Babbles of a Fan Girl - Books to Read 2015

In getting back into writing, I am starting to realize how important it is for me to get back into reading.  My relationship with reading has always been a strange, twisty roller coaster ride.  When I was a kid, I have a bad habit of starting a book but never finishing because either A. I lost focus. or B.  I wanted to move on to a new book that caught my eye.  This habit carried on through middle school, only being fueled also by my adopted philosophy that I'd rather "Write a book than read a book".  Fast forward to my first day on ninth grade, which was also my first day of public school.   Before that, I went to private, Catholic school from pre-school all the way through eighth grade. I had never seen so many kids jammed into one building.  No one was wearing uniforms, including me!  I was terrified by the idea of making new friends and just wanted to blend in to the point that I matched the paint on the walls.  So of course, my natural reaction was to always carry a book and bury myself in it whenever there was free time in class.  Socializing?  Making new friends? Um....let's just read instead.  I went from being the girl always writing to the girl always reading in the course of a semester.  When I had a book I felt safe.  And my passion for books went with me to high school.

Then came college....

I read many great books in college, but I often felt like I couldn't read in my freetime because there was always some textbook glaring at me, demanding my attention.  So I didn't read nearly as much as I did in high school.  Luckily, I had some great professors in my writing and English classes that introduced me to new literature and in turn, my new writing style.  It was a wonderful time, but when I got done with college, I was exhausted...and I fell out of reading more than I ever had before.  I felt overwhelmed with all of the classics I still had not touched!  There were so many contemporary novels that I needed to expose myself to!  No reading was getting done and people still referred to me as this passionate reader!  This madness had to stop!

And that brings us to today....

I am going to make a list of books that I will read before the end of this year.  It's going to be a puny list because, A. this year is almost over and 2. This is the busiest time of the year for me.  When 2016 rolls around I will make an official list of books for me to read over the course of that year!  For now, here are the books I will read before the end of 2015 (Yay for making more goals for myself!)

1. Misery by Stephen King

I started this book a few months and it's a compelling but exhausting read. I keep taking mental breaks for both the sake of my sanity and my innocence. The much needed coffee breaks are a result of this book being so well written!  You feel for this man trapped in the home of his "number one fan" and battling his addiction to painkillers to find his freedom.

2. You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir by Felicia Day

I bought this book the other day and it is such a relaxing read.  Felicia Day, known work such as The Guild, tells the tale of her life and how she became the kick-butt nerd she is.  I love when girl nerds are in the spotlight and I can strongly relate to her journey.  I can't wait see more of her funny stories!

3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I was supposed to read this book in high school but being the hipster I am, I skipped my junior and senior years of high school and went to college instead.  Don't worry, I had a high school teacher remind me that by doing this, I was just trying to act older, so I will be forever ashamed of getting two years of free college.  I was disappointed that I missed reading this horror classic.  This will be my Halloween time read and I can't wait!  And yes....I may watch "Young Frankenstein" after I finish the book.  A girls gotta roll in za hey!

I know there is going to be a least one more books mixed in with these, but let's start small and work out way out from there.  Do you have any book recommendations for 2016?  Any good books you can recommend about writing to help me prep for NaNoWriMo?

Tootles!

Babbles of a Fangirl - Rereads

Have broken my vow to write an article every week already?  Well, I'm not getting to distressed about it because I have wrote more over the last month than I have all year!  I will save the details of that for my next "Patchwork Thoughts" article so just sit tight!  Now!  Let's talk about some books!

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!

It really shouldn't come as any surprise that I love reading.  It wasn't until very recently, when I started watching some amazing book-tubers, that I realized I never talk about books on this blog.  I will be the first to admit that although I love reading, I have gravitated away from it quite a bit since college.  It was often hard while doing school to justify recreational reading when there were text books to be read.  Then again, I didn't really read my text books out of sheer stubbornness, but let's just skip over that blemish!  Reading takes time and watching youtube is a lot easier.  Oh look!  I'm being lazy again.  Who'da thunk it?

