Sharing Spiffiness Vol. 1

Hey there. I'm still here. Just working on getting a number of books read and reviewed so I don't feel so pressed all the time. Stress doesn't seem to bode well for my productivity.

In the meantime, I'll be posting little tidbits of neat bookish things I find around the web.

Pottermore

So Book One (Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone) was released to Beta users last summer, and was finally unveiled to the public earlier this year. It was met with some praise, some critiques, but mostly a lot of burn-out.

Sure, it was exciting (or confusing/disappointing) to get sorted into your house, explore the castle, brew potions and duel your classmates, but in the end it could hold our interests only so long. Even the announcement that the first House Cup would finally be awarded gave me little incentive to come back (though, I was thrilled at the reset of points - gave Huffles a long awaited chance to show our stuff.)

But then the BIG announcement was made: Book Two, Chamber of Secrets, was finally being released. The House Cup winner (Slytherin) even got to explore the book a full day ahead of everyone else! Sure, only the first four chapters have been released so far, but from what I've seen so far, I'm pretty impressed at their improvements.

In Sorcerer's Stone, there was a lot missing. The scenes zoomed in twice, but you could basically see everything as it stood in the first screen, making it all too easy to continue on without knowing to click in to explore further. The sounds (which were added after Beta) seemed overly stock, some of which I recognized from JK's own website. And the interactions, which were only required on maybe 5 pages, were simple point and click. The only one with any difficulty was Snape's logic puzzle, making it the only thing which might have required referencing the book.

Chamber of Secrets, I'm happy to report, has upped the anti. Scenes vary from zooming in, zooming out, entering closed doors, entering shops...and that's only the first four chapters! The sound effects and background noise seemed more varied and tailored to fit the sections, not nearly as stock as Book One. And treasures seem a lot more plentiful - this book takes the scavenger hunt to another level with even more Chocolate Frog cards and Bertie Bott's Beans to find.

But the overall interaction is really where I was impressed. There's a puzzle which actually requires you to reference the order objects are listed in the book. So if you're reading along (which the website strongly encourages) you can solve the puzzle in a few seconds, or if you're one for memory challenges, you can try your hand at making the right order on your own. There's also a very fun de-gnoming the garden game which I've played several times (though it can be extremely difficult on slower internet/browsers).

Overall, if you haven't yet checked out Pottermore, or if you haven't yet ventured back for Book Two, I'd encourage you to try out the new features for yourself! And I'll probably be listing an update when the next section of chapters is released, so stay tuned.

Book Announcements

I'm definitely on board for this new dystopian, though I do hope we get more information on the society than the trailer suggests. I mean, I guess tribal politics and island survival are interesting and all that, but I'm already looking forward to them getting off the island and taking the fight to the streets. But I guess I'm just an urban girl at heart.

This was one of my Creative Writing professors at my college. I definitely be reading (and reviewing) her book in the near future. Even though it's not my usual book preference, I do enjoy reading historicals now and again, and I hope to find a great heroine, too.

My Creativity Conundrum

I've been having a bit of trouble posting as of late. Like you hadn't noticed.

Firstly, my sleep schedule is waaaaaay off the normal rotation. Seems living in a cave (my bedroom is underground and has no windows) allows for sleeping during daylight hours a little too easily. Case in point, yesterday I slept from 10am to 5pm.

As you may guess, sleeping during the day doesn't bode well for functioning during that time. It's a little hard to drive your sister somewhere when you're going through REM. So I've been attempting to get to sleep earlier so I can wake up earlier (waking up is the hardest part of my 'day').

Unfortunately, my brain has decided that lying in bed trying to go to sleep is the BEST time to start coming up with ideas. Of course, I can't guarantee they're great ideas—my brain is starting to 'shut down,' after all. But whether it's my subconscious coming to the forefront, my inhibition/critique center shutting down, or the universe conspiring against me, I don't tend to get a lot of my ideas posted.

