This has not been the bookish weekend I had hoped it would be. Well, there was some bookishness yesterday but it wasn’t the fun relaxing kind. I had to finish up reading a nonfiction book of comparative literature for a Library Journal review that is due by tomorrow. The book is called An Ecology of World Literature From Antiquity to the Present Day by Alexander Beecroft. It’s an interesting way to compare literatures but is entirely aimed at an academic audience so wasn’t exactly easy-going fun. Finishing it took far longer than I expected and left little time for more pleasurable reading. Then of course today I had to take the time to write the review. I only get 200 words, which is not so very easy to stick to when assessing an academic book. But I managed with about five words to spare. We’ll see what my editor thinks.
After yesterday was a wash on my own personal reading I thought I could indulge today but that didn’t happen either. The morning was given over to chores of various kinds and the afternoon got eaten up with switching to a new phone and mobile carrier. Bookman and I discovered recently that our mobile carrier was charging us for phone and unlimited texting as much as AT&T would charge us for iPhones with a small data plan. So we switched. I finally have a “smart” phone. Since I have an iPad and a Macbook they all sync up which is kind of convenient. Of course the switching has not gone as smoothly as it was supposed to. Getting our phone numbers switched over to the new phones from the old carrier is still a work in progress and we’ve been promised it will be completed within the hour. Fingers crossed. And of course I’ve had to transfer phone numbers from my old phone to the new and choose ringtones and set up my morning alarm clock and all the other stuff that an iPhone requires one to set up. But it will all be good, right? I won’t regret finally giving in and getting rid of my not-smart phone? That question mark tells you I am not entirely certain on the matter.
My ban on placing hold requests at the library is going pretty well. I have been really good at resisting, though it has not been without pangs from time to time. I did borrow a few cookbooks, however. Since these are not books one sits down to read for hours over the course of a few weeks, I decided it was allowed. They are all vegan cookbooks I have never heard of before. Of course I started with the dessert, Lickin’ the Beaters: low fat vegan desserts and Lickin’ the Beaters 2: vegan chocolate and candy. Recipes for chocolate donut holes and gingerbread chocolate cookies just seemed so much nicer to swoon over this weekend than recipes from North Africa and India. I’ll drool over those next weekend.
I’ve had so many book finishes lately I now find myself in the middle of a good many books and nowhere near the end of any of them. I am enjoying each one and don’t have that “I’m not getting anywhere” feeling I often get when I find myself in this kind of situation. The only thing this time around I’m having trouble with is coming up with post topics since I have nothing to review. I’ve managed so far but I don’t yet know what the week ahead holds. We’ll see. If posting is spotty you’ll know why!
On a side note, all those seeds I ordered last weekend got delivered on Friday. I didn’t even open the packages because well, snow-covered garden. It would just be too depressing to have to look at those colorful seed packets.
Enough pointless rambling for one day. Our phone numbers still haven’t transferred, there’s another what the heck is the problem phone call to be made.
I’ve been feeling the same way, although I’ve been watching movies and tv shows and reviewing those, so I guess that’s some progress. BTW, when I noticed how many posts and reviews you had I had a little moment of ‘oh, they’re probably way better than me at reviewing’ and blah blah, but really I mostly admire that you continue with it on a regular basis. I just recently got back to my wordpress blog and started doing reviews and stuff and so I’m a little nervous, and hopeful. I want to keep up with my writing, along with, of course, all of my reading, and my shows, and so on and so forth. If only you didn’t have to work for food, money and clothing, you could read all day! Anyway, I really like your blog and appreciate that you keep up with it! Thanks!
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writerhime88, thanks for y our wonderful comment! Blogging is about having fun and sharing thoughts on my favorite things and since it remains fun I keep going. Don’t be nervous, just be yourself! Yeah, and if only we didn’t have to work for a living! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
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STEPHANIE, HI! IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I LAST RESPONDED TO YOUR ENTRIES. I FEEL AS THOUGH YOU HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED, AS ALL OF US HAVE, BY THE ‘NOW GENERATION’. YOU KNOW, THE RECORDINGS YOU GET WHEN YOU REALLY NEED TO SPEAK WITH A ‘REAL PERSON’. I AM SORRY YOU AND BOOKMAN ARE HAVING A REAL TIME WITH THE PHONE, HOWEVER, REMEMBER….EVERYONE HAS A BOSS AND THE HIGHER YOU GO IN AN ORGANIZATION…..THE BETTER THE SERVICE, (that is if they want your business). SO KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP.. AND DON’T LET THE B……. WEAR YOU DOWN! LOL.
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waddlesbluhealer, the whole phone thing finally got resolved this morning after a few more phone calls before Bookman finally found someone who knew what they were doing. Everyone he spoke to was always very nice but none of them were able to figure it out until he finally got connected to someone in the department that does the actual number porting. She had it fixed in two minutes. Ah technology. We are very familiar with those automatic menus and they are infuriating especially the ones that are supposed to be voice responsive and then can’t tell what you say. Drives me nuts. Fortunately AT&T did not force us through those.
