Reading Rush!!

I don't know what it is about internet challenges that just really motivate me.  Challenges like NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) really motivate me to write even when I don't want to (especially when other people are writing with me).  Having reading goals for the year pushes me to read lots and lots.  So when Ariel Bisset (link to her YouTube channel HERE!) showed up in my subscription box announcing this week-long reading challenge, I jumped on the opportunity!  So this year, I participated for the first time in the Reading Rush (formerly known as BookTubeAThon) from July 22-28.

There are seven challenges within this week-long Reading Rush.  The books you pick can fit more than one challenge if you'd like and you can participate in as many or as few as you'd like.  The point is to get you reading with reckless abandon for a full week.

I planned to read these books:

• Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki
• A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
• Invisible Ghosts by Robyn Schneider
• The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

These are the books that I actually read during this week and the challenges they fulfill as well as a brief review (so these books will be taken off of my July Reads post when that eventually comes out):


The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Challenges:
Read and watch a book to movie adaptation.  CHECK!
Read a book in the same spot the entire time.  FAIL.

I did read this entire book in one day, however!  It just turns out that I am someone who needs to take breaks periodically.  But ultimately, I went from an outdoor hammock to a couch inside when I got too cold.  So, too bad, I did not fulfill one of the challenges I set out to accomplish. 

This is one of my favorite horror movies and this book didn't disappoint.  It had a slowness that drew you in and a really effed-up ending.  I don't even think I can say I preferred the book over the movie or vice versa.  They are both great in their own right.  I think it was even better that I read this book as it was getting dark outside... in a cabin... in Wisconsin... it just added to the creepy feeling to the story.

Invisible Ghosts by Robyn Schneider

Challenges:

Read a book with purple on the cover.  CHECK.
Read a book you meant to read last year.  CHECK.

I can believe I didn't read this book sooner.  It was really charming, super engaging, and funny-sad.  It was a wonderful and light YA read.  I'm not sure if it's appropriate to call it a beach read because it's not that light of a story, but it doesn't take itself too seriously.

I liked the characters very much and thought it represented high school students quite well.  Like, yes, there are those that are quite moody and just seem to hate the world for no reason, but also kids that genuinely seem to enjoy where they are in life and have great friends that will stick together for years to come.  It talks about dissolving and rekindling friendships.  I think there need to be more stories on this subject.  There seems to be this belief that when you get a friend, you're stuck together for life.  But I think more people need to learn that not all friendships are meant to last forever and you have to choose people you want to be around and who bring out the best in you.

With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo
Challenges:
Pick a book with purple on the cover.  CHECK.
Pick a book that has five or more words in the title.  CHECK.

This was one that I brought to the cabin with me and have really been looking forward to reading since I heard it was coming out.  Elizabeth Acevedo is one of my favorite authors.  She had me at book one.  This book just reinforced my love for her writing.

I love the focus on food in this book.  It really engages the senses in a way that I don't feel like I've experienced in a while.  I also appreciated that this book is written from the perspective of a teen mother.  One pitfall in stories like this is oftentimes, stories will end when the teen mother-to-be gives birth.  But by the time we meet Emoni, her daughter is two years old and she has settled into a groove of being a parent and trying to finish high school.  I appreciate that her life doesn't "end" with parenthood, just changes how she moves in the world.  It's more realistic.  Having these new relationships also added weight to her decision to do something for herself and go to Spain with her culinary arts class. 

I don't think I can say much more other than this was an amazing read and you definitely need to pick this book up ASAP.

To sum everything up, during the 2019 Reading Rush, I accomplished 4/7 of the challenges!  Not too shabby!  I will definitely be participating in the Reading Rush next year!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Goals For 2015

It's almost the new year, so that means it's time to think about what changes I want to make for next year.  The following post will be blogging goals and life goals and I'll do my best to keep track of them here.

Blogging Goals

1. Read Freely.  While this is considered a book blog, this year, reading isn't going to be my top priority when it comes to this blog.  So there won't be book review posts every week like I've done this year.  I'll say more about this if you keep reading.

