And now a few words about Mockingjay

On 09.01.10, In Book Blather, By Natalie

**NO SPOILERS, JUST A BRIEF OPINION**

Will you stone me if I say that Mockingjay was utterly underwhelming and disappointing?  Well, I’m saying it anyway.

This was one of my most highly anticipated books of the year, and I’m supremely let down by Suzanne Collins’s final installment.

'Shock and Dismay' is a more apt title...

At several junctures, I wanted to jump into the book and box Katniss around the ears for her actions, inaction, and attitude.  And don’t even get me going on Peeta and Gale.  Collins managed to alienate me from my favorite characters with their incongruous behaviors.

It took me an entire week to slog through, and it never captured me the way the first book did.  I haven’t been this let down by a sequel or series-ender in ages.

Did you read and love it?

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Happily Ever After

On 08.29.10, In Book Blather, By Natalie

While treasure hunting at some garage sales and a flea market today, I came across one of my favorite childhood books.

The book had clearly been loved, abused, and well read, as evidenced from the missing cover, torn pages, and random crayon scribblings on some pages.  I thumbed through the tattered remains, wondering what I could do to save it from a certain trip to the dumpster.  A while back, I made coasters out of old Scrabble boards but dismissed that idea because pages weren’t sturdy enough.  The seller waved off my money, and I walked away brainstorming.

Two projects I completed--Scrabble coasters and candy wrapper pen holders!

And then I had an epiphany.*

I skipped home and tore through my stationery crate for envelopes in a variety of sizes.  I unglued the envelopes and used them as templates to create envelopes with the illustrated pages that I could rescue.  Then I cut them out and glued the flaps together, save the top flap.

I plan to use these envelopes to hold invoices for client purchases in my newest venture–an Etsy shop**.  I won’t need to address them, so they will work perfectly.

I am looking forward to recycling all kinds of picture books to create envelopes that I can use in the mail and for my  shop.  For mailers, I’ll have to hunt down pictures that have some blank space where I can squeeze in a name and address.

*I felt like Max looks when I discovered that others have already laid claim on this crafty idea. Thought I was so original!

**My shop, Peppermint Natty, should be fully stocked and running by October 1st.  I plan to sell vintage, retro, and generally kitschy stuff that I love.  Nothing like a little cross promotion among friends, right?

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Mailbox-ish Mondays

On 08.23.10, In Book Blather, By Natalie

Technically, none of these books graced my mailbox, but I did pick them up this week.  A few came from the thrift store and a few from the library.  The Betty Crocker book is really interesting, but can’t say why I picked up the Dan Brown one.  I may have actually read it already–that’s how memorable it was for me–bargain books are hard to resist, I guess.  On Folly Beach was recommended by a fellow blogger, and I finally got tired of  being the only blogger on planet Earth who has never read Rebecca.

Hope your mailbox was laden with goodies this week.

Mailbox Mondays was created by Marcia at The Printed Page and is being hosted this month by Chick Loves Lit.

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Comic Relief

On 07.26.10, In Book Blather, By Natalie

My husband and I both love to read, but our preferred reading material couldn’t be more different.  While I’m snuggled up with a Harry Potter novel, he’s tearing through a true crime story.  Anthony also reads a genre that I could never, even as a kid, enjoy.  He’ll spend hours reading Spider-Man, Batman, and Conan comic books from his childhood.

For an unknown reason, I have an aversion to comic books.  I’ve tried to pinpoint why I dislike a genre that so many love; the only thing I can conjecture is the combination of small writing and action-packed pages leads to sensory overload in my brain.

Every once in a while during my pre-teen years I’d buy a MAD magazine, if only to salivate over the prizes featured on the Olympic Sales page.  This page, usually in full color, promised a bevy of prizes to all the good girls and boys who could peddle some mystery products to their unsuspecting family and neighbors.

The details in the ad were a bit sketchy, and my mom never let me get far enough into my phone call to Olympic Sales to actually glean any information, but boy did I want to win the inflatable raft for two.

As an adult, I did manage to read a graphic novel and found it easier to navigate than a traditional comic.  It’s not my preferred genre, but I’m not opposed to reading graphic novels in the future.

I know my husband isn’t alone with his love of comics, but I wonder just how many book bloggers are or have been comic book readers.  Are you a Spidey fan? Or is Superman more your speed?

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