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New Blog Look. New Me.

Hi, everyone! Did you think I'd abandoned you? I promise I haven't! I had a very stressful and trying 2013 and didn't have much time to dedicate to blogging or videos much to my dismay. I'm currently working from home so I hope that changes now! I hope to have some YouTube filofax/planner/gillio videos up soon as well as maybe an office tour since several people have asked for that. I've got to clean it up first, though! :) I was also very surprised to be asked to review Carole Radziwill's (of Real Housewives of New York fame) book The Widow's Guide to Sex and Dating so I hope to have that done soon, too. But I just wanted to make sure you knew I hadn't abandoned blogging, so look for some new things coming soon!

Planner Fail & Filofaxes

So, believe it or not, I think I'm in PLANNER FAIL!!! GASP!!!  I know that several of my Filofax friends on Philofaxy and other places have experienced the same thing.  I started really thinking about the fact that I'm in planner fail yesterday after I filmed my Filofax Organization Tote video.  I have spent so much time buying stickers, tape, inserts, dividers, and other stuff, that I have actually neglected my Filofax and really have no idea what I'm really using it for.  I watch Filofax videos quite a bit, and I am always on Instagram and Flickr looking at everyone else's set up.  But I really don't give much thought to my own set up and how it should be so that it really works for me.  I looked at my calendar and found out that I don't really have a clue what I really want to use it for.  I write down random things that when I look back make no sense.  I desperately want to use my Filofaxes, which should be evident by the amount of them I own and keep buying...

So, I thought about a post on Imysworld that I read a while back about the Filofax Circle of Life.  I thought, well, that's a good place to start.  According to the ever-wise Imy, there are five stages to this circle of life:  (1) Baby Filofaxer, (2) Young Filofaxer, (3) Middle Age Filofaxer, (4) Mid-life Filofax Crisis, and (5) Mature Filofaxer.  So, I looked again at these stages to see where I stood in the Filofax Circle of Life.  I have decided that I am somewhere in a mix of Middle Age Filofaxer to Mid-life Filofax Crisis.  Why did I pick these?  Let me explain...

I genuinely LOVE Filofaxes, I really do.  Even with all the ring issues and other Filofax problems, I really do love the Filofax lines and the binders and accessories.  And I love to be organized, but it seems that recently I'm so disorganized I don't know what to do.  I've owned two (very expensive) Franklin Covey binders and several other cheaper binders in my time, and none really compare to the love I have for Filofaxes, but alas, I still can't seem to find my groove with them.  I enjoy blogging about them and making videos and such and I love having one with me all the time.  But I can't seem to find my true reason for using one.  I'm no longer in the administrative position I had at my job (really long story that I won't get in to) so I don't have appointments.  I never think to write down the fun things or not so fun things that happen in life randomly in my binder.  I keep buying journaling cards, sticky notes, washi tape, stickers, and the like to decorate and use in my binder, but I can't seem to find the perfect way to use them.  I also keep buying Filofaxes, and if you are a Filofaxer, you know this is not a cheap hobby.  I have over 20.  Yep, over 20 Filofaxes.  Do I use them all?  Nope.  But I have managed to sell a few, but that only funded other Filofax purchases.  So what's a girl to do?

I've decided that I'm going to sit for a few days and "research" exactly what I need a Filofax for.  Appointments? Family stuff? Journaling? What?  As I always do, I'll be present on YouTube, blogs, Philofaxy, Facebook, Flickr, etc. looking at everyone else's setups, uses, and Filofaxes, but I'm going to sort of sit and see...How do these folks use theirs and what do I really need mine for?  I'm hoping to also put a few ideas down on paper and brainstorm to see what I really need a Filofax for and what I like and don't like to use them for and what I like and don't like to keep inside mine.  I'm hoping I get a jolt of inspiration that leads me to a whole new way of Filofaxing, and if that happens, I'll definitely share here and on YouTube!  Thanks for listening and if any of you are in planner fail, I can totally sympathize!  Happy Filofaxing!

My Filofax Week #15

Hi, guys! I'm back finally!  It's been crazy with school, work, and home lately so I've not been able to update as often as I'd like.  I've missed lots of "My Filofax Week" posts, too!  Sorry about that!  But I'm trying to get back started again, so here's  my past week (Week 15) in my Filofax.

I've started trying to decorate more and I've also started using a new week on two pages layout.  I bought one of the Punctuate Barnes & Noble planners that everyone in the filofax community raves about, and I do think I like it.  I got the one with the purple inserts since I've been using purple planners lately.  I'm currently in my new Personal Purple Malden.  I didn't know how I'd like it at first, but she's starting to grow on me.   Look for a YouTube video on my new set up soon!  Anyway, here is my week at a glance for Week 15.  Enjoy!

