Renewing Myself

As we have had family visiting from overseas this past month I have not read anything. February has been a washout book wise. That's okay though. As James mentioned in my last post on comments from James Reads Books I am busy living life.  That is certainly true and thank you to James for easing my guilt re: not reading.  I know, it happens.

We have participated in all manner of things. Sea planes, wildlife sanctuaries, restaurants, a movie, as well as a fast boat trip around the southern coast of Tasmania in a lightning and thunder storm, participating in a group "seasick-in" over the back railings. I'll leave it at that.

In the book world the Penguin black and white classics have arrived in Hobart. I have decided to get the set as it is the 80th anniversary of the publishing of Penguin books. Yes it is an indulgence and I won't be able to read them until 1 April because of the TBR challenge and I am determined to finish that.

Next week I begin To Kill A Mockingbird for the Grand Ledge Michigan High school class of 68 book group that started this month.  This has been great fun, catching up with several classmates I have not seen since high school. No I don't recognise their pictures now, we are all in our 6th decade and I cannot believe it. Some people look the same, others do not.  I can't believe we are all so old. We sure don't feel or act it. (Well not always anyway.)

Listening: I will finish up the Rosie Project.  I don't think I will bother with the Rosie Effect. It is a funny read but I get the gist of things now around Aspergers and having worked with many people on all levels of the Autism/Aspergers spectrum for so many years I think I'll move on to other reads.

I would like to get into the books on my shelves that contain the Penguin sets.  I have about 40 Penguin series/boxed sets and they are starting to draw me in to the boxes, saying "Me first, Please".

I want to do a big cull of my library too. I have been given so many books by people who know I collect Penguins but the books I receive are not the collectable ones. I have a couple of friends who have given me any book they find anywhere with a Penguin icon on it.  It is getting to be ridiculous.
(As part of the culling stay tuned for book giveaways- anywhere in the world.)

Before long I will have more than Penguin Publishing does. They need to move on to other homes and I think I'll start the Book Phantom project up in earnest again.

Well that's me for this week.  Company leaves next Monday. I have some routine household chores to catch up on, cleaning up of the library that has had a mattress and clothes strewn around it all month. Time to catch up with friends, meetings of my volunteer organisation, planning of holidays, bike rides and lots and lots of reading.  But what a blast of a time we've had this past month. It's been exhilarating and exhausting.

PS- Stay tuned for Travellin' Penguin who is now 3 dimensional. I found a great little Penguin on my tourism travels that looks so much like this little guy and I thought I'd take him on some of my travels and photograph him in various places. You know, kind of like the neighbour who steals your garden gnome and photographs him at the Eiffel Tower or a dude ranch in America.