I am located in the bedroom today, doing some research and trying to take it easy since my RA is acting up. I know I usually pull my book of the day from my shelf in the Study, and I don't want to totally get out of sorts, but since I am here and the study is so far away, I will be extra cool...feature two books and try to make up for losing my place. :D Been feeling a bit sick, so this is a few days late.
Books of the Day:
Common Book of Prayer 1941
This is a nicely bound gift edition of the Anglican Common Book of Prayer, I bought this one online.
Some fiction
I picked that one up at a book sale, these are the books currently on my night table.
What's On My Nook!
Interesting book.
I picked this up because the title seemed sooo interesting.
After a vacation of getting things in order and adjusting to school and such, I am back. A lot has happened. I am back doing research at school and I am really enjoying it, but being back at school also brings unwanted dramas...which have really dampened the mood. There are days, more and more of them, that I wish I were not the stand up and say what I think type. While I believe it is the right way to be, the unwanted stress always just pulls me down. I think the perfect storm of that and the fact that our stranger than strange weather here in Middle Georgia has caused me so much trouble with my RA that when I get home from school or work I am too tired to do anything else, even post in my awesome blog, but I am going to try to be better... I am back from my self imposed hiatus and things should be back to normal. I am going to Florida in February to see some family, so my blog may not be as traditional those days.
Sometimes older books by the right authors just fit... like they should remain in that form, look worn and aged.... this is one of those books...
Milton's Complete Poems (1899)
This book is over 100 years old, printed in 1899, a student edition of Milton's works and mine for a whopping 2.50 at an old book store. The book has an old portrait of Milton in the front of the book, with the aged tissue paper over it and then it opens up to a splendid collection of beautiful works.
Anyway, I love the book, its not perfect, someone used it as a text book way back when and their markings are inside of it...which to me...makes it even more wonderful.
What's On My Nook?
I currently have a tug of war going on between two books.... The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and We Two, which is a biography of the relationship between Queen Victoria of England and her husband Albert. Both books are engaging and interesting, but I cannot stay on one... I read a few chapters in each a night. Also, I will have to be fair to my beloved nookbooks and be honest....
I have also been reading Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford for school... so that has caused a bit of a lull in my fun reading, along with the research I am doing... it cuts in on the fun times... but... what to feature from my nook library today....
Oh...
These books are usually inexpensive and wonderful things to own, this one was only 3.99
I speak a lot about being an advocate for the poor, maybe not as much on here... but on my other outlets like facebook and twitter, I think its important, I think it is vital to understand the devastating effects of poverty on families, on children, and on a person's ability to perform later in life. As I also spend a lot of time studying history, this book was a no brainer at 3.99 and a book I heartily recommend to everyone.
Man, I thought the new year would put you ON track not pull you off of it. I have had a lazy day or two and its showing so I have to catch up. I totally fell off the be healthy bandwagon and ate three krispy kreme doughnuts today.... and ate hamburgers, and tater tots, and drank beer... geeze.... Living the wild life I swear!!!
But, back to normal and doing some computer clean up tonight, transferring some stuff off the old laptop to this one and moving on. Man I loved that laptop... even if that one a year ago and maybe I am kind of snarky with this one since the first new one broke so many times they had to replace it with this... regardless, this one works wonders. I cannot complain too much.
So in between moving 11 gig worth of pictures and exercising and cleaning up, I am posting my blog. :D
Long German novels... YES!!!
If you know me, you know I love Downton Abbey, so its only fitting that I would wrap myself around this German novel about the slow death of the upperclass German society as well. It was a sweeping and sappy novel and I loved it. We had to read it for a Modern Germany class and I would read it again. LOVED IT.
Apparently it now comes not only in paperback for around 13 dollars, but you can also get it as an Ebook, which is awesome!! If you like stuff like that, read it.. I liked it. I always felt sorry though for the father in this book, his whole family just slowly falls apart, its strange.
What's on my Nook?
Today I don't have a picture of the cover for the book I am featuring, it is what we call a public domain title, which means 1. its free :D 2. its old
Sometimes I like reading these old history books just to see the perspective from when it was written.
Its a really old one but I couldn't resist... it was free...it had Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Marie Antionette, AND Mary Queen of Scots... so this should be fun. and free.. free is always good.
The bonus with this one as well... IF you don't have a nook, you can probably find this in google books for free as well.
Music of the Day!
We have been buying a lot of records lately. One of the gems we found in our search was Duran Duran for only FIVE dollars.
It has been a busy last few days, sorry I haven't had the chance to update appropriately. Today Adam and I did get a chance to go to the antique mall and I purchased seven records of classical music, which will be helpful during studying time.
Another awesome Book Sale find!!!
This one cost me a whole dollar, what is bad about a one dollar history book?? Nothing!
