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March 2013 Recap

And just like that March is over. If possible it went by even faster than February. Part of this comes from how ridiculously busy I was this month, but I think part of it came from the fact that spring looks like it might’ve finally arrived in Boston (but I’m not holding my breath just yet.) From realizing that I’ve been at my job for almost 6 months, to starting CrossFit (I’ll write more about this later) and having a social life for the first time in ages, I’ve been crazy busy.

2013 03-25 Messy Desk at WorkOutside of reading and books, things have been great if hectic, I realized a couple of days ago that on April 15th I will have been at my job for six months and that’s just crazy! I’m still loving it and can’t wait to see what happens over the next six months. My desk is to the right, because no post is complete without pictures. It pretty much will look like that for the next two weeks (if not longer) because I’m right in the middle of a busy period as I’m running phone-a-thon, but I love it because I work with students and they’re hilarious. And things are only going to get busier as we have a lot of events between now and mid-June and my sister graduates from her MA program in May so that just adds to my business.

In addition the weekend of the 22-24 the huge gaming showcase PAX East (Wikipedia link) was back in Boston and I took the Friday off work and spent two days in a total stat of nerd-gasm with thousands (I’m not sure on the actual number but it was a lot of people, check out the photo below. It’s always fun because it brings gamers of all types together and there are hundreds of booths, panels, concerts and gatherings and it’s just an awesome time. I’m already excited for 2014 and thankfully it’ll be in Boston until 2023 so I’m happy 🙂 And I finally picked up a few board games: Fluxx, Wits and Wagers, Likewise; now just to find people who will actually play them with me.

The photo on the top right is maybe 1/5 of the convention floor (if you include looking all the way back) and you can’t even see the tabletop or PC areas. There were also many other smaller theaters where you could test out video games and hear speakers and watch concerts. The photo bottom right is a demo for the Elder Scrolls Online. I stood in line for about 3 hours to test it and although it was beautiful it was a bit of a disappointment. We maybe got 15 minutes to play and it was sort of meh. I did get a pretty sweet t-shirt out of it though.

Recent Acquisitions
2013 03-09 Mists of Avalon 50th AnniversaryI’ve pretty much given up on my book ban, but I’ve been really good about keeping the numbers down and the amount of money I spend down. I did grab a couple of Kindle books at the beginning of the month (Caveat Emptor by Ken Perenyi and A Novel Death by Judi Culbertson) and a daily deal Booker Prize winner (Troubles by J.G. Farrell). In addition I bought a copy of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s The Mists of Avalon as it is the 50th anniversary and I’ve never read it, but it was one of those books growing up I always saw in the fantasy section and considered reading. And once again this month I went a little overboard with ARC’s and library books (seven books), but hey I read them all and enjoyed them and that’s what this year is about!

Challenge Progress
As with most months so far this year, I read one challenge book (plus a bonus challenge book). Of the nine books I read this month three were library books, four were digital galleys/ARCs and two I previously owned (one Kindle and one physical).

  • Mount TBR Reading Challenge
    • Monthly Progress: 2 books
    • Overall Progress – 3/12 (25%) + 5 not listed
  • Back to the Classics Challenge
    • Monthly Progress: 1 book
    • Overall Progress – 2/11 (18%)
  • Tea and Books Reading Challenge
    • Monthly Progress: 0 books
    • Overall Progress – 1/4 (25%)
  • The Classics Club
    • Monthly Progress: 1 book
    • Overall Progress – 20/100 (20%)

What’s Next?
I plan to start reading George Eliot/Mary Anne Evans’ Middlemarch at the beginning of the month and as it is a long book I might spread it out with a couple of fluffy books in between. I’ve also pulled a bunch of light reads from my bookshelf and set them in an easy to get to area so that I can focus on clearing my TBR bookshelf one book at a time. Other than that I have no real reading plans.

12 thoughts on “March 2013 Recap”

  1. I loved Middlemarch. I wasn’t expecting to like Eliot that much but so far I’ve enjoyed Silas Marner and Middlemarch. I have a few more of her books to read. Enjoy! And you do keep busy.

    1. So far I’m not super impressed. It’s not the worst classic I’ve ever read, but I’m definitely not enamored with it. (But I am only about 130 pages in and there are a lot more to go!)

      1. That’s not a good sign. Do you have a rule you have to finish it? I’m trying to figure out the worst classic I’ve read.

        1. I do generally finish every book I read, especially because of the blog. I don’t see this one being anywhere near the worst I’ve read. It’s just slow picking up the pace.

    1. That would be awesome! I just need my roommate and co to actually start playing games on game night rather than eating dinner and having a few drinks and just chatting. Oh the stresses of a social life 😀

  2. I’m debating picking up PAX Prime tickets this year. I went in 2008 and had a good time, and I’ve been meaning to head back.

    I’ve heard Flux is great. I’ve also been meaning to get a boardgame night going.

    1. I’m debating on PAX Prime – my sister lives out that way and I’ve got a friend in Portland that I’d love to see. Fluxx is supposed to be awesome, I bought it on a recommendation but haven’t played it yet.

  3. Middlemarch is a slow start but keep going because you’ll get more engaged as the tension between Dorothea and Casaubon gets more evident. To keep you interested, you could think about how Eliot uses the idea of the web and networks – everyone seems to be related or connected to other people in some way.

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