The Shining

I finished. Yes, it's the last day, but I finished. I'm not going to do a detailed, well-thought out post. I'm just going to throw up some of my initial thoughts on finishing so I can read the much better posts written by everyone else. 

• This book grabbed me from the start, but lost steam rather quickly. It suffers from the same issue as most of King's books (in my opinion)--there's too much back story, and it takes too long to get going. Also, too many words.
• The last 100 pages flew by, but up until then, I struggled. Every time I sat down to read it over the past week, I fell asleep within a few pages.
• I struggle with reading about physical abuse so right from the outset I was feeling a little uncomfortable.
• I think it's tough to get into a book when I don't care about the main characters. I despised Jack. He reminded me of Nick from Gone Girl. I didn't want to be in his head and hear how he really felt about women. It made me feel dirty.
• I understand that times were different, but I guess I can't see why Wendy would stay with a man who broke her child's arm. Lack of control and alcoholism do not a responsible husband and father make. You know? Why not walk away and find a job? She didn't have to go and live with her mom to get away.
• I was super pissed when I thought that Dick Halloran went all that way only to die before he could help in any way. So glad that I was wrong. 
• I will not watch the movie because I am a wimp, but I'd imagine that it's much scarier than the book because for whatever reason, it didn't freak me out.
• Lastly, I just wanted to show you the cover below (I found it while looking at librarything) because it is probably one of the stupidest covers I've ever seen. So subtle. Ha.

This readalong was brought to you by the wonderful Jill over at Fizzy Thoughts. Can't wait for the next one. Under the Dome anyone?

Classics Club Spin List

I have been slacking on my classics lately (and blogging, but shhh...we won't speak of that). Well, the Classics Club hosting a Classics Spin. You list 20 classics from your list and post it. On Monday February 18, they'll announce the number, and you read the book that corresponds with that number on your list by April 1. Easy, right? I'm super busy with work in March so I'm going to cheat and post mostly easy and short ones. I have to be reasonable. I won't have the time or concentration necessary to read Don Quixote, you know?

1. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
2. Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
3. The Master and the Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
4. My Antonia by Willa Cather
5. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
6. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
7. The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
8. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
9. Howards End by E. M. Forster
10. The Wind and the Willows by Kenneth Graham
11. Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
12. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
13. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
14. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
15. 1984 by George Orwell
16. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
17. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
18. The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
19. Night by Elie Wiesel
20. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Two Chunkster Readalongs

I know I've said this before, but it is true--I'm so weak when it comes to readalongs. If I see one from a blogger I know, I just can't resist. It's so fun reading in groups.

The first is the Bleak House Read-a-long hosted by Jenny of Jenny Loves to Read. I haven't read any Dickens this year, and as I'm a big fan of 'ol Charlie, that's a shame. This end of the year effort will rectify that. I have the book on my kindle, but I purchased the Simon Vance narration of it on Audible so that will probably be my, go-to format.

The second is The Count of Monte Cristo Readalong hosted by Estella Society. I received the lovely Penguin Classics edition for my birthday the day before this readalong announcement was posted. It was serendipitous. How could I not join? 

I'm hoping to fit in a few other books during this time, but I'd imagine that these two will keep me pretty busy. Also, I've officially decided to give up on my two challenges this year. I don't want to read the books I selected right at this moment, and forcing myself to do so will probably make me hate those books. And who wants to hate books? I certainly don't and they are books that I'm sure to enjoy if I read them when I'm ready.

So, what are your reading plans through the end of the year? Are you joining in any readalongs or reading what suits your mood?

Reading My Own Books

I have a serious problem, and I blame it all on book blogging. I never used to buy books (I had strict rules for purchasing--had to have already read, and plan to re-read), and now I can't seem to help myself. My book shelves are now double stacked and I'm moving across the ocean in July. We have a limited amount of weight that we can take, and as you all know (from lugging them in your purses) they are HEAVY. (We also bought a piano while here so that's part of the problem. Whoops.)

Enter Michelle of my books. my life. She mentioned on her blog that she was going to read her own books through the end of the year, and made the lovely button above (I'm a sucker for activities with cool buttons). So here I am, committing to read my own books through the end of the year. I will not be checking out any more books from the library (with the exception of audio). I will try to get through some of the books on my overstuffed shelves (before they topple off and bury alive one of my children). This way the books that I don't intend to re-read can find a new home.

