the ABCs of this here bookworm

Age: 27

Bed size: queen.

Chores that you hate: All of them - if I had to pick just one, it would be laundry.

Dogs: I love them! and I have two: Scout Pants and Watson Bean, who frequent my instragram account frequently (racheleff)

Essential to start your day: Feeding my dogs happens before everything else or they go bonkers until it happens.

Favorite color: grey and purple

Gold or silver: silver

Height: 5'7

Instruments you play: I can't play any instruments. I used to play the flute (about 15 years ago)

Job title: Registered Nurse, ya'll

Kids: Ew no thanks. Some of my friends have kids and they are okay. I don't like kids enough to spend more than a few hours with many of them.

Live: what.

Mother's name: Brenda.

Nicknames: Rach, Rachem, Rachemface, Rachies, The Rachies, Mitch

Overnight hospital stays: I had to stay overnight a couple times as a kid (once for Scarlet Fever and once for pneumonia). Not too shabby.

Pet peeves: Right now, the pet peeve of the day is lack of assertiveness amongst my peers. Get your shit done, idiots.

Quote from a movie or TV show: "Bye, bye, Lil Sebastian."

Right or lefty: Right

Siblings: I have a full-sister and two-half brothers.

Time you wake up: If I am working - 0600. If I am off, usually 0800.

Underwear: Aerie from American Eagle. So comfortable!

Vegetable you hate: CELERY

What makes you run late: Usually the only time I am late is when either I can't get Cobra to come inside (which is often, I just stopped arguing with her about it) or when Devin makes me late (and we are only ever late to movies, usually only enough to miss previews)

X-rays you've had: teeth, spine, chest/lungs, right shoulder, right hip, right ankle (all at different times).

Yummy food you make: I make a mean asparagus risotto.

Zoo animal: Camels and giraffes. I like the long necks.

2012 So Far (bookwise)

January:
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies

February:
The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee
The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery
Sloppy Seconds: The Tucker Max Leftovers

March:
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Little Children by Tom Perrotta

April:
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by Steve Dublanica

Which brings us to May!

Right now I'm reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosney and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. I should have Cutting for Stone read by next Thursday - it's for book club and Sarah's Key has been a quick enough read I might have that done shortly after that! Both of those books are a couple more for the Modern Fiction category for the Mixing It Up Challenge - which puts me at a LOT of books for Modern Fiction.

I need to still hit the following categories:

Crime & Mystery
Horror
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Travel
Science & Natural History
Social Sciences & Philosophy

But I might ditch the Horror section entirely. I've been trying to read In Broad Daylight about that sociopath from Missouri who was gunned down in the middle of town in the middle of the day with no witnesses (crazy, right?!), but they go through all of that jerk's wrongdoings/law-breaking first and it gives me the creeps. I don't know if I want to keep reading horror-type stuff if I'm home alone!

Also - I want to read 40 books this year and I have only read 11. According to goodreads, I am 2 books behind schedule. Hrumph.

“Life is an experiment in which you may fail or succeed. Explore more, expect least.” - Santosh Kalwar

I am exploring more. Thanks to instragram, I am photographing more of my explorations in a hip, trendy way. What can I say, I'm a sucker for new photos that look old. Two weeks ago, Lauren met a horse named Smoke. She introduced us. Now he and I friends.

Two weeks ago, Lauren and I also ventured to Iowa. More specifically, we ventured to the wonderful town of Des Moines, Iowa. Niether of us had ever been to Iowa until two weeks ago!

When were in Des Moines, we went to a restaurant called the Zombie Burger + Drink Lab. We got burgers and milkshakes and these really delicious garlic french fries. I slipped and skinned my knee right out front. Ahh, memories.

That's really all of the exploring I have done lately. Hopefully the rest of the year will also be filled with wandering explorations, but in the meantime, I can appreciate the beauty of the park down the street.

Or the beauty in my own backyard.

(Of course I posted a picture of my dog. He's gorgeous.)

