Sunday Salon: June 6, 2010.

Wow. Is anyone else in awe that it is June already? This year is flying by and I kind of want it to slow down so I can enjoy it a little more!

Things this week have been a little chaotic. Matt and I got back into the swing of being at work full time and to be honest, we didn't see each other much until Thursday night. It was the first time all week that we were both home, so I went into major cleaning mode and we got this apartment back into sparkling condition (not going to lie, it needed it).

I finally had my much needed days off on Friday and Saturday and I spent a lot of time just relaxing. Of course, I did some reading, but I also played some Wii-something I haven't done since before the wedding! I enjoyed playing games and giving my mind a little break from some heavy reading, but a part of me felt guilty I wasn't doing something slightly more productive with my time.

I also finally went and got my hair cut for the first time in 6 months and elected to dye it darker. I am loving the change and Matt likes it to. It certainly makes me look different, but in a good way. Now the color matches my eyebrows and since I have fair skin, my blue eyes are popping! I forgot how good it felt to look put together.

In reading news...

I finished Gone with the Wind to make it seven completed books in May. I have a lot to say about that book in particular, so I am excited for those posts to go up. I have also been trying to get ahead for all of the lovely read-alongs I am participating in. Of course, I have the two I am hosting: Gulliver's Travels and Cranford. I managed to finish the first section of each and have my posts reading and waiting to go up on the assigned days. I am especially looking forward to discussing dear old Gulliver. It is such a fascinating and exciting book.

I am also participating in a read-along of Dante's The Divine Comedy. I haven't read any of the three parts (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso), but I am really looking forward to it. If you are interested in joining as well, you can sign up here. The first post over the Inferno isn't until the weekend of July 2-4, so you have plenty of time to read with us! The other two sections we'll be reading in August and September, so you could even read along with those if you would like.

There is also a new poll up for read-alongs in July. Please vote if you are interested in joining us. I think I will make it a monthly goal to always have at least one read-along going a month, and I would love to have as many people join as possible.

I am also participating in the new Classics Circuit tour and my post is due on the 24th over Fathers and Sons by Turgenev. If you are ever interested in participating in a tour, you should definitely go and check it out. It is a great way to get some exposure to classics you haven't heard of, or that you have been meaning to get around to. For me, it is just an excuse to get more of those classics out of the way.

This week I have a couple of big goals. I really want to finish Gulliver's Travels and Cranford so I can have my posts up and ready to go on the dates assigned. I also need to finish The Hound of the Baskervilles so I can keep this Sherlock Holmes thing going (I honestly just want to be DONE with Holmes so I can move on and cross another book off my check-list).

From there, I am not sure what I'll move on to next. I might start working on both Turgenev and Dante, but there are some other things lingering on my shelf. Perhaps I'll pick up a short play or another little something to get myself going a little farther. I am off from my 100 books this year pace by about 14 books. If I want to be caught up by the end of June, I have 14 books to read. It could happen, but only if I pick up the pace a bit.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great week of reading!