Kim Golden's Blog - Posts Tagged "spring"
My Spring of Reading
I think spring has finally arrived in Sweden--it's a good sign when the evening breeze doesn't feel so good and the cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom on the trees outside my apartment.
For some reason, I am really excited about spring this year. I haven't got a clue why. Maybe it's because we had such a crappy winter here in Stockholm. Hardly any snow and weirdly mild weather that meant you never knew what clothes you should wear.
Maybe it's because I've finally had time to read other people's books instead of obsessing over my own. A few days ago, I finished reading Mistress: A Novella and Secret by Nia Forrester (if you haven't read them, you should!).
Now I am reading Taste for Love by Tia Kelly, and Wife and Afterwards by Nia Forrester.
I'm also super excited about Xio Axelrod's upcoming novel, Starstruck. Xio and I have known each other since we were kids in Philly, and even back then we both knew we wanted to be writers. I read an early version of Starstruck and it was so riveting--with a great love story and authentic characterisation and storytelling. I think you will all love it when it finally comes out.
Of course, the sci-fi/fantasy girl in me wants George R. R. Martin to finish writing the next instalment of the Songs of Ice & Fire series. Until he does so, I'll just keep drooling over Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister and wishing he'd get over Cersei already and hook up with Brienne of Tarth. Though this morning I heard someone on the subway talking about Game of Thrones and he presented the idea of Jaime and Sansa somehow ending up together...now that would be an interesting conflict. Cersei would probably go apoplectic from that. ..
I've already pre-ordered a few books for my spring list--namely Daisy Goodwin's The Fortune Hunter, Emily Giffin's The One & Only and Jennifer Weiner's All Fall Down.
My TBR list is growing every day so, even if the weather suddenly worsens, I'll be prepped. And--if all else fails--I've got another novel to write. ;)
For some reason, I am really excited about spring this year. I haven't got a clue why. Maybe it's because we had such a crappy winter here in Stockholm. Hardly any snow and weirdly mild weather that meant you never knew what clothes you should wear.
Maybe it's because I've finally had time to read other people's books instead of obsessing over my own. A few days ago, I finished reading Mistress: A Novella and Secret by Nia Forrester (if you haven't read them, you should!).
Now I am reading Taste for Love by Tia Kelly, and Wife and Afterwards by Nia Forrester.
I'm also super excited about Xio Axelrod's upcoming novel, Starstruck. Xio and I have known each other since we were kids in Philly, and even back then we both knew we wanted to be writers. I read an early version of Starstruck and it was so riveting--with a great love story and authentic characterisation and storytelling. I think you will all love it when it finally comes out.
Of course, the sci-fi/fantasy girl in me wants George R. R. Martin to finish writing the next instalment of the Songs of Ice & Fire series. Until he does so, I'll just keep drooling over Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister and wishing he'd get over Cersei already and hook up with Brienne of Tarth. Though this morning I heard someone on the subway talking about Game of Thrones and he presented the idea of Jaime and Sansa somehow ending up together...now that would be an interesting conflict. Cersei would probably go apoplectic from that. ..
I've already pre-ordered a few books for my spring list--namely Daisy Goodwin's The Fortune Hunter, Emily Giffin's The One & Only and Jennifer Weiner's All Fall Down.
My TBR list is growing every day so, even if the weather suddenly worsens, I'll be prepped. And--if all else fails--I've got another novel to write. ;)
Life in Sweden: Spring is on its way…even if it’s still cold out.
We’re well into March and there is still snow and ice on the ground in the suburb of Stockholm where I live. Two weeks ago, we had a snow storm and temperatures down to -16C. It’s a tad bit warmer now (though still below zero on the Celsius scale). I’m still wearing my winter boots and thick, cozy sweaters. I never leave the house without my fleece-lined winter hat and thick mittens. According to the calendar, it’s spring but at first glance my knee-jerk reaction would be, “Hell no! It’s still winter!”
But…there are signs that we are in the early days of spring, even if it’s hard to believe.
For starters, when I wake up at six in the morning to write, it no longer looks and feels like the middle of the night, so I don’t have to turn on a lot of lights anymore. Instead, the sun is up and there’s enough light that I can sit in the kitchen without turning on a lamp unless it’s cloudy out. And when I leave the office at 5:30PM, there’s still sunlight in the sky. When I first noticed it, I got so giddy. Yeah, I know…I’ve probably lived in Sweden too long if a little more daylight is getting me excited. But when you’ve had close to six months of the sun not rising until around eight or nine in the morning and setting at around 3PM, you sometimes feel like someone put a thick blanket over you and you can become a bit zombie-like until the summer comes.
So what happens when the sun is out, even if it’s still cold? Swedes turn into sunflowers. You’ll see them bundled up, their faces turned up to the sun and you’ll wonder at first if this is some weird sun-worshipping cult until you catch yourself doing the same thing. Because it feels so good, even though it’s cold out. Because that bit of warm from the sun is enough to keep you going until you can finally pack away your winter gear until the end of the autumn.
And despite the snow, spring flowers are making an appearance. I keep hearing reports from friends in Skin that they’ve spotted snowdrops and other early spring flowers. I haven’t seen any yet, but I hope I will. I need a few more sneak peeks of spring to help me feel like there is more to life than ice. 🙂
Have you seen any signs of spring? And what’s the weather like in your neck of the woods?
But…there are signs that we are in the early days of spring, even if it’s hard to believe.
For starters, when I wake up at six in the morning to write, it no longer looks and feels like the middle of the night, so I don’t have to turn on a lot of lights anymore. Instead, the sun is up and there’s enough light that I can sit in the kitchen without turning on a lamp unless it’s cloudy out. And when I leave the office at 5:30PM, there’s still sunlight in the sky. When I first noticed it, I got so giddy. Yeah, I know…I’ve probably lived in Sweden too long if a little more daylight is getting me excited. But when you’ve had close to six months of the sun not rising until around eight or nine in the morning and setting at around 3PM, you sometimes feel like someone put a thick blanket over you and you can become a bit zombie-like until the summer comes.
So what happens when the sun is out, even if it’s still cold? Swedes turn into sunflowers. You’ll see them bundled up, their faces turned up to the sun and you’ll wonder at first if this is some weird sun-worshipping cult until you catch yourself doing the same thing. Because it feels so good, even though it’s cold out. Because that bit of warm from the sun is enough to keep you going until you can finally pack away your winter gear until the end of the autumn.
And despite the snow, spring flowers are making an appearance. I keep hearing reports from friends in Skin that they’ve spotted snowdrops and other early spring flowers. I haven’t seen any yet, but I hope I will. I need a few more sneak peeks of spring to help me feel like there is more to life than ice. 🙂
Have you seen any signs of spring? And what’s the weather like in your neck of the woods?
