Links Galore

Not quite ready-for-prime-time -or-annotation bits and pieces from other blogs, tweets and e-mails:

• Don Camillo podcasts (via Cam)
• I tried so hard (add this to Inspector Gamache's four sentences to live by, "I’m sorry. I was wrong. I need help. I don’t know.")

#Reverb11: Final Round-up

The final #Reverb11 prompts - here are my responses:

Prompt 21: Space
Where do you feel most safe, most free to be yourself—where you let down your guard?
- Of course "at home" should be my first response but, well, it depends on who is at home with me. The Herd? The Things? Family? Friends? So it's not a real space, it's more a mental space created by the people I'm with.

Prompt 22: Mischief
What can you do to add a spark of mischief into your life?
- How do you define "mischief"? Is it akin to "playfulness" or is it more "trouble making"? Let's go with the former, in which case things like adding a streak of color to my hair (purple? dark blue? neon fuchsia?)... reviewing books that don't exist... skipping rather than walking... random acts of humorous kindness.


Prompt 23: Creativity
What was the most creative thing you did in 2011? How do you plan to use your creativity in 2012? (Note: creative does not always mean artistic. Think outside the box here. Get creative!)

- I did my Style Statement.  It's given me a sense of direction in terms of future acquisitions, future direction.  As my life continues to encounter change, having this as a compass is comforting and allows me to be a little more focused in how I approach things.

Prompt 24: Dream 
What crazy and wild dream was born in 2011?
- Born doesn't have to imply "realized", correct?  So let's go with minimalism, doing more with less but not sacrificing quality.  Ok, not so crazy or wild but it's a dream.


Prompt 25: Surprises
What was one thing that surprised you in 2011?
- Given the major changes in my life this past year, the biggest surprise was how little stress there's been.  Usually I'm awash in stress, with my body reacting in Very Bad Ways (ulcers, migraines, break-outs, GI issues, etc.) and now?  Not so much.  A very pleasant surprise indeed!

Prompt 26: Rituals
What ritual(s) would you like to introduce into your life?
- Daily silence, akin to Meeting... daily tea break (I drink a lot of tea, but to do this intentionally, with a sense of ritual not just "oh, I'm thirsty and cold")... a weekly meal with a friend

Guidelines for 2012

Over the years I've tried to make New Year's Resolutions and, well, like many people I've completely failed. And who likes failure? So then I tried Goals, which had a better success rate than Resolutions. This year I'm trying Guidelines.

Robin, over on What Canst Thou Say? is my guru on this; for 2012, her guiding words are wisdom, serenity, courage, discipline. What beautiful guides.

For me, those words resonate deeply, but I'm choosing "faith, wisdom, serenity".

• Faith because I need to trust that in life and God. To quote Robin: This is to help me remember that I am enough. That we are enough. That God is enough. I believe, Lord, help thou my unbelief.
• Wisdom to know myself and to hear that inner voice more clearly, rather than giving in to the pressures of the moment. 
• Serenity means practicing intentional slowness, decluttering my mind and surroundings so that distractions allow for inner peace, encouraging wisdom to emerge.

For those of you not comfortable with resolutions, try guidelines.  Let me know how you're doing.

Is there an editor in the house?

Let's play spot the homonym error.

For shame, NYT.

#Reverb11: Week Four

The fourth week of #Reverb11 prompts - here are my responses:

Prompt 13: Love
What are the things (or people or animals) in this world that you love the most?
- Obviously The Herd (and their predecessors) is practically tied for top spot; Thing One is right up there as well.  While I should say "my family" the problem is that there are members of my family that don't quite make the cut and since some people in my family read this blog discretion wins over a full list of Who's In and Who's Out.  Less tangible "things I love" are silence and solitude.

Prompt 14: Marvel 

What have you done well over the past year—the little stuff and the big stuff? How do you celebrate the positives?

