Zoe’s Journal

Look no further. For I have found a most excellent author. Patrick Rothfuss. His prose is like music. Just thinking about his story makes me want to cry. The book I’ve read of his is ‘The Name of the Wind’, and it is simply awe-inspiring. I would give up a minor bodypart to be able to write as well, and as poignantly, as he.

I finished the afore-mentioned book about a month ago… and have been digesting it slowly. I’ve been meaning to write a book review ever since I finished, and tonight, I finally did. No review can do this book justice. Unless maybe he reviewed it himself.

Tonight I also finally got around to scouting for new fiction for the Whimsy Rag, and found at least three very promising writers on WritersCafe.org.

At last! I can now read ‘Inkheart’ without the need to write a book review for ‘The Name of the Wind’ hanging over my head. It is to become a movie soon! January 23rd, to be exact. I’m only four chapters in, but I love it already for the author’s obvious love of books. You have to read Inkheart if you like books

In other news, it’s Thanksgiving this week. I had to explain to the LotR what exactly Thanksgiving is about, since he’s from Sweden and didn’t know any better. It’s basically just a day to gorge yourself, right? But no, I told him all about the Pilgrims and Sasquatch or whatever-his-name-was, and Squanto. Squanto? Was that an Indian name? It’ll do.

Now it’s time for me to go to bed and dream about elegant phrases and music.

Godless: How an evangelical preacher became one of America’s leading Atheists.

This book by Dan Barker just arrived from Amazon. I had forgotten that I ordered it. I was planning to do some homework last night, but decided that I would take a break from the hustle of the day and read the first chapter… and boy, did I get hooked! He could be telling stories right from my life, and his struggle and eventual acceptance of the fact that there is no god was vividly painful and familiar. This book gives me hope.

But we were speaking of my autumn break. That long-awaited break when I would declare two months of my very own, with no homework. … yeah, right. If you know me well (most people don’t), then you know that I have to always be learning something or doing something new.

So, as I posted previously, I signed up for two new classes. Of course, Amazon picks that time to send those three new books my way, haha. And, of course, my laptop dies on me. This is not a tragedy in and of itself… I do most of my work from the desktop, but the laptop is very handy for working from the couch, or for taking places, and keeping track of my foodstuffs and exercise.

I was reading an excellent book last week, “Name of the Wind”, by Patrick Rothfuss… I just kept shaking my head thinking, ‘this is such an awesome story!‘…. then I reached the end only to find that it’s a freaking trilogy. I haven’t been so involved in a fantasy in a very long time.

I’ve been burning a lot of candles recently, both figuratively and literally. I find them very relaxing. Last night, while going through homework at the kitchen table, I had four burning in the same room… so peaceful.

The Autumn break is officially over - it’s time for me to go do some homework reading now.

ATM is at-the-moment, silly. I wish I had an ATM on my desk.

BOOKS!

and the glass of wine you see there is Mr. Glass-of-Wine the Third.

… and well, they should. I just placed my third or fourth order with them in the past week and a half.

This time, though, it was legit. It was for a schoolbook, that I found cheaper than what was sold at the college. One of the other purchases was legit - that included the AP Stylebook for my own purposes, and the Devil’s Dictionary - also for my own purposes.

So. See? I bought at least 2… wait. Actually, I bought 3 writing books. And one book of short stories by Ambrose Bierce (author of the Devil’s Dictionary). These should be interesting as I learn more about writing - did I mention that I started a new class at Rio Salado? Introduction to Magazine Writing. It looks FUN. I mean, the entire final exam is an article. *drools*

Anyway.

And then… the other purchases were NOT so legit - these included Purely Pleasure books. Like Dragonlance. I got a lot of those. A LOT.

And some other book by Terry Brooks. It’s more than ’some other book’ to me, but most people I know don’t read Terry Brooks, so it stands to reason that you’re not interested, right?

Right.

I should just quit typing now and go play a video game or something. Because I have NO MORE BIOLOGY!

*so thrilled*

I need to read more.

Better yet, I want to connect my brain to a vast store of classical literature and simply download it all into storage for analyzing and debating at later times. I have so many books to read! Soooo many. Here’s a partial list:

Climbing Mount Improbable - Richard Dawkins
The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins
Unweaving the Rainbow - Richard Dawkins
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Letter to a Christian Nation - Sam Harris
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Marquez
The Age of Reason - Thomas Paine
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
Middlemarch - George Eliot
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Bronte
Vanity Fair - William Thackeray
Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Mill on the Floss- George Eliot
War of Flowers - Tad Williams
Restoration - Carol Berg
The Dragon Nimbus - Irene Radford
The Elenium - David Eddings
The Once and Future King - T.H. White
The entire Memory, Shadow & Thorn trilogy
about 6 Shannara books by Terry Brooks

… and those are only SOME of the books on my shelf that I’ve yet to read! Not to mention all of the electronic books on my wonderful Sony Reader.

My, I do love to read. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough time in the world. What with working 40+ hours a week, working out after works, catching American Idol on Tuesdays, doing something or other on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, cramming for homework on Friday, shopping and cramming more on Saturday, ‘chilaxxing’ on Sundays, and cramming for another class on Mondays. And blogging about it all. I mean, seriously.

Okay, so maybe I read on Sundays sometimes. I try to read only on weekends because if I start a good book I WON’T put it down until it’s done. I mean, CAN’T. yeah. But anyway, I was thinking about this yesterday. The past couple of weeks I’ve really had to get a lot done at work. And more the work I have to do, the more I get done! And it doesn’t usually involve working late (since, you know, I have to go to the gym after work), but it gets done. So I thought, “Maybe I should start up another college course! Maybe it would inspire me to spread out my studying so that I don’t cram so much when it’s due!” Nice idea, huh?

I’m still thinking about it. I do have an unopened LOMA book sitting on top of my filing cabinet at work. Perhaps I should get started on that, instead, and get it out of the way.

This is some weird mood afflicting me tonight. I should go sleep it off.