My Filofax Week #3

Here is what my Week 3 of 2013 looks like currently.  I don't expect much change as it is Saturday and the week is over.  But at least this way you get to see my whole week filled out!  Enjoy!

[caption id="attachment_224" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Filofax Week 3[/caption]

My Filofax Week #1 & #2

I'm getting a late start on Paperlovestory's Filofax week blog posts, so I'm combining Week #1 & Week #2.  We are into week #3 already, but I'll be posting it probably Saturday as that's when I've got time next.  You can CLICK HERE for her first week (which is awesome, by the way!).  You can also still join in with this Filofaxish fun by CLICKING HERE.  Lots of us are joining in so you should, too!  If you want to check out some others who have joined, see the list here.

So why did I decided to join you ask?  I thought this would be a fun and interesting way to keep my blog updated weekly and let everyone see a bit into my personal life (but not too much, notice the smudged out parts.)  So, here are my first two weeks (as I said, I was behind), with a special glimpse at my monthly calendar, too!

[caption id="attachment_207" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Filofax-January 2013[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_208" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Filofax, Week #1[/caption]





[caption id="attachment_210" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Filofax, Week #2[/caption]





So, you probably noticed that I have LOTS of decorative tapes, stamps, etc. filling my filofax.  Why?  If I have a slower week (or I forget to write in my filofax *gasp*), I fill up the empty days with my stamps and washi tapes.  It gives me something pretty to look at and makes me happy, and there are days that's a very good thing, especially if I've had a particularly long or rough week at work.

So, I hope you've enjoyed my first (and second) My Filofax Week Posts!

An Update...Blog Changes

So, I've had this wonderful blog for a while now--since June 6, 2010 to be exact. I've blogged about books, techie stuff, bags, journals, and other things. I've had lots of readers and met lots of great authors through my blogging experience. In that time I also started another blog--Southern Belle, City Style--about fashion, makeup and such. I've enjoyed that one quite a lot, too. I've met great people and done great interviews!

But after thinking about it for a while, I've decided to make some changes to this blog. I've grown and changed as a person, and I have new interests (ever changing, probably). I wanted to leave Southern Belle, City Style alone as it deals with specifics, but I gave some thought to changing Coffee & Literature up a bit. So, let's explain...

I'm one of those crazy folks obsessed with filofaxes, stationery, and the like. I love reading about them and watching YouTube videos about them. So, after much thought, I decided I wanted to blog and maybe video about them, too. But I was in a bit of a situation...I didn't know if I wanted to create a whole new blog dealing with filofaxes, planning, and such or if I wanted to change Coffee & Literature. I'd already done blogs on here about things other than books so I thought, well, I've already got this blog going and pay for the domain name and hosting and such, why not use it?

So, that's what I've decided to do. To those who liked my book reviews, I'll still be doing those periodically, but with my promotion (I'm now an Academic Dean) and going back to grad school (again, for an Ed.S. this time), I don't get to read too much, but I'll still try to do some every once in a while so keep watching.

So, to sum it all up, I've decided to make Coffee & Literature more of a personal blog where I do all sorts of posts about mainly filofaxes, stationery, & books with a little personal stuff thrown in. To really make it "personal" I've taken off all monetizing things and such, and I've deleted the facebook page for the blog. So now, I think I'm ready to blog again. I'll forewarn you, though, that I'm still keeping the whole "new blog" idea in the back of my mind, but I'll let everyone know before I do.

Happy reading & planning!

Wow...it's been a while!

Wow. I didn't realize how long it had been since I made a post. Things have been a bit crazy at home and work. A big "I'm sorry" to my followers! I'll make this a short post so I can hopefully get to some reviews before bed. It's summer and this is the time I'm usually posting up a storm, but I've gotten promoted at work and I'm working on another degree so my time is, sadly, limited. I've been reading quite a bit, though, so I hope to get lots of reviews up when I have time. I'm hoping to get organized so I still have time for blogging since I love it so! Anyway, look for lots of reviews coming soon!

-Kristy

Armchair BEA

After this week, I'll be off for the summer and I'll finally get to some of the reading & blogging I've put off these last few months. So, how am I going to kick off my back-to-blogging summer?  With Armchair BEA! What is this I speak of you ask?  It is a virtual book blogging convention that follows Book Expo America & the Book Blogger Convention.  Obviously, since I won't be off work until the end of the week I can't attend the real convention in NYC, so this is perfect.

