2015 Goals

22 Jan 2015 4 Comments

by Amy in Rambles Tags: ,

Review policyGoals are always fun to make, though I am not sure how well I am going to be able to keep them but I am determined to try. These are not resolutions mind you, just a few things I want to do this year with reading and the blog.

This year I have no Uni to get in my way and I am determined to stay relaxed even when it gets busy and hectic on the blog. One thing I have been good at is being organised and making plans, I suppose we can credit Uni for helping me hone in on that skill. With requests already coming in I have the chart going of books and the order in which to read them, I have plans and ideas with full intentions of fulfilling them, and I’m trying not to feel like I am being unproductive so early in the year. Though I have done some things, my review policy is finally up which is a relief, and I have updated the review catalogue. I have also been going through old reviews and adding purchase links, so to give myself some credit I haven’t been as unproductive as I first thought.

In terms of reading and books this year I have a few different things I want to do. I’ve seen a few interesting Bingo style reading challenges recently and I was thinking of picking one of those and working it into my plans. It should be fun having to find a book among my many to suit what’s in the box, finding the best way to get Bingo, reading books from a female, from this year, a certain genre, whatever other categories there may be. I think it is a fun way to look at reading, and it really makes your reading diverse.

I am also on a quest to reread. Very foolish I know, but I want to reread some of the great books I have enjoyed, like the Harry Potter series, or Paper Towns before the movie comes out. I know with hundreds of unread books on my shelf this is unwise but when you have the need why ignore it?

Outside the blog I have goals of tidying and cataloguing the books on my shelf. My list of books has not been updated in the longest time and I fear counting just how many I have added in the time since. But this is not a pressing goal, more of a ‘if things are not too busy and I have some time’ kind of job. But I think if I am going to go to as many book sales, festivals, and events as I did last year I need an updated list or I am going to end up with doubles which is just annoying.

Exciting news though, tomorrow is my two year blogiversary which has come along way too fast. That is the problem with starting a blog at the beginning of the year; anniversaries sneak up while you are recovering from the holiday season. Still, two years is a pretty great achievement. I am going to be running a giveaway to celebrate but more on that tomorrow.

Whether these are classed as real goals or not I don’t know, but I am classing them as goals. I have learnt not to overcommit myself with this blog and not plan to do too many things at once, I have disappointed myself in the past by not getting to complete the grand things i wanted to complete so I have kept my expectations small this time around. But no matter how small they may seem I am curious as to how it will go, and I am really eager to read some of the great books on my shelves and really excited about what this year will bring.

I look forward to keeping you up to date with my reading Bingo and all the other great things I experience this year and seeing how this year develops as a result. I’m sure it is going to be wonderful!

Winnie the Pooh Day

18 Jan 2015 4 Comments

by Amy in General Tags: ,

Stories-Winnie-the-Pooh-Chp-3Winnie the Pooh has always been a favourite character, book, movie, television show and any other format of mine for as long as I can remember. I have always had a strong love for him and his friends and I will always hold a place in my heart for the bear of very little brain.

Today is Winnie the Pooh Day which is simply wonderful. I know many people think that Winnie the Pooh is for children, and many cannot think of him past the many Disney movies and merchandise, but A. A. Milne wrote his books in a way that not only spoke to children, but also adults as well. I will refrain from recounting the essay and analytical approach of Winnie the Pooh I wrote at university that shows how marvellous Milne’s writing was, but Winnie the Pooh was a book that was so innocent yet very profound at the same time, giving adults and children alike a wonderful story, a beautiful message of friendship, and so many lessons that can be held on to through their entire lives.

Towards the end of last year when Poland were trying to ban Winnie the Pooh for his genderless and questionable nature, Angela Mollard wrote a wonderful piece about Winnie the Pooh where she states that “[A]ll I know about life I’ve learned from him.”

I have always believed Milne has so many of the right lessons to teach, both profound, humorous, and touching, even all these decades later, so on this, Winnie the Pooh Day, I am going to share with you the great lessons Mollard has learnt from Milne, and maybe add a few more of my own.

The following is an extract of a Daily Telegraph article that was published in print and online on 30 November 2014 by Angela Mollard.

“Like anyone wanting to understand philosophy — or just look clever — I’ve had a crack at Proust and Dostoevsky but they’re just a preamble to the wisdom of AA Milne’s Pooh.