- The big stuff would be my big decluttering project, as my life feels so much lighter both in terms of possessions and mental "stuff".  Little stuff includes not giving in to my inner hermit/recluse and celebrating my friendships, as well as the presentations and publications I've given professionally.  Collaborating with friends in both personal and professional areas of my life has given my soul much warmth.

Prompt 15: Fear 

The easiest way to overcome fear is to confront it. Rather than brainstorm ways to avoid your “fear,” shift your attention to the reasons for confronting your fear. What fear would you like to overcome in 2012?

- I'm a nester, most happy at home in bed snuggled with whichever members of The Herd want to join me.  Honestly, if bodily needs could be completely ignored, that's where I'd spend my life.  So my "fear" is that of moving around - to a new space, a new job, a new friend.  I'd like to be more comfortable with the unknown and new in 2012.

Prompt 16: Transitions 

Over the past year, have you experienced any major/minor life transitions? How has your life changed?

- Yes, both major and minor transitions.   There's been a Big Life Change that is still affecting my life and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  I'm quite at peace with it, and my "fear" (see above) is what the next Big life Change will be.  Minorly one could include the lessening of my physical possessions as I transition to a more simple, gratifying life.

Prompt 17: Bliss 

What are three things that make you feel the most blissed out? What can do in 2012 to invite more of that into your life?

- Cuddling with The Herd is such a bliss-filled experience (and those that study these things can attest to the serotonin released by interacting with a pet).  I'm also experiencing quite a high as I remove things from my life, be it physical items or digital "clutter".  Finally, spending time (including the silent gatherings of Meeting) with good people has been a joy that needs to be expanded on in the coming year - there are several gatherings already scheduled through mid-Feburary!

Prompt 18: Ordinary Sparkling Moments 

Reflect on the ordinary moments that bring you joy (e.g., the tea pot whistling, the sun setting). What moments would you like to relish in the coming year?

-  One that springs immediately to mind is "good food" - not a great meal, but the first bite of a crisp McIntosh apple in September or a hot cup of peppermint or jasmine tea on a cold afternoon.  The feel of warm sheets and pjs fresh from the dryer.  Unexpected thanks or acts of friendship. 

Prompt 19: Joy 

What does a joyful life look like for you?

- Let's turn that to "joy-filled": one with moments of deep friendships, good food, unexpected blisses mixed with times of silence and reflection.

Prompt 20: Community 
 Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2011? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2012?
- I've already blogged about the Surprising Moments of Joy that I've found with community, but wait - there's more!  As readers know, my sister is a very different person than I am, but reading this makes me a little envious of the community she (and her husband) have created:

While every week seems a bit much to me, a gathering like this once a month has such appeal!

A 2012 Reading Resolution

Way back in November, Shree posted abouther reading challenge plans for 2012. I'm not so organized, but I kept thinking about her post and there's one challenge I think I can actually do: The Read Your Own Books Challenge. What does it entail?

Rules:

• Starts January 1, 2012 and ends December 31, 2012
• Anyone can join
• You don’t have to have a blog to participate.
• Non-Bloggers feel free to share your list of books in the comment section of the monthly link up post.
• Reviews though not required are always nice.
• Audio, E-books, Bound all count
• Re-reads DO NOT count
• There is no need to come up with your list of books in advance.
• Challenge crossovers ok

Create a sign up post and link up in the linky below.

What qualifies for this challenge?:

Any book that you have personally purchased, been gifted, or swapped, BEFORE January 1, 2012 and just have not gotten the chance to read yet.

What DOES NOT qualify for this challenge?:

• Any book that has been purchased AFTER January 1, 2012.
• Any book that you have been asked to review
• Tour sites, Netgalley, GalleyGrab, etc.
• Library Books

Levels:
Level 1 – Read 1-5 Your Own Books
Level 2 – Read 6-10 Your Own Books
Level 3 – Read 11-20 Your Own Books
Level 4 – Read 21+ Your Own Books

Like Shree, I'm trying to kill Mt. Bookpile and make some room on my shelves so... LEVEL 4 it is.

Who's with me?  Aravis?  Jandy?  Anyone else?

