for the time being.

Since I'm preoccupied with packing and moving and changing addresses and making phone calls, here's a meme that I found on the fabulous Maggie's blog. I love books and reading, so it really was a must.

Other book lovers. I know you understand.

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback?
All of the above! I like paperback for its portability, but if I always like a good hardback.

Waterstones, Borders or Amazon?
What’s waterstones? I’m a B&N peruser. I rarely buy books.

Bookmark or dog-ear?

Bookmark for place. Dog-ear for remembering quotes.

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random?
Alphabetize? I order by size.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
Donate.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep.

Read with dust jacket or remove it?
With it.

Short story or novel?
I read just about everything, but I will say I definitely read more novels than short stories.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
I’ve only read the first few of H.P. and I’ve never read Lemony Snicket.

Buy or borrow?
Borrow all the way. I’m a library queen.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse?

Most often it’s recommendations, or books I continue to hear about via radio, blogs and website. I love to browse though. Could spend hours at a book store. Oh! And goodreads. I love seeing what others mark to-read or have already read.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
I don’t like when books are wrapped up too cleanly. But I definitely like having some sort of idea of what would happen next or what did happen.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading?
I’m a bus reader. Otherwise, I read mostly at night.

Stand-alone or series?
Both.

Favorite series?
I don’t think I’ve ever completed a series…I think I *might* complete the Sookie Stackhouse books, but haven’t done so yet…

Favorite children’s book?
Berenstein Bears Series. George and Martha.

Favorite YA book?
Ender’s Game. Although I think it’s multi-generational.

Favorite book no one has heard of?
Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life is Your Hidden Strength

Favorite books read last year?
In Defense of Food & Water for Elephants are a couple of my tops!

Favorite book to re-read?
I don’t believe I’ve ever re-read a book…Hmm…That’s weird.

Do you ever smell books?
Yep.

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries?
Not so much.

What are you reading right now?
Brooklyn

What are you reading next?
The Gates of the Alamo, Pope Joan

two weeks.

I realized today that I have two weeks until I move.

WHAT?

How did that happen?

It's not that I'm not ready move. It's more like I'm not ready to move. For the past couple of weeks I have begun packing up boxes. My mom has come to help which has been a bit of a life saver. But when I look around, I can't help but think -- why is there still so much stuff?!?

I pack, pack, pack, and yet I feel as though the only change is that everything's a mess.

I even have donated 15 bags (no exaggeration) of STUFF to local thrift stores.

If there's one thing the move preparation has taught me, it's that I want to get rid of clutter. I'll be the first to admit that I like stuff. I do. But I also like how I feel when I give all this unused stuff away. I'm in no means a hoarder, thank god, but in the past I've considered myself a pack rat. As hard as it is, I'm trying to change that. I want my new place to be comfortable and homey and clean with character rather than full of stuff I'm holding on to for one reason or another.

Another interesting part of this move is the change. Oh, how we all love change. I'm finding myself ready and excited for something new, but I'm always reminiscing about all the wonderful and not so wonderful things that has happened in my life while I lived here. It's strange to look back and forward, forward and back, all at the same time.

Right now, all I know is that the next couple of weeks are going to be a tad crazy. Anyone who's ever moved knows this to be true. I'm not even going to try to predict how I'm going to feel throughout it all. But what I do know is that I'm going to go with it. Roll with the feelings and thoughts, the past and the present. And welcome this change, anyway I can.