Here are 10 life lessons I’ve learned from an 88-year-old bear with a penchant for honey and an aversion to pants:

On individuality

“THE things that make me different are the things that make me.”

How many times I’ve quoted this to my daughters as their lives become increasingly indexed to Instagram and its homogenous images of perfection.

On change

“HOW lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

My eldest was devastated when she left primary school.

In her school captain’s speech she forced back tears as she quoted the above. Of course, I blubbed something stupid.

On communication

“…WHEN you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.”

See why I love this bear? So smart, so self-deprecating, so playful with language. If more of us had the courage to share our “things” we might be less fraught about our worries and more flexible with our views.

On embracing others

“YOU can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”

So many people are friends waiting to be made if only we’d be brave. And it’s so easy — just ask questions. And listen — properly listen — to the answers.

On small pleasures

“IT is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?’”

Or breakfast. Or dinner. Or drinks.

On optimism

“‘SUPPOSING a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?’

‘Supposing it didn’t,’ said Pooh after careful thought.

Piglet was comforted by this.”

As a reformed catastrophiser I’ve read The Optimistic Child and tried to teach my kids to see the glass as half full. But this says it all.

On love

“PIGLET sidled up to Pooh from behind. ‘Pooh?’ he whispered.

‘Yes, Piglet?’

‘Nothing,’ said Piglet, taking Pooh’s hand. ‘I just wanted to be sure of you.’”

Love — we expect so much from it. How much might be solved simply by slipping your hand through someone else’s?

On anticipation

“‘WELL,’ said Pooh, ‘what I like best…’ and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.”

My youngest wants a trampoline for Christmas. She’s wanted a trampoline all year. We’ve measured the garden and looked online and she’s even put an old mattress on the lawn, pretending what it might be like to jump there. Ah — the joy of delayed gratification.

On imagination

“‘HELLO, Rabbit,’ he said, ‘is that you?’

‘Let’s pretend it isn’t,’ said Rabbit, ‘and see what happens.’”

Parenting requires so much good sense. How much simpler it might be if we gave in
to silliness.

On what matters

“SOMETIMES,” said Pooh, “the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.”

Whenever I’m conflicted in my priorities, I remember this. It’s why I called my book The Smallest Things. Winnie-the-Pooh will forever be my touchstone.”

The full article can be read here.

Personally the quotes I love from Winnie the Pooh are vast. They are not all life lessons so I shan’t include them here but I will say that I adore the “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” line just like Mollard, it really makes you appreciate what you have and what it meant to you when you have to say goodbye. The only trouble is, that line may be from Annie, not Winnie the Pooh, but since the internet refuses to make up its mind and I can’t find any answer either way, feel free to keep being inspired by it!

Another favourite is “Just because an animal is large, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want kindness; however big Tigger seems to be, remember that he wants as much kindness as Roo.” It reminds you that judging someone on how they look is no judge on who they are, and everyone needs a little kindness.

One that I find myself quoting a lot is “One can never be uncheered with a balloon” which is less profound compared to some but goes to show Milne (and Pooh) can also be a tad whimsical in their profoundness.

Of course not everything from Winnie the Pooh is a life lesson, but it’s great to take the time to read the humour and complex simplicity Milne put into his writing so that it was enjoyed by adults and children, and that the simple adventures of a boy and his bear, with all the friends in the Hundred Acre Woods, can mean so much to so many for so long.

 

Top Five of 2014

13 Jan 2015 6 Comments

by Amy in Top Five List Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Top 5 2014After a little searching and hard decisions I have created the new list for Top Five books of 2014. The books read last year were a mix of review requests, book club books, and personal choices. Something from all three categories made it into the list this time around and I included a few honourable mentions as well that were pretty spectacular reads as well but just missed the cut.

In the past some books have stood out from the start. They are immediate choices and they have been books that had a strong impact on me in some form or another, they were amazing reads that blew my mind while I was, and when I had finished, reading them. This time I picked books again that stayed with me in some way or that were really wonderful to read but 2014 did not have many books that truly stood out like the past. But I am a strong believer in that not all 5 star books are the same, and the reason for giving one book five starts can and often is totally different than the reason you gave them to another.

Many of the books on the list (both lists really) I think were very profound. They demonstrated so many remarkable things about its characters that say so much about people in general and each of these authors told a brilliant story. Superbly written each of these books were a joy to read, and while not always overly exciting or adventurous, they offered instead a wonderfully told story that astounds you in the writer’s capabilities and results in a complete admiration for their ability to tell such a story that you very rarely were expecting when you picked up the book.

