Category Archives: Linkity linkity link

Linkity linkity link

Apparently linkity thought everything was cool this week

9 Comments

Congrats to Kate and Azure, who won Oren’s Right (2nd ed) by Blaine D Arden!

Congrats to Avalie, who won Memories (2nd ed) by Valentina Heart! Memories was released by Less Than Three Press on June 3.

Congrats to laurie, who won Enforcing Emory by Mickie B Ashling!

Congrats to Luci, who won Love Found on Lindisfarne by JL Merrow! Love Found on Lindisfarne will be released on June 7 by JMS Books.

Bookity

Think, Make, Learn, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update

  • *whistling*

“Birds!!! I see birds!!!!!!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity tries to catch up

8 Comments

Congrats to Trix, who won Kick at the Darkness by Keira Andrews! Kick at the Darkness was released on May 28 by KA Books.

Bookity

Think, Learn, Make, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Randonymity

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Girls Growing Up on the Autism Spectrum: What Parents and Professionals Should Know about the Pre-Teen and Teenage Years by Shana Nichols, Gina Marie Moravcik, & Samara Pulver Tetenbaum. I skim-read this not as a parent, but as an adult with an ASD looking looking for better understanding. I do think this would be an excellent resource for parents – it’s very well-researched and practical.
Nerdy, Shy, and Socially Inappropriate: A User Guide to an Asperger Life by Cynthia Kim. Excellent book about the life-changing discovery that you’re autistic in your 40s. (Oh, how I could relate to THAT.) Based on Cynthia Kim’s blog, Musings of an Aspie, this book is packed full of everything Kim’s learned since her diagnosis, backed by research and supported by stories from Kim’s life.
Indexing by Seanan McGuire. Good contemporary fantasy about the ATI Management Bureau, an agency devoted to keeping fairy tale narratives from gaining power and warping reality. First person narrator and ATI team leader Henrietta Marchen is herself a Snow White in abeyance. (Maybe it was just me, but I definitely wondered if this story was inspired by the Thursday Next novels of Jasper Fforde).

Sad but true story – I can’t quite figure out whose tail that is. (It’s been over six months since I took the picture.) Chaos has a slight kink near the end of his tail, and there could sort of be a kink near the end of the tail in the picture, right??! Plus it looks more like his fur than May’s. I’m pretty sure…

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes, Tales of the Neighborhood

Linkity’s jammin’ with Paul Bunyan

6 Comments

Congrats to Monica, who won Owner of My Heart (Mending the Rift #2) (2nd ed) by Valentina Heart!

Randonymity

Bookity

Think, Make, Learn, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Ideas & Inspirations for Art Journals & Sketchbooks by Suzanne McNeill. Ok short collection of examples from McNeill’s own “Sketch-Journals”, along with some tips for starting your own such journal and a list of basic supplies.
Painting Nature in Watercolor with Cathy Johnson: 37 Step-By-Step Demonstrations Using Watercolor Pencil and Paint by Cathy Johnson. Very good book about using watercolors (primarily watercolor pencils) to capture scenes from nature, ranging from forests to mountains to water to desert. Lots of great detail about technique and materials, too. (In the conclusion, Johnson mentions her friend Hannah Hinchman – I can definitely see similarities in their styles and subject matter!)
I am AspienGirl: The Unique Characteristics, Traits and Gifts of Females on the Autism Spectrum by Tania A Marshall. This was an odd book. Each page had a quote from an “AspienGirl”, another from some sort of adult caregiver (parents, teachers, grandparents, psychologists, etc), and a photo. The appendices had additional detail about typical characteristics/symptoms of females with Aspergers/high functioning autism and how female characteristics differ from those of males. The overall effect was chaotic and shallow. Plus the whole “AspienGirl”(r) annoyed me…

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Mayhem

I am not sure how May can breathe whilst sleeping on her face like that…

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes, Tales of the Neighborhood

Linkity is done and ready to be scheduled and it still doesn’t have a title

7 Comments

Randonymity

Bookity

Do, Think, Learn, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Basic Colored Pencil Techniques by Bet Borgeson. Very good book that’s exactly what’s on the tin. 🙂 I think I saw this used in Uptown a couple weeks ago – I’m going to check to see if it’s still there. It’ll be easier to use as a reference if I have a physical copy on hand, instead of repeatedly borrowing the ebook from the library. (Found it used at Magers & Quinn – yay!)
Journal It! Perspective in Creative Journaling by Jenny Doh. Gorgeous and inspiring words and images on keeping an art journal from 19 artists. Since I had to take a break in the middle of reading it to go art, I’d definitely recommend it for those looking for inspiration.

*trying to decide if Mayhem is being annoying enough by existing that he needs to go find somewhere else to nap* -Chaos

*vaguely annoyed by the giant catlick cowlick Chaos left behind her right ear* -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading

Linkity has Friday on its mind

6 Comments

Congrats to Sadonna, who won Jack in the Green (2nd ed) by JL Merrow! Jack in the Green will be released by JMS Books on May 3.

Contest(s)

Bookity

Think, Do, Learn, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Sketchbook Challenge: Techniques, Prompts, and Inspiration for Achieving Your Creative Goals by Sue Bleiweiss. It’s very pretty, but I didn’t find it particularly inspiring.
The Complete Colored Pencil Book by Bernard Poulin. Ok book about colored pencil techniques.I found the demonstration sections more interesting in the basic technique sections near the beginning, but I merely skimmed the last few chapters, which covered advanced tips and tricks with extra focus on portraiture (the author’s specialty and not a particular interest of mine).
Water Paper Paint: Exploring Creativity with Watercolor and Mixed Media by Heather Smith Jones. This had some good information about color theory and I’m going to actually try several of the projects from this one!

