The Introverted Detective

 I've done the read it or unhaul it challenge before, but right now I have two piles of books I need to go through. I'm motivating myself to finish my book cleaning project. I intend to finish it this year. If I'm going to do that, I have to rid myself of the second chance pile before Christmas. Today's challenge is only the second chance pile.  Courtesy of Dreamstime 1. I pick up a book at random from the pile.  2. I read at least 5 chapters.  3. I decide if I keep going or DNF (do not finish) it.  4. I review it.  The process above is what'll happen to these books. I'm trying to do at least three per blog. If I DNF two in a row, I pick five. If I'm not enjoying myself and I'm not compelled to keep reading I will put it down. Onward! Sundays In Fredericksburg by Key, Sowell, Stevens, and Vawter Courtesy of Ebay.com I read five chapters and didn't dislike it. However, I was not compelled to keep reading any further, mostly because it was just okay. I...

 Ever been in a situation where you need to finish the open books on your shelf faster? I have. I didn't finish books for two months at one point this year. Today we discuss the strategies you can use to finish that open book pile. Courtesy of Pixy.org So you have five books open, or three or two. Let's get those finished quicker, shall we? Today I give you multiple strategies for reading a book faster (whether you have one open or five). I typically have at most three open, which is bad because my reading speed gets chopped in half with every added book. I have two open right now. I need to finish and review Eragon and read my Second Chance pile (literally, donate or keep pile).  Some of these methods require time or multi-tasking. I know some of us don't do well with either. If you're so busy you don't have time to sit down and read, I understand. Life kicks us hard sometimes. And sometimes we just don't have the motivation to do anything, even if time is avai...

 Go West (1925) is a Buster Keaton film, directed and written by him. It's just as adorable as everything else he's starred in. Here is my review of it.  Courtesy of cowboysindians.com Go West from 1925 stars Buster Keaton. It is the story of a man trying to make it out west. He jumps onto some railroad cars, wanders onto a ranch, and proceeds to not know anything about ranching (he still gets hired somehow). He creates a friendship with this heifer (female cow) as he hilariously bumbles many of his tasks, somehow getting a few of them done.  The main conflict of the story is simply the rancher having one chance to make it - and he'll only make it when the cows reach the slaughterhouse. When the time comes, he insists on taking the heifer. He doesn't give it to Keaton's character to spare her. Keaton hides on the train to free her when the train gets there. The train is held up. After a gunfight he manages to get on the train that is freely going down the track on i...

 No, we are not talking about clowns. We are talking about a silent film from 1927. Starring Clara Bow, it is all about the idea you have "it" or you don't. "It" is essentially sex appeal that gets you what you want. Here's what I thought of it.  Courtesy of TCM I both do and don't like the main characters. Clara Bow is an actress beloved to silent film. She can cry on a dime (sadly, because she had a terrible childhood). This is the romance between Betty (Clara Bow) and Mr. Waltham - who had a girlfriend this entire time and ignored her like she was chopped liver. It starts with Betty working at Waltham's Store, where she sees the new boss (Mr. Waltham) and falls in love instantly. This whole time Monty (Waltham's friend) is reading an article about "It" - sex appeal that guarantees you get your man/woman.  Courtesy of Pinterest- Clara Bow Betty comes home to her roommate (who has a child). Poverty stricken as her friend is, things loo...

 I picked up an ebook of Alice In Wonderland. It included Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Through The Looking Glass, and The Hunting of The Snark. I'll review them individually. It's been a fun ride. I don't regret spending money on this.  Courtesy of Pinterest.co.uk Below I have reviewed my ebook copy of Alice In Wonderland, which includes Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Through The Looking Glass, and The Hunting of The Snark. I'll review them one at a time for you. These were all read in the span of half a day. Maybe five hours and these were reviewed. It won't take long to pick these up.  Alice's Adventures In Wonderland You start with a bored little girl, drop into a silly, absurd storyline, and come back to a little girl who's fallen asleep on the grass. My description of witty puns, funny conversations, odd images, and genuinely weird situations won't do it justice. Read it yourself. It isn't something you can easily describe, nor d...

 Face Pareidolia is not a phrase most people utter, but yet it happens daily to most of us. What is it? It is the ability of the brain to see faces in everyday objects. Let's dig into the concept.  Courtesy of happybirthdayall.com Have you ever stared at your bathroom floor and seen what you think looks like a face or an outline of a dog, or an outline of an object? I have. I continue to see various shapes in my bathroom floor linoleum pattern, as well as several faces of different types in the wood grains of doors. This is a real thing.   I do know that it's just my brain making sense of the world and that it's not really a face. I understand such things. You have no reason to question my sanity in this scenario if you were concerned by the previous paragraph. The human brain is finding patterns where there are not patterns. That's the real reason you see a face pattern in a light switch or bathroom linoleum.  Why our brain does this Many reasons for this exist...

 I had a fabulous time reading four books. Let me tell you all about them. On this week's TBR we have With A Mind To Kill , Role of Honor , Only To Sleep , and The Rising Sea . All of which come from a series of books. I'll get into what series in my four sections of reviews. Let's dive in.  I read four books in a week. Upon finishing them, I can recommend all of them. Below I'll outline exactly why I loved the book and who would most love it. Let's get to the reviews.  With A Mind To Kill by Anthony Horowitz The premise of this book requires you to have some knowledge of previous books (Ian Fleming books), but he does explain in the first two page what you need to know. It is set two weeks after Scaramanga was killed in Jamaica. Before the events of Scaramanga in Jamaica, James Bond had attempted to kill M because KGB brainwashed him while he wandered with Amnesia. This plot sends Bond back to the people who brainwashed him in order to get more information (after h...