Handbook of Indexing Techniques 5th Edition - Linda K. Fetters

Handbook of Indexing Techniques: A Guide For Beginning Indexers
Linda Fetters
Information Today Publishing
Copyright Date: March 4th 2013
978-1573874618

The amazon.com blurb:

Linda Fetters' popular Handbook of Indexing Techniques is now available for the first time from Information Today, Inc. in a significantly updated fifth edition that will be welcomed by new, aspiring, and occasional indexers and anyone who teaches indexing.
As in earlier releases, the fifth edition includes clear explanations of indexing techniques along with many helpful examples. In addition to its easy-to-follow "how-to" coverage, you'll find updated information about indexing seminars and training programs, professional organizations, and indexing standards. Chapter 8, "Electronic Documents," has been expanded to include basic coverage of embedded indexing, Cambridge University Press indexing, XML indexing, ebook indexing, web indexing, and taxonomies. And, for the first time, the book's bibliographic references a rich source of suggestions for further reading appear in two separate appendixes, one organized alphabetically and the other by topic.

I said in my last post about this book that I wanted to buy it. Well, I did, and there are some parts of the book that are absolutely wonderful:

1. The end of chapter bibliographies.
   Extremely helpful if you're looking for more information on a particular topic.
2. Chapter 8, the chapter on indexing electronic documents.
   It gives clear explanations of the various aspects of indexing for websites, e-books and embedded indexing.
3. Two forms of bibliography, as mentioned in the blurb.
   As I said about the end of chapter bibliographies, these are one of the best resources in the book.

As the subtitle for the Handbook of Indexing Techniques notes, the book is designed as a "Guide For Beginning Indexers" and as such, I'd say it might just be the book I'd recommend first. The style is clear and easy to read and the book covers just about everything you need to get started, ranging from discussions of the various educational options out there to different methods of indexing (dedicated software such as Macrex or Cindex, the indexing modules in programs such as Word, and even the method that gave us the "Index Card").

Then there's actually creating the index. The Handbook of Indexing Techniques covers that too, with many a reference to the other stand-by reference books out there, including Mulvaney's Indexing Books Second Edition and Indexing From A-Z Second Edition by Hans Wellisch.

Excuses Excuses - And A Grilled Cheese Sandwich

That's what it boils down to essentially. It's been one of those weeks where despite my best intentions I haven't had anything to post here.

I've been darting from book to book but not getting anything read at all, not even the two new indexing books that arrived the day before yesterday.

Part of that is due to the fact that I've been busy. On Tuesday, the snooker table arrived so the day was taken up by that being installed. Wednesday the new wood stove was installed, only to discover that we need to get the chimney extended.

I've also found out that to run some of the software I need for an ongoing project, that I need to upgrade the operating system on my computer tower. NOT to Windows 8 though. I'm only upgrading to Windows 7. However, that's still proving to be a challenge as I keep finding something else that I need to back up first. That's been most of Thursday and Friday.

Yesterday as well, we had someone out to replace the pump on the furnace system. Quiet at last. Of course, as well there was a batch of beef barley soup to be made.

Now, on to the recipe I discovered the other day.

Roast Beef Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Best made on a cranberry loaf.

4 slices of bread (for two sandwiches)
grated cheddar/mozzarella cheese combination
sliced deli roast beef
margarine/butter

Butter the inside side of all four slices of bread. Add a handful of the grated cheese to one slice for each sandwich. Lay down slices of the roast beef to cover the cheese one layer thick. Add another handful of the cheese and then the other slice of bread.

Grill in a sandwich press/george foreman grill/panini maker until the cheese is thoroughly melted.

The Tolkien Collection - 2013 Edition

Back in 2011 I set out my collection of Tolkien books on the kitchen table. The resulting pile and list were posted to my blog.

Now, I've finally unpacked the majority of the collection from the move (plus the books that I'd stored for lack of space). The resulting photo took up one side of the other new arrival today, the snooker table:

Of course, one of our two cats had to get in on the game too. She's sitting behind The Art Of The Hobbit.
The books:

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
   One volume edition, illustrated by Alan Lee. (bottom of the stack, spine out)
2. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
   One volume, movie cover edition. (hiding behind The Art Of The Hobbit)
3. The Lord of the Rings 50th Anniversary Box Set by J.R.R. Tolkien
   The white box set including the Lord of the Rings Readers Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. Still in the shrink wrap. (beside The Art Of The Hobbit)
4. The Lord of the Rings box set by J.R.R. Tolkien
   The black box set. (slightly tipped, in the middle)
5. The Lord of the Rings
   The BBC Radio Play edition adapted by Brian Sibley. Each of the major characters is done by a different actor, including Ian Holm (Frodo), Peter Woodthorpe (Gollum) and Michael Horden (Gandalf). (beside the DVD's)
6. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
7. The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
8. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
9. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
10. The Annotated Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Annotated by Douglas A. Anderson
    Lovely design with two columns: one for the text and the other for notes, including excerpts from letters, possible inspirations etc. I'm a bit ashamed to admit I have yet to fully read this edition, but it's so full of information that it really is a must have.
11. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Illustrated by Alan Lee
12. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Mass market edition.
13. The Hobbit Graphic Novel
14. Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Black edition.
15. Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Illustrated Hardcover edition, with the illustrations being by J.R.R. Tolkien too. Library discard.
16. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Hardcover, with illustrations from the Rankin-Bass animated movie. The first edition of The Hobbit that I ever read. A bit awkwardly sized, but has a lot of sentimental value.
17. The Hobbit
    BBC Radio Play edition
    
18. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Hardcover, illustrated by Ted Naismith
19. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
20. The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Library discard hardcover
21. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo translated by J.R.R. Tolkien
    My favourite translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Tolkien seems to have kept the meter and rhyme scheme very well.
22. Tales from The Perilous Realm b J.R.R. Tolkien
    Made up of Leaf by Niggle, The Adventures of Tom Bombadil, Farmer Giles of Ham and Smith of Wootton Major. Illustrated by Alan Lee
23. On Fairy Stories by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Verlyn Flieger and Douglas A. Anderson. Included commentary and notes
24. The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien
25. Tree and Leaf by J.R.R. Tolkien
26. Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull.
27. The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien
28. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien
29. The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Audiobook read by Christopher Lee.
30. Sigurd and Gudrun by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien
31.  The Fall of Arthur by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien 
32. Beowulf by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Christopher Tolkien.
33. Tales from the Perilous Realm
    BBC Radio Play edition.
34. Mr. Bliss by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Lovely slip-cased facsimile edition.
35. The Father Christmas Letters by J.R.R. Tolkien
36. Smith of Wootton Major by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Edited by Verlyn Flieger
37. Finn and Hengist by J.R.R. Tolkien
38. The Ancrene Wisse edited by J.R.R. Tolkien
    One expensive book! In some form of Middle English, I think with some latin mixed in. I can't read it at all. Early English Text Society edition.
39. Bilbo's Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien
    Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
40. The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays by J.R.R. Tolkien
41. The Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    Same cover style as the Black box set of the Lord of the Rings.
42. The Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
43. The Book of Lost Tales One by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
44. The Book of Lost Tales Two by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
45. The Lays of Beleriand by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
46. The Shaping of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
47. The Lost Road by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
48. The Return of the Shadow by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    The first book covering the draft versions of The Lord of the Rings. Also, the first book in the History Of Middle Earth series that I ever read.
49. The Treason of Isengard by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    The second book about the Lord of the Rings
50. The War of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    The third book in the set about the Lord of the Rings.
51. Sauron Defeated by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    Only part of the book covers the end of the documents about the Lord of the Rings. The rest holds one of my other favourite unfinished stories by Tolkien though: The Notion Club Papers. I think this copy also has some holes punched in the pages  (from the metal bookmark I stopped using as soon as I discovered it was doing that).
52. Morgoth's Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
53. The War of the Jewels by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
54. Peoples of Middle Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien
    Only one of the History of Middle-Earth books I have in hardcover.
55. A Middle English Reader and Vocabulary by Kenneth Sisam and J.R.R. Tolkien
    IIRC, Kenneth Sisam was one of Tolkien's tutors.
56. The Tolkien Family Album by John and Priscilla Tolkien
57. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
    Hardcover edition
58. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Humphrey Carpenter
    With the improved index.
59. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter
    This is the gold standard biography I believe.
60. The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter
61. The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
    Slip-cased set of two volumes: the Chronology and the Reader's Guide. Another jaw-dropper of a set, and one I consider to be a must-have.
62. The Lord of the Rings Reader's Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
63. The Art Of The Hobbit by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull. The artwork that J.R.R. Tolkien did for The Hobbit, both during the drafts and for publication gathered together in one place. Beautifully done in a lovely slipcase.
64. J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist And Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
    About Tolkien's own artwork over the years from his childhood on. Stunning, and has insights into Tolkien and his writings as well.
65. The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth by Robert Foster
66. The Complete Guide To Middle Earth by Robert Foster
    Dates from university where I was keeping a copy handy for between class editing of my website.
67. Tolkien and the Great War by John Garth
68. A Question of Time: Tolkien's Road To Faerie by Verlyn Flieger
69. Interrupted Music: The Making of Middle-Earth by Verlyn Flieger
70. Splintered Light: Langage and Logos by Verlyn Flieger
71. Green Suns And Faerie by Verlyn Flieger. 
72. Meditations on Middle-Earth edited by Karen Haber
    Illustrated by John Howe. A number of authors writing on how Middle-Earth and J.R.R. Tolkien influenced them.
73. Master of Middle Earth by Paul Koch
74. A Look Behind The Lord of the Rings by Lin Carter
75. A Tolkien Compass by Jared Lobdel
76. Tolkien's Legendarium Essays on The History of Middle-earth (Contributions to the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy) edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F. Hostetter
    Essays that focus on the History of Middle Earth series. Another expensive book (especially for its size).
77. The History of The Hobbit: Mr. Baggins by John D. Ratelliff
78. The History of The Hobbit: Return to Bag-End by John D. Rateliff
79. The Journeys of Frodo by Barbara Stratchey
    Maps and distances focused on the descriptions given in The Lord of the Rings. Rather a neat book to have, if an awkward size.
80. Atlas of Middle-Earth by Karen Wynn Fonstaad
81. Understanding The Lord of the Rings by William Ready
82. Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary by Peter Gilliver, Jeremy Marshall and Edmun Weiner
83. The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle: Music By Donald Swann and Poems by J.R.R. Tolkien
    This is one that I`d really like to hear some day. I can`t read music, so I don`t fully appreciate the book at all.
84. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Man Who Created The Lord of the Rings by Michael Coren
85. Understanding The Lord Of The Rings: The Best Of Tolkien Criticism Edited by Rose A. Zimbardo and Neil D. Isaacs
86. J.R.R. Tolkien by Robley Evans
    To be honest I cringe at this book - the errors are glaring.
87. Tolkien: A Celebration edited by Joseph Pearce
88. The Battle For Middle-Earth: Tolkien`s Divine Design in The Lord of the Rings by Fleming Rutledge
89. Middle-Earth: Visions of A Modern Myth by Donato Giancola
    A book of art about Middle-Earth.
90. The Road To Middle Earth by Tom Shippey
91. J.R.R. Tolkien: Author Of The Century by Tom Shippey
92. The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition DVD
93. The Two Towers Extended Edition DVD
94. The Return of the King Extended Edition DVD
95. The Lord of the Rings DVD
    The animated Bashki edition. Interestingly, Peter Woodthorpe does Gollum here too.
96. J.E.A. Tyler`s Tolkien book
    Not pictured, in storage
97. Tolkien`s Ring by David Day
    Illustrated by Alan Lee - the most redeeming feature of the book
98. The Tolkien Encyclopedia by David Day
    
99. A-Z of Tolkien by David Day
    
100. The Gospel According To Tolkien by Ralph Woods.
101. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
     Peter Jackson's first movie in his Hobbit trilogy. Blu-Ray format. Not pictured. 
102. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
     Peter Jackson's second movie in the Hobbit Trilogy. Also in Blu-Ray. Not pictured.
103. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Origin of the Rings
     DVD. A waste of a hour it's that bad.

