Tid Bits and Fun

Books, fun and interesting Tid Bits

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Amazon.com: I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives (9780316241335): Martin Ganda, Caitlin Alifirenka, Liz Welch: Books

Not sure how super well know this book is, but I think its starting to gain traction, which is great because this book “I will Always Write Back” is an amazing book and I highly recommend it to all ages. Especially school age.

Its about a girl who lived in Pennsylvania began writing letters to a boy in Zimbabwe and their loves growing up together half the world apart. A story of kindness and perseverance. Definitely worth a read. It was a quick read too. It flowed really well. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

I found this book on Bookoutlet.com it was one of those “hey check this out” lists and it was about two pen pals and I love snail mail so I thought “What the heck!” I was really glad I did buy this book.

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Solomon Time: An Unlikely Quest in the South Pacific [Will Randall] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Who hasn't fantasized about dismantling his or her hassled, wired-up life for a simpler existence? Yet who among us has the will and opportunity to do it? The answer

Current book being read for June/Summer. It’s not a bad book. It’s about Will Randall’s experiences on the Solomon Islands and the culture he encountered there. I gave it a 3 out of 5 stars just because I thought there would be a more variety of experiences. There was a lot just not the ones I was particularly looking for. So I’m the one with the problem not the book.

[metoriaz]

Health Hacks

I sometimes suffer from anxiety as well as insomnia at times and one thing that seems to work pretty well for me is catnip. Yes Catnip. It has a soothing effect on humans. Its used mainly for sleep problems like insomnia. You can buy it in capsules as a supplement or you can drink it as tea (loose leaf or in tea bags)  I’ve had days when I stress out over nothing but the stress affects me pretty bad so I take a catnip supplement or two and within 15-20 minutes I’m feeling much calmer. The bottles of supplements will tell you to take it with food but it really doesn’t matter. It just isn’t diluted by food. All it will do is make you relaxed. Thats the only side effect -which is the main effect and the one you want.

It’s also in the mint family and helps with digestive problems. Specifically upset stomachs. My grandfather had one heck of an upset stomach once and my father made him a cup of catnip tea and it fixed grandpa up quick. I use it for this as well and it fixes my stomachaches really quickly.

I’ve heard that it also has a minor effect of keeping a woman’s periods regular. Which Chamomile also does. Chamomile also has a soothing and calming effect, but I’ve noticed that catnip seems to be more effective for me. 

Of course these hacks may not work for everyone. Everyone’s bodies are different.  I just wanted to share what works for me in case others want a more natural way to handle stress or insomnia.

[metoriaz]

Simple Tea Party Ideas

I love the idea of Tea Parties and often see all kind of games to play at tea parties but I’m not exactly a party game kind of person. Then I would wonder how can I have a good time with my guests without having to have games to keep them entertained. But then I realized I was over analyzing tea parties. 

Now days people feel the need to be entertained with games and hosts feel the need to be constantly engaging company. But a tea party can be as simple as a few friends getting together having tea and snacks and talking about the weather, their latest hobbies/ interests latest work experience, etc. The more people you have the easier it is for conversations to flow. A good number of people is about 4. But thats just me. A lot of times me and my friend run out of things to say when its just the two if us. Three people could result in a third wheel. but in the end it comes down to you and your friends. Odds are you’re probably more interesting and have more to say than I do.

As for attire, well its really up to you. I like to dress up but if its just friends I suppose it really doesn’t matter. It also depends on the reason of the tea party.  Is it just a gathering of friends or is it for a bridal shower or another special occasion? 

Snacks: Small sandwiches and finger foods are best unless your doing something fancy with a larger group of people and putting on a dinner. Then the finger foods will be more of an appetizer.

The beverages are pretty obvious; Tea or coffee but also offer juice in case maybe its a bit warm for them that day to be drinking hot beverages if its winter you can also have cocoa.

Entertainment: Maybe you and your friends do like games. some people really like board games/ card games Maybe you found an interesting game at the store and want to share it. Like the Game “Who Am I?” that I got from a fiend a while back. UNO is another good game. 

Music can also be a good for entertainment. Maybe you and your friends play instruments. You can play together, or maybe you just want to have some music playing in the background. Depending on if you have a theme or not for your party can help you decide on what to play for your guests. I usually play Classical music or the Aria Animation Soundtracks in the back ground. That kind of music is relaxing and isn’t over powering and distracting like pop or rock music is. 

