Originally posted here on May 5, 2016. Every single day, at almost every single hour, members of the Baltimore Dziesmu Svētki (Latvian Song Festival) organizing committee are hard at work on any one of various issues, concentrating on the website or the budget, the ticket sales or the schedule, the fundraising or the marketing. … More The Making of a Dziesmu Svētki, Part 1: The Beginning
Four Star review, originally posted here on April 15, 2016. This book had a couple issues. I realized, though, that most of that was just because it’s a YA novel, so I guess if I had read this as a 14 year old none of it would have bugged me. I could have done without … More Goodreads Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Five Star review, originally posted here on April 6, 2016. I am still surprised that I not only bothered reading this book, but liked it, and liked it enough to give it 5 stars. I used to visit battlefields with my family when I was a kid, and I learned about the Civil War, … More Goodreads Review: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Four Star review, originally posted here on March 19, 2016. This is actually a 4.5 star review. Somehow I made it through high school and on to my 30’s without having read 1984, so I realize that I’m even later to this party than I am to the Harry Potter party. Still, better late than … More Goodreads Review: 1984 by George Orwell
Four Star Review, originally posted here on February 23, 2016. First, a quick disclaimer: I did not actually finish the book, but I’m putting it down for now. I was nervous going into this one. Confession time: I have never read a book in Latvian before, except as a kid in Latvian school. Every now … More Goodreads Review: Meza Meitas by Sanita Reinsone
Here’s the deal. I like writing book reviews on Goodreads every time that I finish reading a book. It’s mostly for myself, because I like writing things down, because that’s what I do for fun. I recently finished reading two books that I did not particularly like (one I absolutely hated, the other had some pluses … More Anonymous Non-Goodreads Reviews of Anonymous Books
Four Star Review, orginally posted here on January 5th, 2016. For whatever reason I have read a whole bunch of memoirs over the past couple years, and I always find myself facing the tricky question of how much we should be evaluating the story vs how much we should be evaluating the writer. When the … More Goodreads Review: Suddenly, A Criminal by Melanija Vanaga
Three-star Review, originally posted here on January 13th, 2015. There was plenty to like about this one, and plenty to not like. In the end, this book was just kinda there for me, completely neutral. It definitely felt like Fielding was testing out her noveling legs with this one, and the growing pains of this … More Goodreads Review: Cause Celeb by Helen Fielding
Three Star review, originally posted here on December 5, 2015. Well, it was sure to happen at some time or another… a point wherein it comes time to review a book that was recommended to me by a dear friend who can see my Goodreads reviews, and when I (sigh, sorry, you know who you … More Goodreads Review: Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Well, this year’s NaNoWriMo ended yesterday, and with it, my hopes and dreams of adding another “win” to my list. You can check out my stats here: http://nanowrimo.org/participants/blondieoz/novels/how-to-america-tales-from-the-train/stats As you can see, my final word count was 43,355, a whopping 6,645 words short of the finish line. Despite technically not winning, I’m still glad I … More How to America: Tales from the Train: part 2
Helga without the H 