What an amazing winter. This past week began with snow, progressed to 60 degree temperatures by Friday, and now is ending gray, rainy, and dismal. As many others do, I find myself emotionally tied to the weather. Not in the sense that I get depressed when its dreary, etc. With me the weather brings strong emotional reactions which also frequently involve books. If its snowing I feel almost overwhelmed with the desire to read a book while cuddled up in my favorite blanket with a cup of hot chocolate. If it is raining I feel the same way sans hot chocolate. Sunny? Good day to sit outside and read. Those feelings often stay with me all day even if I’m not able to act on them. I remember as a teenager that I read a lot. I grew up in a small Nebraska town and books were often an enjoyable escape, especially during those emotionally/hormonally weird teenage years. Because of this I think I have emotional images burned in memory of how good it felt to be lost in a book. I love weather, period, and I really think alot of this has to do with being a reader. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Does anyone else have certain books or genres of books that they only want to read during certain times of the year? I’ve read Dracula many times but only during the fall/winter. Most horror feels like cold, rainy weather reading to me. Spring brings the desire for good fantasy and summer is definitely Wodehouse weather. Now its not that I don’t read these types of books at other times but I still associate the feeling of these seasons when I read them. Movies are the same way. Am I the only one who thinks the Lord of the Rings trilogy feels like winter viewing? The movies were all released in December and the extended edition DVD’s were November releases so I cannot get away from associating them with winter.
I didn’t mean to get this carried away, I only intended to comment on our weird Kansas City weather. Comments, as always, are welcomed and encouraged.
I hate reading.
How sad for you! I thought you enjoyed ‘Princess Bride’….of course that was…how many years ago? 2?
lol, that is about the last time I read a book all the way through. It was a great book. I don’t remember any of it, though.
I need to make you read the first story (more of a short story) about the Stainless Steel Rat so you can understand why I love it so much. Its only 125 pages. Great fun!
Any pictures?
No, but there’s no shortage of buxom babes.
I hardly remember what it’s like to read for pleasure any more.
I did read Jurassic Park during a thunderstorm. There was also a storm
in the book, and I realized that I’d curled up on the couch to protect
myself from the compys. The storm created a vivid tie-in to real life.
You’ll get to read for pleasure again someday…school won’t last forever!
I have about zero time for pleasure reading (I’m currently enjoying the rapture of the AAMT Book of Style for med transcriptionists), but I did watch “Chocolat” again and it really felt like a good movie for this time of year. If I had to pick any book off my shelves right now, it would be “Flowers for Algernon.” Still one of my all time favourites!
Chocolat is so excellent, such a perfectly done movie.
there are so many new books coming out constantly, that i find it hard to find time to revisit old books.. save the narnia series, and other short, easy reads.
I read Jurassic Park. What a fantastic book!
It didn’t have any pictures, though. 🙁
I’m have to admit that I’m a bad sci-fi and fantasy fan. I’ve only read half of the Narnia series and have only read The Hobbit and half of Fellowship in the LOTR series….I suppose I should turn in my ‘geek’ card 🙂
Both series were great, I just took a break and never got back to them.
yes.. and the narnia series are even children’s books! talk about easy to read! lol.. can’t say the same about lotr..
i recommend you try to read the narnia series again!
If I read it’s almost always in the summer. I read alot growing up in the country. We didn’t have air conditioning so there was no point to staying inside. There was no cable TV , so I was either riding my bike around our land or swinging and reading. Thinking about it makes me remember the sound of the breeze blowing in the trees and the smell of the dusty gravel road and the book The Mouse and the Motorcycle!
During the summer when I spend alot of time swinging my kids on their swingset, I’ll end up with a book in my hand reading and pushing them!! I don’t have much free time other than that to relax and read!
No free time? Why? 🙂 What will be fun is when your kids are at the age that they can sit and listen to longer stories as it gives a great excuse to read some of the excellent children’s books that are out. The one I just reviewed, Once Upon a Marigold, would be so much fun to read aloud just because its funny and cute and doesn’t really have any dull moments. I was thinking about your girls when I wrote that because Tori will soon be past the age when she’ll want to be read to…..and that’s really sad.
You can read to me anytime.
You got it, baby
All right, I’m really grossed out by the last two comments and may have to take this site off my favorites!! Just kidding. Remember a long long long time ago when you bought me Dracula? Well, I decided to finally start reading it. I will keep you posted on how it goes!
Wow! What a hot topic (for a hot guy – I had to say that since he is my spousal unit).
Seriously, I love to read good children’s literature especially when I come across
a good author. I also must revisit my childhood favorites several times a year. I love the
Chronicles of Narnia (Aslan is the best) and must admit that reading the “Long Winter” by
Laura Ingalls Wilder still makes me feel cold, hungry, and chapped (from all the terrible twisting
of the hay for fuel…but I digress).
There are so many layers of understanding when you go back and read these books as an adult.
Even though it made a great impression, I pick up more insight each time I read To Kill a Mockingbird.
Have you read it, Carl?