2. Blog More About Life.  Post pictures, stories, poems, videos... that type of thing.

3. Blog in Different Forms.  Videos, pictures, etc.

4. Read More Classics.  Keep up what progress you have.  You're probably going to need the classics when you take your GRE test someday (but right now, we don't like to think about that day).  To make this goal measurable, let's say: I will resolve to read 7 classic pieces of literature in the year 2015.  More is good, but seven is the minimum.

5. Read The Books On Your Shelves.  I have so many books on my shelves and a lot of them, I'm a little ashamed to admit, I haven't read yet.  As I read the books on my shelves at this time, I will make decisions about whether or not I will ever read that book again and either put them back on my shelf or put them in a box to sell or donate.

Life Goals

1. Write More.  In the past for NaNoWriMo, I've done written updates over the course of the month.  I want to do written updates like this every couple of weeks throughout the year.  I think this will help me develop a routine and stick to it because I'll feel like I'm answering to someone, whether that's actually true or not.

2. Develop a Routine for Exercise.  I think I'll have an okay time with this.  In the spring, I'll be living at home after I return from my Netherlands adventure.  So when I commute to school, I can check my calendar and pack not only books on a given day, but also clothes that I can get sweaty in and shoes that I can be active in.  I can make that a routine.  I should have been able to do that while living at school, but a lot of the time that didn't happen.  It's silly, because I lived across the street from the gym.  Now that won't be the case, so I'll be likely to plan going to the trip since I won't have easy access during the week nights any more.

3. Find a Study Spot and Make a Routine.  I want to find a place that's not at home where I can spend time working on my own with no distractions.  I have a desk at home, but I have a feeling that I'm going to have some trouble working there because a) it's the resting place for idle objects and b) home comes with a lot of distractions.  I'm thinking a secret place in the library will be nice.  But I'll do a thorough inspection.  I'm planning on taking a J-Term class (two days after I come home from Europe... call me crazy) so I'll have time to look without a ton of people on campus.

4. Move Into My First Off-Campus Apartment.  My significant other, Jack, and I have been talking about doing this.  We would like to move in together into an apartment that is close to both of our campuses.  We have quite a bit to figure out regarding this goal, but I'm going to keep this in mind any way.  We're going to look for places in the spring, but I think a lot of places won't let us move in until after school ends or right before the new school year will start.  I do hope this goal pans out this year.  It'll be nice to have a place of our own, to not have fire drills at 5:30 am once a semester, and to not have to move out during winter holidays or summer.  Rent will be a new thing, but I think I'm getting to a point in my life where I do want a place I can call my own.  Even a small place.

5. Make A Donation.  I've been thinking about this for a while.  I've been volunteering for a couple of years now, but I want to do more in the world.  I'm one person and I can't do too many things in the world at once.  So I want to find a charity that I can help out once a month.  I mean, my donations will be small (maybe $10-$15) each month, but it'll add up to quite a bit.  If you have charity ideas, I'm all ears.

I'm hoping for good things this year.  What are some goals that you have for yourself?

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

Reading, Blogging, and Life Goals for 2014!

Well folks, we have made it to 2014.  This means that there are more resolutions to be made and goals to be accomplished!  I thought I'd list my goals for my own life, this blog, and goals for reading.  Feel free to tell me your own down below!

Reading Goals

1. Read 50 books in a year.  For the past couple of years, I have come really close, but I haven't reached 50 yet.  I'm determined to find time to do a lot of reading this year (which will be a challenge, being an English major who is assigned books all the time).  As I read, I will list these books below so that I can easily keep track of my progress.

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2. A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke

3. Holes by Louis Sachar

4. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

5. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

6. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

7. My Life As A Book by Janet Tashjian

8. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
9. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
10. Frindle by Andrew Clements
11. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
12. She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan
13. The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher
14. Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan
15. Thumped by Megan McCafferty
16. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
17. Anne Frank: The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon
18. Witches!  The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer
19. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
20. Love's Labour's Lost by William Shakespeare
21. Dear Diary, I'm Pregnant by Anrenee Englander
22. Witches! by Rosalyn Schanzer
23. The Paris Wedding by Kimberley Petyt
24. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
25. Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli
26. The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth
27. The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman
28. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
29. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
30. This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl
31. Wonder by R.J. Palacio

2. Read more Sci-Fi.  My partner is a physics/astrophysics major, so it really bums him out that I don't really appreciate science fiction more.  My goal is to read at least five books from the science fiction genre.  Again, these titles will be listed below to keep track of my progress.

