of what I've read in January and I have so much more to update you all on regarding the Pins, but that will have to be in a follow up post.  If nothing else this post shows just how eclectic my tastes in books are, and it's just the tip of the iceberg!  More interesting book choices to come, including a Pulitzer Prize winner and more gardening books, plus a new comic choice.  I'll see you all again soon.

Love,
Lydia

Pins 1, 2, and 3!

Hi everyone,

So the new year has started out a busy one for me.  I've been in talks about Starting a blog about art supplies with a new friend.  It could be pretty fantastic, and I'll be keeping you all in the loop about it if it works out.  I've also been taking care of Bryan as he's been sick with the flu, and then I came down with it myself.  As much as I'd started this new year with lots of hopes for fantastic projects and lofty goals of being productive they all got put on hold for about two weeks.  At the moment I'm getting caught up on life, things like the cleaning I'd put off over the holidays.  That was a huge mistake, don't put off cleaning like that.  It makes it so much worse to get back into things when the unexpected happens like this flu did!  And is just a horrible idea in general.  No Procrastination, please.

And when it comes down to it, maybe that's my true goal, to beat down procrastination and be more productive.  I'm just trying to be inspired by great ideas others have found work for them as I get there.  That's the beauty of trying all these great projects from Pinterest.  So here's a bit on my first few pins, with another post to come very soon.

Pin 1 - As briefly mentioned in my last post I'll be doing a January photo challenge!

I'm a little behind on it, but will be doubling up to make sure I get all the shots.  More on that to come at the end of the month.

Pin 2 - Trying a month of no shampoo.  This is a pin I've seen many times and have been curious about trying for the past 5 years.  So, with much trepidation I'm testing it out.  I've been using baking soda/water for shampoo and vinegar/water as conditioner.  You can find more on that here.  I wanted to do it for at least two weeks, and started January 3rd.  While I was sick I used regular shampoo once because I was feeling awful, wanted a fast shower, and hadn't got into the routine as well yet.

So, I've met my goal of two weeks, and feel like for my hair, which is very fine/prone to be oily it's just ok.  It's not better than shampoo so far, but I'll be going to the end of the month to see if my body is still adjusting to it.  I definitely am not able to go very long between washes, but I was never able to with shampoo either.  I pretty much have to wash my hair every day.  Overall the pros so far are that it's gentle on my body, got rid of frizz, even with blow drying, and it's seemed to make my hair color go farther (especially the purple!).  So that's all pretty good; and the cons are that it takes a little more time and thought in the shower, leaves my hair with less shine, and leaves my hair without much body (it has very little anyway, but I can get a little more with shampoo than with baking soda and vinegar).

I'll give another follow up on this at the end of the month to see if there's been more change as my body adjusts, or if it's stayed about the same.  However, so far I'm still in the shampoo camp, though ladies with thicker hair than me may want to try this out!  It's super cheap compared to shampoo/conditioner and not that hard to get used to.

Pin 3 - 52 book challenge!  I'm excited for this one, as I love to read.  It comes out to being a book a week for the entire year.  I'll be sharing each of the 52 with you and probably doing some theme challenges within the 52 using another interesting pin.  Thus far I've read:

Week 1 - Lock In by John Scalzi, which is fantastic!  The premise is in a speculative future where a disease has rendered about 1% of the population locked in paralyzed bodies.  Technology has helped these individuals reconnect with the world, but brought it's own fair share of problems to complicate things as a mystery is solved.  (before the new year I'd read one of his more famous books, Redshirts, a Star Trek parody/love letter.  While fun, it hadn't sold me on his writing skills because it was so light, Lock In proved to have a much richer world.)

Week 2 - Ms Marvel Volume 1 written by G. Willow Wilson, art by Adrian Alphona- A great start for what looks to be a fantastic series.  It's got many classic elements of the teenage superhero storyline as our heroine finds her powers and chooses how to use them much in the way of Peter Parker.  Some things that add interest are the heroine's background as a Muslim and woman of color.  It brings up the idea of being true to oneself as the most satisfying path, and follows Ms Kahn as she learns how to be herself, and not the superheroes she idolizes.

and a bonus since I was sick - Landscaping with Fruit by Lee Reich - This book is a pretty thorough look at a good collection of fruits for home gardens.  The author's a little biased towards what he enjoys, but it's given me a great start to my plans for the garden at our new house.  It's an easy read that's good enough to pick up as a reference book if you're interested in this kind of gardening.  I borrowed it from the library, and may buy it eventually myself.

Week 3 - The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough - I love history, and had been curious about just what made this flood so tragic, and when I saw the book as a Kindle Daily Deal I snapped it up.  Getting over the flu gave a good time to read it.  McCullough is a great researcher, and keeps fact and fiction separate while writing a book that's easy to read.  The events surrounding the flood were in some ways relatable to the current events of today with big companies allowing less than safe conditions for the public, while happily paying very little consequence for their actions later when people are hurt.  Additionally there are some great firsthand accounts of the experience that McCullough weaves together masterfully creating a seamless story from them.  I didn't realize until after the fact that the book was written in 1968, which is a bit amazing since it's quite sensitive to social issues of all kinds.  Though it does lack the voice of anyone besides white Americans, and I would have loved to hear accounts from the immigrants or African American people as well.   Overall it's a great read, and I'll be reading more of his work in the future (I've been meaning to for a while!)

I keep a record of the books I read on Goodreads.com, feel free to friend me there!

