http://jess.theseversons.net Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:39:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en The only way to cope with a big slog is by including plenty of fluff.  I had about a month off of The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer, and now I'm back into it with a fresh copy from my new library.  Still have over 200 pages, though.  It is ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=276 Oh, I am behind.  Since my last post I have more than doubled the number of books read.  I have had many posts I've wanted to write and have been too busy to get to them. So let's just get those unwritten post ideas out of the way to hit some ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=263 I hate blurbs on the backs of books.  Only occasionally are they actually truthful.  They are the worst on mysteries and thrillers.  The truth is, despite the fact that this genre is my guilty pleasure reading, over 90% of it is really bad.  And you'd never know how bad it ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=238 I am having to deal with the fact that my reading seems to be deteriorating from year to year.  In 2008 I read nearly 12 books a month.  In 2009 I read more than 9 books a month.  In 2010 so far, I am squeaking by with 8 a month.  ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=232 I have not yet mentioned the 2010 Tournament of Books because I had to wait until I wasn't totally and completely humiliated.  When the short list came out a little while ago, I was sure I'd do well.  I felt like I'd had a good reading year, especially as far ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=220 Whenever I expect to get a lot of reading done, I inevitably get virtually no reading done.  Thus, my little trip with a few hours on planes and no baby led to very little reading progress.  Upon my return, however, I did finally finish The Quincunx.  I feel like I ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=216 That last book post took a few weeks to write, and sadly, I added very little new stuff to it during that time.  I expected a big jump in December, but instead hit a slump.  Probably because I started yet another doorstop, The Quincunx, by Charles Palliser, which clocks in ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=211 I have decided to organize my list a little differently this year.  Usually I separate by publication date or genre with rankings, but this year I'm just going to have a loose list with different books grouped together for one reason or another. Mysteries & Thrillers The two that stick out the ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=191 I haven't talked about Glee yet because I haven't known what to say.  I still don't and I've watched 13 episodes.  (Whereas I could wax eloquent on The Shield for days.  Then again, I'm on Season 7 of that one.  Seriously, how do they make a character totally despicable but ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=194 The idea of "Abandon Ship" is one I preach better than I practice.  I often talk to my LSAT students about it, and how sometimes the cost of spending time on a question far outweighs the benefit that question can provide to your score.  (Especially if you end up getting ... http://jess.theseversons.net/?p=189