Sad News, and a Meme about Reading
We've had kind of a rough couple of weeks. Actually the whole year has kind of sucked. Here's hoping it gets better. Last week, my Dad's favorite cousin, Renee, died. He'd just been at her house the weekend before, and she seemed fine, but she apparently had a massive heart attack in the night and by the time they got her to the hospital her brain had been without oxygen for too long. She was Native American and practiced a kind of hybrid Catholicism and native religion that isn't at all uncommon. That means she had a rosary service at the funeral home on Sunday. Then her funeral started Monday evening on the reservation. There was a drum ceremony and a ritual meal. Then the family sat up with her body all night (Mom & I didn't go, and Dad didn't stay quite all night, but her close family did as well as Dad's brother and a few others) Then the funeral picks up again the next morning with more drums, "passing the pipe," another meal, and endless songs before she was finally transported to the cemetery and buried. We went to the graveside service, which was mercifully brief and essentially silent.
The same day that she died, there was a terrible accident on the highway near the reservation. Three people died. Two of them were my Uncle Paul's 17 year old niece and 19 year old nephew. The niece's mother was also in the car, and she's currently in fair condition at the hospital. We didn't know any of them, but it's tough on the family, especially right at the same time as we're losing Renee.
To top off all the deaths, we lost our cat earlier this week. Star was the only one of our kitties to survive the fire. I had an update about her awhile back when she hurt her leg. I had thought she was doing better. She was eating a bit more, and moving around quite a lot. Then she ate virtually nothing one day, and that night she woke me up crying. I held her for a little while, and then took her in to Mom & Dad who held her for the rest of the night. By morning we were pretty sure she wasn't going to make it. We lost her a few hours later. I think this is the first time in my life that I haven't had a cat at home. I was without a cat the year I lived in dorms, but I still had cats to come home to, and I always had Rover when I lived in apartments.
Anyway, things have just been really sad around here lately, so I've been doing things to distract myself. Here's one of them.
I found this on warhol65’s journal a small eternity ago, and only just now realized that I still haven’t done it, so here it is.
What are you reading right now?
I’m re-reading Kushiel’s Avatar by Jaqueline Carey
Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?
There are plenty of things that I probably should read, but I probably will read White Knight, which is the Dresden Files book that I’m up to.
What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?
I don’t have any. I think there may be an old Christian Leader in there that belongs to my parents. Official newsletter of the Mennonite Brethren church.
What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
Hmm, tough choice. Actually though, I’ve generally enjoyed the fiction I was forced to read. Emily Dickinson really stands out as something I could not stand, and still can’t. There’s also As I Lay Dying which I found incredibly dull when it wasn’t annoying the crap out of me. Now there are plenty of things that I enjoyed reading, but the forced classroom discussion of really sucked.
What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
I don’t know if there is one. It depends on the person, my mood, and probably a lot of other things. Some that get recced an awful lot are: The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein. If I’m supposed to be making recs for people who aren’t into sci-fi or fantasy then my reccomendations get even more mood dependent.
Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?
I think a couple of them do. The funny thing is, that our local librarians know me more because of the geneaology work I’ve done with my Mom than because of my reading habit. I make good use of the self-check kiosks and rarely have to ask for help finding things.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all?
I can usually find one or two people that love my books. It gets harder when we start talking about non-fiction. I tend to read a lot of political theory, statistical analysis, US History, and philosophy which for some reason just doesn’t seem to interest most people. I think everyone I know has already read at least one Neil Gaiman book, and loved them, though I do have some trouble getting friends and family to pick up the Sandman graphic novels. Apparently the format is just not their thing. Heinlein is often a tough sell, and so is Zelazny.
Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re having sex? While you’re driving?
I read while eating whenever I can get away with it. I don’t read books in the bath. I’ve knocked a couple into the water and that is just not a good thing. Also, I usually take showers these days and that is really not conducive to reading. I read with the television on a lot. I wouldn’t necessarily say I read while watching TV, but I like the background noise. The same when it comes to music. I like the background noise, but I’m not usually actively listening and trying to read at the same time. I’ve been known to sit at the computer and work on something with a novel open between my arms. I’m not very productive when I do this, but it keeps me from being bored to tears sometimes. No, never read during sex or driving.
