Weekly Wrap-up for March 24, 2013: Sick and Plans..

I don't like having silence on the blog, especially when I have so many things to talk about. I know I can't control my body or the symptoms of my Lupus, but I still get mad when I can't find the time to blog. And it has been that way for a few months!

I also feel bad that I have pretty much abandoned the event I am hosting this month. I had big plans for my reading...and that has fallen away. School has been crazy busy recently, so I'll throw that excuse out there one more time. ;) But now that some of the craziness is going away, and my Lupus symptoms (like the sore inflamed joints) are disappearing, I've been saddled with a cold. Drat!

Anyway, school winds up on Wednesday in preparation for our Spring Break. We're lucky this year to have over a week off of school. In addition to reading a great deal, I'm also making plans to catch up on the HUGE backlist of posts I have in draft form. I'm thinking I'll get cracking early and schedule everything out until I am caught up and up to date. :)

I hope you can all excuse my absence. I'm still trying to find the balance between work, family, hobbies, and my health. It has been a rough road, but I am getting there. I miss blogging and the amount of joy it brought me...and I know some of that joy now comes from other places-like teaching. But I miss it and want it back. Please just continue to bear with me.

Absent.

Just a head's up that I'll continue to be a little absent on the blogging front. I'm in the midst of a flare-up and typing has been a little painful for my hands. Hopefully it'll die down soon so I'll be able to talk about all the wonderful books I've been reading.

A Modern March Link-Up Post!

Hi everyone! Welcome to the link-up post for "A Modern March!"

The goal for this event is to read some great Modernist literature (not contemporary lit-there is a difference!). I'm hoping we can all learn a great deal about this movement and the writers who published in this time period.

Starting today, read those Modernist pieces you selected. Once you write a post related to the event, make sure to come back here and link them up using the Mister Linky below. Just remember that this isn't a race and the goal isn't to read the most books-just to enjoy your reading!

I also want to encourage you to come back often to see others' posts and cheer them on. And, if you are on twitter, use the #amodernmarch hashtag to talk about the event.

Good luck and remember to link those posts!

*For the Mister Linky, please put the Title of the novel, following by your blog name in the "name" section. And make sure your URL is the URL for the post you want us to see, not your blog!*

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Top Ten Authors on my Auto-Buy List.

Hi everyone! Happy Tuesday!

It has been quite some time since I've participated in a top ten tuesday post, but I just couldn't pass this one up.

Since I generally only talk about classics here, it may seem odd that I continually purchase new releases. There are a number of authors that I purchase on a regular basis, even though I haven't read their work in years (eek). It drives my husband batty, and I'm sure it doesn't make all that much sense, but I know that one day, in the right moment, I will return to my loves. :) So, without further delay, the authors I buy from on a regular basis.

1. J.K. Rowling: This one is really a no-brainer. I own all of her work, including A Casual Vacancy. While I haven't gotten to that newest release just yet, I will in time. 
2. Robin McKinley: I own all of McKinley's works, and I purchase her books when they come out (the most recent being Pegasus, which I have reviewed at some point on the blog). I love McKinley. Her books are usually fairy tale retellings or original fantasy.
3. Orson Scott Card: While I really despise Card as a person, I still have a soft spot for his work. Inevitably, his books find a way into my hands and back home with me.
4. John Green: I first discovered Green a number of years ago when a somewhat battered copy of Looking for Alaska found its way into my hands at the bookstore. Since then, I have sought out and purchased all of his books shortly after publication.
5. Rick Riordan: While I haven't read all the Riordan I own (The Kane Chronicles come to mind), I will continue to purchase his books as they are published. I love his writing and the "fun" element of his stories!
6. Markus Zusak: I'm not sure if Zusak really counts, since his last book, The Book Thief, was published way back in 2005 (when I bought it and read it). But when he does publish his new book, I will be the first one to run to the store to buy it.
7. Jennifer Donnelly: This is another new writer to me, but after reading two of her books, A Northern Light and most recently, Revolution, she is a writer that I will return to on a regular basis, especially with the publication of new titles!
8. Brandon Sanderson: Sanderson is relatively new to me, but I know he is a writer I will be exploring more of in the future, especially since I have enjoyed his work thus far. He is most definitely a writer I will automatically buy!
9. Neil Gaiman: I've been collecting Gaiman titles since I was in high school, and I doubt I'll stop, even though I haven't read anything by him in a long time! I always grab his new books off the shelf when they come out, and they sit waiting on my shelves.
10. John Flanagan: Flanagan is the author of one of my biggest guilty-pleasure series, The Ranger's Apprentice. He has since moved on to a parallel series, which I have also purchased and loved. I will continue to purchase his new books as they debut!

There you have it. What authors do you automatically buy?

Weekly Wrap-up for February 24, 2013: Busy, Busy.

I'm gearing myself up for the next few weeks of total insanity at school and for other things taking place outside of school hours. This coming week is our Charity Week and with that comes a lot of crazy activities during the day. It should be a great event and the kids will be super into it. I'm hopeful we make our fundraising goal. :)

Additionally, this week will be our first FULL week of school since the first week back from Christmas vacation. In the weeks since then, we've had half days, snow days, and scheduled vacation days every week. This week is going to drag on...

Then we have testing next week, so of course that is screwing up our schedules and throwing everything off. Ugh, it's going to be a miserable push.

Besides all of that, we have conferences after school in the next couple of weeks, more PD, and the end of third quarter is fast approaching. This school year is FLYING by, isn't it?

Matt and I will also be headed to see the Muse concert this Saturday, which is something I have been looking forward to for months. :) We're also in the process of leasing a new car, since the lease on my Jeep ends on the first of April. We've already been in to a dealer this past week, so we've made the decision about what we're getting (Chrysler 300). Now we just have to do all the paperwork, etc. I don't enjoy that part of the process, so thankfully Matt is taking care of it. :)

With all of that going on, I doubt I will have a lot of time to read. I just collected a set of essays, so there goes my free time. I'm still hopeful that I'm going to get through Anna Karenina before the end of the month (so I can start A Modern March with nothing lingering).

Anyway, I hope you're all in the middle of some fabulous books. :)