Sunday, March 22, 2015

The Storybook of Misused Words

I have been absolutely swamped all week, and I've just emerged from the comma mines to see that I'm late with my weekly blog post.

So here's my version of the handwave-y "I haven't had time to blog" blog post.



From The Storybook of Misused Words
 "A Story about the Difference Between Weary and Wary"

The goose-girl standing by the lake, trying to catch a glimpse of the Fish Prince, was wary of the nearby huntsman holding a giant ax above his head. But the huntsman was weary. His arms were very tired from holding the giant ax.

“My, what a big ax you have,” said the goose-girl, warily.

“All the better to. . . .” began the huntsman wearily before stopping himself. “No. Actually, a tree sprite cursed me to carry the ax like this until people on the Internet learn the difference between words.”

"How wearisome," said the goose-girl.

"Yes, I will beware of all such creatures in future," said the huntsmen, as he stepped into a wherry and rowed away.
 

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Reading Challenge 2015 Update (March)



A few weeks ago, I mentioned the PopSugar Reading Challenge. I thought I'd give a quick update on my progress. Note that while I count each challenge as separate, sometimes a book will meet multiple challenges.

  1. A book with more than 500 pages
    The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach, 512 p.
  2. A classic romance
  3. A book that became a movie
  4.  A book published this year
  5.  A book with a number in the title 
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by
G. Willow Wilson, et al.

      6. A book written by someone under 30 
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

       7. A book with nonhuman characters  
 
Bone: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith

       8. A funny book
       9. A book by a female author 
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by
G. Willow Wilson, et al.

       10. A mystery or thriller  
The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon

       11. A book with a one-word title
       12. A book of short stories
       13. A book set in a different country 
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo

       14. A nonfiction book  
Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas by various

       15. A popular author’s first book
       16. A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet     
Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang

       17. A book a friend recommended   
In the Open by Beatrix Gates

       18. A Pulitzer-Prize winning book
       19. A book based on a true story  
Gaijin: American Prisoner of War by Matt Faulkner (Since "a memoir" and "nonfiction" are both separate challenges, I'm taking "based on a true story" to mean something more like "inspired by a true story.")

       20. A book at the bottom of your to-read list
       21. A book your mom loves
       22. A book that scares you
       23. A book more than 100 years old
       24. A book based entirely on its cover
Mister Orange by Truus Matti (Having read the book, I love this cover even more. It perfectly combines so many elements from the story.)

       25. A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t
       26. A memoir

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

       27. A book you can finish in a day     
Return of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann and Janet Lee

       28. A book with antonyms in the title
       29. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit
       30. A book that came out the year you were born
       31. A book with bad reviews
       32. A trilogy
       33. A book from your childhood
       34. A book with a love triangle
       35. A book set in the future
       36. A book set in high school 
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by
G. Willow Wilson, et al.

       37. A book with a color in the title
Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Andrés Vera Martínez and Na Liu

       38. A book that made you cry
       39. A book with magic
How Mirka Met a Meteorite by Barry Deutsch (Magic is not explicitly mentioned, but a witch turns a meteorite into a person, so I'm saying it's close enough.)

       40. A graphic novel 
Bone: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith

       41. A book by an author you’ve never read before 
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 1: No Normal by
G. Willow Wilson, et al.

       42. A book you own but have never read  
The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon

       43. A book that takes place in your hometown
       44. A book that was originally written in a different language
Mister Orange by Truus Matti, trans. from the Dutch by Laura Watkinson

       45. A book set during Christmas
Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas by various

       46. A book written by an author with your same initials
       47. A play
       48. A banned book
       49. A book based on or turned into a TV show
       50. A book you started but never finished

That's twenty-two down, twenty-eight to go. (I see that I've left a number of the difficult challenges for later.) How are your reading goals for the year going?


Images from Hachette Book Group, Comixology, MacMillan, Comixology, Comixology, HarperColllins, Random House, IndieBound, beatrixgates.blogspot.com, Disney Publishing Worldwide, Enchanted Lion Books, MacMillan, Archaia, Comixology, Lerner Publishing, Abrams Books, Comixology, Comixology, Enchanted Lion Books, and IndieBound (in that order).