Because I'm trying to go to sleep, and it sorta defeats the purpose if I get up and write out (or draw or whatever) what I think of. Again, perhaps that's a good thing since a tired brain isn't known to make the greatest decisions. Plus I've noticed that my language gets pretty convoluted when I'm tired—my internal thesaurus/dictionary is downright horrible.

But here's a few of my sleep-deprived ideas:

A review of House M.D. (and why I stopped watching)
A review of the movie Dragon Hunters (mostly focusing on character stories)
A list of Pokemon teams based on Disney movies (...)
Pottermore OC comics
This post...

So that's my conundrum. Should I get up and act upon my ideas, even if it means staying awake longer? Should I ignore my exhausted brain's ramblings completely? Or should I try sleeping pills in an attempt to recalibrate my schedule back to normalcy? Decisions, decisions...

And a bit more randomness to finish off:

Thank you McDonald's toys!
Just let the awesomeness soak in...
Too bad Disney owns Marvel instead of DC, eh?

Have a great weekend!

Re-Reading on GoodReads

As most of you should know by now, I'm participating in the 2012 Reading Challenge on GoodReads.

Now, GoodReads (GR) has been a great site for cataloging what books I've read, am reading, or want to read. I've created shelves for genres, lists for my challenges, and even gathered books I was forced to read in school. It has a huge listing of editions, summaries, and reviews. And if you hadn't noticed, I link to it all the time in my reviews, sidebars, and even have the app linked to my Facebook page!

But there is one thing that I wish they had...

A Re-Read Option

Has anyone else noticed that missing feature?

I tend to re-read books a lot. When the latest sequel comes out I like to re-read the entire series. Or perhaps it's for a reading challenge or book club. And heaven forbid reminiscing over an old favorite.

As it stands now, I can see a few different options to handle my re-reading.

Option 1: Don't count re-reads at all. Makes things a lot simpler, right? Unfortunately, this counts against my GR-sponsored reading challenge, as the "Date Finished" must contain the current year. I suppose I could say, 'computer be damned,' and make my own counter but...where's the validation in that?

Option 2: Change reading dates to current/last time read. I then add a personal note that tells me the last time I read it. Unfortunately, changing the dates read not only removes the book from my GR timeline, but also my Facebook one. It also gets complicated when I try to remember when I first read a book after I've re-read it a few times.

Option 3: Read/Review multiple editions of a single book. Unfortunately, that option hinders more than it helps. Firstly, it adds a copy to my overall books list, which is silly if anyone else looks through and finds 15 copies of the same book. Secondly, it clutters shelves if I label them with genre/theme/etc.. And lastly, it's confusing when I actually have read multiple editions (print & audiobook versions) of one book.

Obviously, I'm not a coding expert, so I can't say it'd be an easy thing to change. But here's the review form as it stands now. As you can see, under the main review space, there's "Date Finished" and "Date Started" followed by "Number of Times Read".

Now, here's the second part of the review form. As soon as you click the "I Own A Copy" box, a new section opens up, letting you fill in more information.

Why couldn't they add a "I've Read This More Than Once" bump-out?

I know I'm not completely alone in this, as there is a Suggestion Topic on GR specifically addressing the re-reading issue. Feel free to add your own two cents on the topic there, too.

But before you go off and do that, what do you think? How do you handle re-reading books? Is GoodReads the premiere book cataloging site, or do you use something different? Let me hear you howl!

Obscure Reference? Since When?!

Sunday was my grandfather's 76th birthday (yay!) and in celebration we decided to take him out for lunch. I'd never been to Applebee's, and he was in the mood, so we decided to try it out.

(Note, this is not a rant against Applebee's. It just so happens to be the setting.)

Now, my grandpa is a retired minister, which means (at least) two things: he's extremely outgoing, and he's capable of being very loud. His hearing isn't what it used to be, so he generally enunciates everything very pointedly and projects his voice louder than what it might need to be. Since we were in a noisy restaurant with talking and music going, this trait came in especially handy: we had no trouble hearing or understanding him throughout the meal.

