I have been a highly absent blogger

So I've been a highly absent blogger lately. And there's a few reasons for that. I heavily blame my reading and studies for school these past few months for taking me away from leisure reading and blogging. Yet it's more than that. It used to be that this blog was where I'd dump photos of my recent book purchases and awesome bookstore finds. I've been doing a lot less collecting new books lately. This is mostly because ever since I was laid off earlier in the year I have not only had less income to acquire these books, but also because I have found myself wanting to purge collection of books that I know I'll never get around to reading -- no matter how much I want to read them.

And yet, here I am. My last entry was back in August, and it was to enter a contest -- but I did manage to win a book, by the way! And since my last entry, blogger has gotten all pretty on me. Since my last entry I've both started and finished my fall semester, and now I'm on a bit of a break. And even though I tell myself I'm on a book buying freeze, books still manage to sneak in here. I really don't know how it happens!

The three in the photo are from a recent Amazon purchase. After months of deliberation, I finally decided what to spend my birthday gift certificate on.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett: I tried to read this when I was about eight, but I found it too difficult. It was one of the many books I threw across the room in frustration. (Along with The Great Gilly Hopkins, and Anne of Green Gables.) I found The Secret Garden much easier to get into and is still one of my absolute favorite books from my childhood. I think I'm ready to give Sara Crewe another chance.

Selected Poems of John Keats: I love this guy. I was exposed to "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and "Ode to a Nightingale" in my World Lit II class and my brain was turned inside out by his insights.

The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson edited by Thomas H. Johnson: I've tried some Emily before, but I never could stay interested in her sing-songy rhymes. It turns out that I needed someone to hold my hand and show me the way. I was lucky enough to explore a sampling of her poetry in both my World Lit II and American Lit classes. Now I feel that I understand her so much better and I'm ready to leap off and wade through some of her stuff on my own.

I actually enjoyed Keats and Dickinson so much that I wrote an essay comparing and contrasting the two for my World Lit II mid-term essay. You're shaking your head. You don't really see how that would work, do you? Well, trust me, I made it work, and I aced it!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor arrived in my mailbox this afternoon and I am beyond thrilled to finally have it in my hands. I have heard so many wonderful things from bloggers and writers alike. And the book itself is so beautiful!

I'm happy to be typing in this little web-shaped box again. I hope to return to it again and again during my winter break. For a long time this blog has not been what it used to be, but I'm excited to find out what it's going to morph into next. I hope you'll join me for the ride.