I'll be wearing dresses until this whole eating thing blows over.
Do you want to see the books I got for Christmas though? I know you do!
Set of Moomin books by Tove Jansson
On Writing by Stephen King (I finally own it, Alley!)
Sunset Park by Paul Auster
The Melancholy Tale of Oyster Boy and Other Stories by Tim Burton
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Back Story by David Mitchell
And then also at the bottom are a couple of cookbooks and a crafty book about making animal hats, about which I am disturbingly excited.
BOOKS! And I also got a sewing machine that I'm scared of, and some other stuff and things too. And about a million pairs of socks, as always. Could have stacked them in a pile and taken a picture too, but, you know, we all have our limits.
SO. That was Christmas and it was nice. And now, as I guess we all are, I'm looking ahead to the new year and just thinking about what I'd like to be different, what I'd like to change; which is a state of mind that, I think, leads to dissatisfaction with one's current life. Which is something I try to avoid, because if I look too closely at my life (living with my parents, sharing a freaking bedroom, not having a full time job, no money... and so on) I'm bound to see the things that are wrong with it rather than the things that are good, and the things that I've done this year in particular.
Like, you know, looking after my mum when she needed me too, like I did for the majority of this year, that wasn't nothing. And finally, finally stopping eating meat after sort-of-kind-of trying to do it for so long. And getting a job, even though it is a part time one. All of these things are actual things, and not nothing, and I need to remember that, rather than going 'well, this is wrong and I hate this and everything is awful.' Because it isn't. Apart from sometimes.
This is the bit where I suppose I should do some resolutions or something, but I don't really wanna because hello, setting oneself up for a fall! Plus, I still have ongoing goals or whatever that I set on my birthday and I'm doing pretty well with them, so... Might as well just keep going! But I sort of have two resolutions that I really... not even want, but need to do, and those are
- To walk to work- I want to basically do this every day because, firstly, I could use the exercise, and secondly, it's kind of douchey to make my mum take me every day. And by 'make', I mean 'she totally didn't expect that anything else would be happening', but still. I want to do it.
- To not buy any books for 100 days (at least)- I say 100 days because that takes me up to my birthday (don't ask me why I worked out how many days into the year my birthday is. I like numbers, ok? And actually, that's only on leap years, technically. So, 99 days) I don't know that I've ever 'officially' done a book buying ban before, but oh MAN, do I need one! So this is happening. I'm going to read the books I own, the books that were so important to me that I had to BUY THEM ALL this year and all the previous years. This shit must stop.
And that's about it, really. Or at least those are the achievable things that I want to do, as opposed to the things that I would like to happen but completely don't have enough money for. Do you have any resolutions? And hey- Happy nearly new year to you!
TIM BURTOOOOOON! I once had The Melancholy Tale of Oyster Boy and Other Stories, but then a friend stole it. Sad.
ReplyDeleteAnd Moomin (or Mumin, as we say in Sweden) really takes me back to my childhood. I loved the books and the cartoon. Random fact: they used to call me Lilla My cos I wore my hair like her and I was as short tempered as she was - and tiny - Good Times.
You got some nice classics as well (my obsession) so I'll be on the lookout for your reviews.
That friend is clearly not a friend madam! You should go and steal it back! I'm excited to look at it properly :)
DeleteEeeee, I love that you know what Moomins are! I mean, obviously you do because SWEDEN (I get excited about Sweden, sorry!) but yeah, hardly anyone ever does! So... *does an excited dance* The thing is, I'm definitely more about them aesthetically than in a story way, but from the stories I've read I've LOVED, so I'm excited to read the books :)
The classics will be read! Eventually. In a timely manner. Sometime. Hmm. (To be clear- I do really love classics, but it takes some psyching up to start one. But I shall!)
PRETTY BOOKS! I haven't actually put my Christmas stuff away yet, because I spent Boxing Day doing a scarily accurate impression of a giant pyjama-clad slug and then we went back to work (don't worry, I put clothes on for that). I shall, however, post pictures at some point. I'M WORKING ON IT. Also, my sister's present WASN'T a book but was so awesome and beautiful and moving that I have to share it with the universe. Sooooo yeah. Christmas post.
ReplyDeleteAlso, HOW LONG AGO DOES CHRISTMAS FEEL ALREADY? I mean, I know it doesn't last forever like when we were seven, but really. Without being at home surrounded by Christmas decorations, eating mince pies and flicking between twelve different movies on telly, it feels like it's gone already. I actually found myself thinking this morning, "Oh, I wonder if we'll have bad weather for Christmas" then realised IT HAD ALREADY BEEN CHRISTMAS! LIKE, FOUR DAYS AGO. Fool.
I have a question: Can I join in your book ban please? We'll be like dieting buddies only it'll be harder than that because DUDE, BOOKS. I'll be your sponsor if you'll be mine. You can send me emails like "I saw a book today and it was sooooo hard to resist and I stroked it and then I walked away" and I can send you one back with a gold star and lots of encouraging words. And vice versa. Whaddya think?
Oh my looord, is that what it's like when you work all the time? No time to even put away Christmas presents?! *weeps dramatically* I am excited to see your sister's present!! And for the books, obvs!
DeleteIt's pretty lame how long ago Christmas feels. Even though I'm on Christmas eating mode and all, it's just like... I NEEDS MORE PRESENTS AND JOLLITY. And I need to think of a word that actually exists, because jollity doesn't, I believe. But :(((( at forgetting Christmas even happened! I am *horrified* by that story!!
LET'S TOTALLY SUPPORT EACH OTHER!!!! Totally like diet buddies, but books are even harder to resist than cake. Especially cheap books. Maybe we should phone number exchange and text support each other in case we need ON THE SPOT support. Even though the main part of my strategy is going to be to avoid charity shops altogether, but WHAT IF I CAN'T?! But yeah, let's definitely do this!
