What I'm Reading: Summer Reading Challenge

So, I missed my post yesterday. I'm still plowing through A Feast for Crows. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the book. I'm just not a very fast reader, which is shocking as my day job is in publishing. However, there's not much I can do to change my reading abilities. I do read a lot, regardless of the speed I consume my books at, so I guess that's something.

Lately, I've been in a bit of a reading slump. But, it's the summer. Today in London (and possibly today only) the sun is shining, the sky is blue, my annoying neighbours downstairs are playing some sort of trashy European pop that has no name only back beats, so all is right in the world.

And while all is right in the world, I feel like it's time to tackle some of my TBR shelves. Yes, you read that right, shelves! How does someone wind up with shelves of books to read?

1) Work in publishing.
2) Have a small book buying addicition.
3) Have space in your home for multiple shelves.

So, here's what I propose; it's a two pronged solution to break my reading slump and to whittle down my TBR shelves. As we've hit midsummer and we have about 8 weeks left in July and August I'm going to try to read 8 books that have been languishing on my shelves. This is in addition to my usual work-related reading workload. So, it's a wee bit ambitious, but I think doable.

The perks are if I finish 8 books (featured in the picture at the end of this post) I'll be doing a happy dance. Something like this:

And if I fail? Well, I will give away to either Jenny or Angel a copy of the book(s) that I failed to read or if they already have that book give it away on the blog. Not my copy, of course, I'd still have to read it. I will blog about each book here on the blog as I finish reading it.

So here we go. Summer Reads 2013!

Wish me luck.

A Few Things I've Learned From Zombie Movies

This weekend, I went to see World War Z and it blew my mind. I loved the book. The film was a real departure, but I still enjoyed it a lot. I’m a huge fan of the genre and I’ve spent hours talking to friends about what we would do if. (Especially when we watched the trailer for WWZ we saw last year. Between the squealing we may have laid bets over who would survive the longest.)

But, this post isn’t exactly about World War Z or those plans. It just got me thinking. And even though you think you know what I was thinking based on the title of this post, I can assure you, this has little to do with how to survive the apocalypse and everything to do with everyday life.

And we’re still not talking survival.

Zombies themselves have a lot to teach us about how we get through things, get ahead of things, get behind things.

First of all, and this was hugely important to my morning: How to get in.

Hey, Guys? Can someone let me in?
The weather out here's for shit.

What the “in” might be is variable. For me, I had a really hard time getting into the office suite this morning. And that’s part of where I had this particular revelation. As I was trying to turn the key in the door (and getting nowhere), I found myself banging my head against the glass. Much like the early zombies in World War Z, or the solitary zombie in so many other movies that the protagonist just doesn’t see on the other side of an unblocked window, sometimes you’ve just got to break through it with whatever means you have. A head is a very effective method. You have a bony plate there thanks to your early proto-human ancestors. Use it. Of course, the parasitic wriggle to get your body through the glass is just flair on the part of WWZ zombies. But, go with what works.

And, if banging your head doesn’t work, try this: Get help from your friends.


 



We are out of brains. Seriously. All we've got is a moldy cauliflower.
Come back tomorrow!

This may seem like a very Beatles reference, but you really do get by with a little help from your friends. Whether it be two or three or a full horde, sometimes it takes a number of us to overcome the barrier of what is going on in life. In the case of getting into my office, I didn’t need brute strength or overwhelming numbers, but a single person with a bit more finesse and finger dexterity helped. Also, I regularly forget my key, so this option is generally the one I usually look toward. A good friend with a key of their own and a sweet tooth is better than a good memory sometimes. As long as I remember to bring cake.

To a zombie, anything is surmountable.



We can do this, guys! It's just a wall!

There is no “when God closes a door....” When there is no door, a zombie just climbs the walls. Or, breaks them down. Whether resourcefulness or sheer stubbornness, they’ll get there, generally before you do and be lurking in the dark. Waiting. Like a creeper. Barring yourself in doesn’t help. They’ve got all the time in the world and even when they don’t, they use their heads or get help from friends. Believe me, there was a moment this morning I thought about breaking down the door. And, then I used my head. ;)

For something good, go the extra mile.

 



Have you tried the brains at this place? They're DELICIOUS!

I don’t know if you’ve seen Warm Bodies, (I thought it was HILARIOUS!) but this is a key lesson you can hear from the z-spective in why brains are awesome. And they must be awesome. In every movie you see them shambling mile after mile, never tiring, never stopping -- rarely decomposing -- all looking for one thing. Brains. If it means that much to you, be the zombie. Keep going. For me, there have been crazy things I have been willing to go an extra mile for as well as the more mundane. But, I thought it was worth it. So, whether that be a treat from your favorite bakery or that opening night ticket, that hard to find book or that friend that just lives a wee bit too far: shamble on, zombie. Shamble on. This morning? Breakfast. Most important meal of the day, people. Don’t get between me and that first meal. Or, any meal for that matter. You will get bitten.

There is never such a thing as too late or too early.

It's the weekend! Who left that alarm clock on???

You never know when zombies are coming, right? They’re just on the move. They’re on a mission and sometimes they may be dormant, but they’re still there. And they’ll keep coming. Day or night. Be there. My cat’s got this one down like a champ. He is there at three in the morning when I blearily stumble to the bathroom. He’s there at seven when I’m scrambling to get out the door for work. He’s there when I shamble through the door at night. When I’m home at noon with a head cold, he’s there. Regardless of time and schedules, he's there, demanding to be fed. I’m still working on that level of persistence myself. But, my boss assures me that someday I will also have that much focus on work. Even if it shakes my marriage. Four in the morning is never -- apparently -- too early for an email. Or, to look for a response. (Gad, I hate Monday Morning email checks. Maybe I should make it my mission to go looking for some coffee.)

I hope you have a good Monday and enjoy whatever it is that kicks you out of the coma. I’m going to get buckled into what I’ve got going on here, but maybe -- if you’re interested, and let me know in comments -- I might tell you more about what I’ve been learning from zombies of late.

In the meantime, shamble on.

What I'm Reading: Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

So this is my avatar! It's pretty much a cartoonized version of me. Devil horns, because I'm a troublemaker at heart. So that's that...on to the next thing!

I read Bring Up the Bodies, the sequel to the incredible Wolf Hall, on vacation. It’s a historical novel—not as weighty as the first one, but still pretty dense—and not exactly relaxing vacation reading. Or so you would think. But I’d read the first one, and despite the fact that this isn’t exactly a beach read, I knew it was exactly what I needed to get me through an eleven-hour plane ride.

 Bring Up the Bodies picks up where Wolf Hall left off in the life of Thomas Cromwell, advisor to Henry VIII during the most turbulent years of his reign. Cromwell was the architect behind Henry’s most radical moves.  He engineered the King’s divorce from Catherine of Aragon, in an age where divorce was quite simply not allowed—especially if your wife’s in-laws are sovereigns of their own, and your divorce would have massive political consequences. He was the mastermind behind Henry’s break with the Catholic Church—in a time when the Church had had a stranglehold on religious and secular life in Europe for over a thousand years. And he’d managed his own rise—from the son of a commoner to the most privy of the King’s privy chambers. He was a brilliant man who managed to rise to the top in a time when even the most brilliant commoners almost universally stayed commoners. And he got sh*t done. In my opinion, Henry VIII would have been nothing without Cromwell.

Cromwell has the reputation of a villain, and it’s a deserved one. A lot of that has to do with the way he orchestrated the downfall of Anne Boleyn and her execution. While part of Mantel’s mission is to cast Cromwell in a more human light, she does not take the position here that Anne was in fact guilty—a position most historians would agree with, I think. We see Cromwell setting up an innocent woman for execution for the simple reason that the King wills it—and Cromwell’s absolute purpose in life is to stay indispensable to the King.

And yet…I’m rooting for him. Strange as it is. And this, I feel, is a hallmark of genius storytelling. We’re rooting for Cromwell the way we root for Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones even though he’s practically introduced to us by throwing a young child out of a high window. Like George R.R. Martin, Mantel has the sheer genius to show us a man we’re primed not to like—because we all know the history and we know what happens to Anne Boleyn—and make us like him.

When I finished this book, I wanted more. I wanted the next in the series—because I know what happens in real life, and I’m just dying to see how Hilary Mantel handles the next chapter of Cromwell’s career. I’d brought some lighter books, but I wanted historical fiction. Real, meaty, sink-your-teeth-in historical fiction, served as rare as possible. Guess I’ll have to wait til the last book in the series comes out to get it.

Cupcake: This is my week

So... yeah... I think this fairly well exemplifies the situation of my week....

So unto the world I say:



Let 'em eat pancakes.

Only 'cause I ain't got nuthin' else.




What I'm Reading: A Feast for Crows

First, let's just start with the obvious. Here at Cupcakes and Karma we've got new avatars which will be accompanying all our posts. We might change these up from time to time, but the idea is to help make it a bit easier for you to see our posts and interact with us on the blog, on Twitter and on Tumblr. My avatar has a tiara. Not sure why, I was just told: 'the tiara suits you' so I've gone with that.  I'd like to say this is because I'm a benevolent princess, but it's probably because I'm high maintenance  My star earrings say I'm funky though. My hair is actually that colour red. Now, back to your regularly scheduled posts. 