When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Sure, my reading habits and lots of other things.
What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
I don’t really know. I read a fair amount at night anyway, and sometimes it gets tough to separate what I keep reading because I don’t want to try to sleep and what I keep reading because it’s really really good. Actually, the last thing I stayed up reading just because it was so good, probably wasn’t a book at all. I think it was, The Price That Life Exacts, a Stargate: Atlantis novella length fic by Cathalin that I read in one sitting. It was after 4:30 AM when I finally went to bed.
The same day that she died, there was a terrible accident on the highway near the reservation. Three people died. Two of them were my Uncle Paul's 17 year old niece and 19 year old nephew. The niece's mother was also in the car, and she's currently in fair condition at the hospital. We didn't know any of them, but it's tough on the family, especially right at the same time as we're losing Renee.
To top off all the deaths, we lost our cat earlier this week. Star was the only one of our kitties to survive the fire. I had an update about her awhile back when she hurt her leg. I had thought she was doing better. She was eating a bit more, and moving around quite a lot. Then she ate virtually nothing one day, and that night she woke me up crying. I held her for a little while, and then took her in to Mom & Dad who held her for the rest of the night. By morning we were pretty sure she wasn't going to make it. We lost her a few hours later. I think this is the first time in my life that I haven't had a cat at home. I was without a cat the year I lived in dorms, but I still had cats to come home to, and I always had Rover when I lived in apartments.
Anyway, things have just been really sad around here lately, so I've been doing things to distract myself. Here's one of them.
I found this on warhol65’s journal a small eternity ago, and only just now realized that I still haven’t done it, so here it is.
What are you reading right now?
I’m re-reading Kushiel’s Avatar by Jaqueline Carey
Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?
There are plenty of things that I probably should read, but I probably will read White Knight, which is the Dresden Files book that I’m up to.
What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?
I don’t have any. I think there may be an old Christian Leader in there that belongs to my parents. Official newsletter of the Mennonite Brethren church.
What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
Hmm, tough choice. Actually though, I’ve generally enjoyed the fiction I was forced to read. Emily Dickinson really stands out as something I could not stand, and still can’t. There’s also As I Lay Dying which I found incredibly dull when it wasn’t annoying the crap out of me. Now there are plenty of things that I enjoyed reading, but the forced classroom discussion of really sucked.
What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
I don’t know if there is one. It depends on the person, my mood, and probably a lot of other things. Some that get recced an awful lot are: The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, and Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein. If I’m supposed to be making recs for people who aren’t into sci-fi or fantasy then my reccomendations get even more mood dependent.
Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?
I think a couple of them do. The funny thing is, that our local librarians know me more because of the geneaology work I’ve done with my Mom than because of my reading habit. I make good use of the self-check kiosks and rarely have to ask for help finding things.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all?
I can usually find one or two people that love my books. It gets harder when we start talking about non-fiction. I tend to read a lot of political theory, statistical analysis, US History, and philosophy which for some reason just doesn’t seem to interest most people. I think everyone I know has already read at least one Neil Gaiman book, and loved them, though I do have some trouble getting friends and family to pick up the Sandman graphic novels. Apparently the format is just not their thing. Heinlein is often a tough sell, and so is Zelazny.
Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re having sex? While you’re driving?
I read while eating whenever I can get away with it. I don’t read books in the bath. I’ve knocked a couple into the water and that is just not a good thing. Also, I usually take showers these days and that is really not conducive to reading. I read with the television on a lot. I wouldn’t necessarily say I read while watching TV, but I like the background noise. The same when it comes to music. I like the background noise, but I’m not usually actively listening and trying to read at the same time. I’ve been known to sit at the computer and work on something with a novel open between my arms. I’m not very productive when I do this, but it keeps me from being bored to tears sometimes. No, never read during sex or driving.
When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Sure, my reading habits and lots of other things.
What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
I don’t really know. I read a fair amount at night anyway, and sometimes it gets tough to separate what I keep reading because I don’t want to try to sleep and what I keep reading because it’s really really good. Actually, the last thing I stayed up reading just because it was so good, probably wasn’t a book at all. I think it was, The Price That Life Exacts, a Stargate: Atlantis novella length fic by Cathalin that I read in one sitting. It was after 4:30 AM when I finally went to bed.