Renoir "the Lovers"
Virtual Hugs and Candy Kisses for everyone!
What do you have planned for the day? Our day is going to be lazy. It has been a hectic week and we need a day of rest. I may run out to the store later and pick up a roast beef so we can have roast and yorkshire pudding for dinner. Or we may just end up having chicken. Who knows....
My Art History class - western art from the ancient through the 14th century is finally over and I think I'm going to get an A'ish grade, even with getting an 82 on the final. This class seemed particularly hard and involved much writing and research, but I did learn a lot. What has been especially neat is coming across settings in some of the historical fiction books I've been reading and recognizing what they are talking about. "The Forgotten Legion" by Ben Kane, for example which is very well written and an excellent, excellent book set in ancient Rome. I'll be posting my review on Tuesday for the TLC Tour so be sure to drop by, then check out the other participants on the tour. I'm not a real big fan of historical fiction but have been stepping outside the box lately, reading more of that genre and have to say I've been pleasantly surprised.
I'm currently reading Stephen King's "Under the Dome" which is a huge novel of 1000+ pages so it's going to keep me occupied for a few days. Which should give me some time to actually finish writing my reviews for "The Mists of Avalon," "Keeping the Feast," and "The Last Ember" to name a few.
Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. I'm going to be limiting my time on the internet but not giving it up altogether. Which means I'll be avoiding Twitter and Facebook for the time being. We are going on a buying ban and won't be buying any books, games, or video's during lent. I gave James a choice of giving up the internet, Wii or the Nintendo DS for lent. He chose the internet. However, will still use for educational things.
What we will be doing Lent is reading some interesting books however. Whether you are Catholic or not, Pope Benedict is an excellent writer and theologian. Last year I read "Jesus of Nazareth" (review) which just blew me away and just made me want to read more of his books. This year I will be reading "The Apostles" and "Lent and Easter Wisdom" by Thomas Merton. I read "Seven Storey Mountain" (review) last year which actually turned out to be quite interesting. Also in store is "Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions" by James Beverely which I received through Thomas Nelson's Book Blogger review program.
It's a comprehensive guide to over 200 religions, sects and cults from a christian perspective. I've been meaning to read it for quite a while, but it is one of those books that will take time. It contains lots of information and I'll be doing a bit of fact checking along the way. Just like I did with Da Vinci code when all the hype started after it came out. I re-read it a second time and looking up information about all the different issues raised in the book. James and I will be reading "Lent is for Children" by Julie Kelemen and doing some of the activities such as taking a nature walk and baking eucharistic bread. As a family we will be reading "Windows on the World," discussing what has been happening in different countries and praying for them.
And I'm going to make a concentrated effort to finish "Eye in the Ashes." Wish me luck.
Week 7 for 52 books in 52 weeks is all about G. G is for Grace, gratitude and giving, plus a few author birthdays such as the creator of Clifford, the big read Dog. He was a big favorite in our household when James was younger.
Check out F is for Fantasy over on Mind Voyages and let me know who you think should be on the list. I'm still contemplating what G will be for this week. Any suggestions?
John's Corner is live and a new post will be up soon so bookmark or follow to see what he has to say next.
Check out what every one else is up to this week in the SalonHave a wonderful week and make sure you tell that special someone you love them - every day!
Happy Valentine's Day to you, too! I'm glad you enjoyed your art history class. They are a lot of work, but I always enjoyed them. :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think we're doing anything for Lent. To be honest, I forgot that was coming up. :P I feel horrible now.
Happy Valentine's Day to you and your family!! Mine has been fairly quiet as my hubby had to work. Sounds like you've had a lot going on...good luck finishing Eye in the Ashes!!!
ReplyDeleteHope your Valentine's Day was great. I didn't realize Lent was just around the corner. You have some good reading picked out.
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