Unfinished Business

Have you ever started a book...but for some reason or another just cannot finish it... i'm talking a book you've been "trying" to read for years? lol

I’m talking about that book, that either gets pushed aside for something lighter/easier/funnier, that gets pushed to the back of the pile of books to read, that book that in the back of your mind you kinda want to finish but just can’t find to motivation to pick back up? Yes I’m also talking about that book that you’re using for a doorjam/paperweight/have used to prop open a window.... need I go on..

I’ve got a couple of these and each and every day they’re niggling away at me in the back of my mind that I *need* to finish them... this year damnit! Well as this year is about to come to a close I thought i’d issue a reminder... don’t keep putting it off! even if its just a handful (okay so depending on its size you might want to aim for a few more than a handful of pages) of pages - a chapter at a time even!

Yes i’ll even go so far as to admit publicly what those books are that i’ve been trying to read for years.. I’m mildly ashamed to admit this:... its a classic (see previous post)... “Emma” by Jane Austen. To be honest its been so long since I last read it that I’m not sure I could keep all the characters straight in my head which fills me with a truckload of dread that I might actually have to start from the beginning again just so I can follow the plot *insert silence screaming here*. I don’t know what it is about it. When I was living on the truck (and had limited activity choices) I was reading these classics like they were going out of fashion, now that i’m back in new zealand with a very hectic schedule I’m finding myself spending more and more time reading quick reads, or focusing on certain genres like murder mystery, or paranormal.

The next book that I just cannot seem to finish is Mansfield park also by Ms Austen. Don’t get me wrong I love her stuff, she’s an amazing lady and her writing is poetic and beautiful but damn if she can’t write a lot! If I could go back in time I’d love to pick her brain about a few things thats for sure.

The last book (and probably the one i’m going to have to completely re-read) is “The Hobbit” by JRR Tolkien. Loved the lord of the ring movies, and I can’t wait to see the hobbit but the guy has a lot of information in his books, and sometimes...sometimes i say it can be a little.... whats a polite way of saying it... wordy? dry? like trying to wade through golden syrup? yeah. I take it as a personal challenge from this book that I will get through it someday. With my kitten as my witness I will conquer this book of fiction if its the last thing I do.

Feel free to share what books you have a tough time finishing, or that you’ve been meaning to get around to for years now? enquiring minds want to know...

A challenge.....

Today’s blog is about a "classics" challenge I've set for myself. Here’s the backstory - so get a cup of cocoa and put your slippers on and join me on this trip down memory lane....

Okay so it wasn’t actually all that long ago (maybe 5 or 6 years ago). I realised that I was missing out on a lot of amazing books that i’d written off as boring, old and not at all relevant to today’s society or people. Maybe it was through a movie or a discussion or two with friends about these books in question that made me decide to open my mind and try something new. I, the chick-lit-fantasy-paranormal-loving bookworm was going to try and tackle ..... the classics! Okay take a breath I know thats a bit of a shock to a lot of people.

I’ll be the first to admit, I really didn’t like shakespeare in high school and I struggled to comprehend a lot of the language, but despite all this I took a deep breath and cracked open my first classic of my challenge - Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The scarlet letter”. I was blown away by how poetic and beautiful the language was. Yes I did watch the movie first to help me understand it a little better (does that count as cheating?).

Its like a pringle...once you popped you can’t stop! I was hooked, I read jane eyre by Bronte, Dracula by Stoker, The Crucible by Arthur. I admired the courage and strength of Alcott’s “Little women” and for the first time ever discovered the fascination and wonder of Anne of Green Gables. I guess you could say I was hooked, well and truly.

There’s still so many amazing classics out there that I want to read, and I know i’ll get there, one book at a time.

Some of the books left in my challenge to read are:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (I started it a few years ago and never got around to finishing it!)
Emma by Jane Austen (yes I started this about 3yrs ago and just haven’t gotten around to finishing it - oops! i’ll get there)
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

So readers I ask you this, what “classics” do you want to read?? or alternatively do you have any more suggestions for me to add to my list? Throw me a comment!

An Update from the Eathquake Capital from NZ

So I know its been way too long since I last updated, to be honest there's been a lot of things going on in the last 6 months including but not limited to working 6 day weeks, seasonal launches at work, trying to spend time with family and friends, settling in a new kitten, and dealing with general craziness.

One of the biggest things that's happened recently was the 7.1 Earthquake that hit September 4th at 4:35am. Since that day we've had over 1300 aftershocks ranging up to magnitudes 5.1's! pretty damn big quakes in their own rights.

The truly miraculous thing about this whole situation, no one has died because of the quake! The people of my city are all extremely thankful. Our emergency services and engineers have done an amazing job. During this last month everyone's pulled together and supported each other.

Its given me a bit of a wake up, and made me realise that I need to spend more time doing what makes me happy. I will admit this experience has left me shaken, and served as a reminder of how quickly things can change in life. That being said, one of the things I'm determined to get back to - is this blog. So Please continue to stay with me, and keep tuned. Fun times, coming soon!