Now I have to go and shelve all the books. Hopefully there's enough shelf-space where I've planned.

Thanks Jeff for taking the picture, Jenny just makes things perfect.

Further updates to my collection will be posted to the 2016 version.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a meme I used to do regularly until last year, but I picked it up again last week and I'm planning to make it a regular part of my week. The meme is hosted by Sheila of the blog Book Journey.

I only got one book from last week's list read:
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai. I have to say it was an amazing read though.

I've been busy with things like working on my crochet projects, working on another big project that I can't wait to talk about further and, yesterday, splitting firewood for the new wood-stove that's going to be installed on Wednesday.

This week I'm currently reading:
The Lady In Medieval England by Peter Coss. A history book about the place of the lady in England between the years 1000 and 1500.

I think the rest of my current "in progress" list has been more or less abandoned for now, but I don't know what I'm going to add to the list in their place.

Friday Finds

I don't think I've done this meme before, but I can't wait to rave over the books I found yesterday and the magazine I discovered this afternoon.

Anyway, Friday Finds is hosted over at Should Be Reading. The idea is to showcase your finds for the week, whether or not they're books you've purchased.

I've got about five for this post:

Spin-Off Magazine
Maybe I hadn't looked hard enough but I've been spinning with a wheel and with a drop spindle for several years now and this is the first time I've seen a magazine for spinning. What's more, I found it on the rack at the local grocery store. This issue has articles on things like spinning finer yarns, reducing spindle wobble with a drop spindle and a whole lot of other things I haven't had a chance to look at yet. The magazine comes out four times a year, and to be honest, I just might find myself subscribing to it.
 
The rest come from my favorite used book store.

1. The Landmark Hellenika - Ed. Robert Strassler - Non Fiction (History, Primary Source)
   I'm collecting the Landmark series as I find them - preferably in hardcover, but this is a great series of editions of primary sources including Thucydides, Herodotus, Arrian's Campaigns of Alexander etc. Each book has numerous appendices covering various facets of the culture, landscape etc, all done by noted names in the field.
2. Women In Medieval Society - Ed. Susan Mosher Stuard - Non Fiction (History)
3. The Lady In Medieval England 1000-1500 - Peter Coss - Non Fiction (History)
4. Passion Play - Beth Bernobich - Fiction (Fantasy)

I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai

I Am Malala
Malala Yousafzai
Little, Brown & Company
Copyright: October 8, 2013
978-0316322409

The amazon.com blurb:

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education,I Am Malala of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

 is an amazing book. Once I got well into it, I couldn't put it down, especially when I got to the point where she was shot. Even though I knew from the start going into the book that Malala survived, I had to know how.

This is one of the Chapters/Indigo Best Books for 2013 as well as a Heather's Pick title, and I can see why for both. I Am Malala paints a picture of a culture we, or at least I, don't know much about. Prior to reading it, about all I knew about Pakistan was what I'd seen in the news. Now, having read her story, I'd like to think I have a slightly better feeling for that part of the world and an understanding, however slight for her culture.

I've also got an even greater appreciation for my education, seeing the value she's put on schooling and the fight it can be to get it in some parts of the world. Keep up the good work Malala.

In some ways, I Am Malala reminded me of Little Princes by Conor Grennan - mostly in that it's a book that's really inspiring and I'd love to recommend it to everyone I know as a reminder of the impact that one person can have on the world.

It also serves as a reminder not to write off whole countries because of issues like the Taliban - even when things seem to be at their worst there are ordinary people who are trying to go about their days and work despite living in fear under threat of death.

Even in somewhere like Pakistan with the restrictive rules they live under, girls will be girls, trying to enjoy life with games, music and movies. That's something that Malala's story demonstrates again and again - as well as the reminder that no matter the rhetoric, not everyone belonging to a region or religion subscribes to extreme views, something I think we all need reminded of now and again.

I have to recommend this book to everyone from teens on up. Five stars!

History Reading Challenge 2014

Not only am I participating in my own Pre-Printing Press Challenge and the Mount TBR Challenge next year, but I've decided to go three for three and join in on the History Reading Challenge at Fanda's blog.

The rules for this challenge are as follows:

**What books to pick?**

1. Pick one or more History books written by historian(s)—must be pure non-fiction; historical fiction is not allowed.
2. It has to be a work through investigation and researches, and not only collecting and listing historical data.
3. Biography is permitted, but not Autobiography, as I think autobiography lacks the objectivity of a history.
4. I’m not an expert in this area (history), so you are more than welcome to correct or add something if I’m wrong.
5. Frankly speaking, I don’t read many histories yet (and that’s why I’m creating this challenge), so I might not be the right person to consult with, about whether this or that is a pure history or not. For reference, you can consult these lists:
100 Best History Books
Goodreads’ Best History Books

Note: The 100 Best History Books is more reliable than Goodreads list, as Goodreads created the list from people’s labels, and it is proved sometimes not accurate. So, be careful before picking a book, you better check the synopsis first or even better…google it! :)

**Challenge level**

I have set several levels to challenge ourselves along the year:

Student : read 1 to 3 books

Scholar : read 4 to 6 books

Historian : read 7 or more books

**How to join?**

1. To join in, you must have either blog/Facebook/Goodreads where you can post your thoughts.
2. Pick one of the level suits you, and post about this challenge in your blog, or just comment in this post. You can mention books you’d like to read too—but no obligation (I’m only curious!). Of course, you might change the level or the books later on along the event.
3. Register through the linky below (you might put the link to your challenge post or just your blog/FB/Goodreads URL).
4. Place the challenge banner somewhere on your blog, linking to this post, in case others want to participate too.