There is an official agenda for the virtual convention bloggers beginning on May 23 to May 27.  There will be daily themes, interviews with bloggers, giveaways, and more.  So if you're a book blogger, check it out!  Make sure to keep checking back on Coffee & Literature for updates and my contributions to the daily posts!

-Kristy

Monday Musings: NaNoWriMo is Finished & I won!

I can't believe it!  I actually was able to write a 50,000 word novel in less than 30 days!  I kicked NaNoWriMo's butt!  Ok, well not exactly since there were several days I didn't write anything, but I still persevered and made it through 30 days of crazy noveling.  My novel is still quite rough, but at least I now have something I can work with to make it better.  To give a short synopsis, my novel is about a girl who moves to a small Tennessee town and discovers she has a deep rooted connection to it.  It's sort of like The Crucible meets The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane meets Gallows Hill meets a typical ghost story.  People always say write what you know, and ever since I was little I was fascinated with the supernatural.  I was the one who was addicted to the R.L. Stine Fear Street series and the Christopher Pike books in junior high.  I loved anything about the Salem Witch Trials after reading The Crucible in high school.  I remember writing a short story in junior high and I wrote it about a lake where people were haunted and then died.  Morbid, I know.  But I promise I'm not a weird, recluse-type of person.  To look at me you would have zero inkling that I loved books, movies, and TV shows about the supernatural.  I would have liked to have written a chick-lit sort of book or a good funny romance, but honestly, I don't know how to write that stuff.  So, for National Novel Writing Month, I wrote what I knew--ghosts.  I think the book is a good read.  Once I get through editing over 50,000 words and 256 pages, I will probably be the typical first-time novelist who self-publishes it only to be struck down by the hardest critics, but hey, if one person enjoys my book, then I'll be happy.  I'll try to keep you updated on my editing of the novel, and if it ever does happen to be published you all will be some of the first to know.

Now, on to the business of books.  I can now start reading and reviewing again!  Yay!!! I'm about half way finished with On Writing by Stephen King, so that will probably be one of the first I review.  I've also got a few books by up and coming authors that I will be reviewing at their request.  One is Being Light by Helen Smith.   It looks to be a good book, and I'm anxious to get started on it.  So, be watching for new review posts and of course I'll get back with my reviews of other things as well as my "Whats in Your Bag?" posts that seem to be enjoyable.  So, I hope everyone has a good end of November, and I'll see you in December!

Happy Reading!

Monday Musings: Site & Blog Recommendations

I don't usually make posts recommending other sites, simply because I don't normally have a chance to browse often, but I wanted to give my readers a chance to see some of the sites or articles that have intrigued me since I've been blogging.

Top 5 Blogs That I Read Most Often:
1.  English Major's Junk Food.  Ash's great blog sort of inspired me to begin reviewing books, which was something that I'd wanted to do for a long time.  Her site is great, and she is very honest about her reviews, and they are quite enjoyable to read.  I highly recommend reading her blog!
2.  Book Chick City.  This is another great blog that has great book reviews and features such as "Where Stories are Made" and  "Cover Crush."  Carolyn (the blogger) has created an awesome site that Book Chicks like me can enjoy!
3.  Petit Fours and Hot Tamales.  This is actually a writers' blog that features a writer friend of mine.  They state it best when they say, "Our blog serves a selection of writing and reading styles to satisfy any palate, from sweet inspiration to hot and spicy and everything in between."  They have reads and reviews on their site.  I definitely recommend checking these ladies out!
4.  SuperWriterMom.  This is the blog of my writer friend.  She is a really great writer, and it is wonderfully entertaining to read about the antics that go on in her life with her two children.  You can also follow the progress of her writing, as well.
5.  Stephanie's Written Word.  Stephanie really does a great job with her blog.  She even hosts the "Everything Austen" challenges that have become popular among other book bloggers.  You can find anything from reviews to special guest posts on her site.


I also want to recommend an article that was brought to my attention that I think all my bookish readers will enjoy.  It is called "Famous Last Words:  50 All-Time Best Last Lines in Literature."  This article is great for those of us who love to quote from books and love to just know quotes from books.  Many authors choose to make either the very first or the very last line in a novel the most important.  After all, the thing that is remembered most often is either the first or last thing said or read.  How many of us remember the last line of the epic tale of war and romance, Gone With the Wind?  I bet you do..."After all, tomorrow is another day" is what is said by Scarlett as she realizes that she must fight to get Rhett back.  From the Bible to To Kill a Mockingbird, this article has something for every taste.  Go check it out!


