books

2013 Reading Agenda

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"Study drawing shows the allegorical figu...

“Study drawing shows the allegorical figure of Romance nude. She bends her head to read a book on her lap. Romance was one figure in a painting, The arts, in the north end lunette of the Southwest Gallery in the Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building.” Graphite drawing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Over the weekend, I started thinking about some of the books that I wish to include in my 2013 reading agenda.  There are tons of books that I wish to read, however, I included the ones that I have waited to read for some time or that at one point, have awakened my curiosity.  If time allows it, I will be adding a few more to the list, as I go.  Here are the ones that made it to the list.

January – Generosity by Richard Powers (This one was suggested to me)

February – The Lace Reader by Brumania Barry

March – A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire

April – The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

May – Great Tales of Horror by H.P. Lovecraft

June – Secrets of the Freemasons by Michael Bradley

July – Aleph by Paolo Coelho

August – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

September – Confessions by St. Augustine

October – The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham

November – The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

December – Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien

As an extra on the list I added Twilight of the Gods by Adam Pffefer.

As you can see, this list has some old, some classics, some new, and as far as genres, it is all over the place.  I like to mix things up a bit.  There are tons of classics that I would love to read, and some that I want to read again, and there are many new authors whose works pick at my curiosity and make it to the beginning of the list. Titles capture my attention, reviews not so much, since everyone has their own guidelines for reviewing as well as taste in what speaks to them or not.  Usually, I don’t go by reviews when selecting a book.  One thing that does influence what I select is format.  For some reason, I do not enjoy reading an e-book format; I prefer to have the real tome in my hands.  It is just not the same experience, for me.  Anything else, I can read on the PC, as long as it is not too long, but books, I like to experience as a whole.

Do you enjoy one format more than the other?

Reading Agenda

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Various antiquarian books, including Francis G...

Various antiquarian books, including Francis Grose’s Antiquities; this is one of the most popular images. If you want to use it, please copy it and host it on your own site. It’d be nice if you linked back to here, though. I still have the original image from the camera, if you want to experiment with colour balance. It’s 1712×1368 pixels. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I love books since I can remember, and to tell you the truth, I worry that there is not enough time in my lifetime to read all the wonderful tomes that I want to read. I try to read at least one book a month, the minimum. Right now, I am missing all the juicy tomes that are packed in several boxes in VA, for when I get to move.  Some very old, some new.  Vintage books are a passion of mine, although I don’t consider myself an avid collector – but certainly looking towards the future to start a collection of rare tomes.

The end of the year will soon be here and I have to say that I have thought about my next selection of books for the next five months.  I have a few books scattered around which I intend to finish before 2012 says goodbye.  So far, I have planned to read those but want to add two new books which I have waited to purchase, since I want to own them in actual presence and not electronic format.  One of them is “So Dark the Night” by Cliff Burns and the other is “The Mandolin Case” by Dr. Tom Bibey.  Can’t wait to get those.

So far, my 1 book a month agenda looks like this.

AUGUST – “The Mandolin Case” – Dr. Tom Bibey

SEPTEMBER – “So Dark the Night” – Cliff Burns

OCTOBER – “Count Lucanor” – Prince Don Juan Manuel

NOVEMBER – “The Nature Notes of an Edwardian Lady” – Edith Holden (this is a vintage book)

DECEMBER – “Finding Water” – Julia Cameron

I am starting to think about 2013 Reading Agenda, and will be sharing it with you, once completed.  Many times, I get to read more than one book a month, and that of course, bumps one book ahead of schedule.   Do you have any favorites that you want to read?  Any that you have enjoyed so much that you would like to suggest?  Your suggestions are welcomed.