Paddle Your Own Canoe

I LOVE the NBC TV show Parks & Recreation. I think it is way too funny for its own good (a good thing) and I am always looking forward to watching it Friday evening online (we don't have any TV channels through our TV and have to watch them online. If this service were to disappear, I would be a little upset and then cave and get TV channels again).

Here is a song, written by Andy Dwyer (who is played by Chris Pratt) and performed by his band, MouseRat, about a beloved little horse (Lil Sebastian) from Pawnee, who passes away. It is amazing.

routine update

I have been going to the gym frequently. If I'm not going to the gym, I am trying to do other active stuff. Devin and I went on a hike by his parents' house the other day and hung out in the woods for a while.



I started taking one picture every day so I can make a little slideshow/video at the end of the year (I will actually finish it on March 6, 2013 - one year from when I started). It can be kind of hard to remember, especially after I work 12 hours.

I'm working on reading a few different books right now. Waiter Rant, Generation Me, and Lamb. I need to start These Things Hidden for book club pretty soon too.

Tons of reading, tons of activity, and (when it isn't raining like it has been for the last 3 days) tons of sunshine! I love springtime!

Hosting a Book Club!

So a few months ago, my friend Ashley approached me to join in a book club. She said she has enough friends who like to read and like to talk about books, so she decided she would get some of her friends (from all different sectors of her life) together and we could talk about books!

We've read 3 books so far - today is our fourth book! - and had a pretty good time. I'm hosting it tonight with We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee and treats! Oh the treats!

I made super easy cheesecake, cake batter cookies (with sprinkles!), and beer/cheese dip. When it gets closer to starting time I am going to whip up some garlic chicken bites and spinach/feta bites.

Now I just have to finish cleaning my house and tucker out my dogs so they aren't too terribly annoying!

Mixing-It-Up Details

Ok - so I am yanking this right off of Musings of a Bookshop Girl's blog post regarding her Mixing-It-Up Reading Challenge.

The reason I want to participate is that I often get stuck in a rut with my reading. I want to read 40 books this year, and without something to inspire me (other than Book Club) to read something other than my usual, I won't. I will stick to fiction (which is strange, because the first year I did a 50-Book reading challenge I mostly read non-fiction). The problem with sticking to fiction is that I will most likely only stick to the fiction that I know. I NEED TO TRAVEL (both in reading and in real life). One of my resolutions is to travel more, so here I am. And Musings' challenge is helping me!

If her bookshop wasn't halfway around the world I would totally stop in with a thank you note personally. But it is. And while I want to travel this year, I don't quite have the funds to make it to the UK. Bummer, dude.

1. CLASSICS: This can be any classic work, from Alcott to Zola. Always fancied trying Great Expectations, or finally feel like tackling Jane Eyre? Now's your chance! From the fun to the frightening, the gentle satire to the all-out swashbuckling epic, there are hundreds of years' worth of books to choose from.

2. BIOGRAPHY: This can be modern or historical, biography or autobiography. From the latest celebrity autobiography to an academic biography of Henry VIII - it all counts! Perhaps you fancy a book on your favorite classic movie star, athlete or musician.
Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip - Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by Steve Dublanica
The Only Girl in the Car by Kathy Dobie
Employee of the Month & Other Big Deals by Mary Jo Pehl
Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas

3. COOKERY, FOOD AND WINE: Ideas for this one range from a delectable cookery book to a food memoir (like Nigel Slater's Toast or Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential), a book on wine to the history of marmalade.

4. HISTORY: More scope to indulge a whole range of interests here, including local history, military history or world history. It might be a biography of Anne Boleyn, a book on World War II aircraft, a study of the American civil war, or something with a much smaller focus, like Bill Bryson's At Home or Mark Kurlansky's Salt: A World History. Whatever floats your boat!
Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies
1 Dead In Attic by Chris Rose

5. MODERN FICTION: This covers literary and popular fiction, so you can't really go wrong with this one. From Sophie Kinsella to Haruki Murakami, Wilbur Smith to Isabel Allende, Jenny Colgan to Kate Mosse, you should be able to find something to fit your tastes!
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Little Children by Tom Perrotta
These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The House of Velvet & Glass by Katherine Howe\
Heft by Liz Moore

6. GRAPHIC NOVELS AND MANGA: This will be an entirely new genre for me, but I'm looking forward to hitting the library to see what all the fuss is about! First on my 'to check out' list will be Neil Gaiman's Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes and Alan Moore's V for Vendetta.

