02 November 2014

Happy Wintry Weekend!

I absolutely love winter! Snow is like caffeine on steroids for me :) While cold is not necessarily a massive draw for me, there is an acceptance that snow and cold come together. So why don't I live in Minnesota, Colorado, Michigan, Maine, etc? I'm really not sure, although if I was going to move to a winter wonderland, I'd prefer moving to Iceland or Scandinavia. Grateful for the two inches of snow given the more southerly location of North Carolina, I sprang into joyous action. Shopping, hair salon, a couple nice drives, and a hike up to a waterfall fill the weekend. The most important purchase were extremely large tea/hot chocolate mugs with adorable animal drawings on them (mine is a rabbit). Sadly, the snow is already gone, but the spirit of winter is left in me as I look forward to many more bracing walks and suppers by the fire.


Dominican Reading (Book Reviews)

As I noted in my blog post before I left for the Dominican, I was pretty excited to get to read non-essential books. You know, FUN books! Now, there are quite a few books that are educational and still fun, and it would seem those were the ones that I got through. My two natural history books were first as I do absolutely adore natural history, then Gaiman's quick fantasy book, followed by a dabble in religion (or NOT in religion as it would seem with that particular book).

While I did happily start my steampunk book, I was sad to find that I wasn't getting into it nearly as quickly as the previous ones. This actually concerned me.

Why didn't I start with the steampunk and fantasy books I had brought? Why do I continually find myself putting off these wonderfully fun imaginative books? Being a learning nerd is just as bad as a gaming or fantasy nerd, so I'll be making a concerted effort to revitalize all areas of nerdom.

Wait.

*sigh*

Anyway!

Here are the reviews of the four lovely books I did finish during many hours on the beach, which, I must say, were frequently interrupted by naps and daydreaming :)

Darwin's Armada: Four Voyagers To The Southern Oceans And Their Battle For The Theory Of EvolutionDarwin's Armada: Four Voyagers To The Southern Oceans And Their Battle For The Theory Of Evolution by Iain McCalman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Darwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of EvolutionDarwin's Ghosts: The Secret History of Evolution by Rebecca Stott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Ocean at the End of the LaneThe Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole WorldBeyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by Dalai Lama XIV