Non-judgemental shoulder browser

Maybe it’s because I take the subway to work everyday. Maybe it’s because I’m just overly curious, bored, hungry, distracted, tired, ect. Maybe just maybe I am a reading junky and have to know what everyone around me is reading. (Think Curious George with glasses.)No book cover, magazine article, sudoku puzzle or tasty trash magazine is safe. (That’s right I just used tasty to describe a tabloid magazine. Further confessions on that topic will have to be subjected to another post.)

Alright I confess, I am a shoulder browser. Come on admit it you do it too. (If not you may be missing out on some terrifically delicious stuff.) If someone is sitting close enough to me I just have to steal a little, tiny over the shoulder peak and spy what there reading.

Don’t judge! I know I’m not alone on this. Come on what if they have a good title that I miss out on?! What if Lilo got busted for stealing again? These are essential daily vitamins; caffeine and sugar for my brain if you will. Daily boredom calls for these juicy tidbits- on my long train ride, coffee break, or mundane phone conversations. Besides how else would I get my news? I mean really?! My only complaint is (fine not only)-Kindles and Nooks are not as easy to do a quick shoulder peak on. They could be reading something really juicy and I would never know; which is very smart. (Not that I do that either.) You can’t see any embarrassing covers on those! ….And that my friends is your fun fact this hump day. 

And now back to your regularly scheduled programming…

This is my question to you all….book versus movie: fun or stressful?

I know, I know …who gets stressed about watching a movie based on a book they have read? Admittedly, that would be me. I will confess I am a worry wart by nature. No matter how small and silly the task is, I can worry about it! That’s why when a film comes out based on one of my beloved just-read-must-reads…  it is I who is up to the task of worrying about it.

Here are just a few of my head and I’s favorite worry points:

“What if the characters seem different then my head and I already decided they would be?”

“What if the film misses some of my head and I’s favorite morsel of book moments?

“What if it just isn’t like what my head and I had so diligently painted together?”

My husband and I recently watched a movie, where I had read the book.  I suggested he might have liked the book and he says “why read the book when I can see it in two hours.” Afterwards, I asked him how he liked the movie and he said “eh” and shrugged.

** Bangs head on table**

Thank you for your attention and now back to your regularly scheduled programming….

***End rant***

Why yes, I have showered today!

 

Have you ever felt that frenzied rush to the finish, reading the final pages of a I’ve-been-up-all-night-I-hope-my-coworkers-can’t-tell book- only to find out the author has not written anything else? …Or that you have read the entire series at record-breaking speed (watch out Chuck Yeager )and not showered in three days. No? Yeah, me neither. No seriously, the feeling of I’ve just read something wonderful and now I am empty.Over dramatic? Possibly. I get that way. I am the person that watches the entire season(s) (sometimes in one sitting) of a show on Netflix and then has no idea what to watch next. Completely lost. Thinking dang I should not have watched three a night.

Agh, I should have paced myself!!

(Yes my friend, that phrase is not just for a Friday night any longer.) I should not have let a great book take over my life! (I do that too. Fall for a terrific book and let it consume all my possible free time until I’m done. What can I say, sometime I eat a lot of sandwiches and take out.) Fear not, I am going to share some helpful sites that I have bookmarked for moments such as these.

Use something different? Please share, I love a helpful tip.

 

BookSeer

I like BookSeer because it uses a simple question “What should I read next” to help find my next good read. Results are from Amazon and LibraryThing. I really enjoy the simple interface and usability of the site. It is my general, tried and true, recommendation that I share with others.

BookLamp

BookLamp is similar to Pandora and offers a description and recommendations. I really like the StoryDNA that they use to break down the elements of the book. It’s a fun and unique twist.

Your Next Read

This site is more interactive than many and I love the map of book recommendations (very fun and visual!)

 

Cackle, Bellow, Snort and Shriek

I was reading a book on the subway ride home from work one evening. It was a packed car, like they usually are during rush hour. What time range is rush hour in New York you may wonder….I have yet to figure that out. Everyday, all day, perhaps? It was the kind of ride where they are people standing so close to you that you can smell their deodorant (or lack there off), perfume (cheap and too much), and left over lunch; (gag) forget ear plugs I need nose plugs. Sometimes I just want to throw people off the cars. Hey I am not unreasonable; just the ones that stand on my foot, run over my foot with their oversized baby car- stroller, and have their arms in my ribcage when they are sitting in the seats next to me….so I bring a book.  It has to be a good one to pull me out of this reality circus, otherwise I am liable to get off the train and head to the nearest bar, cupcake shop or bakery I see.

Busy train rides always make me happy when I have a good book. Especially ones that, embarrassingly enough, make me cackle on a crowded car.

My husband will attest, I don’t laugh I cackle. Some folks bellow, giggle, snort, and shriek…. I am a cackle-r.

So, I wanted to share my current top three favorite, guaranteed to have you too cackling.. picks.

Do you have one that will have my train car strangers giving me weird, apprehensive looks? Please share…

Really, who doesn’t like Tina Fey? Enough said, right? You know it will be funny.

The character seems a bit young feeling (for me) but that she makes up for in funny. (Especially, for those of you who have lived or ever visited the city.)

Craig Ferguson is my favorite comedian. This book is a funny twist on following your dream, against all odds… even yourself. I have loaned this book out many times (it doesn’t matter if you know his work or not, trust me) and always received rave reviews.

Rambling, side note… don’t you love the feeling of a successful book recommendation? I truly enjoy sharing my favorite reads with my friends and family. I think there is nothing better than being known for recommending good books. **Rambling complete**

Mystery and magic. Satire and murder. What are you reading?

Welcome! I am going to use this blog to write about the fun books I am reading and other ramblings that catch my eye. Make yourself at home and feel free to contact me with any interesting tid bits. I am always looking for a good read!

I love to read. Nerdy? Perhaps. I am not talking about academic and work readings, I have never been diligent and thorough about those. I shamelessly adore a juicy celebrity autobiography. I find nothing better than a trashy fiction novel and I tend to go through whirl wind phases where all the books I am reading have a similar subject. I am that person that goes to a restaurant and eats the same dish until they are tired of it and I do the same thing with books. If I enjoyed a book, I try to replicate the experience with something of a similar subject. The only exception is flashy covers, I tend to pick out my books like a pick out my wine… I like the pretty labels.

I am drawn to books that hook me in the first chapter. I am impatient that way. If I can’t be hooked in the first few pages then it is usually a lost cause. I love the feeling of getting lost in another world; like I know the characters and I can’t wait to see what happens when I wake up; if I was smart enough to put the book down the night before. I have been known to read a book through the night until I can finish it, I can’t help myself sometimes.

What about you all? What kinds of books are you drawn to?

One of the books that drew me by the flashy cover. I loved the interior design of the book too!