January 05, 2008
Winter Break
This post has been sitting in my queue since 12/26. I thought I would update my works in progress, but that can wait. I'm starting a marathon work session. I'll be working every weekend until the middle of February and then it will be every other weekend until the end of April. It's self-imposed and working towards the goal of semi-retirement so despite the long hours it won't be too bad.
I've been uploading tons of audiobooks into iTunes in anticipation of my travels over the next few weeks. I used to go through all of this rigamarole - import the cd, use an mp3 joiner to create one or two files, etc. Then I found this nifty little program, Audiobook Builder. For a mere $10.00 it works with iTunes to join the tracks and make one or two manageable files. So what have I been listening to lately? Lots of Kathy Reichs (Bones). I finished Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult and have My Sister's Keeper up next. I was on a big Chris Bohjalian kick. I read Midwives a few years ago and this fall read Buffalo Soldiers, Double-Bind, Before You Know Kindness. Carolyn Parkhurst's Lost and Found was wonderful, as was Dogs of Babel, although it was a little difficult to get through as I was reading it when my mother died. Both of Khaled Hosseini's books were great, A Thousand Splendid Suns and Kite Runner, which he narrated himself.
What have you been reading/listening to?
You _must_ read _Water for Elephants_. We just did it in book group on Friday and everyone liked the book (rare in this group).
Another good one is _The Space Between Us_...a good "women's relationships" book.
Your audio choices sound good....I'll have to look up some of them.
Posted by: Valerie at January 5, 2008 10:57 PMAll I seem to be listening to lately are the voices of my family! But I'm thankful for each of them. Your Christmas Cactus is beautiful. Mine didn't bloom. I'm thinking I got one of those that blooms at Easter. Did you contact Carolyn?
Posted by: Angi at January 6, 2008 02:59 AMNice cactus!
I just finished reading James Gleick's Chaos Making a New Science. Lots of inspiration in there. I also finished Tony Hillerman's new book - I can't think of the title.
I made a note of the books you read and Valerie recommended and will check back to see if anyone else has suggested any.
Posted by: Cathy at January 6, 2008 11:35 AMWell, I'm reading lots of schlock vampire fantasy stuff. The next six weeks are cruch time at work so I need stuff that takes very little mind power to get involved in but, at the same time, is easily set aside. On the audiobook front, I second the nomination for Water for Elephants, also a must is The Blood of Flowers (lots of fiber and rug weaving in the story as well - the narator's accent just adds to the depth of the story). Neil Gaiman's Nevermind and Terry Prachett's Making Money are on the iPod also.
Posted by: Kim at January 7, 2008 12:56 PMI love the audiobooks, but sometimes I like a videoblog or podcast.
Lately the TED lectures
http://www.ted.com/themes/view/id/46
and
Weavecast - i suspect we all know these, but I am just catching up!
http://www.weavecast.com/default.html
and
Threadbangers - for pure abandon of the rules
http://www.threadbanger.com/
I download books from audible.com, which come in manageable chunks. Things I have listened to or read recently: The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabron, John Sanford's Dark of the Moon (mystery), the latest in the Monkeewrench myster series (author is P.J. Tracy), and a very good novel in Spanish by Ignacio Padilla -- I don't think his stuff has been translated yet.
Posted by: Rob at January 15, 2008 11:25 AM