Our server was probably around my age (early twenties), maybe a little younger. I don't know if he was having a bad day or if his personality was generally stiff, but he didn't reciprocate much of the jolliness that my grandpa tried to include him in.

When ordering, my grandpa made a joke that he wanted a candle in his shrimp dish. The server chuckled confusedly and asked what he was talking about. "What do you mean a kindle?" All three of us said simultaneously, "CANDLE," which he still looked awfully confused about. Grandpa finally explained that it was his birthday and he was just joking. "Oh, well, I don't think we have any candles, but save some room for dessert." Oh well, indeed.

Later, after we'd started in on our entrees, he came over to check on us again. And again, Grandpa tried to engage him: "Say, is there any way to get your music in here to play Seventy-Six Trombones?"

Server looks extra confused this time. He glances around the room as he says, "Uh, I'm not sure-"

Grandpa cuts in to explain more of the joke. "It's my 76th birthday, you see, and I thought that song would be fitting," he says with a big grin and a chuckle.

"Actually, I've never heard of it. Is it some sort of classical-"

"IT'S FROM THE MUSIC MAN!" my mom and I practically yell. "You know, the musical?" my mom adds.

"Oh... Nope, I've never heard of that."

If I don't look it on the outside, I definitely feel disgusted on the inside. Grandpa, meanwhile, dismisses the server from our awkward conversation again. "I was just kidding about the music. Thanks for checking in."

Since when is The Music Man
an obscure reference?!?!

And so, to prevent such atrocities from happening in the future, I share with you the following videos. Mind that these are all from the original 1962 movie staring Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett and an adorable young Ron Howard. Of course, if any of these great songs interest you, be sure to check out the full movie!

Okay, not from the movie, but all I could find was the finale version
- and who want's to give away the ending?
Ya Got Trouble
Pick-A-Little / Goodnight Ladies
Madame Librarian

That's right, Shipoopi was originally from The Music Man
Thank you Seth MacFarlane

Another Return

Hi all... Been quite a while, eh?

Well, I can say I'm back. I'm sorry to have left for so long.

Good news is I found a job. Bad news is it was only a temporary/seasonal one, and I'm back out in the job market.

I can't promise that I'll be back forever, I don't even know that I'll be here through March. It'll depend on what work I can find and if I can swing work plus this and my other side projects. I have got a schedule I think will allow me to get through my requested reviews I've agreed to, and I really do promise to get through all those.

That's all for now... Look for a new review tomorrow, as well as some more personal posts and questions next week.

Quick Question: What's your favorite/recommended e-reader?

Greetings Again!

Hello!!!

Phew, it's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry to have left you hanging these past couple months. I've been working out some personal things and have only just gotten back around to reading.

I know, I know - "How could you possibly not have been reading!?" you say. Well, the brain does funny things sometimes, like making you think that enjoyable things are too much trouble...

But I've worked through that and am currently in the process of working up my Tamora Pierce Challenge reviews! Okay, I might be a little behind, but better late than never, right? Look for a steady flow of TP reviews coming throughout the month of November, finishing up with a review of her recently released conclusion to the Provost's Dog (Beka Cooper) Trilogy, Mastiff!

Looking forward to getting back in the swing of things. Hope you've all been well. Signing off for now,

~Vicki

Something To Say

This is a personal post, not a book review. Just going over some things, explaining my current situation, and hopefully setting a tone for the future. If you'd rather stay out of the drama, I understand and assure you that my next review should be coming up later this week. Thank you.


If you're still reading this, I guess I'll just get down to it. I'm sorry for April and May's unannounced/unexplained hiatus. I had a bit of a physical, mental, emotional breakdown in March, and that was taken out on this blog. I'd rather not get into the gory details (and I'm sure no one wants to hear them), but I'll just say that I've started some new treatments that seem to be helping things along.

