Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

Whoooooo-hooooooo it's Friday evening! :D

(Sorry Kristie, I've not read that series)

I'm on countdown....one hour until I have almost a whole week off!!! Woohoo! Lots of reading time for me!!!!

Oh nice Joanne! Are you doing anything with that week, or just taking it easy?

Joanne wrote: "I'm on countdown....one hour until I have almost a whole week off!!! Woohoo! Lots of reading time for me!!!!"

So jealous! I'm on "spring break", but I'm starting a new job. So, I'm working my regular job Sat and Sun, then training at my new job Mon-Fri and back to my other job Sat and Sun before getting back to school again Monday. Not much of a spring break!

Nothing in particular! Lots of gym time, reading time and a visit to my parents as it's their 35th anniversary! I just need to figure out what to get them!!

What are you doing at school Kristie?

Sounds wonderful! Happy anniversary to your parents. Have a great break.

I'm in grad school for mental health counseling. I decided to go full time, so as to not drag it out. It's been crazy, but at least it won't last too long. It's really interesting, but also very time consuming.

Are you getting your MSW Kristie? I am in the mental health counseling field as well.

No, I'm actually getting my LMHC, which is similar. Are you getting your MSW Cathie?

I'm not familiar with the LMHC designation - United States? I completed my post graduated back in 91. I have gone back for many additional specialization certifications over the years since, depending on the client setting. Have you done any internships yet or are you working in the field now?

Yes, United States. It's Licensed Mental Health Counselor. As of now I'm a child care counselor; I work mostly with adolescent and young adults that live in a residential setting. Kids that were removed from their homes for any number of reasons. My new job is that of a therapeutic mentor; I will be picking up kids from their homes that need help with specific issues, such as social skills, and assist them with learning those skills. My practicum begins in the fall and I'll be working in a geriatric setting, which is very different for me. So, yes, I'm working in the field, but I haven't done my internship yet to move fully into my career, which is mental health counseling.

Kristie, enjoy both your practicum and your employment; it is a very rewarding way of being of service :-).

I work with Dual Diagnosis clients (and their families)that are seeking to change their lives from an addiction and who have also been diagnosed with a concurrent mental illness.

I agree, Cathie. Very challenging, but rewarding at the same time. I'm looking forward to being out of school and returning to some semblance of a normal schedule though. I think I'm getting too old for this! lol

I've felt that way for the last couple of years Kristie. Lol, you do KNOW that in this profession there is constant continuing ed and certification; and I mean constant, in order to keep your credentials. I use to love the trekking back to university or college or meeting with other people in the field for upgrading, but now I'm older (how'd that happen?!), the brain wants relaxation and I just want to come home and curl up with novels and forget the need to be constantly at the top of the game and current. There was a point where all I did for years was read theory books, and textbooks and practical learning modules. Now, I'm turning into one of those "I don't care, just let me read a good book" people, lol.

Ah, yes. I do know. But, it will still be easier than what I'm doing now. I think the hard part is the overnight shifts, which I won't be doing (or at least not often) after graduation. When I was younger I could stay up all night and not feel the repercussions, but now I definitely feel it the next day.

And I know the feeling of just wanting to come home, relax and read a good book too... one that I'm not studying. I love to relax my brain by getting lost in a good novel. :)

I hear you Kristie ~ I just gave up working overnight shifts at a Rehab Treatment Centre. I worked them for 3 years, 10 pm - 7 am., and in the end truly did feel like a vampyre :-). When I was in my twenties/thirties I worked them for years and loved working them, but not now. I look like a raccoon with the dark circles under my eyes. (Raccoons are cute though aren't they, lol) Now I want to see and be in the sun :-)

Residential work is hard also; you get no breaks so if you are working a 9 hour shift, you are working a full 9 hour shift. In your new position you will get breaks and at least a 1/2 hour for lunch where you can get away.

Yes. Looking forward to it. Our residential shifts are long. For example, I'm working 2p today until 9a tomorrow. That's a 19 hour all awake shift. Those are the hard ones for me.

Also, I have other day shifts and commitments, so most of the time I'm working days and sleeping nights, but once or twice a week my schedule changes to work a night shift, which makes it harder because your body can't adjust to that.

Yep, I hear you. I haven't done a 19hr one in a long time (use to do 24 ~ how'd I do that??). My most recent longest has been 14 hours.

Overnights would be fine if all you could do was go home and sleep and the rest of the world was quiet and considerate that you were sleeping, lol. When I work overnights the most sleep I ever get is 5 hours at a stretch and I think of that as a luxury, usually it's more like 3 or 4 hours, until finally at the end of a couple of weeks I totally crash and then I have to sleep for about 12 hours and there goes the day off.
I'm soooo glad I'm not doing overnights anymore, lol. Now I just need to find a piece of work that will pay the few bills I have so I will financial freedom :-)

Exactly Cathie! I'm running on about 3 hours of sleep today, but I feel ok. Had a great shift, so that helps. :)

Anyone do anything fun this weekend?

Just got back home from spending the day with my Mum, as it's Mothers Day in the UK.

Had a lovely day with the family and I'm full up with yummy Sunday lunch (and came home with lots of leftovers for Bubble and Squeak tomorrow, bonus!)

Lynn wrote: "Just got back home from spending the day with my Mum, as it's Mothers Day in the UK.