On a side note, I've got several reviews that will be coming this week and next so keep a look-out!  Happy reading!

Monday (well, really Tuesday) Musings

Since I completely forgot to post in Monday Musings yesterday, I'll make a special "Tuesday Musings" post!  I've been trying my best to read more or at least keep reading since school has started back.  Currently, I'm reading five books:  Ariel by Sylvia Plath, Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, On Writing by Stephen King, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird in honor of Banned Books Week 2010, which actually ended on October 2.  But I knew when I began it that I wouldn't be able to finish it due to trying to work on school stuff, home stuff, etc.  That's ok though.  I'm still really enjoying reading it and On Writing.  Believe it or not, I have never read anything written by Stephen King.  Shocking, I know.  Although it was more shocking that I encountered someone today who had never heard of King's book Carrie or the movie based on it.   That and Dracula are the epitome of classic horror in my opinion.  Anyway, as I've been reading On Writing, I have found that Stephen King is an author that I have missed out on reading!  I thought to myself, "If I am enjoying reading a 'technical' book on writing by him, I know I would enjoy one of his actual novels or short stories."  So I will be adding Stephen King to my list of authors that I need to read.

As far as the other books are concerned, I'm really enjoying all of the books I'm currently reading.  Will I rate them all an "A"?  No, probably not, but I can see that I will be enjoying reviewing the current reads in my stack.  Hopefully I'll have a review ready soon!

New Posting Schedule!

So, after thinking and looking at other blogs, I've changed up my posting schedule a bit.

Here is the new schedule--

Sunday: Reviews

Monday: Monday Musings

Tuesday: Teaser Tuesdays

Wednesday: Poetry Café & What's in Your Bag?

Thursday: Booking Through Thursday

Friday: Reviews

Saturday: Short Story Saturdays

I really didn't change too much, but I think this will all work better with my schedule.  Happy reading!

Weekly Update

It has been a busy late summer/early fall for me so far.  That is mostly why I've slacked off on posting lately.  But, I'm hoping I've finally fallen back into a routine so I can read more, write more, & blog more.  I'm currently reading Ariel by Sylvia Plath & Emma by Jane Austen (nope, not done with it yet!).  I've got a couple more that I'm going to add to the 'currently-reading' group soon so maybe I'll be getting some more books under my belt.  For reviews tomorrow, look for my review of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.  This is one of those books I've had, sort-of read once, and finally read again.  My students and I have really enjoyed reading and discussing it together, so I hope you will enjoy my review tomorrow.  I'm also going to be looking at my current schedule of posting and see if I can do some revising to topics, days, etc.  I've just been doing lots of thinking about what my purpose is in writing this blog, so I think you'll like what I'm looking at switching around.  You'll have to wait and see on that. I'm hoping to finish Ariel by Wednesday so I can do the poetry café on the entire book instead of one poem.  We'll see.  I am hoping my new thoughts of how I want to do this blog will be beneficial to my schedule and my readers' schedules so that you'll get more out of what I'm writing.  So, look for some changes and some reviews coming this week.  Happy reading!

Weekly Update

Hello, faithful readers and book lovers!  Many, many things are going on with me this week.  I will be reviewing Lord of the Flies by William Golding today, and I hope to also get reviews on either today or tomorrow for The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath & The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  These are some great classics that I am teaching and discussing with my students, who appear to like them for the most part.  Either that or they want to make sure they get a good grade!  :)  Also this week, I will be doing the Wednesday Poetry Café over Sylvia Plath's book Ariel if I can get it completely read by then.  Bronte's Wuthering Heights and the ever present Emma by Jane Austen will also be coming up soon.  I've currently got a HUGE stack of books to read, including some review copies by new authors that I am really looking forward to reading.  Also still on the waiting list is the coming eReader review once I decide what I'm going to buy as far as eReaders are concerned.  I'm holding out for the Nook 2, and I'm hoping it will be released before Christmas.  So, I hope you are looking forward to the coming reviews.

Also, the infamous Banned Books Week will be September 25 to October 2, and I do plan on reading several of the "banned books" that have been challenged over the years.  Most of these books are wonderful old and new classics and in my opinion, have not been treated with the respect that literature deserves.  If you are curious, The Scarlet Letter that I will be reviewing later this week is considered a "banned book" and has been since its first publication.  Lord of the Flies has also had its share of challenges.  It is sad to me that so many great books are being taken out of our schools for one reason or another yet the students are still expected to know something about them when they get to college, which is why I still choose to teach most of them.  You'll be hearing more about Banned Books Week later!  Have a great week!