1. The Weight of a Human Heart by Ryan O’Neill

This is the book of short stories that resulted in me tweeting the author after the reading the first two stories to tell him how much his book had already changed my life. These are not your usual stories; O’Neill tells his brilliant stories in so many unique ways. He tells many of his stories with graphs, diagrams, and peculiar layouts BUT IT WORKS! And once you adore him and are astounded by his creativity of making such a strange writing system make sense, you have to admire him for the truly heartbreaking and heart-warming and gorgeous stories that he tells with so few (sometimes barely any) words. He is a master at challenging how a short story, or any story really, needs to be presented.

2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The reason this book made it on to the list this year is because it is such a beautiful story. It is simple but it is astonishingly gorgeous in how Gaiman presents it. He uses Bod beautifully as a character and the characters tell this story as much as the narrative does. There is such honesty and simplicity, and such love and sincerity that even when the everyday is happening it remains a wonderful story.

3. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

I was not sure what to expect from this book but it was not long before I realised just how magical this book is. What Haddon has done in a magnificent fashion, is that he has managed to explain and describe what it is like to be a person who has behavioural difficulties. But this is in no way the focus of the book, set as a mystery Haddon explores how 15 year old Christopher sees and explores the world while trying to solve the mystery about the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. It is a beautiful book and one that needs to be read because it opens your eyes but also gives you a fantastic story with a mystery, humour, and compelling characters.

4. Tears of the River by Gordon Rottman

This was one of the books I was asked to review and I was amazed and captivated early on and in love with it by the end. Rottman tells an amazing story, one that is real and unforgiving at times, and demonstrates the power of determination and just what humans are capable when they have no other choice. It is filled with adventure, the unknown, and drama that comes from being in impossible situations, with language barriers, and no one but your wit and your knowledge to rely on to make sure everyone comes out the other side.

5. Siren’s Song by Heather McCollum

What I loved about this book is a combination of the characters, the story, and the way McCollum writes. The characters are complete and determined, and fascinating in their own way, and the balance and expression of the real and the paranormal is ideal and they interact really well. The story grips you and you cannot put the book down once you start, always wanting to find out what is going to happen, eager and excited to see where the story could possible go next. It is a story filled with suspense, secrets, and a bit of magic for good measure.

Honourable Mentions

Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth

Nocturnes by John Connolly

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

The Sunshine Series by Nikki Rae

 

Happy (Belated) New Year, Everyone!

10 Jan 2015 4 Comments

by Amy in Rambles Tags: ,

NYELook who has returned! I have not disappeared in the mysteriousness that is New Year. I know this is a terrible way to start the year, being absent for the first ten days and I promise this is not a foreshadowing of what the year will be like. It was just so hard to pull myself away from the relaxing time I was having doing nothing to actually start doing something. After a hectic Christmas and December it was so wonderful being able to relax after everything wound down after New Year so I am not really going to apologise any further.

I have noticed though that a lot of my holiday posts seem to be belated recently but as I say I was so busy over Christmas and through December I was really enjoying the week (and a bit) of doing nothing but watching TV and eating leftovers. I will say I started the year out with good intentions. I began the new year reading which was very productive I thought. I read one of my brilliant QI fact books that I had gotten for Christmas on New Year’s Day. It was fantastic, just like the others were.

One thing that has dragged me away from my relaxation is the fact I am now house sitting. I was hoping to use this house sitting time to be productive and separate myself from the distractions of home, but with two golden retrievers and the internet at my fingertips it has yet to prove useful. But at only two days in and eight days left anything could happen. I know once I start writing I will get back into the hang of it, but having a break over Christmas really stops your flow, it is a lot of work to get yourself back into the regular routine. Which is true for everything I suppose. I always marvelled that after six weeks off over Christmas, the first day back at school always feels like you’ve never left. Without the luxury of being forced back into blogging by government laws I must make my own motivations and I am taking the guilt trip route. Too much time off is never a good thing and it makes me feel unproductive.

So now I’m sitting here, on a strange computer, contemplating and trying to find the motivation that is going to kick off my year. I am contemplating to the new album by The Script at the moment which I have to say it is brilliant. There is something particularly magnificent about listening to powerful songs at full volume, it gets your heart going, you feel like you can conquer the world and there is nothing you cannot do. This is how I am going to motivate myself into diving head first into this year. I have allowed myself the luxury of a week (plus a bit more) of relaxing and now it is time to get going again. New year, new goals, and new motivations!

