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Book Review #3: A Cozy Cat Crime Novel

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This next book I read slowly over the course of January, while my classes began and I got back into “university mode.” I received it as a gift from my godmother for Christmas. She’s a cat lover, a quilter, a crossword puzzler, and a great snail-mail pen pal in this age of technology. I don’t get many books as gifts when I don’t know they’re coming; I always enjoy it.

Book 3: Cat Coming Home, by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

This is exactly the sort of book that’s fun to read around Christmas. It’s a fairly standard crime novel, not too gory or violent, with a fantastical twist–the cat “detectives” can talk. Corny as that may sound and unrealistic as it is, it was a fun read. I’ve never read any cat-solves-the-crime sorts of books, though I know many exist, and I’m glad I finally did. Good for when you don’t want something too involved or deep, but still interesting enough to sink your teeth into.

It’s by no means a literary masterpiece, but it did keep me interested enough to read to the end. I probably won’t seek out more of this kind of book on my own (particularly because there are so many more books I’ve been meaning to read), but if I come across one by chance, I might give it a try.

Book Review #2: If You Like Suspense…

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I’ve been keeping up with my 25 book goal for the year fairly well, but I seem to be getting behind with the reviews. I finished this book just over a month ago, right after the holiday break. If you’re interested, I wrote a review of the previous book in the series as well.

Book 2: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, by Stieg Larsson

Yet again, Larsson proves he can write a great suspense thriller. It follows the separate investigations of the police, government, and secretive journalists, as well as the criminals behind the overarching plotline of the whole series. This book’s first 100 or so pages weren’t anywhere as slow as the first or second books’; however, it doesn’t have the same climactic action scenes as the first two books, which to some may be undesirable. However, given all the danger, sneaking around, and dramatic irony, together with the fact that I wanted the bastards behind the whole crime put away so badly, it kept me hooked until the end. It only took me about a week to read this book’s 600 pages.

This entire series has been excellent. If all you’ve heard about it is the rape scene in the first book and that’s keeping you away, you are sorely missing out. There is so much to the story, the heroes and heroines are clever and likable (Lisbeth is so badass), and once you’re in, it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. I wish I could look forward to more books, but Larsson isn’t with us anymore. I’ll just have to keep on the lookout for more good books in the crime/drama/thriller genre. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

The Gut-Feeling Coin Toss

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You’ve likely heard of the coin-tossing technique to help you make a decision. Pick one side of a coin to mean yes, you’ll do it, you’ll go through with the decision, and the other to mean no. Flip it. If the outcome makes you feel uneasy, or unhappy, it probably means you should do the opposite. The process helps you decipher your gut feeling on the matter.

I feel like I’ve done this, on a bigger scale. I decided yes, I want to go to the US after graduation, absolutely. I want to get a job there and possibly stay indefinitely. Then, Microsoft got back to me and told me nicely that no, there are no positions available for my skills. I had been hoping too much to get the job, completely ignoring that new grads would have a tough time getting into such a huge, long-established company. I wasn’t sure anymore that this was what I wanted. I started to understand that gut feeling.
The next day I went to a presentation at my uni by a small software company based in Glasgow. They make 3D imaging software for engineers in the oil and gas industry, to understand the shape, density, etc. of oil reservoirs underground. Despite my reservations about working in that field, it opened my eyes to other possibilities. They came across as a friendly, well-organized company that were doing well and would be a great start for a young Computing Science graduate. In a small company, I would have more influence in decisions and my job wouldn’t be rigidly defined; I could work on a number of things that I’d have the skills for.
Ultimately, I realized I might not be ready to leave the UK. I’ve made friends here, and am still making more and strengthening the ones I have. I’ve moved around a lot my whole life and am getting tired of starting over again. I’ll likely have to do it eventually, but if I can keep it at bay, I will. I also have a boyfriend here who would have a very hard time getting a work visa in the US, since he’d essentially need to be at the very top of his class, have a PhD, or marry me. He–and I–aren’t prepared for any of those things.
I’ve also spent a good year and a half here and still haven’t managed to travel much. If I stayed, I could do all the traveling that work would allow–and that would definitely be more than employers in the US offer. The rest of the UK, Ireland, and Europe are a cheap flight or train ride away, and I’m still young and able to travel and see the world.
All of this has been rattling around my head lately, and I think I’ve finally made a decision. Job market allowing, I’ll go with the other side of the coin.

Looking Forward

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The first three weeks of the term have passed. The first assignments have been handed out, and I’ve made fairly substantial progress on my yearlong project. I’m back into the swing of things. Still, when I stop thinking of all the work I have to do, I find myself wondering what the future holds for me. The idea of graduating is scary, but things are looking bright.