3. Read more Graphic Novels.  I achieved this goal last year, but now I want to do better.  My goal is to read 10 graphic novels in 2014.

1. The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth

4. Listen to more audio books.  My goal is to listen to 15 audio books.

5. Read more of the books that I already own.  I aim to read 10 of these books this year.

1. A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke

2. Holes by Louis Sachar

3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Blogging Goals

1. Post one review a week.

2. Post more about the things going on in my life (outside of reading).

3. Chronicle my study abroad experience (before, during, and after).  In August, I will be leaving for a four month stint in the Netherlands.  I created a different blog about this, but I think it'll be much simpler to use this blog to keep my friends and family updated and still keep talking about what I'm reading.

4. Review more movies.  My goal is to review at least 15 movies this year.  They will be listed and linked to below.

Life Goals

1. Do more Yoga.  This is one exercise that I truly enjoy.  But I'm really bad at finding a consistent time to do this.  So I'm going to put more of an effort into making this my routine exercise.  Maybe I'll talk about this on this blog.

2.  Learn basic Dutch.  Read children's books, practice in and out of a classroom setting, practice pronunciation whenever you can.  Throw in Dutch words into English conversation and confuse people, it'll be great.

3. Take more photos.  Document life as it's happening.

What are your goals for 2014?

Thanks for Reading and Happy New Year!

--Jude

Reading and Blogging Goals for 2013!

This is a super belated post... it's February, after all.  The recent book reviews that you've been seeing were books that I read in 2012 and I was just finishing recording them.  Now that those are done, I think it's time to post a few goals before moving on to the 2013 reviews.

Reading Goals

1. Read 50 Books in the Year 2013.  I was just two or three books shy of completing this goal again like I did in 2011.  I'm going to try really hard to strike more of a balance in my classes and also read a lot this summer.

1. My Name Is Memory by Ann Brashares

2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
5. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
6. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
7. Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
8. Hourglass by Myra McEntire
9. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
10. Watchmen by Alan Moore
11. Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
12. Queer: The Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens by Kathy Belge and Mark Bieschke
13. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
14. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
15. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
16. The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy by Gregory Bassham
17. Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
18. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
19. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
20. Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
21. The Girl's Guide to Homelessness by Brianna Karp
22. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
23. Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James
24. A Million Little Pieces by Jame Frey
25. Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster
26. Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
27. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
28. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
29. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
30. Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler
31. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
32. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
33. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
34. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Dust to Dust, Book 1 by Chris Roberson
35. Dramarama by E. Lockhart
36. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
37. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
38. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Dust to Dust, Book 2 by Chris Roberson
39. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
40. Austenland by Shannon Hale
41. Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
42. Dreaming in Chinese by Deborah Fallows
43. The Dark by Lemony Snicket
44. Journey by Aaron Becker
45. Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre
46. The Plague by Albert Camus
47. The Second Coming by Walker Percy

2. Read More Nonfiction.  I've talked about this with a friend of mine.  I like memoirs, but rarely do I ever read true nonfiction.  So I'm going to try and read 5-10 nonfiction books.

1. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

2. Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson
3. Queer: The Ultimate LGBT Guide for Teens by Kathy Belge and Mark Bieschke
4. Paris in Love: A Memoir by Eloisa James
5. The Girl's Guide to Homelessness by Brianna Karp

3. Listen More.  This summer (since I've found that I don't really go to the public library while I'm here at school, unless it's the digital library), I will make it my mission to listen to 5-10 audio books of any genre.

1. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

2. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

3. Across the Universe by Beth Revis
4. Dramarama by E. Lockhart
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
6. White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
7. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

4. Read More Graphic Novels.  Again, this is because of the same friend.  It started to become more of a theme with him towards the end of 2012 and it even helped me decide what to get him for Christmas.  So I'm going to try and indulge more in this interest of his.  I'm currently reading Watchmen, so that'll definitely count towards this total.  I'm going to resolve to read 2-3 graphic novels this year.  Just to start small.

1. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
2. Watchmen by Alan Moore
3. Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
4. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
5. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Dust to Dust, Book 1 by Chris Roberson
6. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Dust to Dust, Book 2 by Chris Roberson

Blogging Goals

1. Post one review a week.

2. Continue to post college adventures and other non-book related content.

3. Consider monetizing this blog.  Actually, if someone could advise me on this, that would be wonderful.  I'm still incredibly nervous about it and I'm not sure that this is something I really want to do.  Please educate me.

I think that's it for now.  I discovered that last year, I took on way too many challenges, so I think that I'll go lightly on them this year.  College is a challenge in and of itself.  I will keep track of these challenges and resolutions on this page.  For the books, I will post the titles with the links to their reviews under the goal they fulfill.

Have a wonderful 2013 and I will catch up with you all later!

--Jude

2012 Reading for Fun 50 Book Challenge!

Hello there!  If you joined us last year for the 2011 Reading for Fun 50 Book challenge, welcome back!  If not, no worries, everything will be explained in full.

This is a challenge purely so that at the end of 2012, you can say, "I've read 50+ books this year!" and then proceed to gloat to your heart's desire.  There really aren't any limitations.  You can read whatever you want (heck, even crossing over with other challenges, unless you want to make things a little more difficult and keep this challenge separate from your other challenges).  The sky is the limit for you!  Enjoy yourself!

If you're thinking of joining in, leave a comment below with your web address so that I (and whoever decides to join in) can come by and visit you!  I'm not very good at operating linky lists I'm afraid, otherwise I would absolutely put one on this post.

Enjoy your reading this year and Happy Challenging!

--Jude

2012 Reading Challenges!

 The first challenge I'm doing in the Adoption Reading Challenge.  My goal is to read 6 books about adoption-- 3 nonfiction/3fiction.

1 / 6 books words. 17% done! Click HERE to join in the fun!

The second challenge I'm doing is The Century Challenge, where I'm going to cover a Quarter of a Century (that's the goal-- 25 books)

I'll be tackling 1950-1974.  Wish me luck!

0 / 25 books. 0% done! Click HERE to join in the fun (or at least know the guidelines, since it's a challenge from last year)!

My third challenge is going to be the 2012 Audio Book Challenge with a goal of 25 audio books!

5 / 25 audio books. 20% done!

Click HERE to join in the fun!

My fourth challenge is the 2012 Go Indie Reading Challenge!  My goal is to read 5 Indie Books (mostly because I have no idea how to find them, but this could be adjusted later if I get the hang of finding a lot of these kinds of books).

0 / 5 books. 0% done!

Click HERE to join in the fun!

My fifth challenge is the Off The Shelf 2012 challenge!  I liked it so much the first time, I'm going to do it again!  I'm going to try and read 15 books that I already own.

13 / 15 books. 87% done!

Click HERE to join in the fun!

My sixth challenge is the Dystopia 2012 Challenge!  I'm choosing the Contagion level of 15 books.

2 / 15 books. 13% done!

Click HERE to join in the fun!

My seventh and final challenge is the 2012 Reading for Fun 50 Books Challenge!  It's of my own design and there will be a separate post for this.

33 / 50 books. 66% done!

Click HERE to join the fun!

So after reading through these, you're probably thinking, "Jude!  You're completely insane!"  More than likely yes, but I guess you need a little of that to take on a challenge.  I'm rationalizing the sheer number of goals I have by saying that there will be a lot of crossover between my 2012 Reading for Fun 50 Book Challenge and the 2012 Audio Book Challenge, so it'll work out.  

Happy Challenging this 2012!

--Jude

2011 Challenge Review

So this past year, I tried to complete some challenges for the first time in my personal blogging history.  I had five that I wanted to do (three of them were self-created, however).  I'll kind of go through them now.

In 2011, I did the 2011 Audio Book Challenge (brought to you by Teresa's Reading Corner), and my goal was to listen to 12 Audio Books.  I successfully completed all 12 Audio Books and reviewed them (I labeled them as Audio Books in the review title).  In the beginning, this was a little bit of a challenge, because I wasn't really good at only listening and taking in information, but after listening to 12, I've fallen in love with audio books!  I plan on doing this challenge again, but raising the bar a little bit.  I'm going to do a separate post for this though.

The second challenge I did was the Off The Shelf Challenge.  I really liked this one because it forces me to look through my own shelves instead of those of the library's and read what I already own (there are many, because of Half-Price Books spoiling me so).  I successfully read five books that I own and haven't read!