Setting is also important. If its summer having the party outside in your garden is a great idea! or even in a sun room if you have one. Honestly. Wherever you feel comfortable. Remember its a gathering of friends it doesn’t have to be formal. 

Really any gathering of friends can be turned into a tea party. It doesn’t have to be official with invitations. Whats important is that you and your friends are having fun and enjoying each other’s company.

[metoriaz]

My mother’s Clematis Vine is looking great! 

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We finished reading Grayson by Lynne Cox for our book club. For July we will be reading Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

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Here’s some books for summer reading. Some are Manga.

here’s some I’ve already mentioned in other posts that would be good for reading during the summer.

Gift from the Sea -Anne Morrow Lindbergh - This is a book about a woman comparing her life or any woman’s life to the sea and its shells. I found a copy at a library used book sale and the title intrigued me. I’m glad I bought it.

A Year by the Sea - Joan Anderson - This one is more of a memoir. The author is having difficulties in her marriage so she goes to her beach house for year alone while her husband moves off to a new city. She learns who she is and gains her own independence and understanding of her life.

Grayson - Lynne Cox - About Lynne when she was out for a morning swin routine came across a lost baby whale. The book entails her journey with the whale as they looked for his mother.

Swimming to Antarctica- Lynne Cox - This is a biography of the famous long distance swimmer. Its really amazing. I teared up a lot out of sheer happiness.

Soul of an Octopus- Sy Montgomery - A story about the author’s time at an aquarium and the Octopus/Octopi that she came to meet. Her look to the life of an octopus was quite interesting.

The Eyre Affair- Jasper Fforde- This is about a woman who is essentially the book police. Her job is to stop people from ruining literature, and when one man decides to take the original manuscript of Jane Eyre with the intention of destroying the story she has to go into the book to save the characters.

The Manga Include:

Aqua/Aria- Kozue Amano- Aqua is a 2 book series about a girl from Earth who moves to Mars (now known as Aqua after being terra formed into a water planet) to become a traditional gondolier known as an undine. The series’ title was then changed to Aria.

Amanchu - Kozue Amano - This series is about a high school scuba diving club. Its on a similar level with Aqua/Aria but more modern day and slice of life. This series is a relaxing read for the summer/beach. Not yet available in the USA yet, but it can be found online. 

Barakamon - Satsuki Yoshino - This is about a famous Calligrapher from the city who moves to the countryside to focus on work (and also because he’s been banished there by this father) This series sports a number of adventures that he get mixed up in with the village children as they teach him the ways of the country living. Very cute and funny. Great for a relaxing summer read.

Children of the Sea - Daisuke Igarashi - Ruka is a bit of a misfit at school. She doesn’t really get along with other people. But the kids she meets at the aquarium that her father works at take an interest in her and she is also curious about them. The two boys, raised in the sea, take Ruka out to sea for an adventure to tell the story that the sea has yet to reveal! Mysterious and thought provoking, this story is truly amazing! 

Happy Cafe’ - Kou Matsuzuki - Uru has just moved to the Happy District where she comes across the cafe Bonheur. She decided to get a job there and her co working are anything but normal. One falls asleep if he’s hungry and the other a demon lord. Join Uru as she and her co workers enjoy(?) their little misadventures in this Manga series.

[metoriaz]

So as I mentioned in an earlier post. I have a kind of “book club” happening on Facebook. And for June we are reading:

Grayson by Lynne Cox - This is about the famous long distance swimmer who, during one of her morning training routines, came across the lost baby whale. This book is a quick read about how she helped the baby whale look for his mother and the power of emotion and the bonds between different species. 

[metoriaz]

Here’s a list of Non Fiction books I’ve read in the last year. Some are relatively popular others maybe not. Someone of them may have been when they first came out but its been a little while.

Gift from the Sea -Anne Morrow Lindbergh - This is a book about a woman comparing her life or any woman’s life to the sea and its shells. I found a copy at a library used book sale and the title intrigued me. I’m glad I bought it.

A Year by the Sea - Joan Anderson - This one is more of a memoir. The author is having difficulties in her marriage so she goes to her beach house for year alone while her husband moves off to a new city. She learns who she is and gains her own independence and understanding of her life.

Swimming to Antarctica- Lynne Cox - This is a biography of the famous long distance swimmer. Its really amazing. I teared up a lot out of sheer happiness. 