**Optional analysis – more challenge!**

After reading and reviewing, you might want to add more challenge to your history reading. As I am working on WEM project, I picked these analysis questions from the project that would be interesting to work on. Go to the analysis questions 

I'm including the analysis questions too as I'm thinking of using them in at least some of my reviews, and not just for this challenge.

**Analysis Questions**

Note: The questions might not suit all history books, so you’d better pick only the related ones for each book.

Who is this story about?
Guiding questions: (you don’t have to answer all questions, you can answer your own way)
- Are they individuals, group of people, or entire nations?
- If individuals: Is the history focused on a single person, or on a network of individuals who may be related by blood or some other tie?
- If group of people: How does the historian distinguish them: by nationality, gender, age, class, job, economic status?
- In both cases: Is the historian telling you a ‘top-down’ or ‘bottom-up’ history? In other words, is it focusing on wealthy, influential people, political power? Or on ordinary people and their daily lives?
- If entire nations: What is distinctive about each nation? How do its people envision themselves: as warriors, men of learning, farmers, free people? And how (in the historian’s eyes) is the nation better (or worse) than other nations?

What challenge did this hero/ine (from above question) face?
What challenges the ability of the central character(s) to lead full lives?

Who or what causes this challenge?
The historian’s task is to answer this question; does he/she succeed in doing so?

What does it mean to be human?
Guiding questions: (you don’t have to answer all questions, you can answer your own way)
- A history always highlights one particular aspect of human beings as central.
- In this history, how are men and women portrayed?
- Are they essentially workers, patriots, members of families, businessmen, rational animals, children of God?
- What is their central quality?
- To what must they aspire in order to be human?

Why do things go wrong?
Guiding questions: (you don’t have to answer all questions, you can answer your own way)
- What causes one set of people to be challenged or persecuted by another?
- What motivates the oppressors?
- Why do people live in squalor?
- What motivation does the historian give to his/her wrongdoers?

What is the end of the history?
Guiding questions: (you don’t have to answer all questions, you can answer your own way)
- How is the end different from the beginning?
- What is the goal of the historical story?
- What does the historian see as the ultimate shape and form of humanity?

I'm not going to be too ambitious in my goals for this challenge as I have several other ventures going for the coming year, so I'm only going for the lowest level (with, hopefully, the option of upgrading should I get past three books).

My books:
Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years by Elizabeth W. Barber

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a fun meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey where you list off the books you've read in the past week, the books you're currently reading and the books you'd like to read.

This is also a meme I used to participate in regularly a couple of years ago. Maybe I can get myself back into it now.

Anyway, I don't believe I've managed to finish reading any books last week, but I am reading four books right now:

I Am Malala
Malala Yousafzai
Little, Brown & Company
Copyright: October 8, 2013
978-0316322409

The amazon.com blurb:

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

This is an amazing book. I'm only a third of the way though and I'm loving the read. So far, I'd have to say this is a book I highly recommend.


Intrigues: The Collegium Chronicles Book Two
Mercedes Lackey
Daw Books
Copyright Date: October 2010
978-0756406394

The Amazon.com description:

Magpie is a thirteen-year-old orphan chosen by one of the magical Companion horses of Valdemar and taken to the capital city, Haven, to be trained as a Herald. Like all Heralds, Magpie learns that he has a hidden Gift-the Gift of telepathy.
But life at the court is not without obstacles. When Mags is "recognized" by foreign secret operatives whose purpose is unknown, Mags himself comes under suspicion. Who are Magpie's parents-who is he, really? Can Mags solve the riddle of his parentage and his connection with the mysterious spies-and prove his loyalty-before the king and court banish him as a traitor?

Intrigues has made it's way slightly onto the back-burner of my reading pile to be honest, but I do count it on my currently reading list.

The third book I'm currently reading is a gardening book, I'm really looking forward to next spring in the new house where I can design a nice large vegetable garden. So...

The Zero Mile Diet: A Year Round Guide To Growing Organic Food
Carolyn Herriot
Harbor Publishing
Copyright Date: June 2010

The amazon.com blurb:

This definitive month-by-month guide brings gardeners into the delicious world of edible landscaping and helps take a load off the planet as we achieve greater food security. Full of illustrative colour photos and step-by-step instructions, The Zero-Mile Diet shares wisdom gleaned from 30 years of food growing and seed saving with comprehensive advice on:
* Growing organic food year-round
* The small fruit orchard and backyard berries
* Superb yet simple seasonal recipes
* Preserving your harvest
* Seed saving and plant propagation
* Dirt-cheap ways to nourish your soil
* Backyard poultry--it's less time-consuming than you
think
* Growing vegetables in the easiest way possible
* A-z guide to growing the best vegetables and herbs

Put organic home-grown fruits and vegetables on your table throughout the year, using the time-saving, economical and sustainable methods of gardening outlined in The Zero-Mile Diet. This book is about REAL food and how eating it will change our lives for the better.

The final book is one I've read before a few times:

In Her Name: Omnibus Edition
Michael R. Hicks
Imperial Guard Publishing
Copyright: 2008
978-0615208534

The amazon.com product description:

This trilogy collection contains the first three novels of the bestselling IN HER NAME science fiction & fantasy saga: EMPIRE, CONFEDERATION, and FINAL BATTLE...

EMPIRE

This is the coming-of-age story of Reza Gard, a young boy of the Human Confederation who is swept up in the century-long war with the alien Kreelan Empire. Nightmarish female warriors with blue skin, fangs, and razor sharp talons, the Kreelans have technology that is millennia beyond that of the Confederation, yet they seek out close combat with sword and claw, fighting and dying to honor their god-like Empress. Captured and enslaved, Reza must live like his enemies in a grand experiment to see if humans have souls, and if one may be the key to unlocking an ages old curse upon the Kreelan race. Enduring the brutal conditions of Kreelan life, Reza and a young warrior named Esah-Zhurah find themselves bound together by fate and a prophecy foretold millennia before they were born.

