Alexandra Bogdanovic's Blog: That's life... - Posts Tagged "reading"

With apologies to Mr. Sinatra, I have had a few regrets and some of them are real doozies.
One mistake, in particular, haunts me as I continue the seemingly endless process of home renovations, redecorating and downsizing. To this day, I still can't believe I allowed my mom to sell all of my old Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not harboring any ideas that they'd be worth a small fortune. It's the sentimental value that makes them priceless. After all, I read my first Hardy Boys mystery when I was in third grade and I still remember the first word that gave me trouble. What on earth is a ho-ax? I remember thinking as I "sounded out" the word.
Undaunted, I amassed quite a collection of the blue and yellow hard-cover books over the next few years.
Eventually, as Mom recalls, we put them in boxes and took them to sell at a church-sponsored tag sale. A little boy ended up buying them, much to my mother's disgust.
He really wanted the books, but he was thoroughly objectionable, Mom recalled. I didn't want him to have the books because I didn't like him. But I finally sold them to him at the end of the day. So I regret selling your Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books, too.
Until next time, "That's life..."

Judging by the number of views last week's post got, the topic clearly resonated with a lot of you.
And while I appreciate your support, it left me in a bit of a pickle. How can I top that? I've been thinking. The answer is, I probably can't. So I decided to shift gears this week.
After all, even I can only rant and rave so much.
So without further ado, here are my all-time favorite quotes about writing, reading and related activities. Enjoy!
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1. Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. ― Benjamin Franklin
2. There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.
― Ernest Hemingway
3. If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it. ― Toni Morrison
4. Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on. ― Louis L'Amour
5. I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn. ― Anne Frank
6. The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. ― Dr. Seuss
7. Classic - a book which people praise and don't read. ― Mark Twain
8. If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. ― Stephen King
9. You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them. ― Ray Bradbury
10. Readers are not sheep, and not every pen tempts them. ― Vladimir Nabokov
11. Read a lot, write a lot is the great commandment. ― Stephen King
12. She has learned to love. To fear. To hate. And then to love again. Through it all, she writes. ~Once Upon A Time There Was A Girl ― Kimberly Kinrade

Until next time, "That's life..."

This week, I'm taking a page out of Eli's book. After all, there's nothing that he loves more than curling up with his favorite person (me) and and some good reading material. Don't believe me? Just look at him! Anyhow, in the interest of lightening things up a bit, with tongue in cheek, I hereby present Eli's all-time favorite books...
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10. The Cat in the Hat
9. Stuart Little
8. James Herriot's Cat Stories
7. Diary of a Cat
6. Dear Tabby: Feline Advice on Love,
Life and the Pursuit of Mice
5. Everything Here is Mine: An
Unhelpful Guide to Cat Behavior
4. All I Need to Know I Learned from
my Cat
3. The New Yorker Book of Cat Cartoons
2. How to Talk to Your Cat
1. The Intelligent Cat

...Oh, Eli also loves classical music. His favorite composer is Johann Strauss and his favorite operetta is "Die Fleder-Meows!" (Cue groan and rimshot...)
Until next time, "That's life..."

Not too long ago, I shared one of my biggest regrets with you. If you recall, I bemoaned the loss of my favorite childhood books. More specifically, I bemoaned my decision to let my mother sell my collection of Hardy Boys® and Nancy Drew® mysteries.
Today I am happy to report that I am once again the proud owner of two dozen Nancy Drew® books. I am also happy to say that I got them for free and came by them honestly.
It happened as I was leaving the animal shelter where I volunteer on Tuesday afternoons. In a never-ending quest to find homes for all of the books donated to the organization, the director asked me if I wanted to have a look through the crates in the front room. As I had in the past, I happily said yes. And I was immediately glad that I did.
It took less than a minute to spot the hardcover books with the bright yellow spines, and I couldn't hide my delight when I realized what I'd found. When I explained why I was so excited, the director agreed to let me have the books. As a bonus, she threw in the crate, along with a few Bobbsey Twins® books and one of the Harry Potter® books that were already in it for good measure.
So just why was this acquisition such a big deal? No, it's not that I think the books are worth a great deal; in fact only a few are older editions. But to me they have tremendous nostalgic and sentimental value. I have no doubt that rereading these classics will take me back to my childhood; a time that wasn't perfect, but was pretty damn good.
It was a time when reading offered escape and opened my imagination. It was a time when I smuggled a flashlight under my sheets so I could stay up past my bedtime and read under the covers. It was a time when I spent countless winter days curled up with a good book, and countless summer afternoons reading at the beach.
Of course I didn't know it back then but it was also a time when reading sparked the interests and helped me develop the skills that ultimately made me a successful journalist and an award-winning author.
It was a time I'll cherish forever.
Until next time, "That's life..."

