Double-Stacked Bookshelves

This week's topic is:  Tattoos.  Do you have them?  Why or why not?  Talk about one. I actually got my first tattoo this year...and immediately followed it up with another!  It's true what they say: tattoos are addictive.  It took me a long time to finally get a tattoo because I was indecisive.  I had ideas of what I wanted, but was never totally certain on placement/exact image/etc.  I was also worried that it would be more painful than I wanted it to be.  It took my fiancé making me schedule an appointment to force my decision.  And I'm glad he did because it wasn't painful (really) and now I am on the path to possibly doing a full sleeve!  YIKES!  My first tattoo is totally FOR ME.  I specifically turned it upside down to face me (not the correct placement for tattoos) because I wanted to look at it.  It's not for anyone else's pleasure but my own.  It speaks to my nerdy-ness and my l...

Teaser Tuesday:  Hausfrau Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Jenn @ A Daily Rhythm . Here are the rules: grab whatever you're reading, open to a random page, select no more than two sentence (NO SPOILERS), share the title and author, and GO! Here's today's teaser: "The longing for diversion was a recent development; her pining to be hungered for was decades old.  But both rose from a lassitude born of small-scale grudges and trifling, trivial injuries, the last ten years of which she blamed on Bruno.  From that rose boredom and from boredom particular habits were born.  This she could not blame on Bruno." --page 45           Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum Not sure how to categorize my feelings on this one yet...

This week's topic for Beyond the Books is:  Favorite Words .  The following are words that I find fascinating or fun to use.  Some serve a purpose.  Some are completely ridiculous.  But all of them make me happy :) Shenanigans Simply because it reminds me of Super Troopers and it applies to so much. Superturboaffengeil Literally means "Super awesome" in English, but it's so much more fun to say in German and it definitely makes a more impactful impression! Ambrosia Mainly used with "liquid" in front of it and in reference to coffee...the liquid ambrosia of life! Elixir It's a fun word because it invokes ideas of magic and potions.  Again, I generally refer to my coffee as a magical elixir... Balderdash A fun game or an awesome word?  Awesome word!  Bamboozle It reminds me of old-timey tricksters and it's fun! Juxtaposition Sounds harsh, which I like.  And it uses an X and J!  So against the grain! Onomato...

Happy Monday, fellow A-Zers.  Let's hope this week, our final week in the blogging challenge, goes out with a bang!  Today is all about the letter W. W is for "Who's Crying Now" and "Wo Willst Du Hin" "Who's Crying Now" - Journey   Hands down, this is my favorite Journey song.  My parents had a vinyl copy of 1991s Escape , the album the track is on, as well as a tape of it.  I wore the tape out from rewinding it so much.  Since that time, Journey has always remained one of my all-time favorite bands.  Steve Perry's crystal clear voice is hauntingly beautiful...you really can't go wrong. *Lyrics :  "It's been a mystery / And still they try to see / Why something good can hurt so bad / Caught on a one-way street / The taste of bittersweet / Love will survive somehow, some way" "Wo Willst Du Hin" - Xavier Naidoo   Probably my favorite German artist, Xavier Naidoo is a soul and R&B si...

Happy Saturday, fellow A-Zers.  We've made it through week two of the challenge and I'm feeling good!  Today is all about the letter K and I'm bringing you the following authors:  Franz Kafka, Elizabeth Kostova, and Erich Kaestner. Franz Kafka (1883-1924) The first time I read Kafka, I was hooked.  His work is dark, seedy, and brutal.  Often he deals with themes of alienation, physical/psychological trauma, labyrinths, and terrifying quests, so there is a lot to be found in his work.  Born in Prague, Kafka wrote all of his work in his native language of German which contrasted with the mainly Czech-speaking population of the city, thus causing much tension.  Added to this, Kafka's Jewish heritage further alienated him from the masses.  The majority of his work was published posthumously despite his wish that they be destroyed after his death.  The pieces that were published during his lifetime, mainly in literary journals, attracte...

Another Wednesday has fallen upon us and that means it's time for another edition of "Why I Love Wednesday", a meme hosted by Alexis at Reflections of a Bookaholic .  This week's topic is Gifted Books .  While I don't tend to get many books as gifts (I can be slightly difficult to buy books for) and am more apt to give them, there are a few that have been given to me and were great gifts. First on this list would be Ingeborg Bachmann's Malina .  I received this book in the original German from my, much loved, German professor when I graduated from undergrad.  She wrote a beautiful inscription on the front page and it's definitely a book that I will keep for as long as I can.  I have yet to read the entire thing (it's in German, therefore a little more slow-going than an English version), but I am determined to one day finish it. Secondly would be a Christmas present I received from my parents years ago.  I have always been a huge fan of Nirvana a...