CONFEDERATION

Banished from the Kreelan Empire, Reza is once again a stranger in a strange land as he returns to the human Confederation. Befriended by a marooned Confederation naval officer leading a desperate fight against the Kreelans on a distant colony world, she reunites Reza with Nicole Carré. With their help, he fulfills his childhood dream of becoming a Confederation Marine. Reza will need all the help he can get, for dark forces are at work at the heart of the Confederation, and Reza becomes a pawn in a lethal power struggle that leads him back to the planet Erlang. There, a heartbreaking reunion awaits him, along with the discovery of an ages-old power that the Kreelan Empire will stop at nothing to control.

FINAL BATTLE

Reza awakens in a hospital on Earth after having been in a coma for months. Charged with murder and high treason, he finds himself the scapegoat for a daring plot to assassinate the President of the Confederation. Escaping with the help of Jodi Mackenzie, who is now hunted for what she knows about the death of the president, Reza discovers that something is deeply wrong with the Empire: the warriors have lost their will to fight. Compelled to step into a trap set for him and Jodi, the two once again find themselves bound for Erlang. But this time it is to meet Tesh-Dar, who has been captured. When Reza and Jodi are taken prisoner and sentenced to death, they can only watch as a human armada gathers for a strike against the Kreelan homeworld. But the human fleet - and humanity itself - will be doomed to utter annihilation unless Reza can reach the Empress in time...

In terms of books I'm planning to read, well I don't really have anything on

Goldberry CAL Day ??

I've completely lost track of how many days I've been participating in the Goldberry CAL over on Ravelry, and I'm one of the last ones (or so I get the feeling) still working on the project. Regardless, I'm still enjoying the project and I've just finished Row 40.

Given the way the project is structured, I could go straight to the finishing rows from here, but I'm going to keep going and complete the large version of the shawl. The next rows take me from the Barrow-Downs to the Prancing Pony Inn in Bree.

At this point in the project, I'm starting to recognize the rows which is helping to make the project go faster - I'm starting to only need to check the pattern charts for the beginnings, center points and ends of the rows.

With this yarn, the last row was a bit fun in places. It's a "back-loop-only" (BLO) row and the yarn was getting darker. Add to that the less than ideal lighting I had for part of the row, it got a bit challenging and exasperating.

Now it's on to another repeat of row nine.

Mount TBR Challenge

I seem to be collecting challenges left right and center this week - from my own Pre-Printing Press Challenge that I'm restarting to the History Reading Challenge - Sail Into The Past and also this Mount TBR Challenge, which I'm signing up for here.

This is a challenge I desperately need - my yearly Unread Books List should be a good example of why, so I can only hope to succeed in picking off a few of the titles there.

Nonetheless, I'm not going to be too ambitious, choosing to do only the lowest level to start with, Pike's Peak.

The challenge as given is this:
Challenge Levels:

Pike's Peak: Read 12 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Blanc: Read 24 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Vancouver: Read 36 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Ararat: Read 48 books from your TBR piles/s
Mt. Kilimanjaro: Read 60 books from your TBR pile/s
El Toro: Read 75 books from your TBR pile/s
Mt. Everest: Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s
Mount Olympus (Mars): Read 150+ books from your TBR pile/s

And the rules:
*Once you choose your challenge level, you are locked in for at least that many books. If you find that you're on a mountain-climbing roll and want to tackle a taller mountain, then you are certainly welcome to upgrade.  All books counted for lower mountains may carry over towards the new peak.

*Challenge runs from January 1 to December 31, 2014.

*You may sign up anytime from now until November 30th, 2014.

*Books must be owned by you prior to January 1, 2014. No ARCs (none), no library books. No rereads. [To clarify--based on a question raised last year--the intention is to reduce the stack of books that you have bought for yourself or received as presents {birthday, Christmas, "just because," etc.}. Audiobooks and E-books may count if they are yours and they are one of your primary sources of backlogged books.]
*You may count any "currently reading" book that you begin prior to January 1--provided that you had 50% or more of the book left to finish in 2014.  I will trust you all on that.

*Books may be used to count for other challenges as well.

*Feel free to submit your list in advance (as incentive to really get those books taken care of) or to tally them as you climb.


*There will be quarterly check-ins and prize drawings!

*A blog and reviews are not necessary to participate. If you have a blog, then please post a challenge sign up and link THAT post (not your home page) into the linky below.

My Books:

1. Catullus: The Complete Poems Trans. Guy Lee
2. A Choice of Anglo-Saxon Verse Trans. Richard Hammer
   

15 Days Book Blogging Challenge: Who Are Your Blogging Mentors

If you've been following my blog for the past two weeks, you know by now that I'm participating in the 15 Days Book Blogging Challenge hosted at Good Books and Good Wine. My introductory post for the challenge is here, and I've been having fun writing up these posts, though I've decided to write them all up ahead of time to post each day. Quite the departure from normal for me. I'm generally more of a "write and post right away" type blogger.

I've made it to the end of this series of posts, as amazing as that sounds. The final topic of the challenge is "Who are your blogging mentors?"

I've found this one to be quite challenging to answer to be honest, but after thinking about it for several days (the advantage of prewriting this series), I've come up with a couple of answers.

The first was J. Kaye of J. Kaye's Book Blog, which has unfortunately changed owners and names at least once. Her blog was a good model for the type of thing I was hoping to build mine into, iirc being something of a hub.

The second is the group of people at Royal Reviews, which is another wonderfully vibrant blog.

New Tom Shippey/Tolkien Book Next Year

I just found out about this one through Sacnoth's Scriptorium, the blog of John Rateliff, the author of The History of The Hobbit. There's not a lot of detail yet, and almost none of it (other than the cover and release date) is on Amazon.com.
The book is:

Tolkien in the New Century: Essays in Honor of Tom Shippey
Mcfarland and Company
Release Date: May 15, 2014
978-0786474387

According to the blog entry, the essays are all by Tolkien fans. To date, the only essay I have any information about is the one by John Rateliff, and his essay is titled: Inside Literature: Tolkien's Exploration of Medieval Genres.