“Mooooooooom, you’re boring me. Do something interesting!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Looking for Loch Ness linkity

6 Comments

Contest(s)

Bookity

Think, Learn, Do, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Art for Kids: Drawing: The Only Drawing Book You’ll Ever Need to Be the Artist You’ve Always Wanted to Be by Kathryn Temple. Good basic overview of a wide variety of drawing concepts. I’ve tried a few of the exercises in my sketchbook and plan to try a few more before returning this book to the library.
The Gluten-Free Revolution: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know about Losing the Wheat, Reclaiming Your Health, and Eating Happily Ever After by Jax Peters Lowell. DNF. Not going to rate this. I didn’t realize it was the third edition of Lowell’s Against the Grain: The Slightly Eccentric Guide to Living Well Without Gluten or Wheat, which was a really important read for me after I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1997. Lowell’s no-nonsense, seize-the-day attitude was so completely different from every other book about celiac and the gluten-free diet – it was refreshing and freeing. But I’m in a very different place now with the gluten-free diet and this time Lowell’s style was just rubbing me the wrong way.

“Don’t think I’m not keeping an eye on you, Mom!” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link

Linkity spies hints of greenery (aka some signs of spring)

5 Comments

Contest(s)

Reading Update

Do, Think, Learn, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update

  • Hockey fics! Woo-hoo! 🙂

“Clean face, clean face, I’m going to have a clean clean face!” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

The pitter patter of little linkity drops

8 Comments

Congrats to Ali G, who won I’m the Guy You Hate by Isa K!

Congrats to Mary B, who won LIMBO by Clare London!

Randonymity

Bookity

Think, Make, Do, Learn

Cookity

Drinkity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Urban Watercolor Sketching: A Guide to Drawing, Painting, and Storytelling in Color by Felix Scheinberger. Good overview of a wide range of watercolor techniques, emphasizing a more on-the-go and dynamic style of watercolor painting than most other introductory books.

And of course – hockey fics! 🙂

*still judging, still prettily* -Mayhem

*grumping about dinner being late, two hours before dinner time* -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

In which linkity celebrates the installation of new windows

6 Comments

Bookity

Do, Learn, Make, Think

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella L Bird. Very good tale, written in a series of letters to her sister in England, of Isabella Lucy Bird’s extensive (and mostly solitary) travels in the Colorado Rocky Mountains during the late summer and fall of 1873. I am in complete awe of her – I’m pretty sure I would’ve curled up into a little ball and refused to continue once the temperature plummeted! And I enjoyed her compulsively readable style enough that I will definitely read more of her travels, some of which you can find at Project Gutenberg.
A Year in the Life: Journaling for Self-Discovery by Sheila Bender. Meh. Disappointing book about the benefits of journaling, complete with a year of rather contrived journaling prompts. As I first read, then skimmed, I kept muttering to the author, “Do your own work. Do your own work.” I’m not sure there was a single page on which the author didn’t quote from or refer to another writer and it quickly became very, very annoying.
Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives by Louise DeSalvo. DNF. I made it about 35% (into Part Two) before I put it down and decided I didn’t want to bother reading more. I found Part One weirdly off-putting as the author repeated over and over, in slightly different and not-so-different ways, what the Exact Specific Only Type Of Writing That Is Therapeutic was.
Creative Journal Writing: The Art and Heart of Reflection by Stephanie Dowrick. The title sums it up well. 🙂 This is a book that I’ll have close by when I’m feeling stuck and need some inspiration – there are thoughtful, thought-provoking exercises throughout and a list of 125 helpful prompts at the end.
Note to Self: On Keeping a Journal and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Samara O’Shea. Only made it to page 32 before I gave up. It just felt obnoxiously self-absorbed to me, in a way I couldn’t relate to at all. It has been donated to the nearest Little Free Library.
Learn Watercolour Quickly by Hazel Soan. Perhaps a bit too quickly…

“I’m blaming you for how scary and disruptive getting the new windows installed was!!” -Mayhem

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity limbers up

8 Comments

Congrats to Angeles G, who won As Spring Rain (2nd ed) by Valentina Heart!

Bookity

Think, Make, Do, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Leaving a Trace: On Keeping a Journal: The Art of Transforming a Life into Stories by Alexandra Johnson. Very good book about keeping a journal or diary, with writing exercises (some of which I tried and was pleasantly surprised by) and excerpts of what writers noted for journaling and memoir writing had to say about how the process enhanced their lives. Notes the author, “Successful journals break the deadlock of introspective obsession.” Yes, that. That’s what I aspire to.
A Trail Through Leaves: The Journal as a Path to Place by Hannah Hinchman. Another lovely, lyrical look at journal keeping from Hinchman, who avoids “the deadlock of introspective obsession” (Alexandra Johnson) by observing and drawing her surroundings and keeping her writing style concrete, nearly brusque.
Making & Keeping Creative Journals by Suzanne JE Tourtillott. I enjoyed looking at the drawings and pictures of bookbinding and the artistic journal projects created for the book. I remain unconvinced about using two leather work gloves to bind a journal (or book of any sort).
Boy on Ice: The Life and Death of Derek Boogaard by John Branch. Very good, very absorbing, very sad story about an NHL enforcer and how CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) most likely paid a role in his demise. To me, the really tragic thing was how ineffectual and toothless all the checks and balances that should’ve helped him turned out to be… and how none of that has changed.

“You better not be talking trash about my tail, Mom!!” -Chaos

Erm. Pay no attention to that short, kinky tail up there then! 😉