The third challenge was of my own design, and that was the 2011 Reading for Fun 50 Book Challenge.  My goal was to read 50 books in 2011, and I exceeded my goal by at least one, if not two, three, or four books, which is exciting.  I'm going to create a 2012 version of this challenge, but I'm crap when it comes to link lists, so if you want to join in on this (it's really not that hard, because there are crossovers with the other challenges you might be doing).

The fourth challenge was a little unusual.  My boyfriend shared one of his books with me-- a Warhammer book-- because he's trying to find one that I like.  I failed this challenge miserably, completing 28 out of 762 pages.  Honestly, it's a little boring, but I will try and suffer through it.  I hate not finishing books that I've started.

The fifth challenge I did was another that I created-- the Goosebumps Challenge.  I also failed that because as soon as I finished creating it, I no longer wanted to read Goosebumps.  I think school began, otherwise I had better things to read.  So... yeah.  That just didn't work out.  I won't be creating a 2012 version of this (though if you joined in and you really liked it, by all means, start it up yourself, even if it's on your own).

So that's it for last year's challenges!  There will be two more posts today, so stay tuned for more!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Goosebumps Challenge

<center><a href="http://judesenglish10.blogspot.com/2011/06/goosebumps-challenge.html" target="_blank"><img alt=""...It's Like a Whirlwind Inside of my Head..."" src="http://i1121.photobucket.com/albums/l512/mooseface55/goosebumpsButtonFinished.jpg"/></a></center>

Hello there!

So, you might remember that I suggested this Goosebumps challenge.  Well, this post is to tell you that this is the official page of the challenge!

I'm having a little trouble working with the link-up tools, but I thought that this would work well enough with the comments and everything like that.

If you're interested in participating in this challenge, all you need to do is sign up in the comments using your preferred name, the name of your blog, and your web address.  As soon as people start signing up, I'll manually create a list of everyone and put it on the bottom of this page.  That way everyone can visit everyone's pages and see their progress.

You do not have to follow my blog in order to participate in this challenge.

Feel free to grab the button above, blog about it, tell your friends about it, etc.  This should be a lot of fun!

Level One: 3 Goosebumps books
Level Two: 6 Goosebumps books
Level Three: 10 Goosebumps books
Level Four: 15 Goosebumps books
Level Five: 25 Goosebumps books
Level Six: 30 Goosebumps books
Level Seven: 40 Goosebumps books


The Challenge begins on June 13, 2011 (today) and ends on August 31, 2011.


These Are the People Participating in the Summer 2011 Goosebumps Challenge
You could be the first!


Thanks for stopping by!
--Jude

Friday! And What a Busy One It Is...

Hello there!  If you're an old follower just dropping by for a visit, welcome back!  It's so nice to hear from you again!  If you're a visitor or a new follower, welcome!  It's good to meet you!

Okay, so this post is going to be a rather busy one.  Normally I ramble on and try and answer the questions as thoroughly as possible, but that won't be as much of an option this time.  Lots to say and not enough time to get through it all!

Let's start with the Blog Hop, brought to you by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books!

Which book blogger would you most like to meet in real life?

This is a difficult one since I'm following so many bloggers... I've already met Ezra Zee, because we're friends in real life, so I don't suppose it would be fair to count her now (but you should still go check her out because she's amazing!).  I think I would most want to meet That Hapa Chick and/or Liddy from Y.A. Reviewz.  They just seem like really great people to know in real life (this is judging by the videos I've seen of theirs).

Next!  Follow Friday, which is brought to you by Parajunkee.

Circle time! Time to share. What character in a book would you most like to be, what character in a book would you most like to date?

In short, I'd like to be Hermione Granger and I'd date Peeta from the Hunger Games (I wonder how many people are going to say that...).

And now for TGIF brought you you by Ginger at GReads!

What occupies your time when you are not reading and/or blogging?

When I'm not reading or blogging, I'm writing (some writing of mine can be found HERE if you're interested), taking pictures (which you may get to see soon, because I just took a few more), creating videos, and attending high school (I think there's four weeks left for everyone who is not a senior!  So exciting!).

And now for an update for the Audio Book challenge that I committed to doing even before January 2011.  

