Category: Ruminations

Saturday Snapshot: Knick-Knacks

On By cherylmahoneyIn Saturday Snapshot22 Comments

I like everything I own to have a story.  That doesn’t extend to, say, my shampoo or silverware, but it does include my knick-knacks.

Shelf - Barrie Fairies

I saw these adorable fairies for sale in Covent Gardens.  Having just spent a week wandering around Kensington Gardens with fairies on my mind, I couldn’t resist.  Naturally I keep them in front of my J. M. Barrie collection.

Shelf - Fandom

Here you see the result of some of my fandoms…my shelf of Star Trek books also houses Trevor the Tribble, Kirk and Spock salt-and-pepper shakers, and a Data action figure that I bought at my first ever job, at KayBee Toys (for the record, I don’t recommend working in a toy store for the Christmas season).

On the next shelf, my Phantom collection, with a model of the Paris Opera House, and then my Pirate collection.  I bought the “solemn” Captain Jack action figure because the grinning one was terrifying (really), and I managed to get a Captain Jack Happy Meal toy without actually buying any food at McDonalds.

Shelf - Lucky Cat

A less obvious connection here…but I have a Lucky Cat figurine that I bought in Chinatown in San Francisco, and it’s on this shelf because Keladry, heroine of the Protector of the Small quartet, has a collection of Lucky Cat figures.

Those are my cleverest book-and-knick-knack combinations…but perhaps I’ll share other knick-knacks another day! 🙂  Do you have any with fun stories?

Visit At Home with Books for more Saturday Snapshots!

Saturday Snapshot: “Do Sit and Enjoy Life”

On By cherylmahoneyIn Saturday Snapshot13 Comments

Whew–I don’t know about you, but 2013 seems to be starting crazy busy!  With very good things…but BUSY!  So for Saturday Snapshot today, I thought perhaps a few peaceful pictures from one of my favorite places.

You were already guessing Kensington Gardens, right? 🙂

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The inscription reads: “Pam Weisweiller was here – do sit and enjoy life”

So this weekend, I hope you take some time to just sit and enjoy life!

2012 Reading Challenges – Wrap-Up

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations1 Comment

We’re starting 2013, and it’s time to check in on reading challenge results for last year!  I’ve been trying to focus my reading selections, especially in the last couple of months, so I’m happy with where I ended up.  I’ve cleared long-time unread books off my shelves, finished lots of long-lingering series, and read new books by some beloved authors.  All in all–a good year in reading!

So, let’s look at the details.  As usual, linked titles go to my reviews, starred titles have reviews coming, and feel free to ask if you want to know more about anything!

Continue reading “2012 Reading Challenges – Wrap-Up” →

Launching Stonehenge Writers

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations4 Comments

Stonehenge 2It’s a new year, and I have exciting news to share–I’ve joined a group blog!

During 2012, I joined Stonehenge, a writing critique group with a loose focus on speculative fiction (science fiction, fantasy and horror).  I’ve met many amazing people, and they’ve given me so many helpful insights about my own writing, and writing in general.

Many of us have blogs or want to have blogs.  We’ve decided to pool our talents for the Stonehenge Writers blog, which officially launches today.  I don’t expect it to change things around here, but I’ll also be posting about once a month on the group blog.

My first post went up this morning, on the subject of New Year’s Resolutions.  Are you resolving to write in 2013?  I’m sharing some suggestions that have helped me chase down my goals.

I hope you’ll come visit the new blog!  There are nine of us, with diverse ideas and interests.  I know I for one have a lot of fun at our in-person meetings, and learn a lot too–and I expect the blog to go pretty much the same way! 🙂

What Are You Reading…in 2013?

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations, What Are You Reading?9 Comments

itsmondayWe’re about to turn the calendar to January, making this the perfect time to look ahead at reading plans for the beginning of the new year.  So here’s a new installment of the What Are You Reading meme from Book Journey!

I have been on a mad quest to clear up final reading plans before the end of the year, and so far, it’s going pretty well.  I read Superior Saturday and am midway through Lord Sunday by Garth Nix, to finish off one last series.

I reread Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig over Christmas, and I just madly, madly love this book.  It’s so sweet and adorable and witty and funny and the characters are so good and…well, I just madly love it.

I’m still working on Reflections by Diana Wynne Jones, but since it’s a series of essays, it’ll be an easy one to intersperse among new reading plans…because I start new reading challenges on January 1st and look forward to diving in.

P1020254First of all, I’m joining the Sci Fi Experience, so that should tell you the general trend of my reading for the next couple of weeks.  I think I’ll start with the Pellucidar series, reading At the Earth’s Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs, followed by Children of the Jedi by Barbara Hambly, then maybe whichever Star Trek book is appealing to me.  Somewhere in there I also plan to read Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey for the readalong, but I haven’t quite decided where yet.  Then I might circle back to the next Pellucidar book, or else I’ll take a break for something completely different…and read Pat of Silver Bush by L. M. Montgomery.

Pat BooksYou see, all against my better judgment, I have also decided to join in with the L. M. Montgomery Reading Challenge at Reading to Know.  It only runs for the month of January which is terrible timing…but it’s an L. M. Montgomery reading challenge!  To paraphrase one of her characters, her writing is in the very core of my heart.  I can’t resist.  So, I’ll definitely be fitting in some LMM short stories and poetry in the next month, and hopefully the Pat books in there somewhere too.

WaldenWhile all of that is going on, I also want to get started on my Chunkster Challenge…because if I don’t start in the first month, I’ll never reach my goal there!  The thought of fitting a 1,000 page book into January is making me feel faint (sorry, Les Mis) so I got an audiobook of Walden instead.  I can’t see listening to Thoreau while I’m driving (it just doesn’t feel right…) but while I’m taking a morning walk…yeah, I think that’ll work.

Whew.  If I didn’t enjoy all of this so much, reading plans would be exhausting to contemplate!  But since I very often feel like I want to read all of the books right now, it’s actually quite exciting to have a big stack to pounce on.  I know how I’m spending January 1st!

Addendum: apologies for sending you two posts in one day!  This one accidentally got scheduled a day early.  Oh well…I guess I’m really looking forward to the new year!