How to Sort a Series

Shelving books is an individual art form. A way for book lovers to express themselves through their collection. There is always a method to the madness. As my own collection is growing again I find myself sorting and re-sorting as more books get added to my “read” shelves.

When I was younger, I was extremely particular in that everything was either non-fiction or fiction. Within these two broad stroke categories the books were then sorted by author last name. If an author had several works, book titles were alphabetic order. This included series, though they went in as the series name in lieu of book title. So for JK Rowling you would swiftly find her under R, Harry Potter would be under H within R.

Now that I am older and read a lot more variety, categories no longer fit into just “fiction” and “non-fiction”. I also read a lot more series and I don’t like them jumbled in with other singular books.

As of right now my “read” shelves are broken into the following categories with some having their own sorting:

·         Auto/biographies

o   Sorted by subjects name (Einstein by Walter Isaacson can be found under E)

·         Business

o   Author last name

·         Children’s Books

o   No order at this time, any recommendations would be appreciated

·         Educational

o   By subject

·         Fiction

o   Author last name, first name (for when you have 3 different Browns), book title

·         Harry Potter

o   No real order, just all things Harry on one shelf. This is the only shelf where nothing really matters. I have the series, a “fan fiction”, a funk pop, a beanie baby, the Hogwarts themed textbooks…

·         Non-fiction

o   As of right now under author last name, debating if it should be subject matter

·         Poetry/Quotes

o   Book title

·         Self-Help

o   Author last name

·         WW2

o   No order at this time. Hubby is a huge fan so have a tiny collections of books he has never read but likes the idea of reading. Night Trilogy is in this grouping and I cannot recommend it highly enough. 5++++++ star rating. It should have its own shelf like Harry Potter

Some categories are depressing small though, poetry/quotes only has two! Makes it very easy to see which categories I do not venture into a lot.

I think so far that I like the new system, other than it shows how many books I do not own anymore and my “to-read” books are all in bags on the floor around my shelf.

Series is where I am stumped though. Do you sort them by author? By series name? Once that initial sort is done…do you have them lined up side by side? With 1 on the left? Or do you have them stacked? If stacked, is 1 on the top or the bottom?

Every book challenge I get means that I am able to squeeze in some books from a series in but typically am left with only a partially read series which makes me really sad. I propose a new type of challenge.

The Series Challenge:

·         Each quarter has a new theme

·         Each quarter there are five additional categories that are selected at random (i.e. A book with a green cover, A book with a child protagonist…)

·         Each quarter there are five additional blank slots

This challenge allows three months to read a series while still allowing the scavenger fun of finding books that fit into categories. The five empty slots are in case a series is too large to complete in the quarter so there is still ample time to finish it throughout the course of the year.

The extra five quarterly categories will be reset as well!

and I am going to throw in that a series is 5 books or more. Trilogy is a trilogy, four is a quartet so that leaves five and more as a series!

Also, since I have a lot of series that I have started and not finished, if you read at least five books in a series that counts toward the challenge :) example being, The Women's Murder Club by James Patterson I have read the first seven books already but it is a 20 + book series. 

Shelf Loving <3

**EDIT** since writing this, and while I was trying to take a half decent picture I have re arranged my shelves again! I still kept categories mentioned above and also added a few more.

Happy National Pig Day!

So I constantly start and stop this blog. I need more consistency in when I post but posting is on the bottom of a very long too do list. Sad part is, I have a lot of drafted reviews I could easily post but I don’t want to spend the few moments logging in and posting in order to get them up.

Well I hope it isn’t too late to add a new New Year's resolution.

Going to try something new. A quarterly post. We will see how that rolls out and if there is time try to whittle it down to every two months then maybe to one! We will see how it goes though.

Did you know that March 1 is National Pig Day?

Well in honor of National Pig Day, and the fact that my family recently acquired two of the little critters, I finished reading Pot Bellies and Other Miniature Pigs – A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual by Pat Storer. A brief glimpse in what it takes to choose the pig as a good breed for your family, how to choose a good breed of pig, and basic care and maintenance. It is a good launch point for further research. 