I mentioned a couple posts ago about applying to Microsoft. About a week after I made that post, I got an email from them inviting me for a phone (Skype) interview the following week! I had the interview two days ago. I think it went well, I answered most of the questions as completely as I could, only stumbling with a couple of them. I’ll hear back in the next 2-3 weeks, and then hopefully be offered a second, more technical interview–in person! I don’t know if this means they’ll fly me all the way to Redmond or just somewhere in Europe. It sounds intense, though… something like 2-3 solid hours of coding, plus maybe meeting people who I might end up working with.

All of this is cementing the idea in my head that I will have a well-paying job shortly after I graduate. I’ll get to worry about all those adult things like renting an apartment, buying a car, paying taxes, and paying off my student loans… I’m actually very ready for it. Some of my classmates aren’t ready to graduate and go out into the big world, but I definitely am. Alas, four more months of university and hard work. It’ll probably go by faster than I think.

Book Review #1: A Fantasy Epic

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I just finished my second book of the year. A good start, since I’ll be quite busy in the next few months. I figured it’s time to write a bit about the first book, which I finished over the holidays. Also, since it’s a new year, I’m starting the numbering over for my book reviews. This year’s goal is 25 again… let’s see if I can do it this time!

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Book 1: The Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss
I thought I had written a review of the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicles, called The Name of the Wind, but it turns out I read it a year and a half ago, in June 2010. Thank you, Goodreads, for helping me keep track…
For those of you who don’t know the series, it’s a fantasy fiction tale about a young man named Kvothe and how he became a legend in his own world. It starts with his family, a group of travelling troupers, being killed by a myserious evil. The recurring goal in Kvothe’s life is to track down this evil, but he meets people along the way, goes to university and learns about magic and other subjects, and has various adventures. The story is essentially about his life, growing up. I enjoyed the first book quite a lot, and read it quickly despite its size.
I did enjoy the second book, but I often got tired of the slow pace. Kvothe would spend months at one place, and months at another. Each place seemed like a completely different story, so different that they almost need to be separate books. Occasionally it dragged on, with nothing much happening. Maybe it’s because this book is meant to be in the middle of the series without a serious beginning or end, not meant to just be picked up and read without reading The Name of the Wind. However, I think it could be seriously trimmed down, and it would make for a better book.
That said, I’ll probably end up reading the third and final book when it comes out. The characters are enjoyable, and I care enough about them that I want to know what happens. Just be forewarned: the books are incredibly long. Not for the faint of heart!

A New Vision Of The Future

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I’m back in Glasgow, and it’s only a few hours before my first class of the term. We had quite an adventure flying back, including having to stay overnight at a hotel near the airport in Schipol. But it all worked out in the end, with no additional costs for us, and no luggage was lost. Now that I’m back, it feels strange.

After spending that time back in Seattle, I realized more than ever before how homesick I am. I thought Glasgow might be the start of a life in the UK, but I’m not as taken with it as I thought I might be. The people are amazing, and I don’t regret coming here for a moment. But I don’t see myself here long-term. I’ve started looking into opportunities back in Seattle for work after I graduate this year, including Microsoft and Google. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’ll have so many other opportunities as well, in the Seattle area, if both of those fall through. I think moving back, at least for a while, will help me decide if it’s where I want to live long-term. Maybe I’ll come back to Europe. For now, though, my sights are set on the Emerald City.

In the meantime, I’ll be doing my best to defeat the stress and enjoy the heavy workload of this next — and last — term at the University of Glasgow. If this is actually my last term of school for good, I want to give it my all.

A Whirlwind Christmas

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The holidays have left me entirely too busy. It’s near impossible to get any work done for university when I’m trying to do things like baking cookies, buying gifts, and introducing my boyfriend to the Seattle area. We spent an epic weekend in Vancouver visiting friends, who I miss dearly. Then, a week getting accustomed to being back home (or being in a new country, for my boyfriend), preparing for Christmas, and getting small amounts of project work done. Now that Christmas is over, I have a couple more days with my mom before she flies home, and then a week to do more touristy things and still try to get some work done. I think it will pass far too quickly.

The power went out on Christmas Day, just as we were about to start making German Apple Pancake for breakfast. With bacon and coffee. It was due to a wind storm, and it was just a local outage, so it was barely covered in the news. I’m sad about missing that breakfast, but thankfully that’s the only thing we missed due to the power outage. We were still able to go to my relatives’ place for dinner that evening, since most of Seattle had power, and we had already baked our traditional Pepparkakor cookies and bought presents for the kids (my second cousins).