Shippey was a noted Tolkienist himself, with the books The Road To Middle-Earth: How Tolkien Created A New Mythology and J.R.R. Tolkien, Author of the Century.

As always, another book to look forward to.

Pre-Printing Press Challenge 2013-2014 Edition

The Pre-Printing Press Challenge
December 1st 2013-December 31 2014

I've seen a lot of challenges for reading romances, fiction, award winning books and many more. Challenges on various themes (King Arthur etc.) and challenges to fit certain criteria, such as the What's In A Name Challenge.

What I haven't seen is a challenge for reading books that pre-date the Printing Press. There's so many good pieces of writing that fit in this category (and I'm not asking you to read them in the original language unless you want to). So, for my first reading challenge, the pre-printing press challenge, I'm asking people to give these ancient and medieval books a try.

I started running this challenge back in 2009 and ran it again in 2010. Since then, I haven't run it, but I'm going to give it another try this year.

Just some rough examples of the sorts of books that count, both histories and fiction:
Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War
Herodotus The Histories
Homer The Iliad and The Odyssey
Greek Tragedies and Comedies
Virgil
Ovid
Plutarch

Beowulf
Norse Sagas
Geoffrey of Monmouth The History of the Kings of Britain

The lists could continue on and on.

The rules of the Pre-Printing Press Challenge:

1. All books must have come out before 1440, when the printing press was first invented.
2. Books chosen for this challenge can overlap with other challenges.
3. Books can be translated into the language of your choice.
4. All the books you've chosen must be read by December 31, 2014.
5. You can read 1-3 books, 4-6 books, 7-9 books or 10 or more books if you're feeling particularly ambitious.
6. The choice of books is up to you. There are no set reading lists, and you don't have to set one when you join.
   
7. Post your blog address where you'll be posting your comments on your choice of books in the comments of this post when you join, and tell me how many books you've chosen. I'll set up a link to participating blogs from here.
8. Above all, Have fun.

The challenge starts December 1st.

My books:

1. Catullus: The Complete Poems Trans. Guy Lee 
2. A Choice Of Anglo-Saxon Verse Trans. Richard Hammer

15 Days Book Blogging Challenge - Tell Us Your Deal Breakers

If you've been following my blog for the past two weeks, you know by now that I'm participating in the 15 Days Book Blogging Challenge hosted at Good Books and Good Wine. My introductory post for the challenge is here, and I've been having fun writing up these posts, though I've decided to write them all up ahead of time to post each day. Quite the departure from normal for me. I'm generally more of a "write and post right away" type blogger.

Anyway, today's topic is "Tell us your deal breakers?".

I'm only really aware of a couple of deal-breakers that I have. There may be others though that I don't even realize.

The two I know of for sure are tense and person.

Tense especially is the big one. I don't like present tense in a novel. "He says" instead of "He said", for example and the way one of my otherwise favorite writers has used it is like fingernails on a blackboard. This writer has used present tense for some points of view in some of his books and past tense for others, and it's the main reason I've gone away from two of his series.

The tense changes are something I really have to push past in reading those books and I just can't put them out of my head while reading.

The second one, person isn't as big of a deal-breaker in some cases. I just don't really like first person, and yet there are some books that use the "I" perspective where it really works and I do like the books. The biggest example that comes to mind in this case is Jack Whyte in the Dream of Eagles cycle. It's in that "I" perspective, but there's a framing set of scenes that set it up as a later written account by the main character, and it works.

Other books I've put down within a few pages because I can't get past the perspective. There have been a few books, and I'm not naming names here, where I actually get frustrated with myself, thinking "I should like this book because of...." but I just can't get past either the tense or the perspective.

15 Days Book Blogging Challenge - Describe One Underappreciated Book Everyone Should Read

If you've been following my blog for the past few days, you know by now that I'm participating in the 15 Days Book Blogging Challenge hosted at Good Books and Good Wine. My introductory post for the challenge is here, and I've been having fun writing up these posts, though I've decided to write them all up ahead of time to post each day. Quite the departure from normal for me. I'm generally more of a "write and post right away" type blogger.

Here we are at post 13 of the 15 days posts. I think it's one of the most difficult to write too: "Describe One Underappreciated Book Everyone Should Read". How can I say what everyone should read? I like fantasy and science fiction. You might hate those two genres. How can I know, and therefore how can I recommend that perfect book unseen? Besides, what do you consider to be underappreciated?

Anyway, after some thought, I'm dipping into my archives for a favorite. One I'd lost for a while, and even forgot both the title and the author, but never the storyline. Thanks to LibraryThing as I told in this post, I was able to rediscover the book and buy it again to re-read. That original review is here.

The book is:

The Tattooed Map
Barbara Hodgson
Raincoast Books
Copyright Date: 1995
1895714915

The cover blurb is as follows:

Somewhere in Northern Africa, a woman traveler awakens with a mysterious mark on her hand, a mark that soon grows into a tattoo. So begins the enigma of The Tattooed Map, in which intrepid traveler Lydia journeys with her friend and former lover, Christopher, in search of antiques and adventure.

Lydia records her daily experiences in a journal, keeping track of hotel addresses and conversations, and pasting such flotsam and jetsam as maps, photographs, and drawings into her diary. She records her shock and dismay as the marks on her hand reveal themselves to be a detailed map of an unknown territory.

Later a cryptic Moroccan man explains the map's connection to a spiritual and physical journey she must make. Whey Lydia disappears unexpectedly, Chris takes up her diary to record his search for her - and for a way to unravel the riddle of the Tattooed Map.

In her rich and captivating first novel, author Barbara Hodgson guides us through the exotic world of Morocco, with its maze-like streets, musty shops, and unexpected secrets. Mysterious, enveloping, and thoroughly evocative, The Tattooed Map will make you want to embark upon a journey - if only you could be sure of your return.