March reads so far:

Ever read that book you just cannot get into? Yeah, well I have a couple of those right now so therefore they are stuck on my currently reading shelf. I am loath to give up on a book. I would rather skim it then give up on it. I have no idea why when there are thousands of others I would readily read instead.

(Kindle) Emerge – a dystopian story about a virus that basically wipes out civilization. An elitist group fortresses themselves and a bunch of supplies allowing the people that could not buy their way in (minus the few hand selected for their invaluable expertise) to die. Well the virus is back but it starts in the closed community. So far really enjoying it.

Bright From the Start – It is interesting reading once I dive in but I made the mistake of starting other books that were more interesting and fun to read that this got buried. I think I started it early 2015? It has a nice coat of dust on it. Not to say it is bad, just I found much easier and more fun reads since I put it down.

Paper Towns – Just started that over the weekend, so far it’s shaping out to be just like the movie. I think I will enjoy this one.

A Pirate’s look at Fifty – I love Jimmy Buffet and the book definitely isn’t bad. I meant to read this while in Jamaica and just never got around to it while there so it is just sitting on my shelf waiting to be completed.

Youth in Revolt – ugh… my friend lent me this book and she saw the movie then read the book. Maybe this will help me like it? I am on page 40, and have been at this point for several months. So far it is all about a teenage boy masturbating. With his friend, alone, eating, writing, and I’m sure if he could, sleeping.

Everybody Rise – a GoodReads first read, it is an audio book, my first. So far I am enjoying the listening to the book while I drive (especially since I have a 45min-1.5hour commute depending on traffic). The story though… It has its good parts and bad.

A nice mix of books don't you think?

My shelf for the year is even more of a mix match. This shelf will change, or more likely just grow, through out the year to accommodate the different reading challenges I am a part of as well as just reading books I want to!

Happy March! and happy first quarter of the year. 

And just because I can...pictures of my piggies in honor of National Pig Day!

(Bacon on the left, Chorizo on the right)

A Sunday Well Spent Brings a Week of Content

Everyone views Monday as the start of their week. Why? Their 9-5 is Monday through Friday? School is held (at least when I went) Monday – Friday. Sunday seems to be considered the last day of the week. Game changer, I consider it the first day of the week.

On Sundays, I find, that if I spend it getting chores done, to-do list items accomplished, and in general preparing for the week ahead the week goes by so much smoother.

A Sunday well spent for me includes:

·         Waking up before 9

·         Reading/Watching a show in the DVR

·         Getting the kids up, fed and dressed for the day

·         Running small errands or just going out to walk around for some fresh air

o   2017 we hope to have a backyard installed instead of just a dirt lot, that will help Sundays be spent at home and not in a shopping mall! I don’t need any more excuses to spend money :)

·         Home again for kids naptime, reading, household chores taking a nap

·         Dinner with the kids and then playtime for a little bit and a bath before they are off to bed for the night

Sundays tend to be unscheduled, when I get to it I get to it mentality. With the New Year though I want to make my Sundays better well spent. Actually start knocking items off the to do list (like that latch hook rug that I started in middle school, should I really keep it to try to get it done or is it time to throw that bad boy away?!).

Tis the Season for Toy Giving…

With just one child you quickly start gathering tons of stuff in the house. Clothes busting out of the closets, storage bins and the spare room. Blankets piled on every available surface and tucked into toy chests. Then there are the stuffed animals, plastic animals, blocks, trucks, and musical instruments. We literally have buckets of toys in our living room on top of the toys tucked into the corner of every other room. Even the front room is filled with storage bins with even more toys. Solution, give it all away! But… we have another baby that will soon be old enough for these toys… With Christmas just around the corner, and more toys on the horizon, what is a family to do?! Buy a bigger house? Nope. Ask for non-toy gifts!

So for all those family members at a loss on what to get your cute little nieces and nephews this holiday season (or even for birthdays and just because gifts!) think about the below list as an alternative!