So I had a very interesting time in New York City last weekend.
Trying to ignore the fact that it was freezing cold, I took the 9:46 Metro North commuter train to Grand Central. From there I took the 6 Train to the Flatiron District, where I joined a couple of people from the Memoirs Only Book Club for brunch. We discussed Life on the Line by Grant Achatz. Although I hadn't finished the book, I enjoyed the conversation... and the food.
Afterwards, I ventured back into the cold with camera in hand. I planned to do some street photography before heading uptown to get some shots of the Manhattan skyline from Top of the Rock.
I had walked less than a block when I stumbled upon a street fair where vendors were selling food, jewelry and durable goods. At one booth, two women were doing astrological readings. I had no intention of having for one, but one of the women accosted me.
To make a long story short, she insisted on reading my palm -- for a small fee. Reluctantly I agreed, and listened while she told me about my past, present and future. Sometimes she spoke in generalizations, making statements that could apply to anyone. She could have reached some conclusions by reading body language. Some of her questions and predictions were uncanny.
She asked me about the significance of California and Florida, and it just so happens that I recently entered literary contests in those states. I don't know how she could have known about that, unless she had some sort of super-duper X-Ray scanning device that saw the post office receipts in my wallet.
The reading went on... and on. I grew increasingly wary as it continued. There had to be a catch -- and of course there was.
I learned that there is a lot of negativity in my life and that I am spiritually weak. I needed five crystals to restore my spiritual balance, thereby "fixing" everything in my life for a mere $500.
That did it. I'd had enough, and expressed my opinion in no uncertain terms. It was one thing to fleece unsuspecting people out of a few dollars for a reading. Fleecing someone out of a few hundred dollars is another thing altogether.
Call it karma or call it fate, but I got the last laugh. I'd agreed to let this woman do the reading for $20. But when I looked, I only had $17 in my wallet...
Until next time, "That's life.."

Another Christmas has come and gone. I suppose it's time to dismantle the "Charlie Brown" Christmas Tree I made out of some branches from our back yard (even though I just put it up a few days ago).
It's time to bid adieu to 2014, and start thinking about the coming year. And with that in mind, I thought I'd share some of my hopes, dreams and aspirations for 2015.
In no particular order, here they are:
-- I hope I hit the lottery. I don't really care which one. Mega-Millions, Power Ball... It doesn't really matter, as long as the jackpot is worthwhile.
-- Barring that, I hope I continue to do well in my online paralegal certificate program and graduate in March as planned.
-- I hope that a few New York City-area lawyers in need of a good paralegal read this and keep me in mind.
-- I hope my memoir receives some more accolades in the regional literary contests I entered. I'll find out soon, so please keep all bendable appendages crossed.
-- I hope a few more people actually decide to read my memoir.
-- I hope I actually find the time to write my second book.
-- I hope I actually find the time to read a few good books.
-- I hope to make it to the family reunion that's been planned in honor of my grandfather's 100th birthday in the spring.
-- I hope I get to laugh more and worry less.
-- I hope the world stops going "sideways."
-- I hope our leaders stop engaging in hateful rhetoric.
-- I hope that all of my friends in law enforcement go home safely after every shift.
-- I hope we learn to be kind to one another.
-- I hope we learn to respect each other's differences, even if we don't fully understand them.
-- I hope each and every one of you has a happy, safe and healthy 2015!
Until next time, "That's life..."