Weekly Update

Time for another weekly update!  Reading has taken a back burner for the past couple of weeks due to trying to get ready for school to start.  Hopefully when school starts I will be able to review the different books that I will be having my students read.  Most of them will be classics, but there may be a few "modern classics" thrown in there, too.  Of course, I'll still be working on my Jane Austen challenge throughout the rest of the year, as well.

Sorry for the short post, but I'm going to try to get some reading done before bed! Have a great week, everyone!

Weekly Update

I haven't had a chance to do much reading this week with getting ready for school to start back and taking a mini vacation this past weekend, but I've got several books lined up to review, so I'll be back to writing more this week.  I am going to possibly continue reviewing other things that might appeal to bookish people like me, also.  The reviews on the Roots Small School Bag and Roots Hobo Bag seem to have been popular, so every once in a while I'll try to throw in a few "different" reviews.  Hopefully my "What's in Your Bag?" posts will catch on as well.  That seems to be popular on other blogs, sites, etc. and by using what you are reading in the photo, I hope it will become popular among us reader types.  Stay tuned this week for some changes to the look of my blog, as well.  I've been playing around with Blogger's new template designer and other blog designs to make my blog look a little better, so don't worry if it doesn't look like "normal" when you drop in.  I've been doing lots of thinking lately and I hope that everyone who reads this blog enjoys it as much as I enjoy writing it.  It's a great stress reliever for me to be able to do this, so although I'm still in the starting stages and I haven't written as much as I'd like, I hope you keep reading!

Weekly Update

This will be a boring Weekly Update, but an update nonetheless.  I should finish Emma this week.  I've taken some time to read a bit in other books at the same time since I need the practice for the fall when I'll be teaching 4 different English classes and we'll be reading 4 different books at the same time.  It worked when I was reading Vexation, so hopefully it will work this week!

As far as other posts this week:
Monday:  Hopefully a review will be posted; if not, I'll try to surprise you!
Tuesday: Teaser Tuesdays (This week's will be from another short story.)
Wednesday: Wednesday Poetry Café (You'll get to see and discuss one of my late relative's poems from her book, Gather the Moon Mist.)
Thursday:  Thursday Teacher's Thoughts
Friday:  Review (Hopefully Emma!)
Saturday:  Short Story Saturday (the short story this week will come from my reading of one in a past issue of The New Yorker magazine.)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Blogging Schedule Update

After browsing around other book blogs and seeing what they use for daily posts, updates, etc.  I've decided to change my blogging schedule a bit.  I wanted to put a bit more of "myself" into my blog along with the reviews & other book bloggers' memes that I post.  With this new schedule, I'll be able to offer a bit more insight into book reviews, short stories, poetry, and yes, myself.  So, here is my new blog schedule:

Sunday: Weekly Updates

Monday: Reviews

Tuesday: Teaser Tuesdays

Wednesday: Wednesday Poetry Café

Thursday: Thursday Teacher's Thoughts

Friday: Reviews

Saturday: Short Story Saturdays


I thought it made more sense to to updates on Sunday so that I can discuss both the past and upcoming week.  Monday makes more sense for reviewing based on my schedule.  I'll still be doing Teaser Tuesdays, which is quite fun.  The Wednesday Poetry Café is something new where I'll be posting poems for discussion.  Thursday Teacher's Thoughts  will really come more into play in the fall when school starts back again. Here I'll have some thoughts about teaching, literature my classes are reading, etc.  Hopefully you'll enjoy that.  Friday will still be reviews, and Saturday will still be Short Story Saturdays.  I may end up making the Poetry Café and Short Story Saturday a sort of meme similar to Teaser Tuesdays, but I'm really undecided at the moment.  Stay tuned to see what comes of the new schedule!

Weekly Update

Can you believe I'm still not finished with Emma?  Yep, that's right.  I have no clue why I can't sit and read this particular book.  I am hoping to be able to finish it this week.  I'm usually a much faster reader than this!  I'm hoping to be able to stick with my daily posts & blogging schedule that I've created, but if I don't you'll see posts eventually!  :)

On another note, I don't think I've mentioned this before but I'm in the process of writing a book.  It is something I have always wanted to do but have never gotten around to it.  What is it going to be about, you ask?  I've yet to figure that out, to be honest with you.  Right now I'm leaning towards a fiction novel set in the present day.  Setting and plot are slowly developing, but I'm going to wait on revealing that.  :)

So, I know that is a short update, but hopefully, I'll have more to discuss with you later this week if I can finish reading Emma!