Author: Geoff W

Reading my way through life.
Updates

Top 5 Moments in Year 5 (And some stats)

Geoff W

2015 07-16 Top 5 in Year 5I didn’t plan to do a separate post, but I wanted the last post to be focused on thanking the people who comment most and my five-year blogoversery giveaway. So I pulled this half and threw it into a separate post. Plus I got to make a few more graphics 😀

The top portion is the top five things from June 2014 to June 2015 that I felt were highlights of my blogging journey. I tried not to go into too much detail, but I wanted to include enough so that if you’re visiting for the first time you’ve got an idea of what my entire blog is about.

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Updates

Five Years and Still F*cking Fabulous (+ A Giveaway)

Geoff W

2015 07-12 Five Year GiveawayYou’ll have to forgive the swear in the title, but I wanted something light to introduce the post! I’m still in shock over continuously blogging for five years! That first half-year back in 2010 was a bit dodgy, but since then I’ve stayed pretty true and consistent to my blogging and reading passions.

Obviously I couldn’t have done this without you, my lovely blog readers and friends. We’ve spent FIVE YEARS hanging out. Many of you I’ve met via book blogging and many of my friends I’ve dragged screaming and kicking into this world (mostly through Come Read with Me). I want to give a special thank you to the top six most recent commenters, based on the 1000 most recent comments. You all really make me want to keep talking about the books and the things that I love:

Of course there are others and I truly appreciate every comment, share and like, but these people are some of the best out there! Now on to what most of you will be here for, my pay-it-forward Five Year Giveaway!

Click here for the Giveaway info!

Books

Book 361: Frankenstein – Mary Shelley

Geoff W

As with 99% of the Classics I’ve read, I’m wondering what took me so long to read this one! Not only is it under 200 pages, but it’s quick and fascinating read. Add in that Shelley was only 19 when she wrote it and I’m like WHOA. This is my second Classic’s Club book this month, so yay for finally making progress on that again.

As when I read Dracula, I was surprised at how much of Frankenstein’s story was different from what has become the common perception of Frankenstein and his monster in pop-culture.I am happy to report that my reading of this coincided really well with other books I’ve read that are fan-fiction pieces, like Meghan Shepherd’s A Cold Legacy, and tangentially related books about the authors and their connections like another piece of fan-fiction, like Michael Thomas Ford’s Jane Fairfax Trilogy (Jane Bites Back in particular).

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Books, The Classics Club

Book 359: Don Quixote – Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (Part 2)

Geoff W

I did it! I finally finished! After almost exactly a month to the day that I started the infamous Don Quixote I finished it. I recapped my Don Quixote Part 1 reading last week because I knew I would struggle to remember everything in it due to how long it took to just read that part but now I’m ready to recap Part 2!

I thoroughly enjoyed Part 2 of Don Quixote. I didn’t enjoy it for the same reasons as I enjoyed Part 1, but it was as great. I think the biggest difference is Cervantes, if possible, was even MORE aware of his works impact on culture and literature. He took the jibes and teasing in Part 1 and turned them into full-blown sarcasm and satire in Part 2. I think a lot of this is in direct response to the “fake Don Quixote,” published before he could release Part 2 and I talk about that in my Reading Spain, AKA an Homage to Miguel de Cervantes post (about half way through under the Biblioteca Nacional Museo section).

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Random

Spain Photos!!

Geoff W

Hey Everyone!

2015 06-09 Tiny Elevator Footie
The tiny little elevator in our Madrid Hotel!

I planned to upload more photos but when I saw how many photos I took (roughly 1,100) I realized that was never going to happen. I did finally upload them to Picasa. I’ve always uploaded them to Picasa ever since my first trip to Europe. So why change now? I have realized I need to get a new external hard drive to put all my photos on, but until then they’re “safe” (or as safe as they can be) in the cloud. So that this post isn’t empty of photos here’s our vacation in selfies, one a day every day! I’ve included where we were so you get an idea of what you’re looking at (or not in the bad ones :-D):

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