In the ongoing quest to broaden my horizons, I recently did something a bit out of character.
I invested in (okay, purchased) the novel Coup D'Etat by Harry Turtledove, which I found in the bargain book bin at a nearby office supply store. While it's clearly not unusual for me to buy a book, it is unusual for me to read "alternate history." In fact, this is the first such book I've ever tackled.
At any rate, I'm now approximately halfway through the 416-page tome and will refrain from commenting on the contents until I've finished it. For now I will only say that what I've read so far makes me more grateful than ever that everything transpired as it did and the real-life allies triumphed.
It also makes me more grateful than ever that there are still those who are willing to defend everything we hold so dear. After all, it is a sad and unpleasant truth that without warriors we cannot have freedom -- and we cannot have peace.
To quote Golda Meir, "We don't thrive on military acts. We do them because we have to, and thank God we are efficient."
And as Nishan Panwar put it, "Your freedom is brought to you courtesy of the outstanding Men and Women who serve and have served this country with honor, dedication, pride and sacrifice!"
Until next time, "That's life..."

I've got to be honest. I had no idea what I was going to write about this week. Until just now.
I just remembered a comment someone made on another social media site. The person who made it did so in the midst of a rather heated conversation about the use of books (that an interior decorator had purchased by the yard to style a beautiful set of built-in floor-to-ceiling bookshelves). The comment that sparked my anger was something completely idiotic like: "I don't understand why some people keep the books they do. Once you've read it, you've read it."
Of course I couldn't let that go. And of course it warranted a snarffy response. Of course I delivered one.
I said, in no uncertain terms, that the comment was a deep, profound, insightful testament to the stupidity and wastefulness of a throw-away society. Or something like that.
I added that I certainly don't keep every book I read. But those that I do keep are well-read. And every time I re-read them, I find something new on every page.
How about you? Do you keep all of the books you buy or just some of them? What are your criteria for keeping books? What are your criteria for giving them away?
What do you do once you decide you no longer want them? Do donate them, trade them in at a local book swap, or relegate them to the recycling bin?
Let me know... It might make some interesting fodder for future blog.
But it's late so I'd better sign off for now.
Until next time, "That's life..."

Here's an interesting question. If, as the saying goes, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, should you judge someone by what's on his or her bookshelf?
Think about it.
What does your reading list, or home library say about you? Certainly it reflects your interests. Obviously it reflects your taste in literature. Depending on what's on it, it could also provide some insight into your level of education, political leanings and religious beliefs -- not that any of that is anyone's business, or anything.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying you should hide your reading list, or do background checks before granting anyone access to your e-reader. There is no vast conspiracy afoot -- that I'm aware of anyhow.
This is really just a stream of consciousness about an idea that recently crossed my mind. I mean, hell, there's a label, classification and category for everyone and everything these days. If you watch CNN, you're a liberal. If you watch FOX News, you're a conservative. If you read the New York Times, you're a liberal. If you read the Washington Times.... well, you get the picture.
Personally, I read for fun. I read to relax. And I read in order to learn something new...
With that in mind, here's what's on my reading list:
- Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs
- Nipped in the Bud, Not in the Butt: How to Use Mediation to Resolve Conflicts over Animals by Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton
- The Unperfect Society: Beyond the New Class by Milovan Djilas
Make of it what you will...
Until next time, "That's life..."

As many of you know, a challenge is issued on goodreads.com each January.
Members are invited to join an annual reading "competition" in which they estimate the number of books they think they can read in a calendar year and then try to meet that goal.
This year I'll be participating for the first time. Given the demands of my day job and writing my second book, I set a rather lofty goal of 100 books. I'm hardly a math major, but I believe that means I'll have to read a little less than two books per week. Coincidentally, I've also got 100 books on my Goodreads "to-read" shelf.
To be honest I probably won't get around to reading all of these. I'll be reading some that I haven't bothered to shelf. For example, I am currently reading The Sigma Protocol by Robert Ludlum, which isn't on the shelf.
Here, in no particular order, are a few books from my "to-read" shelf that I do plan on tacking this year:
- Critical Condition by CJ Lyons
- The Empress of Australia by Harry Leslie Smith
- Playing Dead by Allison Brennan
- The Prey by Allison Brennan
-Smoky Mountain Tracks by Donna Ball
-No One Left to Tell by Jordan Dane
-Cry Wolf by Tami Hoag
-Where There is Evil by Sandra Brown
-The Arsonist by Sue Miller
-The Light Horseman's Daughter by David Crookes
What about you? How many books can you read in a year? What do you like to read? Do you follow recommendations from friends, base your choices on reviews, or just on what's popular? Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? What is your favorite genre?
Let me know in the comments below, on Google + or on Twitter.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Until next time, "That's life..."