I have some good ones on the shelf that I'm really looking forward to reading.

What are your shelves like? I don't think I'm the only one with this problem. Please tell me I'm not alone!

RIP VII Wrap-Up

I'm now home from the annual trick-or-treating with the kids. I tried to sneak some of their candy, but they were having none of that (they didn't have anything that great so I'll just sneak out my Green & Black's dark chocolate after they go to sleep). Now they're slipping into sugar comas. Well, not actually, the boys are watching the Chelsea v. Manchester United match. With one Chelsea fan and one Man U fan, we always end up with one sad boy.

Enough of the rambling, and on to the book talk. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to wrap-up RIP VII, considering Halloween is almost over. It has been so much fun. It was my first year participating, and I rocked Peril the First. What I didn't rock was actually blogging about the books, but that's neither here nor there. I present to you, my list.

Books

1. Lord of the Flies by William Golding--I'm totally counting this. Pretty creepy stuff.
2. It by Stephen King--fun read-along (or italong) hosted by Jill and Christina
3. Dracula by Bram Stoker--fun Halloween read, but kind of disappointing overall
4. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson--Favorite book of the year hands down. So good.

Audiobooks

1. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters -- super fun read-along with the Estella Society
2. Don't Look Back by Laura Lipman--big lead up to a huge letdown; really disappointing
3. The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce #2)
4. A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (Flavia de Luce #3)

I'm still working on Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde, but probably won't make it by tonight. Hope everyone enjoyed some great RIP reading. Thanks to Carl for hosting.

Did you participate this year? What was your favorite read.

Pin It and Do It Wrap-Up

I ended up doing three pins, all of which were recipes. I did make a few other new recipes this month, but they weren't from pinterest so I'm out of luck there. Bummer. I did get some of my organization done around the house, but they also were not relating to things I pinned. No big deal. The point was to be productive, and I think I was.

Zucchini au Gratin

The first recipe I made was Zucchini au Gratin posted on the food section of pbs.org. It turned out alright, but there was too much of the roux, which was entirely my fault. I was supposed to use three large zucchini and I only had three medium sized ones. It was okay. Not sure if I'll try it again as there are so many other healthier zucchini recipes that I actually like more. Pin found here.

Tomato, Basil, and Cheddar Soup

The second recipe I made was Tomato, Basil, and Cheddar Soup from More Fruit Please. We ate it with grilled cheese sandwiches and I wasn't a big fan. I love tomato soups, but this one was very acidic to my taste. I'm sure I could have found a way to doctor it if I'd had time that night, but I had to rush out to a meeting. I don't think I'll be making it again. Still on the hunt for a homemade tomato soup. Do you have one? Pin found here.

Banana, Buttermilk, and Brown Sugar Muffins

Lastly, I made these Banana, Buttermilk, and Brown Sugar Muffins from Herbivoracious. These again, were just okay. I think I ended up eating a couple, but most were thrown away. I make muffins often, but these were not as moist as others that I have made. Disappointing. Even my kids who usually devour my muffins weren't really into these. Pin found here.

Hmm...kind of a bummer that I didn't really love any of these, but it's good to know. Now I can move on and try to find more recipes to add to my cooking and baking repertoire.

Big thanks to Trish of Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Insanity for hosting! I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has accomplished this month. Click here to find out what others have been pinning and doing.

Literary Blog Hop Giveaway

Welcome to Kristi Loves Books! I'm an avid reader and have been blogging off and on for a little over two years (hoping to be more on going forward). I have diverse tastes, but I gravitate toward literary fiction, most often classics.

My giveaway is international, and you qualify if Book Depository has free shipping to your country. The winner will be shipped one book of their choice from the list below which includes some of my all-time favorites as well as some of my favorite reads this year.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

To enter, just leave a comment with the following information.

1. What is the literary fiction book that you most often recommend?
2. Name the book that you would like to win out of my above listed of favorites.
3. An email address so that I can contact you if you win.

Easy, right? One entry per person, and no hoops to jump through for extra entries. Please no entries after October 31. I will select a winner at random and email the winner within 2 days. The winner will have 72 hours to respond to the email, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck, and enjoy the rest of the hop!

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