Trouble finishing - anything

I seem to be having trouble finishing books - or anything else right now. I've got several books on the go and I can't settle in to any of them.

• Star Wars At War With The Empire vol. 1.
  I've been intrigued off and on by the Star Wars graphic novels even though I'm not very much of a graphic novel reader. Mostly this was inspired by the Star Wars Panel To Panel book I got last year. The artwork and short descriptions of the stories told in the graphic novels were quite intriguing. And, actually, I'm finding that I've been really enjoying reading this one. Problem is, I'm sharing the read on the graphic novel.
• Stalking Darkness (Nightrunner vol. 2) by Lynn Flewelling
  The sequel to Luck in the Shadows, which I really enjoyed reading. I've only gotten a few pages into this one though as of now. Not enough to have an opinion yet.
• The Elite by Kiara Cass
  The sequel to The Selection, which came out last year - and is a book that I'd been looking forward to. I think I really needed to re-read The Selection before I picked this one up to really enjoy it.

The same thing is true with crochet. I've got a baby blanket I'm working on for my best friend's new son. It's not even half way, and the child was born over a month ago. The rounds for it are quick enough to do, just tedious - and I need to get a hundred and sixty eight of them. Then I have to join them. Not looking forward to that at all. And I thought this would be an easy project.

Looking at the instructions (which I've memorized for each "square") the Puffs Baby Blanket, is simple enough, just as I said before, tedious - to the extreme. I've gotten over 60 of the puffs done though.

Rather than buckle down and really work on finishing the baby blanket, I started a new project: the Hilo Shawl from the March issue of Inside Crochet magazine. I'm using two lovely skeins of Madelinetosh yarn in Cousteau (shades of deem tourquoise) for this one and the more I work on it, the more I love the colours and the feel of the yarn. Still only on the first full row, but I started it last night. And, of course, I had to wind the skeins before I could start. I tell you, having my own swift and winder is a wonderful thing, both for the yarn I spin, and for the yarns I'm buying now. More and more, they don't come in pre-wound balls as the price goes up. And sometimes, the store's swift is broken. The biggest issue with this pattern is that it's from a UK magazine and some of the terminology is different. Triple Crochet stitch for the US Double for example. I've learned on the US stitch terminology so far, so I'm sitting here with a conversion chart. Thank goodness for the pattern diagram as well.

Part of the problem with all of this (books and crochet) is that I feel like I should been working on the readings and assignments for the indexing course I'm taking whenever I'm not actually working - guess I'm feeling a bit guilty. So, as much as I want to be reading or crocheting, I feel as though I can't, that I'm wasting time I don't have. And therefore, I can't settle to any one hobby/project.

The Selection - Kiera Cass

The Selection
Kiera Cass
HarperTeen
Copyright: April 2012
978-0062059932

The amazon.com product description:

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Honestly, The Selection is a book I picked up on a whim. That said, once I'd picked it up, I couldn't put the book down again. Ended up finishing the read the same night. So, the first thing that comes to mind about the story is that it is a quick read - but captivating at the same time.

The story seemed somewhat familiar to me too, the idea of the prince choosing a bride from a certain limited pool of girls. In that sense the story is similar to Gail Carson Levine's novel Princess Academy. I don't know if the similarities are more than superficial though, as I haven't read any of Gail Carson Levine's books. But, if you liked that, and you like books that are set in a very regimented future, this might be a perfect book for you.

I do have to say, I found the main character's name to be slightly annoying, "America" just isn't a person's name to me. On the other hand, once I'd read farther in, her mother's reasoning for naming her that does fit, and suits her character very well.

This is a teen-oriented book, so the main thrust is along the "do I love him? does he love me? who should I choose?" lines, but despite that, there are other themes being mixed in as well to form a very captivating book. I certainly found the characters, America and Maxon mostly, to be fascinating and definitely not annoying - something I should admit to having felt with some other teen books.

Still, there was one big downside I found to the book. It resolved nothing. Definitely we have to wait for the second book in the series - according to amazon,com, it's supposed to be a trilogy. I'm curious to see what's going to happen there.

A lot of reviews that I've read are comparing The Selection to The Hunger Games. For myself, I don't really see the comparison, and I've never watched any of the reality TV shows that are the other component of the comparisons. So, I guess I'm coming at this book from more or less a clean slate perspective.

Still, irregardless of my complaints as to the ending or lack of, I did quite enjoy the read, and if you're looking for a light, quick read, I have to suggest giving Keira Cass' The Selection a try.