What I'm reading I went on a bit of a reading binge this past weekend. I finished both The Great Gatsby and Neverwhere (yay!) and then I read Fever and Sever by Lauren DeStefano (books two and three of The Chemical Garden Trilogy).
I loved the writing in The Great Gatsby. Gorgeous! I'm saving my opinion on Neverwhere for a review I'm writing later this week and The Chemical Garden Trilogy is something I both love and hate. I hated what happened to some of the characters. I loved the writing, the setting and the emotional bonds between the characters.
I'm still working through Writing 21st Century Fiction by Donald Maas and I've started the first book for my TBR book challenge (The Fault in Our Stars). Since I finished The Great Gatsby I am now reading Anna Karenina as my chapter a day classic. I'm actually reading about three a day. I've never seen a book with so many tiny chapters! My children and I are reading The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis every night and they love it as much as I always have.
What I'm Writing I'm afraid that I spent my writing time reading. It was refreshing though. I feel creativity swirling in my brain and I can't wait to use it!
What Inspires Me Right Now This does!
What Else I've Been Up To I have been baking bread. Lots and lots of it. It is part of my goal of living intentionally. I want to feed my family healthful foods and making most of our bread it a great way for me to make sure that they are getting a variety of grains and wholesome ingredients.
I really need to dig out my breadmaker and make some healthier breads than the ones we buy in store. Plus, the smell of baking bread is pretty much the best ever. ;-) I know what you mean about Tolstoy's tiny chapters. War and Peace is the exact same way. I was pretty much reading five chapters a day before I got sidetracked. Must get on that again soon! I have been spending much of my writing time reading as well. I need to get back on track and remember that I can actually do both if I'm better at managing my time.
ReplyDeleteIt does smell wonderful! It seems to save some money too. I've been using my kitchen aid mixer and I'm pleased with how much easier it makes the kneading. I'm working on time management too. I am terrible about making progress on more than one thing at a time.
DeleteWow, that was a reading bindge. It wounds fabulous, I'm totally jealous. I hope you have a wonderful week!
ReplyDeleteIt had been awhile since I'd just read and read. It was wonderful! I hope you get to do it soon too:)
DeleteNice selection of books to start off the year. I'll have to get a move on to catch you up.
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Moody Writing
:) I seem to read in spurts.
DeleteI think that's my favourite Lindsey Stirling song. I can't wait for her to bring out some new material ^_^
ReplyDeleteHave a fantastic week :D
I recently discovered her and I love her music!
DeleteI read Wither forever ago and liked it so I don't know why I never picked up the next two. Sometime when my TBR pile isn't teetering...
ReplyDeleteI read Wither a long time ago too and just decided to finish the trilogy. There are always so many great books, its so hard to know which ones to read!
DeleteSometimes a reading binge is needed, so i'm glad you are having one.
ReplyDeleteThey can be good, thats for sure!
DeleteMy friend told me about Lindsey Stirling; good background music for writing. I like that she is so young and giving classical music a fresh angle.
ReplyDeleteIt is great for writing :) I always feel more creative when its on.
DeleteI've recently downloaded Wither. Heard good things about the trilogy!
ReplyDeleteWither is my favorite of the three. They aren't exactly happy reads, but all three are so well written.
DeleteGatsby is one of my all-time favorites; glad you enjoyed reading it!
ReplyDeleteI can see myself rereading it soon. It is a great book!
DeleteI love Lindsey Stirling! I find her music so unique and inspiring. I also love THE MAGICIAN'S NEPHEW. Even though it's a kids book, it still freaks me out to this day lol. Reading the Chronicles of Narnia to my son is one of my best memories. Glad your kiddos are enjoying it too!
ReplyDeleteI lost track of how many times I played her music today. It always puts me in a good mood :)
DeleteThe Magician's Nephew kinda freaks me out too, but in a good way. Such a good book!
Ugh, I know what you mean about the Chemical Garden trilogy, love the writing but man is it a harsh story! The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time, a classic for a reason. Have fun baking bread and and I'm sure you'll get back into writing when the time is right.
ReplyDeleteYes, harsh is a very good word to describe it.
DeleteI'm so glad that I finally read The Great Gatsby. I hadn't realized what I was missing.
And... now I want to bake bread. :-) Are you doing yeast breads? So much work, but such wonderful pay-off when they come out of the oven.
ReplyDeleteI love what you said about taking a writing break to do lots of reading. I do that too sometimes, and when I do I feel like I'm absorbing all the awesome words in those books and growing my own creativity. That's totally how it works, right? :-)
I've been doing some yeast and some not. I love yeast breads :) I made one that had oatmeal and cranberries in it. It made the most wonderful toast.
DeleteYes, that's how it works! Of course writing helps too... but I feel like I learn so much when I read.
I love Lindsey Stirling! She's my go-tog girl for writing or revising music. Particularly, revising. I haven't been writing much lately either. It's just a meh time of year for writers I guess :)
ReplyDeleteIt does seem to be like a hard time of year to get writing done. Hopefully that passes soon and we all start writing insane amounts of words :)
DeleteSometimes it's great to sit back and read instead of write. Often when I do that it makes me want to go write, especially if it's a great book. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteFever and Sever--two words that must give non-native-English-speakers the fits! How do you explain why they are pronounced differently? :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with Jaime, the smell of baking bread is almost as good as the taste of freshly-baked bread. Your house must have the most welcoming odor in the neighborhood!
Now I've finished revisions, I hope my reading will pick up a bit. Though I think if I finish A GAME OF THRONES by the end of the month, I'll be doing well. :)
Have a great week, Sarah!
I'm impressed by your reading choices.
ReplyDeleteGreat job with reading all of those books, Sarah and I'm glad your making healthy choices for your family. Nutrition is so important and sometimes people can overlook it, I think. Happy weekend.
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