I just did a count and I have listened to and reviewed three audio books, I've listened to a fourth, but I'm currently working on a review, and I'm actively listening to yet another one.  This would all add up to five, which puts me to almost the halfway mark!  I would say that that's not too shabby, considering we're not yet half-way through the year yet (but almost.  June is creeping up, slowly but surely...).  So that's my update!  How is everyone else doing?

Speaking of challenges, I've decided to take up yet another one (stop the madness!).  It's called the Off the Shelf challenge.  What I must do for this challenge is read x-number of books that I own that are on my shelves that have not been read yet.  I've been meaning to do this for months, but not I have a little motivation behind it.  I'm going to shoot for level one, which is Tempted, meaning I'm going to try and read five books off of my shelves.  Had I started this early, I might have pledged level two, which is a significant step up to 15 books off my shelf, but alas, we're almost halfway through the year and that would not be realistic for me.

And now for just some final announcements that you may or may not care about but I'm going to tell you any way.  As I kind of said above, I'm currently working on writing another review and I hope to have that finished sometime this weekend between studying for my last two AP tests and other assorted school work.  I'm also trying to get my April LONTEM Project video created, but once again, school must interfere and I have to make a video about sound for my physics class which is due in exactly two weeks.  So again, I'll probably have another late video unless I finish the school one early, which I intend to do.

Okay, that's it for me.  What are your answers to the questions above?  If you would like me to visit your blog, leave a message and/or your web address in the comments and I'll try and at least respond to you as well as visit your blog.  Have a lovely weekend!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

P.S. How did I do blog-post-length-wise?

Some Minor Complications

As part of my 2011 blogging resolutions, I committed to one of my first challenges-- the 2011 Audio Book Challenge.

Thus far, it has been an interesting experience. I have found that my attention span is incredibly short when it comes to sound.

Let me start at the beginning...

When I signed up for this challenge, I thought that it would be an easy challenge to accomplish. After all, I only need to listen to someone else read the books that I would normally read myself. There's nothing terribly demanding about this.

Within the first week or two of this month, I moved my radio out of my window (which my parents are happy about. My room is now warmer since the storm window isn't the only thing between my room and the rest of the world). I moved it right by my bed so that it was next to my head and I could listen to a chapter or two just before I drifted off to sleep.

The thing about this set up is that I hear a lot of other noises. The swish and gentle creak of my oscillating fan as it spreads cool air to different parts of my room; some kind of scratching sound that comes from who know where that astonishingly hasn't returned for a while; the squeak of Sullivan's squeal in the middle of the night... there are others. On top of that, the speaker isn't the loudest of talkers. That makes it very easy to a) lose track of what's happening in the story and/or b) get distracted by the other noises.

So this challenge will be just that: a challenge. I think I have found something to use to solve some of my problems though. When I was younger and when we (being the rest of my family and I) had to go somewhere far-- as in a couple hours away-- in the car, I would pack a bag full of my CD's and then also my WalkMan music player. Incidentally, I still have all of those CD's and my WalkMan, so I'm utilizing it again! It's easier to pay attention when someone is talking in your ear.

Any way, just a brief update on this challenge because I really haven't said anything about it since the day I announced that I was participating in it.

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! I'll have some pictures and tales to tell you in the next few days. I'll keep the topics a surprise though. You'll just have to come back and see!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

My First Challenge: 2011 Audio Book Challenge!

So far in my blogging exploits, I haven't done any challenges. I've done plenty of blog-hops and follow fridays, but no challenges. So this is my first one. It's hosted by Teresa's Reading Corner (you can click right on her name and be taken to the sign-up page.

There are four milestones to shoot for. They are:

Curious: 3 Audio Books

Fascinated: 6 Audio Books

Addicted: 12 Audio Books

Obsessed: 20 Audio Books

Since I haven't been very big on Audiobooks in the past, I'm hoping to reach the level of "Fascinated," but I'm shooting for "Addicted." Somewhere in there would be nice.

I'll post reviews of these Audio Books like I would had I been reading a paper copy (which I still might do, just to get Audio and Visual thrown in), but I will mark them as part of the challenge and even keep a counter in the sidebar.

If you're participating in this challenge as well, I wish you luck! This should be fun an interesting.

--Jude