Book Review - Wool Omnibus

Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey

Synopsis:

Wool is the story of a post-apocalyptic society struggling for survival.  What's left of Earth's population lives underground in Silos, hundreds of stories deep, which offers protection from the inhabitable surface.  Order is kept in this society by a few, as the severest punishment to be had is sentenced for the mere expression of wanting to bet let out into the world above.  Those who want out get exactly what they ask for.


Review:

This book was suggested to me by a fellow knitter and certainly knowing Wool had a bit of knitting in it, was a draw.  But it was the thrilling Part One that captured my attention and whet my appetite for for the excellent story that lay ahead.  I found the setting to be quite interesting, civilization burrowing underground instead of the sci-fi trope of trying to look to the stars.  The plot is a main focus, while the details of everyday living, the societal structure and background serve to move the story, with its many mysteries, forward.  I immediately cared about the characters as well, they were very believable and I loved that motives and actions had a kind of moral ambiguity.  Sometimes  cutthroat decisions were made that a decent person would never agree with, but were in a sense, kind of logical.

This was a "page" turner (I actually read and listened to some of Wool) that I really found hard to put down.

This book started out as a short story, it's subsequent parts being released over a six-month span.  Right now it's only available in digital format on Amazon for the ridiculously low price of $6, but Howey recently got a publishing deal and it should be available in print early 2013.


4.5/5 Iggystars

Enough polish to open a salon! Literally....

I'll admit to being a bit overzealous when I start to enjoy a hobby.  As with my yarn stash, my nail polish stash has grown to epic proportions.  I love finding new polishes colors, colors that are unique and hard-to-find, it's like a little treasure hunt with the spoils ending up on my nails.

I need to try and wear as many polishes as I can this year with a concrete goal of  using 100 - 150 untried colors!  Crazy, right?  (The goal and the amount of polish I now own, lol.) Well, by doing a polish change on my hands twice a week and one on my toes once a week, not to mention by doing accent nails, funky frenches or glitter bombs over another color, I should be able to reach that goal.  Also, it only takes me fifteen minutes max. to change my polish and thirty for a full-on shaping with cuticle care so success is totally possible. Look out for lots and lots of manicure posts!

Two from this week:

Do you see the glitter in this manicure?  Neither do I which is why I hate polishes that tease me with glitter and then once I put the polish on my nails I can only see it if I'm shining a direct light on my tips.  This is a pretty milk chocolate, OPI's Wooden Shoe Like to Know, but the shimmer is barely apparent and that literally makes me angry.  If I want to buy a creme I'll buy one!  Stupid downlow shimmer!  (ROTFL, no it isn't that serious.)

See, now this is better.  Glass flecked polishes never fail to deliver, although the picture isn't the best.  This is China Glaze Grape Juice and even with poor lighting you can see its sparkle.  I liked this color so much I immediately purchased two more from it's collection.  I have to stop that because purchasing polish is counterproductive in keeping my untried percentage in check.



Reading and Challenges 2013

A few years ago I discovered reading challenges.  A simple activity used to encourage reading, bond with fellow book lovers and find out about new titles from the reviews posted in the challenge.  I excitedly overcommitted myself to a bunch, read some books from a few of the challenges and didn't finish one!

So this year following the theme of "Better" I decided to give it another go.  I've joined only three this year (click on the challenge title to link to the actual challenge page), hoping the more reasonable goal will allow for success.  There is a fourth challenge that I've created just for myself which I'll detail at the end.

Nerdy Non-Fiction Challenge 2013

This challenge focuses on non-fiction in categories such as, biographies, music, science, sports, adventure, crime, animals and so on.  Particpants are encourgaged to pick books from the varying categories, not reading more than two in each.  For some reason I love non-fiction in audiobook form, in fact most of my audiobook listening has been in the non-fiction category. 

I'm aiming for the Geek level, 4-6 books in 2 -3 categories.  I already own enough to reach that level.

