TSS - Disappearing Act

Well hello there! Inadvertently I dropped off of the blogging world and had I not already scheduled reviews I would REALLY have been MIA. It's weird because I don't necessarily feel the guilt that I've seen other bloggers express BUT I do feel a certain level of disconnect. Like you guys are MY PEOPLE and I need a certain level of interaction to feel complete in my reading lifestyle.

I've just been so exhausted all. I mean SERIOUSLY. Like last weekend we had a small party and I totally left D to entertain about halfway through so I could go to bed and sleep. THEN I slept ALL Saturday and most of Sunday.  There have been major changes on the work front. New principal, looking for new staff, new expectations coming (I'm sure) plus the normal neurotic data driven discipline that education has turned into makes me for a very overwhelmed camper. Having anxiety issues and panic attacks only adds to the rhythm of terror. Ha! I realize I'm being rather dramatic, but I would really love to go off somewhere and chant with some monks.

Om.

The good thing though? With all of this hibernation I've been doing mad crazy reading. Books read that will eventually get reviewed:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Skinny by Donna Cooner
The Diviner's Tale by Bradford Morrow
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Easy by Tammara Webber
Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough
The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Existence by Abbi Glines
Predestined by Abbi Glines
Ceaseless by Abbi Glines
Matched by Ally Condie
Dani Noir by Nova Ren Suma
Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

I also have a whole stack of young adult books waiting for me while on break (Yay for a week off!)

Soon I shall be out of this funk. But for now, I'm just hoping to make it to the end of 2012 without any further fractures. 

TSS: Get Your Spook On

It has been ages since I've done a Sunday Salon.  The weeks have been slipping by and my mind is having a difficult time wrapping around the fact that we are almost over with the BEST month ever and catapulting toward the end of the year.  I can almost here the gasps at me mentioning the END OF THE YEAR, but let's face it folks, life has a way of quickening its pace and springing the future right into the present.   What is up with that? Where's the remote so I can hit pause.

The Reading World (or What's the Theme of this Month?)



I've filled my little head with tons of spooky tales in the spirit of Halloween.  It by Stephen King wrapped up and let me tell you folks, LOVED that readalong.  It is already a really fantastic book, but the group that read it with me just made it amazingly fun.  (Check out some back convos with the #italong tag).

Then there was the Dueling Monsters where I warped my brain through the sociopathic likes of American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris.  If you checked out my thoughts, I don't think that I forced upon ya'll the horrific images that Ellis impressed upon my mind.  I mean, seriously, I wish I could pour bleach on my brain.

Oh and a great spooky tale that I don't think got much attention when it was published is Picture the Dead by Adele Griffith and illustrated by Lisa Brown.  Seriously guys.  It's middle grades. It's ghostly.  It's historical.  AND THERE ARE PICTURES.  Read it now.  Don't miss out.

Finally, I feel behind in the Little Stranger by Sarah Waters readalong, but man, am I glad that I jumped into the Waters head first.  (Heh, I'm soooo clever aren't I?)  It is intimidating to read an author that is so loved in the blogosphere. 

Currently, I'm finishing up the spooktacular reads with Night Circus which I know, I know, I have not yet read and listening to The Diviner's Tale which was an impulse download because I am having a hard time moving past my love for Steven Weber.

Oh and I am about to download Cloud Atlas which I've heard phenomenal things about.

On The Personal Front....

Work has been kicking me in the ass.  Seriously.  Our state has forced upon us an incredible amount of nonsense that is pushing us all on the brink of insanity.  By the time I get home I'm ready to curl under the covers and watch episodes of Bones.  Also, we will be getting a new principal in the next month which has everyone on high alert.  Not that it really matters much to me anymore.  Suits come in and out of our classroom weekly, and various other individuals with hawk eyes writing down everything that we're doing at least three times a week.    We have people who don't know the kids or the curriculum telling us what we need to teach and then skewing the data to show us how we're not doing what we are suppose to be doing.  *le sigh*

I have to remind myself to breathe.  And to work out.  If it wasn't for working out I'd be drinking every night.


But I don't want to end on a bummer...

So let me just point out that it's finally cooling down in this southern state.  We've dropped consistently to the 88 degree mark.  Yay.  I'm looking for some fantastic hot chocolate recipes if you've got them. 

TSS - Spooktastic Housekeeping

Hey all!  It’s a three day weekend and we’re halfway through it and it has been gloriously relaxing.  But that’s neither here nor there. What I want to touch base with is all of the fantastic AND fantastical things going on in the blogosphere.

First and foremost - and I doubt I’m the first one to tell you about it - it’s RIP time.  which is a wonderful yearly event (no longer a challenge, really) where for TWO MONTHS we all devour as many creeptastic, halloweeny, mysterious, and thrilling reads.  September 1st through October 31sst. If you haven’t participated yet, move your little tush over there and check it out.  (I’ve found it a great way to add books to my TBR pile after seeing what everyone is doing).



And, speaking of RIP, Estella Society is hosting a read along - The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.  Most excellent because I’ve been dying to read Waters for quite some time.  And because I’ve become a self-proclaimed read along addict, uh, hello.  I’m so there.  The deets are easy: Halfway post September 10th final post Septemper 17th.  Get on with it! 


To tagalong with all of this spooky night, Seasons of Reading is starting the month off of October will a Frightful Readathon (October 1st - October 7th).  I think it fits nicely, AND because I love to be scared, I can't wait to read all of the scary reviews.

And FINALLY...I've saved the BEST FOR LAST.  (Or at least, in MY honest opinion).

As you all know Italong has already begun.  (It's not too late.  You can still grab the chunkster and begin reading...(halfway point should be posted September 13th and the last post is October 14th)

But I have to tell you, outside of the novel (which is fab folks) we have been having a GRAND time on Twitter.  Check out our giggles by following #italong.

What could be so giggly about a vicious clown?  Um, the clown nose, duh!  Check out my photo montage: (if you're participating, make sure you post your pics and share on Fizzy Jilly's blog, aka my partner in crime)