I'm still depressed. Not really earth-shattering news in this economy, but being jobless really wears you down. Firstly you're depressed because you can't support yourself (or pay back your debt). Then, trying to rectify the situation, you send out job applications only to get absolutely no response or an avalanche of NO's, which only serves to lower your self-esteem. It's gotten to the point that I'm terrified of getting an interview because I feel like the first thing they'll see is a depressed person. And being overly self-conscious and overweight to begin with hasn't helped either. There was a long period of time where I didn't even want to go outside because I was paranoid some future employer would see me and I'd be sabotaging myself.

I still have some of that anxiety, but there have been improvements.

For one thing, my mom (who had also been unemployed for a couple years) finally found a job last week. And while it's not the most ideal pay, the environment is great and she's really enjoyed the work.

Also keeping me busy has been our family's attempts to start up a crafting business. Mom sews, (sister) Kristi knits, and I run all the electronic aspects—taking pictures, photo-editing, website management, research, spreadsheets... I don't plan on inundating this blog with non-bookish stuff, but I might make a post about it once we've got things up and running. In the meantime, you can check out our products on Facebook or DeviantArt.

As far as reading and blogging goes, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. So far I've only been focusing on reviews—partly clearing out the shelves, partly taking care of promises owed—and I don't know if or when I'll have the time or energy to go back to reading all the blogs I've subscribed to. I'd love to get back in the habit of reading everything you guys are posting, and passing along the great contests and giveaways, but right now I have other things on my plate.

So, for the moment I hope you'll be patient with me. I hope my reviews continue to engage or entertain you. And I hope you all know that I appreciate your continued patience and support. Thank you.

I Swear I'm Not A Zombie

...though I sure feel like it right now.

You may have noticed that I've been a bit less active in the last week or so. Long story short, I've been ill.

Therefore, even though technically the In The Storm Giveaway is set to end at the end of today, I'll be extending it another week. Hopefully I'll be feeling better then.

So, in closing, click the link above or below to enter for a chance to win an e-copy of Karen Metcalf's speculative fiction novella.

Hands-On Or Hands-Off?

I was reading a post about someone fondly remembering his time working in a bookstore. To quote a phrase or two:

I was surrounded by great books all day, and I could always snatch a few moments to write during the work day. Now, I worked a lot, six and sometimes seven days a week, without taking a break or vacation for five years. But those stolen moments during the day were wonderful. It made each work day somehow more alive.

Now, he's talking specifically about jobs vs personal writing time, but it got me thinking...


I visit a Borders store on average once a week. As soon as I walk into the store I'm usually greeted by an employee and asked if there's anything I need help finding. If this conversation isn't made near the door, I'm usually addressed as I'm wandering. Sometimes I'm asked multiple times (by different people). Employees are seldom stationary (unless working a busy register) and always seem to have a book or three (or a stack) in their hands to re-shelve. Even those 'stationed' at the information desk (recently renovated into an e-reader/e-book station) seldom stay there for long unless working with a customer. Actually, the few times I have needed help, there was no employee in sight and I ended up going up to the register (though I think this was due to the holiday rush and being understaffed).

From having worked in the customer service industry, I'm pretty used to the "connect with customers" angle that stores often try to enforce. It was the same where (movie rental store) I worked - we were supposed to say "hello" to everyone who walked in the door, offer our services in locating their wants, and suggest other selections that they might enjoy. Customer Service is about the customer...and what will make them come back and spend more.

Of course, just down the street from my local Borders is another bookstore that I visit quite often. Not quite independent, but not a corporation either, Powell's New & Used Bookstores are a proud staple around here, well, at least among the book-buying community. Often a cross between a warehouse (in size and inventory) and a coffee shop (in coziness and atmosphere), their stores are pretty much made of awesome.

The inventory of the stores is pretty even: Both have comparable new/current releases; Powell's has a good selection of older and used books while Borders has music and movies. However, the one difference that stands out (and what Bryan's Post made me think of) is the employee protocol.