Lately I have have been inthralled in a good old book called "Misery" by Stephan King.  Heard of it?  Although it's been great for learning more about suspense writing, I'd have to say I'm need some major fluff as a pallet cleanser. That got me thinking about new books I need to read, which eventually reminded me of old books I know I will feel warm and fuzzy reading.  So that brings us to our topic today: Rereads!  These are some of the books I'm dying to read again for both nostalgia's sake and mine.

Harry Potter

Did you think this wouldn't make the list?  When I was growing up, everyone was reading Harry Potter  and it didn't take me long to not only jump on that bandwagon, but take the wheel!  I would check Harry Potter websites everyday, determined to gather up as much Harry Potter news and information as humanly possible!  Harry Potter is honestly the book that taught me that being a nerd and a member of fandom is perfectly fine!  Though I also learned the hard way that not everyone wants to hear you babble about a book they haven't read.  I know this will sound crazy, but I have only read each Harry Potter book once!  I never felt the need to go back through the story, I only wanted to wait on pins and needles for the next step in the series.  I was happy and heartbroken when the series ended and I have never read any other books aside from Books 6 & 7 nonstop. I miss this wizard world and I'd love to go back through it with adult eyes.

Inkheart

I was determined not to like this book.  At the time that I gave it my first try, I was skeptical of fantasy set in the real world, but it's beautiful cover, dripping with treasure and mysterious creatures made me determined to bring it home from Barnes and Noble and give it a try.  You know what happened?  Inkheart is still one of my all time, favorite books!  This is one of the few books I have read multiple times.  I can't get enough of it's detailed characters and suspenseful tale of fantasy breaking lose from the confines of a story.  I'm less attached to it's sequels.  In my opinion, this story ends perfectly, but I was happy to say hello to it's fine cast again.  I encourage you to meet all of them.  They will feel so real that they might just step outside of the book and say hello!

Two Princesses of Bamarre

Has anyone else read this book?  I have yet to meet anyone who has.  In short, this is the story of two Princesses, one that is brave and heroic and one that is afraid of her own shadow.  They live in a kingdom where a horrible disease claims the lives of many.   And guess what?  The heroic princess catches it and now her sister must set out on a journey to find a cure, save her sister, and face her own fears!  I think this is the first story where I said to myself "Hey, Princesses can do something interesting!"  Followed by "Hey!  Princesses can kick butt!" It's full of action and adventure.  I'm happy to say I've held on to my copy over many book purges and I can't wait to read it to my children someday!

I forgot how much I enjoy chatting about books!  I certainly have the itch to read now and I hope you do too!  What books from your past do you want to reread?  What books have you read multiple times over the years?  Let me know what keeps you coming back for more!

Until next time, tootles!

Xoxo!!!!

Babbles of a Fangirl - Nerdy Things I Did While on Jury Duty

"What's this?"  The captain noted off of the radar, his cigarette hanging in disbelief out of the corner of this mouth.  He turned in his swivel chair so hard it that he had to plant his feet to the ground with firm smash. The men all raised their heads, ready for panic. He noted how suddenly young all of their faces looked.  
He readjusted his cigarette and sighed. "Men!" He bellowed.  "Braise yourselves!" 
And in that moment they all knew, praying to any of their gods would be futile.   It had returned.  The horror from out of the depths and nothing could stop it.


The Patchwork Nerd had made a new post.


Segway! 


So...uh....that bit up there is my very convoluted way of saying, "I'M BACK!"
Don't question it, okay?  You should expect worse from me by now.  With that said, it is finally time for me to kick things into gear and give you all what you want (or maybe don't want, but you're getting it anyway): here are the nerdy things I did during jury duty!


Caught-up on my Dungeons and Dragons Reading

Anyone who knows me has come to understand that I bring a book with me everywhere.  It's like my security blanket.  Awkward downtime, take out my book!  Waiting for something, take out my book!  Don't have any free-time, at least I have my book, just incase!  Sometime I bring too many books.  I will admit that there a at least 3 books in my backpack right now (Game of Thrones, How to Train Your Dragon, and The Last Unicorn).  I read multiple books at a time because I have a book for every mood.  Although if I don't finish Game of Thrones within the next year, I'm pretty sure my boyfriend will hide all the books I own until I do (he's in for a challenge).  Oh...am I babbling again?