·         Season Passes

o   Zoo

o   Museum

o   Butterfly Wonderland

o   Aquariums

o   Amusement Parks

·         One-Time passes

o   Movies

o   Bowling

o   Swimming

o   Theater Shows

o   Sporting Events

o   Disney on Ice

o   Roller Skating

o   Mini Golf

o   Concerts

·         Trip out to (look into any age restrictions):

o   Local Farm

o   Train Ride

o   Ice Cream Shop

o   Special Dinner Out

o   Fire Station

o   Chuckie Cheese, Trampoline Jump Place

o   Hot Air Balloon Ride

o   Zip Lining

o   Helicopter Ride

o   Rock Climbing

·         Lessons:

o   Swimming

o   Sports

o   Gymnastics

o   Dance

o   Karate

o   Musical Instrument

o   Pottery Class

o   Craft Class

o   Horseback riding

·         Family Experiences (wrap up an item they will need for the experience such as a swimsuit or hiking boots)

o   Stay-cation at a local hotel (w/pool or great hiking nearby)

o   Hotel with indoor water parks

o   Camping

o   Road Trip

·         Outdoor Gifts

o   Bike

o   Scooter

o   Roller blades

o   Basketball hoop

o   Trampoline

o   Swing Set

·         Misc.

o   Furniture

o   Bedding

o   Décor

o   Jewelry Box

o   The clothing that is expensive that you normally wouldn’t purchase

·         And my all-time favorite, a gift that keeps on giving…

o   A pet! (present them with an adoption certificate saying you will pick one out together)

“All screens are not created equal”

Pediatricians are dialing back their recommendations on screen time limits for children. 
By Sumathi Reddy
http://www.wsj.com/article_email/pediatricians-rethink-screen-time-policy-for-children-1444671636-lMyQjAxMTE1NDEyNTkxOTU2Wj

A new article, released October 12, 2015, reevaluates screen time limits for kids. As a mom of two kids, one recently turning two, in this technological age I am more than happy to read that this is being reevaluated. “All screens are not created equal” is important to understand. Watching hours of mindless reality TV is not the same as a documentary on the lives of the great killer whales. Watching 30 minutes of kitten youtube videos is different than 30 minutes of facetime with a distant relative.

Personally when I review the TV shows or the phone application I present to my daughter I try to evaluate what it is promoting. I try to limit her to one fun movie (i.e. Tangled and Frozen are a hit because she likes to sing and dance along to the songs and the animals make her happy) and the phone apps are puzzles and encourage her motor skills (i.e. drawing and matching games).

A huge vice I know needs to be corrected is the “background” TV. Growing up the TV was only on when everyone was around to watch it. As I grew up though and lived on my own I liked having music or movies playing in the background for sound because when it was too quiet it meant that every creak was a stranger creeping around ready to bust in. Now, the second I get home the TV is flipped on and stays on till it times itself out long after we fall asleep.

I do get out of the house with my daughter though… as it cools off especially. Now we spend about an hour outside which means an hour away from the constant stream of TV.

Until You’re Mine – Samantha Hayes

Given to me by a coworker, 2 stars. This book had such promise. I do not think the character voices were strong enough to distinguish themselves so the changes in narrator got muddled to the point of confusion. It is almost like the Author was not fully convinced of the storyline she wanted to follow and it could have branched so many ways from page to page. There was a lot of unnecessary character development in the nanny that really had no added value to the story, seemed like the author was just desperately trying to make you see something in the nanny that wasn’t going to be there at the end. Also, you need to pay close attention to details revealed through the different characters perspectives in order to understand their significance and see what a small world the characters reside in. Otherwise these details just seem completely pointless.

I think a rewrite strengthening the character’s individual voices will make this book a million times better as well as rewriting the plot on the back. Maybe just a quick outline of Claudia seems to have a perfect life, Zoe is the much needed nanny to the rescue but is the picture perfect? How far would someone go to have their own child? Right now the summary, I feel, has nothing to do with the actual plotline and goes back to the Author pushing way too hard for what she thinks is the twist.

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

Passed along by my Mother-In-Law, 5 stars. I saw the movie first, and the book and movie were both great! The movie did its best to stay true to the story and the variances are easily forgiven and even hard to spot. The voice that tells the story easily carries the reader along on the wicked journey deep into the minds of a psychopath. Obviously the book has more ability to dive deeper into other latent characters and into back story more so you get a bigger and better picture but the movie is a huge compliment. Even if you already know the ending, the book is enthralling. Would definitely recommend it to anyone.