Powell's employees don't usually make an effort to engage their customers. They either stay at the registers or they're stocking the shelves. They don't dress in uniform, and they're actually sometimes hard to spot if you don't happen to see their "Ask Me" sticker. Even if you do happen upon one in the aisles, they're more likely to apologize for needing to squeeze by than ask if you need help. And yet, I don't feel any less welcome there. Because there's usually someone posted at a register or information desk, they're easy to find. And if you do have a question, they're always very knowledgeable and friendly.

As far as working at a store goes, I think either one of these would be great. But I guess I'm curious...

Which would you prefer to shop at?

Assuming you're dealing with knowledgeable staff, would you rather the hands-on but endlessly-busy workers, or the hands-off but easy-to-locate workers? Have you ever felt intruded upon by inquiring employees, or been reluctant to bother those behind the Desk Of Power?

The Old Grey Mare, She Ain't What She Used To Be

VS

I remember the first time I learned to spell. I was probably three or four years old, watching a preschool video that was all about words*, then running into the kitchen yelling, "Mom, MOM! Guess what?! C-A-T spells CAT!!!"

It was a simpler time. When a mere three letters was all you needed. Cat. Hat. Dog. Rug. Mom. Dad. Imagine my excitement when I learned how to spell my five-letter name!

And five was only the beginning. Soon I came across longer and longer words. Spelling became a gateway to reading and writing. And reading and writing were a gateway to creativity, to possibilities, to growing up...

But somewhere along the line, spelling became a lot more complicated. Well, when you're dealing with 11-letter words like "complicated", it's pretty inevitable.

You learn the rules. About how certain letters only make certain sounds (G always goes "guh" while J always goes "juh"), how it's always I before E (...except after C...or when it sounds like I), that T or S plus H makes a whole new sound (but it doesn't effect W at all), how E is a big bully that always makes the other vowels change when it's close**, and how these rules are concrete and non-negotiable.

Yeah. Right.

Lessons quickly shift from "these are the rules" to "forget the rules, they don't apply here". For, you see, there are double letters, and silent letters, and words (or names***) that inexplicably defy the rules. Still, you put your time in and studied your pants off for those spelling quizzes. You're writing words backwards and upside-down, left-handedly or in a mirror, using them in sentences that probably don't even make sense...****

And then, even after all that, you still manage to get some wrong.

For the longest time, I was sure that I had "andswered" a question. It wasn't until I started typing things up (OMG SPELL-CHECK!!!) that I was corrected. Then there's "defence", which is obviously spelled the same way fence is spelled, otherwise they wouldn't hold up those signs at basketball games. And, of course, as highlighted in the title, I've had problems with grey vs gray.

I believe my first encounters with the word were g-r-e-y. Whether that was on crayons or from a sing-along video*****, that was how I learned it. But once I decided to start using the word myself, that pesky red spell-check line would always show up. Even now Firefox insists that I change grey to gray. And yet, I'm still consistently writing grey. It just looks more...more mysterious, edgier, grittier, and at the same time more professional to me.

And I've acquiesced to it's request for the better part of my life. Until now.

For you see, in college I discovered the true scope of the internet. How it stretched across to different countries. Countries that seem to enjoy adding U to certain words, or having Z instead of S. Where defence is the norm instead of defense. Apparently Americans have their own way of doing things, even when it comes to spelling.

Now, I won't be changing my tune (or my typing) on all things—most of the differences are still pretty jarring when I come across them—but I have decided that grey (which is apparently much more common across the pond) will now go unedited. I'll be ignoring that pesky red line and leaving it be from now on.

So, what are some of your commonly misspelled words? Do you ever feel more at home with another country's spelling? And what about the rumors that silent letters are really French ninjas?


*Seriously one of my favorite movies growing up. And I can't even remember the name of it! It starred a dog named Groucho and an ostrich who were trying to find a friend and this treasure out in the dessert. They helped alphabetize animals at a watering hole, they helped the ghost of King Tut clean his pyramid by spelling what was in the displays... Man, I kinda wish we hadn't sold it/given it away/lost it.