2011 Year-end Reading Round-up

Counting down from last year's 3381 books left to read, I've got "only" 3131 more books to enjoy. What did I think about books I've read this past year? For lists, go here, here, here and here.

And here's the 2011 reading analysis (2010 numbers in parens):

number of books read in 2011: 250 (200)
best month: August/29 (July/37)
worst month: May/12 (September/7)
average read per month: 20.8 (16.6)
adult fiction as percentage of total:  21.2 (14.5)
children's/YA fiction as percentage of total: 54.4 (43)
mystery as percentage of total: 9.6 (11.5)
Advance Readers Copies:  (106) - to be updated later
books read that were published in 2011: 172
books that will be published in 2012: 15

Five star reviews: 18 (20)
One star reviews: 11 (6)

This is what I said last year: "200 books. A nice, neat, tidy number, but wholly unexpected. I'll be very surprised to repeat that feat in 2011. And since I added 184 books, Mt. Bookpile only shrank by a mere 16, leaving my goal of <300 for next year." HA!  What did I know?  250 books read (not matching Wendy's exhortation to read a book a day, but still not bad), and despite adding books, Mt. Bookpile is down to 290!

Given that my circumstances will change in 2012, 250 is optimistic, but we'll try for 200 and further reduction on Mt. Bookpile.

Oh, and if you're looking for other lists (and To Be Read inspiration), Sherry over at Semicolon has done an amazing job of collecting booklists and year-end-round-ups.  Go.  Make a list for your 2012 reading.  Enjoy.

Notes from Mt. Bookpile

Whew! What an amazing year of reading... and this quarter brought 60. Reviews in the usual place.

Biography/Memoir

• One Hundred Names for Love; Diane Ackerman
• The Artful Dodger; Nick Bantock
• The Merry Recluse; Caroline Knapp
• Catherine the Great; Robert K. Massie

Children's/Young Adult

• Mercy Lily; Lisa Albert
• Perfect Escape; Jennifer Brown
• 3:15 Season One; Patrick Carman
• The Way We Fall; Megan Crewe
• The Tsarina's Daughter; Carolly Erickson
• The Ruins of Gorlan; John Flanagan
• In Too Deep; Amanda Grace
• I'm Not Her; Janet Gurtler
• Switched; Amanda Hocking
• Tiger's Voyage; Colleen Houck
• Speak No Evil; Marilyn Kaye
• The Case of the Deadly Desperados; Caroline Lawrence
• Cinder; Marissa Meyer
• Boy21; Matthew Quick
• There Is No Dog; Meg Rosoff
• Born Wicked; Jessica Spotswood
• Double; Jenny Valentine
• Rock On; Denise Vega
• The Rivals; Daisy Whitney
• Beneath a Meth Moon; Jacqueline Woodson
• Life Eternal; Yvonne Woon
• How to Save a Life; Sara Zarr

Fiction/Literature

• The Darlings; Cristina Alger
• The 351 Books of Irma Arcuri; David Bajo
• The Sense of an Ending and Pulse; Julian Barnes
• The Doll; Daphne du Maurier
• Arcadia; Lauren Groff
• The Lola Quartet; Emily St. John Mandel
• The Saints of Swallow; Suzzy Roche
• Clearcut; Nina Shengold
• Gordon; Edith Templeton
• World's End and Other Stories; Paul Theroux
• Brooklyn; Colm Toiben
• Mooncranker's Gift; Barry Unsworth

Mystery

• Speak Ill of the Living; Mark Arsenault
• Ripley Under Ground and The Talented Mr Ripley; Patricia Highsmith
• The Betrayal of Trust; Susan Hill
• Harbor; John Ajvide Lindqvist
• The Invisible Ones; Stef Penney
• We Shall Not Sleep; Anne Perry
• The Athenian Murders; Jose Carlos Somoza