2013 Audio Book Challenge

Reading + knitting = awesomeness!  I'm an audiobook convert! Not that I've given up on the printed (or electronic) format, but when working out, knitting, doing housework and driving I've found absolute enjoyment in listening to a book. 

I plan on at least making the Flirting level of 6 audio books.  There should be no reason not to reach this level as you can cross challenges.  Any book I listen to can apply to another challenge and with the number of non-fiction books I have in my Audible library I should be good to go.




Dystopia Reading Challenge 2013

Dystopia: A dystopia is a community or society, usually fictional, that is in some important way undesirable or frightening. It is the opposite of a utopia.  Sounds like a bummer of a genre, huh?  But for some reason I really enjoy dystopian fiction.  These books usually feature some really interesting hypothetical situations, those "what if" kinds of themes involving govermental rule, society, often with some good sci-fi or tech thrown in.  I wholeheartedly recommend books such as Ready Player One, The Hunger Games, 1984 (that book will never, ever leave you).  So this challenge is particularly interesting to me since there seems to be a boom in this kind of fiction especially seen in the YA category, which I have quite a few titles having a teenager in the house.

Level 1: Recruit (1 to 6 books) seems to be about my speed. 

With the Audiobook Challenge allowing me to listen to titles that I can use for the first and last challenge I'm looking at reading at least 12 new titles this year.  I'd go for more if it weren't for this fourth challenge.

Are You Serious?  Finish the Blasted Book Challenge 2013

I was actually hoping to find a challenge focusing on half-read books, but I guess for a real book lover that's kind of lame.  I never used to have unfinished reading, as a personal point of pride if I started a book, I finished it.  There's a saying, "life's too short to read a bad book", but I've watched enough horrible reality television  that I can't in good conscienc use the "life's too short" adage.  Plus, my unfinished book stack contains perfectly good reading it's just somehow along the way I've developed a bad case of start-itis  A new book looks interesting and off I go.  Well, I'm finishing those books this year and posting my triumph of tackling this pile.

Ok, lastly...I have a Kindle Fire HD!  I love it to pieces.  I got it basically for free as I had a horrible experience at Best Buy where they had to give me lots of gift card money.  I originally bought it for the Amazon Prime Instant Video content.  I thought I'd catch up on some shows like Firefly and Fringe, then use the device for apps and magazines.  Well, I like reading on it too as I can adjust my settings to my liking.  It's really nice to read while laying in bed while the lights are out too.

2013 the year for reading in all formats!

Manicures for the new year!

Here are two of my first manicures for 2013!

Club Color: Port-folio

This is a duochrome that flashes between purple and green.  I love duochrome finishes, it's like a two-for-one special of nail polish awesomeness.  I have plenty more in my collection of (won't say the number because it's ridiculous) polishes.

Pure Ice: Touch Me Softly

One cannot go wrong with the Pure Ice brand.  So many colors and finishes at only $1.99 per bottle.  This one was pretty hard to find as part of a collection of velvet finishes.  Normally I love my polishes super-shiny, but this velvet (a.k.a. matte) finish is a nice change of pace.

That's all for now.  More (many, many more) manicures to come this year.

2013 - Better....

Wow, it's been almost a year since I've posted. I'm not going to harp on it but to say sometimes posting is a daunting task for me. I want each one to be perfect and witty, then I start thinking about the photos, the layout and the energy I'll need to remember how to work all the that here on Blogger...last year all of the details tired me out then I just didn't post.

But it's 2013 and with a new year comes the feeling of a fresh start, new goals to attain, new challenges to meet. I recently checked out the post with my 2012 plans. I think I was able to improve in some ways. I certainly knit more consistently, I read quite a bit. I did nothing by way of health and exercise, but that's all in the past now. My theme for 2013 can be described with one word: Better. That's all. I'm not going to try to set the world on fire or overachieve, I just want to improve on my goals for last year. Overcommitting does me no good. In the rush and excitement of shiny new possibilities I want to do ALL the things, all the knitting projects, fifteen book challenges, two half-marathons and then that feeling of being smothered by my own goals creeps in, I throw the baby out with the bath water and get very little accomplished.