Speaking of following, please follow me on Pinterest if you'd like to keep up with the pins I'm working on over the course of this year, you can find me here.  I'll be seeing you all again soon as I share more pins and projects with you!

Love,

Lydia

The Summer of Reading

Well folks,
I have indeed been reading the summer away.  I couldn't resist bringing a box full of books along to the beach a few weeks ago, though I only managed to get through a couple.  Even Bryan has been getting in on it all, he's been reading the graphic novel series Fables as I get caught up on some of the volumes I've missed and has introduced me the comic series Promethea as well. (I'll be starting to read that next!)

So here's the lineup of all I've read since my last post!
Fables Volumes 17 & 18, the related Cinderella Volume 2, Y The Last Man Volumes 7, 8, 9 & 10, Changeless by Gail Carriger, along with Blameless, Heartless, and Timeless by the same author, Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northrup, Storm Front and Fool Moon by Jim Butcher.

Fables Volumes 17 & 18 continue the storyline about the various fairy tale characters, mostly focusing on the children of one of the central couples in the series.  At one point a prophecy was made about their futures, we see 3 parts of that play out over the volumes.  The storyline in the second book leans darker than the series has run in a while, and overall I found these volumes to be quite good.  I only wish the local library had the next two volumes, but alas, they don't, so it may be a while til I get completely caught up to currently published material.

Cinderella Volume 2 is a spinoff of the Fables series.  I was pretty underwhelmed by this one.  I believe this series hasn't printed any more issues, which makes sense given it's lack of a strong storyline.  The antagonist wasn't very believable to me, which might be a personal bias, but I felt the character's actions were completely off for someone who used to be completely one of the good guys.  I wouldn't waste my time on this series knowing what I do now.

Y The Last Man Volumes 7-9 were really great additions to the series, and things were starting to come towards what could have been a very interesting ending.  Unfortunately volume 10 involved what seemed a very rushed ending that was ultimately unsatisfying to me.  A lot of the character's actions ending up being sad tropes when there was so much potential for more.  I like what happened to Yorick in the final chapter though.  However, I found myself wanting to see more of what this new world had developed into, and wish that aspect of the series had more forthcoming.

Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series on the other hand, did not disappoint!  The whole series is 5 books long (I read the first, Souless, a while back before this blog existed.)  When I noticed Blameless on the library shelf I snatched it up right away.  The series is a great romp through a steampunk Victorian world where there are...yes, vampires, werewolves, and ghosts.  Plus Alexia Tarabotti, who's souless.  The books strike a good balance between adventure and a touch of romance, with lots of humor as monsters are expected to behave with impeccable manners since many are members of gentle society.  Alexia deals with married life, clockwork assassins, children who most emphatically do not want to take baths, secret orders, vampire adoptions, horrible hats, and werewolf retirements.  If this sounds at all interesting to you please, do yourself a favor and go read it!

Solomon Northrup's Twelve Years a Slave is a perfect example of why I enjoy and value reading so much.  The book chronicles the actual experiences of a man who was free and wrongfully stolen away as a slave.  Yes, there is a movie of the same title, which I have not yet seen, but it did inspire me to read the book when I spotted it on a Kindle book sale.  I have read that the story was ghost written by a white man, however I still found the story to ring true.  This is another I would recommend to people because it does what great books should do, puts you within the shoes of another individual.  It allows you to better understand how the prejudice and racism prevalent in pre-Civil War America has been twisted into what still exists in many people's thoughts today.

Finally, I also got around to reading the first two books in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series - Storm Front and Fool Moon.  While I enjoyed these books they were definitely a bit outside my norm as they have one foot solidly in the detective genre.  The other, however, is securely in the realm of fantasy as the protagonist Harry Dresden, wizard detective for hire, goes up against magical murders and werewolves.  It's very gritty stuff, but well written, which keeps you on the edge of your seat as Harry somehow manages to stay alive through all the crazy things his enemies throw at him.  I'll continue reading this series for sure, though I'll need breaks between each book to help cope with the dark tone of it all.

Coming soon to my reading list: Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, Scout's Honor by Henry Vogel, The Promethea graphic novel series, and a variety of selections from Bryan's brother Michael's personal library!  Michael is about to head to Jerusalem for a year where he'll be doing all kinds of exciting stuff.  I'll be keeping his books warm for him, which should prove a great change of pace as he just got his degree in English and journalism from UNC.  You can read more about his adventures at -  http://michaelchecksin.blogspot.com/

On a completely different side note, I realized lately that in many ways I have grown far more private in the last year or two.  Pretty much since I got married, but even a little bit before that while working on my masters.  I don't think it's something I intended an any way to do, but it's a trend I've seen in my life when I'm a little more isolated socially or when I'm living with people who like to be more private.  Bryan is definitely a more private person than I am, which I value, but I'm sorry when it cuts back on how much I might share all the good (and sometimes not so good) parts of my life with others.  This is part of the reason I find myself blogging less than I'd like.  Other reasons are depression, and then days when I have so many ideas that I just don't know where to start.  I end up with loads of ideas, and when I finally get the mental energy to write I find myself pouring it all out and I always have more I don't want to overwhelm people with.  So I'm going to try keeping a file of partially written posts so I can write more overall.  I've had several people asking me when I'm going to post again, and I really want to keep up with this.  Some days it's just hard for me, so I keep trying to find good solutions to make better habits with.

Thanks for reading everyone, I know know this was a long post with all these books.  If I keep up my pace with reading I'll probably end up with two book posts a month.  Before that I've got some pictures and summer experiences to share.

Love,
Lydia