You know what? After re-reading my review and writing this post up, I want to re-read The Tattooed Map again. Now where is it...

15 Days Book Blogger Challenge - How Do You Avoid Blogging Fatigue?

If you've been following my blog for the past few days, you know by now that I'm participating in the 15 Days Book Blogging Challenge hosted at Good Books and Good Wine. My introductory post for the challenge is here, and I've been having fun writing up these posts, though I've decided to write them all up ahead of time to post each day. Quite the departure from normal for me. I'm generally more of a "write and post right away" type blogger.

Anyway, today's topic is "How do you avoid blogging fatigue?". I'm sure that everyone has their own technique, and I'm planning to look at others' for inspiration as at times, maintaining All Booked Up has become a bit of a struggle.

There's two methods I find myself using, and one big inspiration.

The first method, and one I actually need to break away from, as I think it does more harm than good is to take a break from the blog, which can lead to months with four or fewer posts - or even a few month span of time where I'm ignoring the blog. I actually don't like this method at all, even though when I come back to the blog, I'm usually quite inspired to post things.

The second method is the better one (at least in my mind. People who are only interested in book reviews may disagree). I post about whatever's got my attention at this time. Thus the recent string of posts on my crochet projects, my new sewing machine etc. Heck, if it's really bad and you know it's going to be some time before you've got the oomph to write a review, post a photo or something. (I really need to listen to my own advice here, I think). Memes like the Saturday Snapshots one are great for this.

The big inspiration that keeps me going a lot of the time is traffic stats. I love seeing those go up when I post - at least most of the time. There are posts where it feels like I'm shouting into an empty room, and that does get discouraging. Especially inspiring are the rare comments, or when someone makes an (even more rare) purchase from one of my links.

15 Days Book Blogging Challenge - Five of My Best Posts

If you've been following my blog for the past few days, you know by now that I'm participating in the 15 Days Book Blogging Challenge hosted at Good Books and Good Wine. My introductory post for the challenge is here, and I've been having fun writing up these posts, though I've decided to write them all up ahead of time to post each day. Quite the departure from normal for me. I'm generally more of a "write and post right away" type blogger.

How do you objectively chose five posts to spotlight? The five that are the tops in your stats? Your favorite books? Randomly? Today's post has been giving me a lot of trouble. I just don't know how to pick my best posts. I'm going to give it a try though by going with a mix of the above methods.

1. The Adept by Katherine Kurtz and Deborah Turner Harris. January 16, 2012. I call it historical fantasy, Katherine Kurtz has used the term "crypto-history" on her website IIRC. Either way, this is the first book in one of my favorite series.
2. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. January 27, 2009. A book I've been re-reading regularly for more than a decade now. Some call it a teen novel, some say it's regular fantasy. I just call it a very good read.
3. Worlds of Medieval Europe by Clifford R. Backman. April 22, 2009. As I noted in my review, this was one of those rare textbooks that left me snickering as I reviewed for the final exam. It's also one that's still in my collection today.
4. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. April 21, 2011. For a short book, this is one incredibly vivid and well written story. One of my favorites too. Also, this is a book that more than a dozen people recommended to me.
5. The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. June 24, 2009. One of those "all ages" books that's good for early teens on up. Again, the first book in the series, and one I quite enjoyed reading. I do have to point out that this is going to be a fairly quick read, as are the sequels.

15 Days Book Blogging Challenge - How Do You Choose What Book To Read Next?

If you've been following my blog for the past few days, you know by now that I'm participating in the 15 Days Book Blogging Challenge hosted at Good Books and Good Wine. My introductory post for the challenge is here, and I've been having fun writing up these posts, though I've decided to write them all up ahead of time to post each day. Quite the departure from normal for me. I'm generally more of a "write and post right away" type blogger.

Anyway, today's topic is one of my favorites, but one that is actually more challenging to answer than you might think: "How Do You Choose What Book To Read Next?".

A lot of factors go into the choice for me, but I'd say about half of them are almost subconscious, and the decision is often made well before I've finished reading the current book.

1. Is there a sequel to the current book? If so, I'm quite likely to be reading that one next. The variants to this are: "Is there another book set in the same world?" or "Are there earlier books in the series?". One of these variants is in play right now. When I was reading Bastion, the latest book by Mercedes Lackey, I found myself lost at some of the references to events from the previous books in the series, so I've started a re-read from Foundation, the first book in that series.
2. Is there a new book I've been looking forward to reading for a while? Quite often with these, I don't even wait until I've finished reading my current books, but just jump in right away. The above mentioned Bastion was one of these. I started reading it the same day I bought it.
3. Is a book tied to something else that's got my interest at the moment? The book Life Below Stairs: True Lives of Edwardian Servants) has inspired me to go looking for some of the Elemental Masters books by Mercedes Lackey that I have, as they're set in more or less the same time-period.
   
4. Has something simply jogged my memory towards a random scene in a book I've read? That may convince me to re-read a book too. Often this ties in with point three.
5. Simply finger-walking my way through the shelves until I find something that looks interesting. This is the one that I tend to do least often to be honest. It's kind of the court-of-last-resort as it means I likely don't have a current read on the go or that I need an extra book for a trip, and I need it now.

 One thing that's clear from this list, and also from the pattern of books and authors that appear on my blog is that I'm a re-reader. I love reading a book I enjoyed over and over again. Depending on the author, I often get some new detail that I'd never noticed before too (especially with J.R.R. Tolkien). Other times, it's just something comforting when I'm stressed out or not feeling well. These are books that I don't have to pay full attention to all the time.

At any rate, this is a system that seems to work fairly well for me in that I usually have at least one book (often two or three) on my "I want to read this next" list, usually well before I've finished the current one.