Non-Fiction
The Road to Petra; D.C. Baramki
Mysteries of the Middle Ages; Thomas Cahill
The Perils of Peace; Thomas D. Fleming
Exploring Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials; Lois H. Gresh
The Story About the Story; J.C. Hallman
Sympathy for the Devil; Virginia A. McConnell
Living With Ghosts; Prince Michael of Greece
A Train in Winter; Caroline Moorehead
The Filter Bubble; Eli Pariser

Poetry

• Famous; Kathleen Flenniken

Science Fiction/Fantasy

• The Magician King; Lev Grossman
• Snuff; Terry Pratchett

Suspense

• Folly; Laurie R. King
• The Night Lawyer; Michelle Spring

Surprising Moments of Joy

My sense of myself is not of someone who has many friends.  That's not to say I'm a loser/loner, but that my natural state is to have a few people that I'm friends with outside work and then a bunch of people at work with whom I'm friendly.  This past year has taught me that perhaps that's not quite the case!

There has been a Big Life Change, a Massive Disruption if you will.  While part of me embraced this as being a much needed change, part of me was (is) quite nervous and scared.  Those surprising moments of joy?  The incredible number of people who have been supportive and who at times saved me from my worst inner demons.  So here is a list, in no particular order, of all those who have shared a good meal, offered advice/comfort/support, provided a laugh or otherwise brought joy into my life:

Ellysa, mk, Amy, Kath, Wendy, Lucia, Jo, Suzy, Marion, James, Jack, Flavia, Julie, Jean, Kevin, Michael, Waits, Phil, Mac, Danny, Bill, Cate, Thomas, Amelia, Carol, Robert, Julia, Alice, Lisa, Betty, Philip, Elizabeth, Heather, Anne Marie, Jo, Angela, Steve, Ted, Charlotte, Caroline, Rayona, Gail, Karli, Renee, Dave, Susan, Clara, Jen, Rowena, Daryl, Yapha, Karen, Liz, Maya, Francey, Carla, Buffy, Deb, Connie, Chuck, Karen, Diana, Rudy, Tobe, Alex, Cece, Beth, Brendan, Jonathan, Cathy and Terry

Here's to many more such moments, and my hope you all have been as blessed with friendship as I am.

#Reverb11: Week Three

The third week of #Reverb11 prompts - here are my responses:

Prompt 8: Limits
We often learn our limits the hard way. Were there any limits you realized this past year? Alternately, what self-imposed limits were you able to move beyond this year?
- I'm not sure that I realized any new limits this year, but I have become more aware of the limits to my energy levels, my ability to deal with unreasonable people and desire for a cluttered life. As for moving beyond, perhaps clutter isn't a limit, per se, but moving towards a simpler, "loser"-oriented life definitely is.

Prompt 9: Superpower
If you were a superhero, what would your power be?
- This is not a "superpower" but I'd like to have some artistic talent. Even being able to sing on-key feels like it requires powers far beyond me!


Prompt 10: Soul Food
How do you nourish your soul? What activities are essential nutrients for your soul’s well-being?
- It's axiomatic that cuddling with The Herd feeds my soul. Beyond that: spending time with "family" (those related to me and those relatives-by-choice). choosing to eat (drink) only quality food (or drink). Meeting and silence. reading curled up in front of my fireplace.

Prompt 11: Anticipation
What is the one thing that you are most looking forward to in 2012?
- Moving on to whatever the next phase in my life is (those of you that know me IRL will understand that one).

Prompt 12: Mistakes
It’s easy to focus on our mistakes—to reflect with 20/20 hindsight and berate ourselves for what went wrong. Bring your awareness to a mistake you’ve made over the past year. Unveil one positive lesson from that mistake. How can you actively use this lesson moving forward?
- Not moving past a relationship that wasn't working; my not finding a positive way to do this has (I believe) hurt the other person, which I feel guilty about because that wasn't the intention. The lesson? That dealing with those with whom I feel anger/hurt/resentment/irritation/etc towards still demands grace and thoughtfulness on my part. And I intend to try to make amends now, as well as being more aware in the future.