The weather here in Georgia is a bit strange, and when I say that.. I mean a lot strange. Somehow Georgia has this knack of creating this weather void of strangeness where one day it is 60 degrees, the next day it is 20, raining and windy. For someone like me who has RA, weird weather can be a bane. But, I am up with my lingering cough from the mess that I had over Christmas, bundled up and writing my blog, which I love to do. For the book of the day today... I am going to cheat... I know I know, but I just got a new book in and I wanted to share it, because it is so cool.
Favourite English Teatime Recipes
I paid a little over two dollars for this gem, but I had to order it from a shop in England through Amazon. Apparently there is a whole series, which I now want all of. There are awesome recipes in here like Belvoir Castle Buns and Lakeland Lemon Cake, all which sound rich and good... so we shall see if I make any.
What am I reading on my Nook?
OH man I got distracted last night before I went to bed in the nook shop. I can do that quite easily and there are a few books I really want to buy, but I am being frugal since I have a ton of books I have not read. That being said, there is an awesome biography of Anne Hutchinson that I found...that I must have. If you don't know who she is...
I have a fascination for Hutchinson because in some senses she sparks some parts of feminism in a time when that concept was unheard of. She also called out the often eloquent but also often hypocritical John Winthrop for his paradoxical behavior when it came to reading and interpreting the bible as an individual and then saying... no not for you Anne, you child of the devil.
Anyway... This is the book I want....
American Jesebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, The Woman who Defied the Puritans As a nook book it is only : 10.99 Author: Eve LaPlante Get it HERE!
What do I already have on my nook of interest you ask?
Henry VIII By Allison Weir
This is a popular history of the Tudor monarch so its not something you would want to use as a source or anything, that being said... Weir does use notes and she isn't horrible. I love reading about Harry here, he was a good king...he just had some lady issues that really got in the way of people looking at what else he did in England during the time he ruled. His interactions with people like Thomas More and his defense of the Catholic faith (until the pope made him angry) are amazing stories within themselves, and he was not a huge fan of Martin Luther. Good book to read, pick it up! HERE, it is totally worth the 13.99 in nook book
Musical people are just that... they listen to music, they love music...it has more meaning than just having something going on in the background or playing in the car to avoid silence. Adam and I are music people...that is one of the reasons I think we love each other so much, similarities like the realization that music is vital to life. We just added an awesome record player to the kitchen, its amazing.
Our sweet setup
I am proud of it, and I broke it in by listening to the Cure last night. I love the Cure, I have loved the Cure since I was a kid. So today's music is brought to you by Robert Smith
This is a little old for some people, but amazing. So... if you have never listened to the Cure, listen to this song and become a fan.
This has not been the best week ever, I know it is only Wednesday, but I am going to just say hurry up and get over and let us move on to next week which promises to be much better and not as annoying by default. My blog has sucked as of late, I've been ill and tired and just not updating what I should so we will have a good and proper post today and hopefully no more slacking.
Everyone needs Dante in their life
The Portable Dante
Edited by: Mark Musa
Looks like I picked up this little gem at the booksale for four dollars, which is pricey... but its probably due to the fact that its in such good condition. I love Dante so I totally see my motivation.
"I never feared to die as much as then,
and my fear might have been enough to kill me,
if I had not already seen those chains."
-p 172 Inferno
What's on my nook?
Well, the Crimean War book is awesome in the fact that I just really didn't know that much about the war to begin with, so learning about it is fun... but let us feature a book I haven't talked about multiple times.
A captivating read
There is something about Plath that captivates me, her writing, her life, how it ended... so I wanted to get inside her head and these journals do that, they are very intimate. Odd read.
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
Nook price: 15.99
Song of the Day:
Mad World
Tears for Fears, the original song...not all those remakes... Good song.
There was going to be a blog today, but I argued on the internet instead, which was a total failure and I shouldn't have. I need to learn from my mistakes.
I am seated on the edge of my couch right now because someone (60 lb boxer named Lizzie) wants to sit directly behind me, she is special.
couch hog
As for the book of the day.... let's get to it shall we?
I promise not every book I have is a text book... I do read fiction... I do!
One of the first upper level history classes I took was 19th century Europe and man was I excited, it still remains one of my most favorite of all favorite classes, I'd say top 5.
Oh man if you want some strange history, this is the book for you. I started reading this one and its just crazy... people literally danced... to death. A real case of the jitterbug if you know what I mean...
NEW FEATURE NEW FEATURE NEW FEATURE!!!!
Ok, so I don't think this blog has enough going for it... I mean... I think I should give people more to read on a daily basis. So... Song of the day:
I think this song is amazing, I think this band is amazing... check them out.
I need to count how many books on the Middle Ages I own
So, this may be a quick since it is late and I have to get up early to go to the doctor. But, if I neglected the blog no one reads, I would feel bad.