**No joke, I literally learned the "rules" of E that way

***One kid in my class was Jeff while another was Geoff...yeah, try explaining that to 1st-graders!

****Each week we had to complete 5 exercises with our spelling words. These are a few that I remember. I guess it worked?

*****Wee Sing: The Wee Sing Train included the song The Old Grey/Gray Mare.

R is for Random

That's right, this'll be pretty much a stream-of-consciousness post. I won't guarantee it'll be relevant, entertaining, or insightful...but it's a post, and that's the only requirement I had for this challenge.

If you couldn't tell, my excitement about this challenge I set myself is starting (starting?) to die out. For one, I didn't plan everything out beforehand, so I still have some days (like this one) where I don't have a planned topic. Thus, not only am I coming to the table blog late in the game day, at which time I'm already tired, but I'm also having to come up with something on the fly that I want to talk/write about. Not my brightest idea ever.

So why didn't I plan things out beforehand? Well, when I came up with the idea (August 16), I realized that my P day fell exactly on the release of Paranormalcy. Who could ask for anything better? So I jumped in full-throttle and wrote the A post that very night.

And now about the only thing keeping me going is that I'm over halfway through...and I'm still looking forward to S, T, V, and W. So yeah, still no idea what I'm doing for U, X or Y...and Z is gonna be a stretch.

Ah well, at least I've stayed on track so far.

Which is more than I can say for keeping up with blogs. I'm currently over 2 weeks behind on about half the blogs I follow. I've got 552 in my UF/P folder, and that number grows about 50 per day. In fact, I finally caught up on my YA folder last night, and in just one day it's grown back to 42. Le sigh. I think I follow too many blogs.

*checks playlist...reshuffles*

I've recently been using music tracks I've found on YouTube instead of my iTunes music. It's probably not the best use of my processing power, but it's more current and much cheaper.

Oh, I updated my J is for Jokes post with a great joke I was emailed earlier today, and a hilarious video I found. You should go check it out!

I have to say, I'm slightly disappointed by the comments (well, lack thereof) for my posts. I know the content isn't 1st class or anything, but even a couple chuckles or responses to the questions might be nice. Perhaps I should check out that Google Analytics thing to see how many actual visits I get.

Or I could stop complaining.

Sorry 'bout that. I've been a bit down lately, and not just about the blog. I'm still job hunting, and my latest attempt, which I put A LOT of effort into, got me an instantaneous NO as soon as I hit submit. I'm not even kidding. Sure, I knew I didn't meet the specific qualifications (working in a library for 2 years & have coursework in Library Science) but I have a lot of experience which I thought was comparable. I don't think any of my work is even reaching human eyes. Ugh.

Meantime I should get back on the horse and continue submitting to other employers.

And read my e-ARCs. I won't lie, I'm not exactly jumping on the bandwagon here. I really just need to open the Adobe-Reader and start reading...but I'm just so easily distracted by the other things (blogs? videos?) I could be reading/watching on my computer. If I'm going to be reading lots of e-books in the future, I think I'd rather get an e-reader to do it with so I can better separate my 'work' and play.

Sorry, more complaining. Maybe I'd be better off just pointing you to a video. Here's what's playing right now: Huddy - Everytime We Touch (Cascada). Sorry, I'd normally embed it, but embedding's been disabled.

Yeah, I'm a huge Huddy (House/Cuddy) fan. Have been since season...2 when I started watching. I'm super excited that it's finally happening this season! Fall can't arrive soon enough. ...Wait! It's already September!!! How much longer?!

Okay, I'm addicted to TV. House, Bones, Glee, Fringe...and a lot more that my tired mind isn't coming up with. No, I'm not ashamed to admit that I like books AND television. If you ask me, TV writing often has to be just as witty and precise as book writing. So...there =P

Well, I think my brain's just about dead. Hope you've enjoyed 45 minutes in my head. Now to find and link to the books and video seen below...

Oh, and if you'd like to help me out, mind coming up with fun topics for days U, X, and Y?

Some R Books I've Read:

A Rowdy R Group:

The R Font: