If my blogs were children, I'd be arrested for neglect. Over the last couple of years, I just have not had the time, or so I told myself, to keep up with my blogging. I was reading just as much as I always had, but I just couldn't find the motivation to keep up with my book reviews. I've always enjoyed it, but a new job and new family responsibilities left me with very little emotional or physical capital at the end of the day. Since I still like to eat and have a roof over my head, the things that had to go were the things unrelated to either of my jobs-playing music and keeping up with my blogs.

BUT, new year, new goal! Recently a friend asked me for a book recommendation, and in the course of our conversation she mentioned how she used to check my blog first, and she was disappointed I had stopped writing. I realized I was disappointed, too. I missed having a place to write about the books I've read. I enjoyed knowing that people were reading what I wrote, and finding new books to love-or new books to avoid! I missed taking the time to read other book blogs, something I stopped doing when I stopped writing. So, it's time to get back in the literary saddle! No more excuses, I'm going to set a blogging schedule and stick with it!

Since I've got a new outlook on blogging, I figured I needed a new look on my blog! Thank the BTemplates, and I couldn't be happier with the design. If I manage to stick with my goal
Universe for people who create free Blogger templates. I'm not quite to the point in my new blogging adventure that I want to pay for a background. The template I am using came from
and build my readership back up, I will splurge on a custom design!

And, of course, a new year brings a new reading goal. This year I've decided to re-read all (well almost all) of Stephen King's books, including the short story collections, in the order in which they were published. I am skipping the Dark Tower books, because that is a 3800-page commitment all by itself, and also the Bill Hodges series because I just finished it. I haven't decided yet about Doctor Sleep, Revival, or Joyland since I've read all of those in the last three years, but we'll see.

I already finished Carrie, the first book he ever published, so expect a post on that soon. I will also still be reading lots of young adult novels for school, and whatever books my book club picks, so it won't be all King all the time.If King isn't your thing, you can still check here for my thoughts on whatever non-King books strike my fancy.

The Amazing Disappearing Blogger

Imagine my surprise when I checked the date of my last post and discovered it was 15 DAYS AGO!  What?  Really?  How did that happen?  Surely it hasn't taken me two weeks to get through only 127 pages of The 19th Wife?  I mean, I did start The Summoner, but I wasn't feeling it, so I only read about 50 pages then I put it down.  Do you mean to tell me I have only read 200ish pages in TWO WEEKS?!?  Quick, someone call the library for a book infusion-STAT!

Spring is always a fallow reading period for me.  It is when things at work really amp up-I have yearly assessments to give and individualized educational plans to write and annual reviews to schedule.  I have a youth service to plan at my church, and youth conferences to plan for next year.  Then there are my wife's concerts and performances, all of which are in the next few weeks.  Oh, and the term paper on the entire history of teaching and learning due in two weeks.  Darn it-I hate when real life intrudes on my reading time!  How can I escape all of the above stress if I'm too busy to read?

The Wife as Katisha from The Mikado

So, Constant Readers, I promise that as soon as I can untangle my life from all of the aforementioned craziness, I will be back on track for future blogging.  And I will be doing my first ever blog tour and give away, for Karin Slaughter's new audiobook, Fallen.  So while I may seem to have disappeared, I sincerely hope you won't!

Book Blogger Hop-Where To?

 The Book Blogger Hope is a weekly meme hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books.  Here is some information about the hope right from the horse's mouth:

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word!  This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This week the Hop asks us to consider what book or series we would physically put ourselves into if we could.  My first thought was Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer, because I have always wanted to see the top of the world, but only if I don't actually have to be cold or anything (one of the many reasons I will never see the top of the world-I'm a wimp!)

So next I thought about all those books that I love that take place in England, because that is a place that I desperately want to visit that I might actually get to some day.  But then I realized how many of them have a time period that is not conducive to women's rights, or, you know, basic hygiene.  Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley is the one I feel most strongly about, but only if I can be one of the priestesses and living in Avalon.

After some consideration, I think that my final answer of the moment is to visit the world of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, though preferably after the great "defeat Sauron/Destroy the ring" thing.  Though before the elves leave-that is one of my motivating factors, to meet me some elves.  After that I can build myself a normal size house at the edge of Hobbiton and live peacefully with the Hobbits in the shire.  Yep, days of quiet contemplation in an idyllic spot sound like exactly what I need today.

Book Blogger Hop!

Fridays is the day for the weekly Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Crazy for Books.  It's a way for book bloggers to network and support each other.  Take a minute to visit Crazy for Books, and if you're a blogger sign up!  I've found some of my favorite bloggers that way.