Celebrate the Good Fortune and Success of thy Brother

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Rainbow and Flowers

Rainbow and Flowers (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I don’t understand it when I happen to come across negative and plain disrespectful comments (not real reviews) about a new published book (or art work), whether from an old or new author.  What puzzles me is that many times, these comments don’t seem to help in any way the writer or artist who made the comment.  On the contrary, I think that this negativity hurts the writer/artist and paints an aura of insecurity or jealousy around the writer/artist.  This could end up hurting the artist who might end up loosing many readers/fans for these reasons,

  • They may already enjoy the works of the author/artist who’s being criticized.
  • They may not like to entertain any kind of negativity or bashing and are ready to cut off the source of it.
  • They believe that in this world, there is plenty for everybody and that celebrating the success of another does not take away from your own.
  • They may enjoy variety in the books they read or the artwork they love.
  • They believe that this world is made of all kinds and everyone has something to offer and contribute to it, even when they don’t necessarily like the piece.
  • They believe that if everyone acted in the same way and liked the same things and were mere copies of each other, this would be a very boring world.
  • They believe that a step towards belittling someone or someone’s work is a step backwards and does not help personal and professional development/growth.
  • They believe that there is a better way to say what they think without hurting the feelings of a fellow artist/writer.
  • They believe that acting in a negative and bashful way towards a fellow artist/writer might be interpreted as desperation, frustration, or jealousy.
  • They believe that by celebrating the success of others, they attract good karma and bounty to themselves.
  • They believe in these mantras – What comes around goes around.  You reap what you sow.   It is a small world.  Be kind to the people on your way up, because they are the same people you will meet on your way down.  The wheels are turning.  Keep the faith.  You never know who will open the next door for you, or who is ready to close it on your face.  When words are not better than silence, it is best to not pronounce them.  Live and let live.
  • They believe that they are a tiny spec on this world, but an important part of it.
  • They believe that times change and that “times” are subject to the people who live on “those times.”
  • They believe that their art/craft is not about them, but about the ones who will find it and benefit – even if only one person.
  • They believe in themselves, and that is enough to celebrate another.

Keep it clean, keep it positive, keep it happy!

The Rebellion of Characters

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A public domain image of Frank Thomas' Golden ...

Image via Wikipedia

When I set out to write my first novel,one of my main characters rebelled.  I had planned for this character to be and behave a certain way – geeky, fun, and second to the female of the story.  I began to write the story, and immediately I felt resistance from this character.  Since it was my first novel, I found this amusing, interesting, and thought to myself, “what the heck, it is just one of the characters.”  Little did I know, you should never treat a character as “just one of the characters,” and he showed me that.

My character took the lead, presented himself strong, and the total opposite to what I had planned – a hottie, smart, with a soft side and a dangerous side as well.  I let him be, and I am glad that I did that.  The result was amazing to me, he shaped the story, but did not in any way opaque the main female character.

I could have gone with my original intention and fight this character all the way to the end of the story; however, I was at the perfect stage of experimentation.  I learned a lot, and I have to thank in part this character.  My point to this post is to let yourself experiment, and don’t be afraid of letting go of a preset order of chapters, characters, and outline.  Write with love, enjoy it, have fun.

Just Be

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LIVES training

Image via Wikipedia

What would happen if we allowed ourselves to just be?  To do as we genuinely felt and not as we tought we would look better in front of others?  What would happen if we acted by true care as opposed to having to care?  I think we would be happier, and only give the best of us to others by just being. 

Being genuine to yourself entails being true to others as well as your own self.  It is applying the golden rule.  Many times, we covet the ideal lives of others – the successes that we view as perfect lives – without realizing that the only way that we can meet a fullness of life is if we just be. 

When we embrace ourselves, our creativity, our spirituality, and our physical state of being, along with our lives, we are in the path of becoming what we are to become – of being as real as we can be – of fulfilling our purpose as human and spiritual beings.

When we write, many times we worry about rules, about sounding like our favorite best-selling author, or about setting writing goals according to somebody else’s standards.  However, we forget one important thing, that life, goals, writings, and anything else that goes with it, will not mean anything if they are not centered and meant for the true self and its true purpose. 

 Just be and the rest will follow is a good way of approaching life, but in our way to letting the true self shine, we can strive to better each day by asking ourselves – Am I letting myself be?