So I want to do...better, slowly making changes that will last so they become a part of me and my lifestyle. This year I want to do more crafting, including cross stitching, crochet and possibly sewing. I'm going to try to actually finish a few reading challenges, including one for audiobooks which is awesome to do while knitting. I've already begun new healthy changes, eating better, cutting out pop, exercising. I also want to pay better attention to my appearance and since I've amassed enough nail polish to open my very own nail shop, going through my collection and using my growing stash of untrieds is a priority.

Oh, and blogging at least twice a month would be nice too. I'll do better this year, promise.

Manicure Madness!

You know how I do. I'm a geek by nature and once I get into a hobby I dive head first and don't stop. Come to find out that nail polish is a certified hobby and as with any hobby there are avid enthusiasts. I'm not talking about ladies who like to go to the salon, get acrylic tips or a pedi. I'm speaking of women who enjoy collecting nail polish, searching for hard-to-find colors, trying to "catch 'em all". In this subculture the focus is on the DIY manicure, keeping nails healthy, doing one's own designs by freehand or with stamping. There are countless blogs devoted to new collections and individual polishes that feature swatches, reviews and tutorials. Well, seems at though I am now one of those fanatics.

I won't even get into how many bottles of polish I've acquired in a relatively short period of time, but my collection now encompasses the full ROYGIBV spectrum. Since I've seemed to run out of colors to buy and not wanting to purchase duplicate shades, I'm now focusing on different finishes:


Mattes - dull finishes with no shine, but very rich in color
Duochromes - polishes that show two (or more in a multichrome) colors depending on how the light hits it, for example it could be a purple finish, upon angling the nail a strong blue color will show
Jellies - shiny and translucent shades, with a squishy-looking finish
Holos - these are really interesting, metallics with almost a 3D effect, showing the full spectrum of the rainbow within the glitter when the nails are angled.

Also, unique glitters and independent specialty polishes and themed collections. China Glaze just released its much-anticipated line based on The Hunger Games books/movie. OPI has a Spiderman inspired line coming out in a few months (you think this geek isn't getting one or two of those?).

Nail polish can be some serious business. Check out Lynnderella's Connect the Dots or Chanel Peridot on E-bay and you'll see how much money women are willing to spend on a single bottle of polish. Nerd Laquer on Etsy, who sells cool colors named for every aspect of sci-fi geekery you can think of, recently updated her shop and sold 1,500 bottles in 18 hours ($10+ a pop, you do the math). Stocks of Lynnderella polishes have been known to sell out in minutes with all kinds of drama surrounding when and how to buy these gems. Heck, I've been tempted to head to Michael's and try to start my own line.

I've found that this new love of mine can be, as with any hobby, as expensive or inexpensive as you'd like. I buy lower end lines that can be found at various drugstores with coupons, during sales, at online discount stores that often have selections at greatly reduced prices. Those expensive independent lines often sell mini bottles at a fraction of the price of a full size, so I've gone that route as well.

Women from all walks of life, mothers (who's hands are in water all day..it can be done), doctors, office workers, even truck drivers have been drawn to this sparkly nail craze. For most it's not just an exercise in vanity, it is just as much about the fun of the hunt, the admiration of color, the expression of a bit of art on the hands and much needed pampering and relaxation after a crazy day. Since I'd been neglecting the caring of me for quite sometime, it's a refresing and fun addition to my roster of hobbies. Nope, knitting and crocheting isn't going anywhere (plus, the combo of knitting and pretty nails is a fierce one)!

Here are some of my latest manicures. You know what I might get into next? Photography. These photos leave much to be desired.