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See, this is what separates us from well…. normal people. See, most people, I mean majority-wise I guess — I have the idea that they tend to read when there is nothing else to do. A plane ride. A bus ride. As a sedative, to fall asleep, etc. But then there are the hardcore readers that regret the times when normal events of life KEEP them from reading. I am so in that camp, and I know you are, too. Reading is sort of… the main event. It’s the OTHER things that are the distraction. My idea of a perfect weekend usually corresponds to the amount of things that could possibly crop up to take away from my much-valued reading time.
Amount of things = Less perfection.
And as for your iPhone — oh yes, it will all settle out. I am such a fan of Apple products. Here is an example — at our 2014 Christmas party I won a Samsung Galaxy Tab4 in an employee raffle. I don’t even want the thing because a) I can’t figure out how to use it, so entirely Apple-ized am I, and b) a lot of its features aren’t compatible with my Mac.
Happy reading to you, Stefanie! And garden-planting, when the snow clears.
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Cipriano, reading as the main event! I like that. Yes, my weekend happiness pans out much like yours. When coworkers ask me what my plans are I generally have nothing to say but reading and they think I’m cuckoo. The phone numbers finally got ported to the new phones and since I spent time Sunday getting everything set up I’m good to go. I like the messaging much better than my old phone and I’m sure once I get used to it I will be glad I have it. I like Apple products too and the consistency across devices makes for much easier use and a shorter learning curve 🙂
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I know the feeling of getting so caught up with chores and other aspects of life that you lose track of your own personal reading time! Don’t worry, there;s always tomorrow! 🙂 If any of you would like to see more book reviews and random ramblings, check out my new blog andreathenerdyathlete.weebly.com 🙂 Hope to see you there! Andrea x
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Andrea, you’re right, there is always tomorrow. And while the work week doesn’t allow for long periods of concentrated reading, there are plenty of reading moments throughout the day however short so that’s something!
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I switched to a “smart phone” last Friday as well….this is Karma. How did you find An Ecology of World Literature From Antiquity to the Present Day? It sounds ACADEMIC but is it like a good read?
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cirtnecce, what timing! Ecology of World Literature was very academic and rather dry at times. the best chapters were the last ones that talked about the development of national literatures and then the emerging ecosystem of global literature and what that might look like for the development of the novel in the future. It’s not a book I would recommend though unless you were studying comparative literature.
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I won’t get a phone smarter than I am unless forced to! The iPad is probably the extent of my technology for the time being. I don’t think I would be particularly drawn to Ecology of World Literature, but I would love to read your review of it!
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Grad, LOL. I’ve been reluctant but the price was right and I’m going to be training for some major bike rides so I can use my phone now as a bike computer as well as a map for my rides which is pretty convenient. Ecology of World Literature is a good book but not one to read for fun. The final chapter on the emerging ecology of global literature was pretty interesting though.
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If you get short pf books to review you can borrow part of my backlog which seems to multiply every week. Glad to know the phone switch over worked eventually. The companies always make it seem seamless but it never is. I’m nervous about a switch of bank accounts we have initiated. The new bank promised to do everything g for us but there is that tiny stone in my shoe that is nagging me….
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BookerTalk, I’m slowing getting near the end of a couple books but I generally don’t have a backlog so perhaps I should borrow some of yours. That could be interesting! 😉 The new phone is working great now, but you are right, switching things never goes as easy as the companies say it will. Good luck with the bank change!
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LOL Stefanie. I have a smart phone – a very basic one – but I don’t use its smartness at all. Hubby does. For smartness I revert to my iPad. I really don’t like (indeed I detest) the small screens and tiny keyboards. The only thing I’d really like would be to have my calendar synced to the phone, but since it’s not currently synced to my iPad either for reasons too complicated to explain here, that’s not coming soon. And, if I really got into smartphones, then I’d probably upgrade to one with a decent camera. I think that’s it – calendar and camera would be the things for me. Meanwhile, I used my smartphone for occasional texts, and my iPad for everything else.
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whisperinggums, neither Bookman nor I have used the smartness on our phones yet because we are so paranoid about going over our data plan and we have no idea how much data different things use. We’ll figure it out eventually. I’m on the hunt for a good app I can use when out bicycling and you’re right, the calendar is pretty useful. Other than that I’ve not figured out anything to do with it!
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I don’t know what your data plan is but Mr Gums tells me that emails and browser searching generally is low on data but looking at images or video uses up a lot. So, for example, on my iPad when I was using a low data plan overseas, looking at photos on Facebook chewed up the data quickly. I learnt very quickly, by watching the data allowance, that I would only look at images when I had access to wi fi! But I don’t know how apps go. I know he uses apps like Map my walk on his phone and his data plan is pretty minimal. I suspect I’ve helped not a jot!
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oh but you have helped! I know video would use a lot but I had not thought of photos. I’m going to be trying Map my Ride for biking come spring so I’m glad to hear that will probably be minimal. It will be at least another month before I get to find out for sure.
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Oh good … Do test what I said though because different devices and different plans could makes one différence.
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