One of the first things I must do is thank everyone who is already sending in review requests. It is good to see having to close submissions for so long last year has not affected things too much which make me so pleased. I hope more come and I look forward to reading all your wonderful books as well as many more throughout the year. One of my goals for the year is to try and read some of the books I already own as well so I am implementing a “one request, one owned” system to try and get through my TBR pile, but more on my goals later.

I should also add in here I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s doing whatever it was you were doing. I had a great night, I had some friends over for a mini soiree where we played some games, drank wine, and watch the fireworks both on TV and those nearby. If you do not yet know about my absolute fascination and adoration of fireworks you must catch yourself up. Two important things to remember are that I will never say a bad word about them and that they must be watched at every possible chance for whatever reason.

I have many wonderful things planned for this year. I have a blogiversary coming up super soon and many goals which I will fill you all in on later when I know about them myself! I am looking to get a review up in the next day or two as well meaning this year is definitely (and finally) in full swing here at Lost in a Good Book!

So welcome to 2015 everyone, may good books be forever at your disposal, and you read something spectacular!

So long 2014

31 Dec 2014 3 Comments

by Amy in Rambles Tags: , , ,

NYEAs my second year of blogging comes to a close it is pretty remarkable looking back and comparing this year to my first year. While I learnt a lot in the first year and was given some great opportunities, outside the blog there was a lot going on and there were so many hassles with my old host website that nothing was going right. Jump forward a year and this year could not have been any more different if it tried. I have been to numerous literary and bookish events, read dozens of brilliant stories from people requesting a review from me, and I did it all while finishing my Masters degree.

I have loved blogging this year I loved writing reviews, reading so many, so many wonderful books and getting to share them all with you. I know working on my top five list is going to be interesting since there was no real stand out book, they were all so great.

I could try and count how many beautiful authors and publicists asked me to review their books but I won’t, I will estimate it is somewhere in the 40-50 range which if I have not said it enough I am so grateful for, for all of you asking me to review your works. I already have a few lined up for the new year so bring on more great reads!

As I was preparing to write this I was rereading my New Years Eve post from last year and it brought back a lot of memories. Not just the stuff I was not talking about, but just the things I had been through that year; the blog, uni, the fact that by the end of the year I was a mess and trying to find what I was doing with myself amidst uni and reading and trying to sort my headspace out. Reflecting a year later I do not regret that year, all the drama, pain, and emotions help you grow. It makes you tough and it teaches you a lesson. It also helps you appreciate the good things and this year has been filled with so many good things it has been truly wonderful. The mood was also quite reflective last year. I know you are supposed to be reflective on the last day of the year, and I am, but I think in a much cheerier mindset which is never a bad thing.

Book wise I set myself a realistic goal of reading 70 books this year, which was met by sheer determination to not not finish (which means I bumped it down to match the 66 I did read, shh don’t tell), and I managed to get out on the other side of my Masters which makes me feel very adult, while still fully aware I have no idea what I am doing.

In the last twelve months I also attended so many bookish and blogging events, allowing me to open up my contact range and my eyes in how the book/blogging world operates. I went to PTA Live, the Hachette Bloggers Night, the Book Bloggers Forum, the Book Expo, both Sydney and Newcastle Writer’s festivals, the Sydney Author’s Event, plus a fabulous literary lunch with John Marsden. I am looking forward to 2015 being filled with just as many events and getting to meet some wonderful readers, bloggers, and authors from around the country and overseas.

Before I finish up for the year and go grab myself a wine, some chocolate, and a very adult and mature sparkler to bring in the new year, I want to thank everyone who has been by my side through this year and the last. I appreciate each of you for sharing my reviews, commenting on my posts, sticking with me when I miss posts, back posts, and just plain vanish for a few days (or months), and more importantly for making me feel like I am not just talking to myself out on the internet.

Once again I must ask of all of you to find and watch any fireworks you can get to tonight as they are one of the greatest gifts to the world and sent by the gods. As I said last year, my absolute love and fascination with the beauty and gloriousness of fireworks can never be underestimated and I will not stop forcing people to watch them when they occur, no matter what the occasion.

I wish you all the best for the New Year and may books be forever at your disposal.

Happy New Year guys, I will see you on the other side.

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