Had a lovely day with the family and I'm full up with yummy Sunday lunch (and came home with lots of leftovers..."

I had a panic yesterday as my Facebook news feed was full of Mother's Day plans. I thought I'd been under a rock not to know. I went in to Carlton Cards and asked where their cards were only to be told it isn't until May over here! Panic over!

Yeah, it's super early this year because it's always dependent on Easter.

That sounds like a nice day Lynn. I love family time. :)

Ok who broke Goodreads? I couldn't get on for ages!

Me too

I thought it was my phone being stupid! So glad it's working again!!!

Same here!!! So frustrating.

It was so sunny this weekend and now it's SNOWING! What the f**k!!

Well, I totally agree with you, I felt like a child who's just lost the favourite, most precious cuddly bear, ughh, my phone was a poor substitute for "a full screen version" :), good it's back :-)

So the choir that I'm in has received an email ...... our clips on YouTube have been found and put through a committee vetting process and we now have a formal invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall, New York next year!!!! (We are in the UK btw)

We are totally blown away and so excited :D

That is amazing Lynn!!! :D Congratulations!!

Congratulations Lynn!!! You must be so excited!!!!

Congratulations Lynn! :-) Do you know when yet? We all need time to plan our vacations, lol!

Heh, it's in April 2014 :)

Can we get the link to the video? I want to see!!!!

Hahahaha, well there's tons of videos out there. Here's a few from our last concert which was of a more classical theme. However we do all types of concerts; music from the movies, pop and jazz, musicals, to name a few.

http://vimeo.com/54301568 - Locus Iste

http://vimeo.com/54361000 - Dies Irae

http://vimeo.com/54400846 - Revelation

http://vimeo.com/54293688 - In Memoriam

http://vimeo.com/54236904 - Seal Lullaby

http://vimeo.com/54226939 - I Will Sing with the Spirit

http://vimeo.com/54436106 - Rule Britannia

http://vimeo.com/54406907 - Nessun Dorma

http://vimeo.com/54394881 - Love Divine

http://vimeo.com/54384978 - The Road Home

http://vimeo.com/54382591 - Brindisi

http://vimeo.com/54330496 - Ave Verum & Panis Angelicus

http://vimeo.com/54317197 - Kyrie

PS - We are a community choir, not a professional one! :)

Congratulations, Lynn!

That's pretty nice! I'd love to know how to sing.

That is so exciting...what fun!

So I was at a McMillan Charity event last night; excellent food and entertainment with great fundraising prizes. I was pleasantly surprised at how good a night it was.

Feeling a little hungover today, but need to rally as I'm at the theatre tonight seeing a friend in a production of Oliver.

Tomorrow will be a PJ TV day.

What is everyone else up to this weekend?

Eeeek, doesn't sound fun. Glad you got home ok.

Heading out to the library soon. Three of my holds came in at the same time! Unfortunately, I don't think I'm going to have the time to read them all within the loan period.

What are your thoughts -

I'm currently reading
The History of Us: A Novel This is first read, so I feel like I have to finish this first.
Divergent - A BOTM for another group (and we have Insurgent later this year, so I figure it couldn't hurt to read it now.) and
The Long Earth - on CD, but also from the library, so on a time limit - This is our BOTM for next month

I just got these on hold -
Looking for Alaska - our additional BOTM for next month and a short book
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier which isn't our BOTM until November, but it was available and it's a cookbook, so I thought, "how much trouble could it be?" lol
Then,
The Casual Vacancy came in. This was our February BOTM, which I couldn't get. I put it on hold, but there was about 150 holds, so I thought I'd probably get it in May or something (when I have more time). I have no idea how it came in so quickly.

So my question is - With all the other books I'm reading (and remember I always have a ton of school reading too) is The Casual Vacancy worth trying to squeeze in? Or should I just skip picking it up and put it on hold again later?

Difficult to say. Personally I loved it and it's the kind of book you either love or get bored with! Maybe you could have a go, what's the risk?

That's true - I'm concerned of 2 things:

First, if I like it, I have to finish it in the 3 weeks that I have it. Which just means that I'd have to put aside some of the other books that I'm reading. (You can't renew a book, if other people are waiting for it.)

Second, if I don't care for it, then I'll have it for 3 weeks and someone else will be waiting for it. I don't have time to run back to the library and I hate to make someone else wait to read it, if it's just sitting at my house.

So, I guess I want to know if other people thought it was good enough to push back some of my other reading for it. (Most likely Divergent, since I own that.)

Glad to hear that you loved it. I definitely do want to read it at some point.

I wasn't a fan, so I would leave it. You can always put a new hold on it when you have time to read it. I really liked Divergent and would opt for that over The Casual Vacancy. Maybe you could post it as a poll!!!

Joanne wrote: "I wasn't a fan, so I would leave it. You can always put a new hold on it when you have time to read it. I really liked Divergent and would opt for that over The Casual Vacancy. Maybe you could post..."

There is no wait for the audio book, so I think I'm going to leave the book there and just pick up the CDs when I have a little more time. I'm looking forward to Divergent and it is our current BOTM, so I think that makes more sense.

Joanne wrote: "I wasn't a fan, so I would leave it. You can always put a new hold on it when you have time to read it. I really liked Divergent and would opt for that over The Casual Vacancy. Maybe you could post..."

Haha! I like the poll idea. Divergent is great but totally different from Casual Vacancy.