SEGWAY! (<----this might become a regular thing)

What I'm trying to say is that I brought a lot of books with me to jury duty.  One of which was my Dungeons and Dragons: Heroes of the Feywild.  It's a lovely book and if you are a fan of D&D it really expands your knowledge of the world while helping you cultivate richer stories.  Go and read it!  If your just a fantasy fan, it will really inspire you and give you great story ideas!  

Knitting

The funny thing about jury duty is that you get a note pad during the court case.  The problem is, you don't get it back when you are done.  You can't take it out of the court room and it becomes evidence once the trial is over.  That means that I had to resist writing and doodling on blank paper.  ME denying blank paper a face.  It hurt a lot.  So when we got our breaks, I was desperate to do something, ANYTHING with my hands.  The problem was that it was too loud to do write anything deep (everyone talked a lot and I need silence to write) and drawing, I have found, always gathers too much attention.  I don't need anyone seeing the crap I draw.  So knitting was the perfect compromise.  It allowed me to be social with others (something I've been practicing) while keeping my hands busy.  I've been working on a scarf for a while now and thanks to my jury services, I'm almost done!

Not to mention it was a great conversation started (I'm trying to leave my corner more)

My Banter with Strangers

Keep reading, this will make sense in a bit

It's odd to think that jury duty, of all things, is the event that makes you realize just how much of a nerd you might be.  When you are in jury duty you are not allowed to discuss the case with anyone, this includes other members of the jury duty.  Now imagine, if you would, getting a break from court while you are on a jury.  For those of you who have never been on a jury what happens is a nice court attendant takes you back to this little room all tucked away from the rest of the court house.  It has two bathrooms and lots of coffee to prevent you from ever wanting to leave.  Now while in this little room, sipping your coffee and staring at the wall you might feel so inclined as to talk to your fellow jurors.  The only problem is that there's an elephant in the room.  A big, fat, stinking elephant that sits on the middle of the table and is catching up on this hobby of playing the spoons while burping the alphabet.  He's right there, and you have to ignore him.  This leads to small talk, lots and lots of small talk.  Sometimes VERY small talk just to keep  you from yelling out about the latest witness you saw.   

Now many of you don't know me personally so I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  I babble. . . A LOT.  I'm usually quiet around people I've never met before, but six days of sitting in a court room will really warm you up to the idea of talking about anything before you have to go back into a room where you can barely move a facial muscle, let alone talk.  The topics of our conversations were pretty normal, ranging from "What do you do?" to "Are you married?" ect...ect...ect...but by the 5th or 6th day people were either connecting with each other and coming up with the perfect thing to say to each other or grasping at straws.  There was one particular gentleman that was grasping for his dear life.  One day we were all sitting.  He wasn't talking (but you could tell he wanted to be) and I was knitting.  I happen to be wearing my dragon necklace that is gold.  The dragon has it's claws wrapped around a bright, blue marble, so it's very distinct.  He pointed to my necklace and said,

"That's a neat necklace."  Bless his soul you could see him trying to have a sense of humor as he said, "Is it a lucky dragon?"

I looked up from my knitting, placing my hands lovingly around the little dragon.  I smiled.  "I'm not sure.  But I wear it to most of my D&D games and it's always helped me not die."

Right away I wanted to smack myself. What did I just say?!?  Crap, he must think I'm crazy! I looked up at him.  He smiled but looked like he didn't know how to reply.  Okay, he only thinks I'm a little crazy.  I quickly went back to my knitting, my fingers flying to make it look like I was very busy.  

That's always been my problem with strangers or new people.  Most people look at me and say or think "Aww....she looks and sounds like she just stepped out of a Victorian Christmas card!  I'm sure she has pleasent things to say!"

And the funny thing is that I usually do, but every-so-often I say that one nerdy thing that makes people either stare blankly at me or think I'm freakin' awesome.  I'm glad to say I've learned to be proud of it and polite when the stares happen.  But I got to admit, that gentleman's face was pretty priceless. 

Well, that's it for now! 

Toodles!

Xoxo