Very funny! You know I somehow passed American Literature class as a junior in high school without reading either The Great Gatsby or To Kill a Mockingbird, both books we tested over. Very odd. I didn’t cheat off anyone because I was the only one in the class…a self study class.
Abby, its about time! Dracula is one of the greatest books ever written. So many people just write it off as horror because of the millions of bad movies that have been made but its such a great piece of literature. The men and women are so heroic in their struggles against this monster that they’ve discovered and the way Stoker writes is just amazing. I’ve read several of his other novels and, with the exception of Lair of the White Worm, they were all excellent.
The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird are classics! I DID actually have to read both in American Lit at good ol’ MHS (note the sarcasm) & I’ve seen both as movies! I actually had to do a project on The Great Gatsby, which I still have if you ever want to check it out! I loved To Kill a Mockingbird so much that I have actually considered naming my first daughter Scout (no Mary I’m not “with child”)!
Geez Carl, did you ever think you would receive so many comments on one topic? You should start a book club.
Neither one of those books have ever appealed to me on any level. Don’t really know why. I did really enjoy other books were were required to read at MHS (Madison High School, Madison, Nebraska…go Dragons!): A Farewell to Arms, Of Mice and Men, Macbeth, A Tale of Two Cities…they were all great!
i don’t know where else to ask this, since my blog just went down (somehow half of my template got erased).. so sorry, i’m asking this here, but may i ask where you bought your domain name from?
since i have to completely redo my site anyway, i’m thinking of starting from scratch with my own site.
James (jimmyshouse.com) actually bought my name for me at register.com. I’m hosting off a friend of his who has some really good prices. I think its ravenhosting.com but I’ll check on that. James seems to think you could get your blog hosted their for $5/month. We can recommend you also to see if that will keep the price low. I’m using WordPress for my software. My email is carl@stainlesssteeldroppings.com if you have any other questions. I won’t be available most of the day but if you send me an email with your email address I’ll get you all the info I can and we’ll help you out if you need it.
i just emailed ya! thanks so much!
Okay, I’ll try to get back with you later tonight or early in the morning. Sorry for the delay but work…and then of course, Constantine, calls…
Check out this website:
http://www.savetoby.com
Sick but funny – kind of.
This site and mine (and about 3 others I run) are all hosted at Raven Web Hosting. I would bet that the 2/200 plan for $7.95/mo would work great for you Chick. The software Carl and I use is free and I will be glad to help you set up your database. Just let us know.
Wow, I can’t believe it but http://www.scifichick.com isn’t taken at all. Go to http://www.register.com and sign up for an account and purchase that thing quick! That thing should cost you $35.00 for a whole year. Purchase that web address and do NOT sign up for anything else. Don’t sign up for register.com to host your site. Don’t sign up for email accounts or anything. You will get all of that through Raven.
Abby, I thought Mike was going to post a book related question here. Tell him to get on it! He might get much better advice from others besides me.
http://www.pairnic.com offers lower pricing on domains. $19 for one year or you can do five years for $65. That includes custom DNS.
I am embarking on a long journey in a few months and have decided to try this reading thing everyone seems to be ranting and raving about. I know how to read but my reading level is probably not much greater then a five year old. Just Kidding. Any suggestions on a good and interesting book?
and MHS is no match for NCHS! Go Knights!
“www.pairnic.com offers lower pricing on domains. $19 for one year or you can do five years for $65. That includes custom DNS.”
As long as you aren’t forced to host the site with them and it is easy to change DNS servers.
You are not forced to host with them (my blog is on TypePad) and it is very easy to change the DNS settings.
thanks all! i’ll check it out! (and get back to you, james & carl)
on godaddy.com, it says it only costs $8.95/yr, are there any catches with these?
what about yahoo? to just register the domain, $4.98/yr… and $11.95/yr with web hosting starter.
too many options!
(and sorry to hijack your thread, carl!.. feel free to delete prior comments. lol)
oops.. meant $11/mo.. but if i register with yahoo, i dont know if i can switch hosting?
“When you choose to use an existing domain name with Yahoo! Small Business services, we ask you to contact your current registrar to change your name servers to Yahoo! Small Business’s name servers. This allows us to host your domain name.
Note: Modifying your name servers to Yahoo! Small Business’s doesn’t mean that your domain name is managed by our registrar. If you change your name servers, your domain is still managed by your original registrar and you will continue to pay your annual registration renewal fees to them.
With the Yahoo! Domains product, we also allow you to modify your name servers so that you can continue managing your domain name through us, but have your domain hosted elsewhere. ”
… sounds like i can have another host?
Yes it does.
It is always good to check that. I have seen people register their names with companies that don’t give you the ability to change your dns severs without their assistance. I’m sure you are safe with yahoo.
Just know that the full fee to register a domain name is $35.00. If you find somewhere that lets you register for less then they are paying the difference. A lot of the time there is a catch or at least they are praying you will host your site with them to recover some of the registration cost.
That is why I use Register.com. With them I know for 100% sure I have complete control over my domain.
thanks for the info!
scifichick.com is now mine! 😀 i spent $10/2yrs.
i’m sure i’ll be getting with you soon if i have any questions with that hosting.
thanks again all!