My boyfriend’s impressions of America? There’s a lot to say. The major difference he’s noticed is that everything is bigger. I thought that was just an exaggeration that people threw around, but apparently it’s true. The cars, the sizes of food and drinks, the roads, the houses, the stores. There seem to be slightly different driving rules, apart from the obvious different side of the road; overtaking a car in the lane to your left is seen as legal here, yet it’s illegal in the UK. Tipping waitresses is expected of you here. And, most importantly: sushi is much cheaper.

I might manage another blog amid the chaos in the coming week. Until then… Happy Holidays!

Snow

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Last night was our first snowfall of the season. It’s continued today, just enough to make the roads slushy and dust the grass and rooftops with white. In the next couple days we might have a few more flurries, but not anything substantial. Nevertheless, it’s made me finally embrace the fact that winter is here.

I can never quite explain the excitement I feel when snow falls. It makes me want to go out and play in it, dance in it, touch it. It covers everything in a silent, sparkling white blanket. There’s something magical about it, something more than just white and cold. I know its distinct smell, how it feels to step in an unbroken patch, the crunching sound it makes. There’s something mesmerizing about how it falls from the sky.

It’s also a sign that the holidays are near. Time with family and friends, time for warm kitchens, full bellies, trees bedecked with twinkling lights. Coming in from the cold outside, taking off heavy layers, and enjoying a hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate. The excitement of opening a colorfully wrapped present or thoughtfully chosen and sealed card–or watching someone open something you’ve chosen for them. Even as the years pass and fewer presents under the tree have our name, we remember what it’s like as a child. It becomes equally as exciting to watch the younger generation open their presents. I think snow stirs these memories. Even if I have to wait a few weeks for these things, the anticipation makes the happiness stick with me.

So if you see me watching snow fall with a grin, this is likely what I’m thinking about.

Holiday Plans

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The end of my work this term is in sight. I’ve only got one more report to write, due Thursday, and a few odds and ends to finish. Stress has been intense this term, and I’m not one to easily shrug it off. I still managed to have a good 21st birthday celebration last week, in the middle of everything (I won’t really feel older until I got to America and realize I can go into–and drink in–bars). I’ve been eagerly awaiting Christmas break this term, as I have a lot to look forward to. It’s finally (almost) here.

After I hand in my last assignment, I’ll buy and play Skyrim, which I mentioned in my last post. I’ll be reading The Wise Man’s Fear and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest. I’ll also be working on my writing a little; I’ve been thinking about moving all of my novel editing to my computer (which involves copying all my already written edits), so I don’t have to carry around the entire printed version. It was a nice idea while it lasted.

And, in two weeks, I’ll be going to Seattle for three weeks with my boyfriend. It’ll be great fun to be a tourist again, and show him America for the first time. I’ll probably end up posting about our adventures in the next month or two. I’m looking forward to baking cookies, going shopping, being with family… of course, working on my yearlong Computing Science project at the same time, and studying a little, but at least it’ll be more leisurely.

I’m enjoying the cold blustery weather as winter sets in, and I’m still waiting for snow! Perhaps it’s almost time for another blog background change, to suit the season change…

November Thoughts

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A chill has settled in the air. It’s not quite winter here in Scotland, but it’s certainly getting closer. After the time change recently, it’s dark by the time I walk home at night. I haven’t yet broken out my pea coat. Once it’s predicted to be very cold for a few consecutive days, I’ll consider it.

It’s also November. To me, that means NaNoWriMo (which I am honestly way too busy to participate in this year if I want to stay sane… maybe next year), Thanksgiving, my birthday, and impatiently waiting for the first snowfall. This year my birthday is on the same day as Thanksgiving, but since I’m in the UK I won’t get the day off. I have two projects due the day after. I hope to get work done beforehand, so I can be free to have fun on my birthday. My 21st is one I should make sure and celebrate! Despite already being able to drink in the UK.

Today’s date is 11/11/11. Yes, even in Britain. To Americans, this is Veteran’s Day. I have a few issues with how some people honor Veteran’s Day, and I could probably dedicate an entire post to it, but I’ll leave it at this: I’m sure many of them are honorable people, but I personally don’t understand why anyone in their right mind would join the military. It’s also depressing what happens to these people when they come back from tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. I’d prefer if we focused on keeping people from going to war rather than honoring people who have been to war.

However, today isn’t just Veteran’s Day. To the UK, it’s Remembrance Day, which honors the end of WWI. In Korea, it’s Pepero Day, similar to Valentine’s Day, when people give their friends and significant others Pepero, a treat similar to the Japanese snack Pocky. To gamers, it’s the launch day of Skyrim, the sequel to the massively successful game Oblivion. And to some, it’s just a lucky day. Something about a date with the same 6 digits that won’t come around for another thousand years just seems like a reason to celebrate.

So go grab a hot chocolate, a mug of coffee, a bottle of Magners, or whatever makes you happy, and await the snow with me.