Friday, January 23, 2009

A Note to Self: Gertrude Chandler Warner and the Boxcar Children

Gertrude Chandler Warner and the Boxcar Children By: Mary Ellen Ellsworth
non-fiction: biography 61 pages 1997
book count: 6

This is the story of the life of the woman that created the children's book series "The Boxcar Children". It tells of how she got the idea for the book, the other books and articles that she wrote and other parts of her life. As the page count shows it was a kids book, but as someone that loved the series as a kid, I wanted to know more about the author of the series. This book was interesting and would recommend it to other people that love the books.

Resolution update:

OK that 10 pages of writing a week thing is SOOOO not working. I have like 16 pages of things and should be working on it now instead of this, but I felt that I needed to work on this blog at sometime. And this is the time I have free. That and I have reached the point in writing that requiers long amounts of stairing into space. (Boy, I miss pretending to write notes in school.) So I am officaly failing this resolution and will start writing as much as I can. Hopefully 5-6 pages a week.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

A Book in Review: Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber

Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber by; Adele Lang
Fiction 197 pages 2003
Book Number: 5

This book is the diary of a sociopathic social climber. It is the type of book where you don't always feel sympathy for the main character. She is an awful, slutty, jerk that spends her novel stealing, cheating, getting drunk, banging random men and drugging babies, repairmen and animals.

NYR-Note to self

Note: this IS realy just a note for myself, to let me keep track of all the new year's resolution things in one place. Please disregard this.

NYR page count: 277

Faith Mag: 31 pages

C.T. paper/ Detriot 15 pages
" 16 pages

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Resolution update:

Well, its been almost 1/2 of a month now, and we want to know how everyone is doing with their resolutions. We are doing good on our second and third ones, but could do a bit better with our first one. We have written about 12 pages now, and should be writing more right now, but I just don't feel like it. (Its been a bad day today, on the kid behaving front.) But that is why we set it up as an average. Hopefully tomorrow I will write 3-4 pages to make up for the part of a page I did today, and the first week of the year when I was still working on setting up my schedule.

Monday, January 12, 2009

A Book in Review – The Modern Drunkard

The Modern Drunkard: A Handbook for drinking in the 21st century By: Frank Kelly Rich
Non-fiction: humor 205 pages 2005
Book number: 4

First, we would like to say that if you would use it as a how to book, then you should not read this. That being said this was an interesting book on drinking. It included new drinking slang, recipes, 366 reasons to drink (i.e. one a day including February 29th) and many other drinking things.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

A Book in Review-Informania: Vampires

Informania: Vampires by: Martin Jenkins
non-fiction litature, science 92 pages

This book is about all types of vampires. It starts with a comic of "Dracula". Then it goes over all real animals that suck blood. It then reviews vampires in movies and TV. And it ends in a reference section.

A Book in Review – The Bad Catholic’s Guide to Good Living

The Bad Catholic’s Guide to Good Living By: Zmirak & Matychowiak
Non-Fiction: religion, holidays, cooking, biographies etc. 215 pages 2005
Book number: 2
NYR(New Year’s resolution) page count: 215

If you can recall we read the other book in this series earlier and reviewed it here. http://weirdnewsbni.blogspot.com/2008/03/book-in-review-bad-catholics-guide-to.html So having already went over the basic ideas of how the books go we will not go over it here, except to say that this one was on holidays threw out the year (most Church ones i.e. saints feast days, but a few others) and the other bits threw out the book were on the sacraments.
This book was just as much fun to read as the other. It also had fun sounding recipes, ideas and as it included St. Brigid of Ireland, a heavenly lake of beer. (and is it is 1500 years old and well past any copyright length here is “The Heavenly Banquet” for you to memorize and use at any occasion that you think it appropriate.

The Heavenly Banquet

I would like to have the men of Heaven
in my own house;
with vats of good cheer
laid out for them.

I would like to have the three Marys,
their fame is so great.
I would like people
from every corner of Heaven.

I would like them to be cheerful
in their drinking.
I would like to have Jesus, too,
here amongst them.

I would like a great lake of beer
for the King of Kings.
I would like to be watching Heaven's family
drinking it through all eternity.)

This book also includes the story of the patron saint of Clowns, fiddlers and murderer. (Note: that’s one saint for all three, can you say interesting life?) It also includes many newer and American saints as well as older ones that are popular around the world as well as lesser known ones. It has zany ideas for holiday celebrations such as a Dante based Halloween party, complete with a meal based on the seven deadly sins. As well as notes on what days to bring dogs, rams and bras to church for a blessings. (As your priest won’t mind a building full of oddly colored livestock, its his job.)

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

A Book in Review – TCIGT Writing a Novel

The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Writing a Novel By: Tom Monteleone
Non-fiction: English, business 316 pages 2004
Book number: 1

As the title suggests this is a book on how to write a novel. It covers both things to do to write something good and long enough to be published as a novel and things to do to be published and read (or at least bought). It had many tips on writing. It also had interviews with various writes in the back on how they write and how they were first published. Over all it was a good way to start to look into the field of writing.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Note to readers:

Today everything at Bargain Books stores is 1/2 off. The next 1/2 off day will be the 4th of July.

End of Year Book Count:

Number of books read: 103
Pages read: 30,435
Average number of days to read a book: 3.5
Average number of pages read in a day: 83
Average number of books read in a month: 8.5
Average number of pages read in a month: 2536
Goal reached: yes
Number of books over/ under goal: over 3

Book Count: December

Number of books read: 9
Pages read: 2275
Average number of days to read a book: 3
Average number of pages read in a day: 73
Number of more books to read to reach goal: 0

Happy New Year!!!!!


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