7. CRIME AND MYSTERY: This category will cover everything from the genteel Agatha Christie and the scrummy Hannah Swensen Mysteries by Joanne Fluke, through Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson, to the gruesome forensics of Martina Cole and Val McDermid. You could even delve into some gritty true crime if that's more your style.
The Likeness by Tana French
Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten

8. HORROR: One for Hallowe'en, perhaps! Maybe a modern writer like Stephen King or James Herbert, or you could turn to the classics with Edgar Allen Poe or the ghostly writings of M.R. James? Some YA novels would also fit into this category - Darren Shan, or Lindsey Barraclough's Long Lankin - but no paranormal romance!

9. ROMANCE: I'd say the cheesier the better for this one, but it's up to you! Mills and Boon, paranormal romance, chick lit fluff, whatever. Personally I'll be browsing our Mills and Boon shelf at the shop and pulling out the trashiest title I can find! :)

10. SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY: Again, plenty of scope here. From the hilarious characters of Terry Pratchett's Discworld to Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings, Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries to Frank Herbert's Dune, you can go modern or classic, and pick from any number of sub-genres.
All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

11. TRAVEL: The world is your oyster, as it were! Maybe you're going somewhere interesting on holiday and want to read up on it first? Rough Guides, Lonely Planet guides, that kind of thing. You could pick a Bill Bryson (always popular) or choose a book on a particular city, country or continent, like Francesco da Mosto's Venice or one of Michael Palin's books. Then there are all the delectable memoirs by people who've moved abroad and opened a taverna/olive farm/vineyard!

12. POETRY AND DRAMA: This could be a novelty collection of limericks, a collection by a particular poet, or if that sounds a bit daunting, a single, longer narrative poem. How about 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', 'Hiawatha' or 'The Waste Land'? My particular favourite is probably Christina Rossetti's 'Goblin Market', which is more like a simple fairytale that just happens to rhyme. Or you could choose a play - how about Ibsen, Miller, Shakespeare or the brilliantly witty Wilde?

13. JOURNALISM AND HUMOUR: This one might take a little more thinking about, but it should be a bit of fun! Journalism collections can range from Nick Hornby's Shakespeare Wrote for Money to Marian Keyes's Under the Duvet, Jeremy Clarkson's The World According to Clarkson to Bill Bryson's Notes from a Big Country. Anything that's been published in a newspaper or magazine first! Humour could be a book of cartoons, a novelty joke book or The Wicked Wit of Oscar Wilde!
The Good Good Pig by Sy Montgomery
Sloppy Seconds: The Tucker Max Leftovers by Tucker Max
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
Employee of the Month & Other Big Deals by Mary Jo Pehl
I Suck At Girls by Justin Halpern

14. SCIENCE AND NATURAL HISTORY: Again, this one throws the doors wide open for you to follow your interests. Always fancied learning more about space? Are you curious about the life of Charles Darwin? Or got a lifelong love for a particular animal? There are some wonderful 'popular science' books around too, including things like The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, David Attenborough's natural history books, and the entire works of the brilliantly funny Mary Roach.

15. CHILDREN'S AND YOUNG ADULT: This leaves the way open for pretty much anything, whether it's reading The Hungry Caterpillar or The Magical Faraway Tree to your kids, revisiting the joys of The Secret Garden or Treasure Island, or devouring something from the modern tide of YA. Lots of dystopian fiction, coming-of-age novels and supernatural shenanigans to choose from!
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

16. SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PHILOSOPHY: Another wide area! Books on society and women (Female Chauvinist Pigs, Living Dolls), books on society and children (Toxic Childhood, Nurtureshock), books on how television and the internet are affecting our lives, Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World, books on Freud or Marx...

I plan on reading at least one book from all of the categories that I put in bold. The categories that I don't plan on reading up on are simply that way because I am not a big fan of smoochy romances or Manga. We'll see!