Much as it pains me to admit this I was super late to the Game of Thrones book party. The thing is, my invite was't lost in the mail. Jenny has been raving about the Game of Thrones books for years. One Christmas she even gave me a copy of the book with a plea for me to start reading it as soon as I'd pulled off the wrapping paper.

But the book was so so so BIG. I know how stupid that sounds. But the book is big. My time is limited. Reading a book like A Game of Thrones could take me a month or more. I wasn't ready to give up that much time. I know how stupid that sounds. Trust me.

I packed A Game of Thrones away in my suitcase. I was determined to read it on the 8 hour flight back home to London. I never did.

Then came the HBO teaser trailer for the first season. ZOMG! I knew that I needed to read the book that had been languishing on my TBR pile for about a year (maybe more). 

I started reading it and then promptly put it down. I just couldn't get into the narrative. 

((Warning here be spoilers. Turn back now. You have been warned!!))

Then there was the first episode of the TV series. That episode! Zombies, kids going out windows, intrigue  . . . . I was hooked! I zipped through the first book in a month and carried on to read A Clash of Kings. 

Then came A Storm of Swords. I read that book in a week. I barely stopped to sleep I was so engrossed. My husband came home from work on a Friday evening to find me sobbing over my copy of A Storm of Swords. If you've read the books or seen the most recent TV series you'll know exactly what part of the book I was reading (hint: Red Wedding). He took the book away, put a bookmark in it and gently closed the cover. 'I think you need a little break from Westeros.' 

He was right, you know. I finished the book over the weekend and picked up a copy of A Feast for Crows. I got through the first 100 pages and just . . .  I was going through post Red Wedding withdrawals. My heart was a bit broken. It just wasn't in Westeros anymore.

So, I let the book fall back onto the TBR pile. Another book came along and another and another. Soon my little break was turning into two years away from Westeros. 

But every time I looked at A Feast for Crows, my heart gave a little stutter. I wasn't ready. 

On Monday morning just as I was setting out for my weekly commute I picked up my copy of A Feast for Crows. It had been a while since I'd read something solely for pleasure and that's what this was. Reading for  pleasure. I was hooked immediately and immersed back in the world of Westeros. Yeah, there are a ton of new characters. Yes, some of my favourite characters are gone. Where the hell is Tyrion and why do I have to wait an entire 800 page book to see him again? And Dany? And Jon Snow!! But those gripes aside, A Feast for Crows is fantastic, gripping and a perfect book vacation. Which is good because I seriously need a vacation and an actual holiday isn't in the cards for a while.

I fully expect to finish A Feast for Crows in the next week or two. I can't tell you how excited I am to be really immersed in the book I'm reading. It's been a while since I've read something that makes me feel like a true reader. Not a writer, not a fan, not a professional in the publishing industry, but a reader. Someone who reads books for the sheer joy of consuming a well-told story. 

I suspect I'll be onto A Dance with Dragons in the near future. I'm hoping my husband doesn't have to take the books away from me again. (No spoilers please). But, I'm certainly enjoying my time in Westeros. 

Are you reading (or watching) Game of Thrones? I'd love to know what you think. Either Tweet me @gennmcmenemy or leave a comment here on the blog. 

Cupcake of the Week: Gay of Thrones

So I've been away in New Zealand: but I'm back! If you're interested, you can see some of the pics from my trip over at the Postcard Project tumblr.

In the meantime, I owe you guys a cupcake! I also owe you two Game of Thrones recaps, which I didn't get to because I was out of town. Especially the Red Wedding!! (Don't worry, I'm not going to get all smug on you about knowing the Red Wedding was coming because I read the books. Well....maybe a little smug. ...OK, it's passed).

So I figured I'd kill two birds with one post and give you this--my favorite source for all things Game of Thrones recap-related. Enjoy!

Cupcake of the Week: Music and Unicorns

I'm afraid this week I haven't found a hilarious video to share with you all. I could share a spoiler-tastic Red Wedding YouTube video with you . . . not sure that would be the best cupcake I could give you though. I feel like you probably get a lot of Game of Thrones cupcakes from me.

Instead, I've got a unicorn sprinkles shaker and a song I cannot stop dancing too! All in all, not a bad haul.

1. Exhibit A- The Unicorn Sprinkles Shaker. For those times when you just need a unicorn's backside to give you sprinkles.

(Seriously I just . . . I can't stop laughing when I see this photo! It's hands down the instructional illustration at the side that gets me!)


2. Exhibit B- Pompeii. If this song doesn't get stuck in your brain  . . . I might consider you a candidate for being a zombie.