I have alot of books on the Middle Ages. This is one of them. Its older and its more of a collection of primary sources, which is useful. Not something you read like a novel.
I probably picked it up at a used book store somewhere, or online knowing me.
The Middle Ages: Volume I: Sources of Medieval History
There are days I think about calling this blog... musings of a semi-social or less unsociable hermit. I guess it is because it is hard for me to explain to those who constantly adore the company of others that not everyone is the same way, or in my case... hey...sometimes I don't like people.
There are periods where I would much rather just sit at home, do my daily business, work, clean, do whatever...and not be bothered by anyone else (adam not included). There are days that I think he and I could live on top of a mountain 1k miles away from anyone else (as long as there is plenty of modern technology and an internet connection).
I have had this one for a while, didn't have to read it for a class, but used it.
The Confessions of Saint Augustine
This is a 1991 edition I picked up in a used bookstore somewhere in my travels. I used it as a source for a paper once, I know that and we read parts of it for a middle ages class I took many many moons ago.
And with This book ends the first shelf of my first bookcase. lol.
Not every book should be a joy to read, some books you should read to know more or to try to grasp something you cannot grasp. Genocide, concentration and death camps... I cannot fully understand the how...the ability of someone to completely obliterate an entire group of people... so I bought this one to read, to maybe understand what happened and why, or what these men were thinking, the ones who worked in the camps.
Tonight, while roasting a perfect chicken and enjoying a nice day off as a final break from the Christmas season working in retail, I pulled the next book off the shelf to find this little gem. Another book I had to read for a college class, and another book I enjoyed, it was very interesting. You can find copies of this everywhere and in different formats, pretty cheap... if you have never read it, do yourself a favor and get some insight into what life was like for a slave.
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl: Written by Herself
By: Harriet Jacobs
with related documents
Published: around 1857
My attempt at understanding this evil woman
Now I will admit it, I have no love for the woman above. She was a zealot, a murderess, and cold and calculating. She brought no advancement to England, she married an idiot who was just as much as a zealot, and she left England backwards and almost in ruin. But, that is a very biased opinion, and since I don't know a ton about her...and like nothing about her, I thought...I should read about her to ensure I dislike her. ;)
This is a newer bio of Mary and we shall see, I cannot see how I would ever like her.
But... on nook the book is only 13.99 and you have to start somewhere.
We brought in the New Year at my house in a rather boring fashion, going to bed a little after midnight and still kind of under the weather, especially since I infected Adam and he will now spend his long weekend recovering, poor thing. But, that being said, its nice to have some down time. I started my exercising again, a little and have been eating more than I should, but I am sick so oh well...
You know, when I get to a book of the day that I really like, I get overwhelmingly excited. So, when I looked up on the shelf and saw this title as my next selection, I smiled.
One of the best books I've read
To continue my obsession with the Great War, I will add yet another memoir about a soldier's experience in the midst of the chaos. Good-Bye to All That by Robert Graves is a beautiful and haunting book. Unlike the book I featured yesterday by Junger, this book was written by a writer and his language adds some horrific depth to the war experience. I will admit, the WWI class I took in college allowed me to read some of the most amazing books of my life and I cannot thank that professor enough, I do not know if anyone else who took those classes with me loved the books as much as I did, perhaps its my fascination with WWI itself, but this book, along with so many others I read during that class have crept into my top 25 list, I must say.
"London seemed unreally itself. Despite the number of uniforms in the streets, the general indifference to, and ignorance about, the War surprised me. Enlistment still remained
voluntary. The universal catch-word was 'Business as usual.'" -p 142
Good-Bye to All That
By: Robert Graves
Published: 1929
One of the places that Adam and I insisted on visiting when we went to England in May of last year was the Imperial War Museum. It was an amazing experience and we both enjoyed it because Adam and I both have a hankering for history, if you guys didn't already know. One of the most awesome (even if it was a bit cheesy) was the walk through the trenches display.
One of the best parts of the exhibit was the fact that the entire place smelled like gas lol. It was dark and loud and lights would flash out of nowhere... so it was rather creepy, nothing like the horrific reality of the millions of soldiers who found an early grave within them.
When the world is red and reeking, And the shrapnel shells are shrieking, And your blood is slowly leaking, Carry on.
When the broken battered trenches, Are like the bloody butchers' benches, And the air is thick with stenches, Carry on.
Since I post in the blog daily (usually) and I read the same book on the nook for days at a time, I am just going to start to do with my digital library what I do with my physical library and feature a book and tell you about it and how to get it if you are so inclined to do so....
This was one of the books I purchased with my Christmas money, and I have read about fifty pages of it. I have a fascination with the Crusades and the motivations and the ongoing struggle between the east and the west.
Title: The Crusades: The Authoritative history of the War for the Holy Land
Posts
