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I picked a topic!

So its been over a week since I decided I needed a topic for 2010... and the winner is:

Mythology/Fantasy!

I want to study various mythologies such as Norse, Greek, Roman, etc as well as their impact on the genre we currently know as fantasy. You know, dragons, mages/wizards, dwarves, vampires, etc, etc. There are some movies coming out and some TV shows I've watched in the past (namely the Valentines which is now sadly cancelled) which fall into the mythology category. It's extremely fascinating.

I'm pretty excited. I think I'll probably start with Wikipedia and go from there... I have a couple of book series to read, such as Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and I need to finish the Sword of Truth series.

Also, yesterday my retirement accounts officially went over $10,000. That amount of money in savings is such a huge milestone for me and it seems like such a huge step towards my financial goals. I still have my debts (which some schools of thoughts should be dealt with before my retirement funds) but I feel so motivated by knowing I reached a huge milestone in my savings.

Finally, I will leave with one last thought... One of my favorite websites, Tiny Buddha, had today's quote of the day as:

"Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier. Love everything, you will be happiest." -Sri Chinmoy

So today, I decided another goal for 2010, my new years resolution if you will, is to forgive everything. Holding grudges and anger inside isn't going to solve anything and it certainly won't make me happier. So I'll try my best to practice forgiveness at all times.

New Andrea Camilleri translation!

SO excited for the newest translation of the Inspector Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri, Wings of the Sphinx! It'll be released December 29, 2009... I can't wait!

Are there any new books you can't wait to be released?

It's Bond. James Bond.

I've been checking out Amazon for the past few days because I'm planning to purchase a pedometer (lost my last one) and a cast iron stovetop grill (for $25 and free shipping!), but have yet to actually make the purchase because I'm still bargian shopping.

However, while adding aforementioned items to my basket today I noticed an item I've had in my "Save for Later" items for over two years: Bond on Set: Filming Casino Royale. This is a reward book I've been promising myself for some time... Since Casino Royale really is one of my favorite movies ever, this is something I've been coveting, but just haven't been able to bring myself to actually buy it.

At any rate, today I noticed that Amazon no longer carries it, except that I can get it from $60 from another seller. $60! It was roughly $23 last time Amazon was selling it.

So, I made an impulse buy... I went onto Half.com and found a used copy (the description swears the book itself is in excellent condition, just the dust jacket is a little worn) and bought it for under $20. Luckily, I have money in my budget for just this sort of thing! Finally the thought that an item I've been eyeing for so long might be totally unavailable to me just pushed me to make the purchase.

Now as to whether or not I need more books in my apartment is a whole different story... Have you made a purchase recently of something you've been eyeing for an unusually long amount of time?

April, May, June, July...

Where does the time go? I feel like ever since I got here I've been in a constant state of static... go to work, come home, go to sleep, rinse and repeat.

I'm not sure direction I want my blog to take. It started out as my adventures in travelling and moving several thousand miles to a place I had no place to live, no job, no family and no friends. Now, I'm back in my home state with all of the above and it appears there's not much to write about.

I still have a life list of things I'd like to check off... I still like to keep tabs on things that inspire me.. I still will be the crazy plant lady with more plants than I know what to do with, I'm just not sre what I should be blogging about...

I started watching the BBC series Hotel Babylon and hav really become quite enamoured with it. I watched the first three seasons and loved, loved, loved the first two! I started the fourth season yesterday and since most of the original characters have left by now (or are leaving in the near future) and the writing has come pretty mediocre, I'm losing interested in the series. However, I discovered the series was based on a book! Hotel Babylon by Imogene Edwards-Jones and Anonymous received fantastic reviews, so for under $5 including shipping I received a used copy from Half.com.

It came in today and I am looking forward to reading it! I have a number of books lying around that I need to get through, but am doing so slowly but surely.

Italian crime novels

I've been a huge fan of author Donna Leon for awhile.  My mom discovered her several years ago, and when she discovered she wrote mysteries based in Venice, she just had to get me Death at La Fenice one Christmas.  Since reading the first one, I've read every single one I could get my hands on.   All 15 I've run across.  Half.com is one of my best friends when it comes to books, so that is how I got a lot of them.  Today I decided to check up on some of my favorite authors... since Leon released a book last year I figured she was due for a new one soon, and I knew another one my favorite authors, Andrea Camilleri, who's Inspector Montalbano series is based on an Italian policeman (in Sicily) has a recently translated book being released in Feb.  He writes in Italian.

I checked Amazon, saw the new Leon novel will be released in April, but I also ran across a list of Leon's novels in chronological order.  Even though I knew I'd read them all, I checked anyway.  I knew wrong.  The list had 2 books on it I'd heard of, but assumed they were the British titling of a book I'd read.  Wrong again.  Here is the list per Wikipedia:

1. Death at La Fenice (1992)
2. Death in a Strange Country (1993)
3. The Anonymous Venetian (1994) aka Dressed for Death
4. A Venetian Reckoning (1995) aka Death and Judgment
5. Acqua Alta (1996) aka Death in High Water
6. The Death of Faith (1997) aka Quietly in Their Sleep
7. A Noble Radiance (1997)
8. Fatal Remedies (1999)
9. Friends in High Places (2000)
10. A Sea of Troubles (2001)
11. Wilful Behaviour (2002)
12. Uniform Justice (2003)
13. Doctored Evidence (2004)
14. Blood from a Stone (2005)
15. Through a Glass Darkly (2006)
16. Suffer the Little Children (2007)
17. The Girl of His Dreams (2008)
18. About Face (2009)

Books nos. 10 and 11 I haven't read and I can't find on any of my usual sites in the States/Canada (except for over $100 USD... no way).   So I decided to check Amazon UK and lo and behold, was able to find them both, in paperback, for only $30 USD including shipping to Canada!  I absolutely love finding books I haven't yet read by my favorite authors.

So, I decided to check on Andrea Camilleri.  Again, this is Wikipedia's list:

1. The Shape of Water - 2002 (La forma dell’acqua - 1994)
2. The Terracotta Dog - 2002 (Il cane di terracotta - 1996)
3. The Snack Thief - 2003 (Il ladro di merendine - 1996)
4. The Voice of the Violin - 2003 (La voce del violino - 1997)
5. Excursion to Tindari - 2005 (La gita a Tindari - 2000)
6. The Scent of the Night - 2005 (L’odore della notte - 2001)
7. Rounding the Mark - 2006 (Il giro di boa - 2003)
8. The Patience of the Spider - 2007 (La pazienza del ragno - 2004)
9. The Paper Moon - 2008 (La Luna di Carta - 2005)
10. August Heat - 2006 (La Vampa d'Agosto - 2006)
11. The Sphinx's Wings - 2006 (Le Ali della Sfinge - 2006)
12. The Sand Path - 2007 (La pista di Sabbia - 2007)
13. The Potter's Field - 2008 (Il campo del vasaio - 2008)
14. The Age of Doubt - 2008 (L'età del dubbio) - 2008

August Heat is the novel that is being released in English in February... I'm so excited I can't wait!  I have contemplated trying to read his novels in Italian, but would have to get a hold of one first (hello Amazon UK!).  Maybe a future project...  As it is, I am anxiously awaiting his next release in English and the Donna Leon books in the mail!