YES! Haha, how crap would we be if we were like, "Oh, right, you were tempted three days ago and I only just got your email? How you doin' there chuck?" *cut to Laura rocking in a corner, laughing hysterically, surrounded by twenty-five new books* Besides, I always say I'm going to avoid ALL THE SHOPS but sooner or later I ACCIDENTALLY walk past one and that's that. NOT GOOD.
DeleteI might try and kind of renew Christmas this afternoon and tomorrow. I watched The Holiday last night, so that's Christmassy right? And my book is basically The Holiday but not, so... ditto. And my Christmas presents are still kind of randomly perched atop a pouffe stool thing in the living room, so that's nice. CHRISTMAS 2: MINCE PIES GONE WILD! :D
Yay all the books! And this IS that weird time where it just feels wrong to do things - I'm SLOWLY reading the book I'm one now, because I don't want to start another one before the new year and overlap - because I'm insane like that.
ReplyDeleteWalking to work is a fab idea! And good luck on the book buying ban... I SHOULD do one of those, but who am I kidding, really?
OH and I got a sewing machine for Christmas last year that I STILL have not used because I'm a little scared of it. Maybe I should've added that to my goals for 2013...
Good luck darlin' and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Haha, I'm doing the New Year book thing too! I'm reading my main current book reaaaaallly slowly so I can start a new one on Tuesday, and I've stopped right near the beginning of my two nonfiction ones so they don't feel like they count for 2012. :)
DeleteI'm glad I'm not the only one who doesn't like to overlap! I tried explaining it to the honeyman, and he just looked at me weird.
DeleteAlso, it gives me time to just watch tv and play video games ;-)
Ok, so, I think I actually did the 'no overlapping books' thing last year, only in that I finished one on NYE and then didn't want to start a new one because, you know, might as well start the year off fresh! Frankly, this year I'm in the middle of about 4 books, so it just doesn't even matter!
DeleteSEWING MACHINES ARE SO SCARY! But we should both figure out how to use them and not be scared of them. Biiiiig 2013 goal! Also I'm really pleased about having decided to walk to work, I think it's going to be good! Although if the weather sucks next week like it has this one, then I might not start for a little while... lol
HAPPY NEW YEAR to you toooo!
I'm totally scared of my sewing machine to! So as well as being book buying ban buddies we should also support each other in getting unscared of our sewing machines! :-p
ReplyDeleteLET'S DO ALL OF THIS! I'm very happy to be your book buying ban sponsor too Bex! :)
DeleteThe day after Boxing Day is the present sorting out day for us, too. It's a great tradition :)
ReplyDeleteI love the look of all those classics - I have the same edition of Dracula and it's a delight to read, just feels right in your hands.
Good luck with the book buying ban - you can do it :)
Yayyyy, I love shared traditions! Or, like, finding out that other people share my traditions... or something!
DeleteI miiight have to read Dracula again round Halloween next year! I only read it in 2011, but... it's such a pretty/appropriate cover and everything!
Thanks for your support! I might need it everrry week when I start going 'I just can't do this anymore! THE BOOKS ARE LAUGHING AT ME!' Hehe
Great. And I had just convinced myself that it was still Christmas! After all the Christmas tree is still standing and my presents are still lying in a pile on the floor... God, I miss Christmas already.
ReplyDeleteBut yay for the the doing nothing except for eating, that`s exactly my philosophy for this time of the year :D
And I'm really jealous of all your new books, they're super-awesome! Although I got a kindle, so I probably shouldn't complain...
Anyway, happy nearly new year to you too! :)
DAMN I miss Christmas too. It goes TOO quickly! (apart from Christmas Eve, which is the SLOWEST day...)
DeleteOoooh, a kindle, how exciting! I think I might ask for one for my birthday, but I have no idea whether to go with a kindle or a nook or something else... So I guess I'll have to research before April!
Is it awful to be insanely jealous over the books you've received for Christmas? Because I am. Truly. I got one book from my Secret Santa, which was pretty much a guaranteed thing because, you know BOOK Blogger Secret Santa, but beyond that I only got one book and it was one that my husband illustrated, so, you know, not a big surprise.
ReplyDeleteBut yay on Christmas books and making resolutions for not buying more books. I mean, I couldn't make that resolution myself but I admire will power in other people.
It's totally ok to be jealous. To be fair, I did kind of *buy* most of these myself, and then they get passed on to various gift-givers. So it wasn't surprising, mostly. Not that I'm complaining in any way! But it's just like... no one knows me *that* well!
DeleteI have already walked past 2 bookshops today, and one of them had MASSIVE sale signs and I nearly WEPT. But I walked past! *feels all happy with self*
Hooray for books as gifts! I used to hate getting books and clothes as a child, but funny how all that changes, right? I own "The Melancholy Tale of Oyster Boy and Other Stories" (actually got that as a gift too!) and it is the silliest book ever. What makes it so special is that Burton illustrated all those pictures himself :) Happy New Year and Happy Reading!!
ReplyDeleteHaha, I used to get books from this one auntie and uncle and we were totally like 'why do we always get BOOKS?' (Not that I disliked reading, but they were like, pretty random books!) But now I'm just like... *dives into a pile of books*
DeleteI'm pretty excited to read my Burton book :) And ALL OF THEM!
Yay, Christmas books! I totally need a book-buying ban now too. Though I did buy a book today. Oops. Hope you had a great new year.
ReplyDeleteTim Burton and classics is a wonderful book haul. That's such a great stack of books and I hope that you enjoy them. Good luck with not buying books for 100 days.
ReplyDelete