Today, is actually April 6th, 2003. This is late, and I have reached a conclusion that I've reached several times before but havn't truly done too much about. Okay, here it is: the internet is very addictive. Yep. There it is. Oh, yeah, and shcool is giving me next-to-nothing in the way of truly helpful literature (not that I've sought it out much in the past.)
Which also adds, I shall be giving 'snippet reviews' after each title and possibly longer add-ons, havn't decided how that is going to work yet. The idea is to get me to think what I gained from the time spent reading. Am I staying above average costs and all that nonsense I can barely remember.
'definately'-- something that is without a doubt, worth the time and effort to read for various reasons. Shall be given out with great discretion
'worth it' -- something that I find worth the time and effort (notice the emphasis).
'can live without it' (CLWI) which is good but not needed, usually something I read for fun, typically because it doesn't require too much thought. Science fiction ('SF') or just some fiction (F) both fall under this category a lot. If I was reading something categorized as 'political' I'll say so.
'In My Humble Opinion' (IMHO) isn't good at all--though usually I never finish those. It's something I either read b/c it was forced on me and I knew I couldn't BS my way through the explanation or I read and then continued to read out of sheer obstinance (doesn't happen often).
So, back to what I was saying before I interrupted myself with my vanity that anyone gives a damn what I think of the books I read...:) This year. I shall do something about my lack of consumption. My GOALS (dear lord, she does have some in her):
1)Read: "The Art of War", "Conflict of Visions", "The Republic", "The Trivium", "The Road to Serfdom", "Carnage and Culture", "A Study in Scarlett" and "The Crash Course Guide to Bonsai".
2) Spend a helluva lot less time on the net, just b/c.
3)'The' library, Dad's Library, half-priced book stores and garage sales (of generous, wonderful people like the woman who gave me over fifty dollars worth of books for like, $5--all Mercades Lackey and Anne McAffrey) are your friends.
January
"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte -- worth it, one of the few 'classics' that I can stomach
(--it would have been "Wuthering Heights" [--IMHO--] here too if I had read it like my English teacher wanted me to.)
February
"The Year 1000" By Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger -- worth it, relaxing to read
"Farenheight 451" by Ray Bradbury -- in the end, worth it.
"The Rowan" by Anne McAffrey -- SF,CLWI
March
(Never finished: "Going After Cacciato" by O'Brien -- F,CLWI. I personally didn't form much of a connection with it. I snuck a peek at the first few pages of someone else's copy of "The Things They Carried" and I find myself much more interested in actual reality than in an imaginary trip, though the book has its 'moments')
"Damia" by Anne McAffrey --SF,CLWI
"Arrows of the Queen", "Arrows Flight" and "Arrows Fall" by Mercedes Lackey -- good,F,CLWI Oooh, read the stuff that comes before this! More specifically, "Oath Bound" then "Oath Breakers", then the "Arrows" series though it crosses over with "By The Sword", and after that is Elspeth's own series. If you get hooked, you'd better have a darned good library.
"Shatter Glass" by Tamora Pierce -- good,F,CLWI
April
"By The Sword" by Mercades Lackey -- good,F,CLWI
"Savage Nation" by Michael Savage -- worth it, political, He is 'radical' by today's standards but he doesn't dance about with words, he illustrates very clearly why he thinks America is in danger of going from the 'melting pot' to the 'chamber pot'. Personally I enjoyed reading it .
Shall update further when the opportunity arrives