Sinful Colors Mint Apple, with a poor attempt at Konad stamping on my accent nail




Essie Vintage Wine with NerdLacquer's Data Squirrel on the accent nail. By the way, I'm a huge fan of the accent nail. It seems to be a bit more work/age friendly, a way to wear a glitter-tastic color without going overboard.



China Glaze Techno Teal from the Tron-inspired Tronica line (geek alert!). This is actually a holo polish, a more subdued version though. Hopefully you can see that scattering of rainbow glitter from this pic.l




China Glaze Fast Track from the Hunger Games line. Another themed polish collection.

With the sheer amount of polish now in my collection, my color changes will be every three to four days so there will be more many more future manicure posts to go with the knitting and reading ones!

New Manicure Pics & Stuff

My Nails

I'm still keeping up with my nails and with all of the polish I've accumulated I'd better be doing two manicures a week for the next year.



This one was from late last week/early this week. Wet 'n Wild - Disturbia. Meh. It's a blackened plum color that I thought had some shimmer. Well, there's shimmer, but it's not discernable unless I have my nails all up close to my eyeballs. It's a perfectly nice color that suffered from not meeting my high expectations. (Am I excited about The Amazing Spiderman? Why do you ask?)

I must say though, WnW's Megalast line lives up to its name. I did all kind of work, cleaned the fish tank, you name it without nary a chip.



I like this one much better. Wet 'n Wild - Ebony Hates Chris, a shiny black creme, with two coats of Revlon - Scandalous, on top. I'm in love with Scandalous! A black jelly base with fuschia hex and round glitter. The glitter give it a pop without it being over the top. (Yes, my photo skills suck.)

Audio Books



I finished listening to Rob Lowes Biography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends. It was a great read! I didn't know much about Rob Lowe except from the impression he made with his Brat Pack fame, but I learned that he's more than just a pretty face. He's insightful and very grounded about his looks and stardom. He goes as far as to say that some of his interactions with fans, such as being mobbed by a group of girls, made him feel crappy instead of elated as he'd imagined it would. It's not that he doesn't love his fans or appreicate the adoration, he does, but he attributes some of these encounters to media hype, being the "it" actor and in his earlier brushes with fangirls, "group think and hormones being whipped up by Tiger Beat". He prefers real interactions with his fans and if I ever got a chance to meet up with him, I'd feel perfectly comfortable doing so as I wouldn't be trying to rip off a piece of his clothing or ask for an autograph while one of his loved one lays sick in a hospital bed (which happened...ugh).

The book glosses over a few of the more scandalous parts of his life, the sex tape scandal, his infidelities and his stint in rehab, but that was OK with me. I don't need sordid blow-by-blow details in order to get the full flavor of a person's life story.

Equally enjoyable is his recounting of how he got his break into acting, especially the audition process and shooting of The Outsiders which was one of my favorite movies in the 80's. So many crushable actors in that movie based on an amazing book (I read just about all of S.E. Hinton's books in my teens). Anyway, I enjoyed hearing his experiences on set, as well as general information about the audition process, how child actors are handled, how negotiations work, etc. I also though the story of how him and his wife, of now 20-years of marriage, started their journey together.

I seem to really enjoy biographies on audiobook, there's something about this format that works for me with this genre. Rob did the narration himself and has a uncanny ability for doing voices that made me laugh.

Let's see now I'm listening to Stephen King's time-travel thriller, 11/22/63. I loves me some time-traveling books and I love Stephen King's non-scary-giving-Iggy-nightmares books (I'm am NOT a horror fan), so I have high hopes this will be a good one.

Crafts

It's time for the new rounds of knitting games. Somehow I got mixed up with the Nerd Wars sign ups, so I'm not participating this tournament and am a little salty about that. But it's all a go for the Starfleet FAC and I'm working on chemo caps in colors for men. Actually I'm currently looking for the one I started as I've misplaced it somehow.

That is all for now...until next week!