Soul of an Octopus- Sy Montgomery - A story about the author’s time at an aquarium and the Octopus/Octopi that she came to meet. Her look to the life of an octopus was quite interesting.

Daughters of the Samuari - Janice P. Nimura - This book is about the first female Japanese exchange students. It reads like a novel though it is all historic fact. It was amazing seeing all that the girls when through and how they came to know western culture then have to reintegrate into their own culture. Their struggles for education for women. Truly an amazing story.

Storm from the East - Robert Marshall - This is a history of the monguls. Not college level its a VERY easy read and still very informative. It was straight forward and wasn’t annoying or academic (if you know what I mean)

A Year without Summer 1816 - William K Klingaman - This is book based on the volcanic eruption of mount Tambora and how it affected the world. It was an interesting read though a bit more academic than Storm from the East. Still pretty good though.

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride - by Carey Elwes- If you love the Princess Bride (and I mean really how do you not :D) This is a must read book. The stories were great and there was lots of humor and it was fun read over all. I had a heck of a time putting it down.

What if?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions- Randall Munroe- even if you aren’t a science person, but have some slight curiosity, this book was great and explained the most silly questions. 

The Only Pirate at the Party - Lindsey Stirling - This is a biography of the violinist Lindsey Stirling. It was pretty interesting. If you’re a fan go for it.

[metoriaz]

Here’s a list of the books I’ve read so far for the book club on Facebook.

we started with Uganda be Kidding Me- By Chelsea Handler in June 2015. Its travel stories mostly about her trip to Africa but there are other stories in there to from when she went to Europe 

Then went on to The Invisible Man - By H.G. Wells Classics are always nice.

For August 2015 we read Sword Art Online - by Reki Kawahara This was the Light Novel not the Manga. In case some one doesn’t know about this one (I think its pretty well known) Its about these gamers who try a Virtual Reality MMO only to find out the creator made it so that no one can leave the game and if they die in the game they die in real life. The only way out is to beat the game.

For September we read Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee (pretty sure everyone knows about  that one.

October was Poison - by Bridget Zinn. Considering the book wasn’t completely finished when the author passed and the editor had to rush the ending, it was still pretty good. A very light hearted teen book and quite likable characters. Its about a potions master (the main character) who is trying to kill her best friend the princess and stop the ruin of the entire kingdom.

November was Big Magic - by Elizabeth Gilbert. Non fiction book about creative writing or art in general. Lots of great points in the book a pretty good read.

December and January we took a break

February was The White Death the Blizzard of ‘77- by Erno Rossi. Its a collection of stories ffrom people who lived in Buffalo and Western New York during the worst blizzard ever back in 1977. The Blizzard was so bad it was the first and only (thus far) to be called a natural disaster zone in America.

March, April and May, We’re reading Shakespeare’s Star Wars- by Ian Doescher. its basically the first 3 movies in Shakespearian play form. I’d love to see this on stage. Seriously! Why hasn’t his been done yet!?

[metoriaz]

New York Times Best Seller List is Useless

I don’t know about you guys, but the New York Times Best Seller list is pretty useless to me when looking for new stuff to read. In fact I don’t understand how some of those books make it. They all seem to be pretty boring... and the list is the same for weeks on end. So I’m making a blog for those who also are looking for new stuff.

True, you can just go to Goodreads and look through your recommendations (which is what I do 90% of the time and Amazon’s recommendations the rest of the time) but it is also nice to see what other random people are reading from time to time. You never know when you’ll come across something you will absolutely love, or that a friend will love.  So thats what this is for to kind of share my love of books and reading and maybe spread the love of different titles.

I try to read things that aren’t super well known, or don’t get enough love, don’t get me wrong I read some best sellers too... but only if they look interesting. I read a range of stuff (considering how picky I am) I do read a lot of manga, I will admit that, but a good fiction or non fiction book is nice too. 

I will try to post what I’ve read for the month on here (hopefully I’ll stay disciplined enough and focused enough to actually post.)

I also have a book club going on Facebook, so I’ll be posting those books up too.

I’ll start with a list of books that I’ve read in past couple years that stood out to me. I’ll try not the name the ones that everyone has probably read. Though some might sneak in. ;)

There’s teen books, regular fiction, some non fiction, manga (of course) and even some kids books/picture books(not many).

The types of books you won’t find on here or at least unlikely to find here are mysteries and romances (unless its in the manga or is a sub plot). Those books kill me.