15 Days Book Blogging Challenge - Why Do You Blog About Books?

If you've been following my blog for the past few days, you know by now that I'm participating in the 15 Days Book Blogging Challenge hosted at Good Books and Good Wine. My introductory post for the challenge is here, and I've been having fun writing up these posts, though I've decided to write them all up ahead of time to post each day. Quite the departure from normal for me. I'm generally more of a "write and post right away" type blogger.

Anyway, today's topic is really the core of book blogging, "Why Do You Blog About Books?".

For me, the short answer is, "because I want to share a book I love with people".

In more detail, I love to talk about a book I've finished reading, and why I think people should read it or (more rarely) why I think they shouldn't. There's a distinct lack of an interested audience in real life too. Even at work I couldn't really rave about the books I love most of the time. So, the internet makes a great audience, and it's not even a captive audience.

After all, if the book doesn't interest you, you click on another link/page in the blog (hopefully) and find something more to your taste, or hit the "back" button - which I hope doesn't happen as much.

At least, this way I'm not boring everyone around me by talking about books constantly.

At the same time, I find that knowing I'm probably going to be writing something about a book I've read sometimes allows me to focus my thoughts a bit better. Sometimes it doesn't but it's a routine I've gotten into over the years since I started All Booked Up and I've gotten used to it and even like it while reading.

It's a habit I can't get out of either. Last year I stopped blogging for about three months, but all through that time, I was still thinking as though I was reviewing the books I was reading.

I Am Malala - Malala Yousafzai

I really want to read this one. I've been reading posts about her story on Tamora Pierce's LiveJournal and now she's got a book out herself telling the story of what's happened in her life. I'm already amazed based on the little I've read from news stories, now I want to know more.

I Am Malala
Malala Yousafzai
Little, Brown & Company
Copyright: October 8, 2013
978-0316322409

The amazon.com blurb:

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.

15 Days Book Blogging Challenge - 15 Things That Appeal To Me In Book Blogs

If you've been following my blog for the past few days, you know by now that I'm participating in the 15 Days Book Blogging Challenge hosted at Good Books and Good Wine. My introductory post for the challenge is here, and I've been having fun writing up these posts, though I've decided to write them all up ahead of time to post each day. Quite the departure from normal for me. I'm generally more of a "write and post right away" type blogger.

Anyway, today's topic is "15 Things That Appeal To Me In Book Blogs".

1. A clean layout.
2. Being able to find the first post without scrolling down past a full-screen header.
3. Easy to read font on a simple background - I think this is really part of the first point, but it bears repeating.
4. A fun attitude, not always serious.
5. The blogger's passion for what they're writing about.
6. A feeling of community.
7. Writing about books that appeal to me - this one's more about me though. I know my reading preferences and I don't expect every book blog to cater to them - that would leave an awful lot of sameness, and disappoint people with different tastes.
8. Interesting topics in non-book-related posts. Hey! I'll hang around for "off-topic" posts if I know and like the blog. My own blog has changed over the last year from strictly book-related posts to a wider topic range too.
9. A non-cluttered blog-layout.
10. Colors that are not an instant recipe for eye-strain. I still remember with dread the days of yellow text on a blue background or similar combinations, and not always from websites, but from computer programs themselves.
11. A regular(ish) posting schedule - and here's where I've really been falling down on the job.
12. Participation in a meme I participate in, or some interesting regular posts, such as the Mailbox Mondays, Saturday Snapshots etc.
13. Interesting reading challenges. I fail at doing these, but I love to read about them, and sometimes even try to complete one or two.
14. A clean, easy to read layout - see point one, but it bears repeating.
15. Headers that are interesting but that DON'T take up the entire screen when you first arrive at the blog - see point 2, but again worth repeating.

Foundation: The Collegium Chronicles Volume 1 - Mercedes Lackey

The Collegium Chronicles: Foundation
Mercedes Lackey
DAW Books
Copyright: 2008
9780756405243

The amazon.com product description:

In this chronicle of the early history of Valdemar, a thirteen-year­old orphan named Magpie escapes a life of slavery in the gem mines when he is chosen by one of the magical companion horses of Valdemar to be trained as a herald. Thrust into the center of a legend in the making, Magpie discovers talents he never knew he had-and witnesses the founding of the great Heralds' Collegium.

Yes, I'm doing another re-read of this series from Volume One. This time it's thanks to reading Bastion, the latest book in the series. I found on reading that one that I really couldn't remember a lot of the earlier events it was based on. So, back to the beginning again. My previous reviews of Foundation are: My 2008 review (the original), from 2012, and from March 2010.

Even though I've read the book several times now, it's still an enjoyable read, although Foundation really is the first book in the series, setting things up but not resolving any of them. The more I read it, the more I feel that way.

This is definitely one of the books/series that serves as a good introduction to the whole world of Valdemar though as no knowledge from any of the other books is assumed. Which is not always the case with some of the other books/trilogies.

So as not to repeat myself from my previous reviews, I'm just going to wind things up here and say I enjoyed reading Foundation yet again and didn't find it boring at all.

15 Days Book Blogging Challenge - Talk About Your Blogging Quirks

If you've been following my blog for the past few days, you know by now that I'm participating in the 15 Days Book Blogging Challenge hosted at Good Books and Good Wine. My introductory post for the challenge is here, and I've been having fun writing up these posts. Today's post is about individual blogging quirks.

My biggest one is that I feel guilty about not. Not posting as regularly as I'd like. Not finishing a post series I start. Not reading others blogs as much as I hope to. Even, not having finished a book to review it, so I have something to post about. Thing is, I always settle down at the computer with the best of intentions. I just end up feeling like I don't have the energy to do it, or that I'm not going to have the time without interruptions to do anything.

In terms of actually writing a review post, I'd say my biggest quirk is that I tend to write in a stream-of-consciousness form with only a few formatting requirements and I don't spend any real time reviewing my posts later. It's sort of a write it and post it with no wait time involved.

Of late, as well, my posting topics have definitely expanded away from just books to include some of my other hobbies like crochet and photography. I don't know if that is a good thing or not, but at least it sometimes gives me something to post about when I don't have any finished books waiting for reviews.