Book Chatter

I’ve been on a Mad Men kick. I’ve watched seasons 1-5 in a very short time, but a strange thing happened while watching. One of the characters mentioned Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and then a season later it was mentioned again.

Don Draper - Mad Men

So far, I think it’s been mentioned a total of three times. Yes, I paid attention.

I read The Fountainhead years ago but never really had the desire to read this one until now. I casually mentioned it on Facebook and someone said they’d like to read it too and then so on and so on. Without really trying, a read along was born!

Here’s a blurb from Goodreads:

Tremendous in its scope, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life — from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy — to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction — to the philosopher who becomes a pirate — to the composer who gives up his career on the night of his triumph — to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad — to the lowest track worker in her Terminal tunnels.

I typically like my read alongs to be a little less formal and fun so I am not asking for mandatory posts or anything like that. The book is nearly 1200 pages long so I would love it if others could join me.

Details:

Runs from July 1-Aug 15, 2015
Use #AtlasRAL to talk about it on Twitter.
I hope to write an update post on my blog after each part (I, II, III) just to see how we are doing.

Suggested Read By Dates:

Part I by July 15 (approx 300 pages)
Part II by July 31 (approx 320 pages)
Part III by August 15 (approx 450 pages)

Are you in? If so, leave me a comment including the following:

Your Twitter handle, if you have one. Mine is @TiBookChatter.
Blog URL, if you have one.
Or just a note saying you want to join in!

Sunday Matters

I have a high school senior and a 7th grader! Hard to believe. Walking into that school for the last time got me all choked up.

So…

I made the decision to just take a break from blogging this week. The end of the year stuff can be overwhelming and since I had to stay home on Monday with the strangest virus ever, I decided, what the heck and just took a break.

Here’s one of the few pictures she allowed me to take.

6th Grade Promotion

Right Now:

I haven’t been sleeping all that great. I’ve had trouble shutting my brain down at night but it is wonderful to grab a few extra hours of sleep on a Sunday, isn’t it? I feel so refreshed when that happens.

This morning, a bit of coffee and something to eat and then we are off to church. I’ve had a thing for eggs over easy for three weeks now and today is no exception. What I REALLY want is a bagel, slathered with cream cheese, sliced avocado and a thick slice of tomato but my gluten-free self cries when I think of it so eggs over easy work too.

This Week:

It’s production week for The Sound of Music but with only one kid in the show, the call times are manageable. No running back and forth and only a few late nights.

Reading:

I finished Misery for the #MiseryRAL. I think both of these buttons were created by Jenni. Correct me if I am wrong! But what fun we had! I won’t say much because some of you are still reading but it was a real party. No lie.

#MiseryRAL

I took a break from A Little Life to finish Misery so I will get back to that one soon. I also started Luckiest Girl Alive on audio. The main character is so shallow but I am just now getting to the meat of the story.

Watching:

I finished Mad Men, Season 5 and started Season 6. I am going to be sad when I hit the end of this series. It’s been my lunch time companion for several weeks now. I love Sally Draper. There’s something about her character. She’s rebellious and every time she’s in an episode I know Betty is going to lose it in some way. I really love Joan too. Hmmm. Okay, Don as well even though he can be a total you know what.

I watched the return of Orange is the New Black. Is it just me or was it a little flat?

Last night, we actually went to the movies to see San Andreas. The Girl is terrified of earthquakes but she was at a slumber party so we took advantage of it and went. It was pretty good!

Making:

I made tacos this week. I also made spaghetti with bell peppers and ground turkey, pizza another night and yes, breakfast for dinner (for me). This gluten free stuff is for the birds sometimes.

Grateful for:

I took last Friday off for the promotion ceremony. It’s so nice to have the extra day. I am grateful that I was able to take it.

That’s it for me. What’s up with you?

Chatting with friends about books and life…