Tuesday, October 27, 2009

An update

So, I gave in and bought "Catching Fire", the second book in "The Hunger Games" trilogy. And I put aside "The Art of Racing in the Rain" to read it...in less than 24 hours. It was fantastic. I can't believe the third book in the series isn't even published yet.

(Sometimes, wouldn't you rather wait until the whole series has been written before reading it? That's how I felt with Harry Potter. I think I started it when there were four or five books out. It was so hard to wait on those last few. I can't imagine if I had started when everyone else did!)

Then, when I returned home from a fun weekend in Kansas City, "The Broken Teaglass" was waiting for me in the mailbox. Since it's our book club selection for November, I figured it could jump in front of everything else that's waiting to be read. My noble reasoning for this is so that I can pass it on to other book club members. (The library has been a little slow getting their copies on the shelves).

It was a fun book and a quick read. If you like words/dictionaries, you should definitely check it out. It was interesting to learn how a dictionary is written.

So, now you would think I would be reading "The Art of Racing in the Rain" especially since it's a library book that must be returned. Alas, I have turned instead to "New Tricks" by Dave Rosenfelt. He writes these really funny, legal mysteries about an attorney named Andy Carpenter. The first one in the series is "Open and Shut". Check it out. His books make me laugh out loud.

My husband had started reading "New Tricks" which meant I was going to have to wait awhile, but when he got a new book this weekend, "Superfreakonomics", I stole "New Tricks" from him. I'll have it finished before he gets home from his work trip this week...he'll never know.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

An Interruption and an Addition

We will now interrupt regularly scheduled programming with this special announcement...
I am reading a book that is not on the list! After finishing "That Old Cape Magic" (so-so) and "The Hunger Games" (excellent), the next book in my pile from the library is "The Art of Racing in the Rain." However, if I had "Catching Fire" in my possession (the book that follows "The Hunger Games") I would be willing to abandon my list altogether in order to read it. Yes, I thought "The Hunger Games" was that good, although not for everyone.

The addition to my list..."The Broken Teaglass" is November's book club pick. The theme was "Mysteries, Old and New" and the choices ranged from Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie and Charles Dickens to Emily Arsenault and Terri Blackstock. I'm looking forward to this book. It's brand new and the story line sounds intriguing. Want to know what it's about? Check it out on Amazon or elsewhere. I don't like to give anything away or have anything given away to me (I don't even read inside the cover of the book.)

Happy reading!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

A Dilemma

I love being able to request books from the library and have them delivered to the branch I want whenever they become available. I spend far less money on books because of this wonderful invention. And, I am very rarely without a list of books that I am waiting for. (Of course, since moving back to Kansas, I've had to get used to waiting just a bit longer.)

Today, however, the book that is currently waiting for me at the downtown branch presents a dilemma of sorts. It is not on my Fall into Reading list! So, today I need to go pick up "The Art of Racing in the Rain", but should I read it? Should I add it to my already-too-long list? Should I read another off my list and then slip it in? I've heard it's a great book, and I only have it for 14 days.

All I know is that I have to pick it up...my library recently decided to start charging $1.00 per book for any unclaimed holds. Ouch.

Friday, October 9, 2009

The Land of Book Blogs

I wasn't going to do this. I already have a cooking blog that I rarely post on (but often think of recipes to add). But, the Fall Into Reading challenge hosted by Callapidder Days just keeps drawing me in. I didn't even know the number of book blogs that existed until I tried to find a good address for this one.

So, I'm going to put a reading list out for all to see. Here are the books in my "to be read" pile that I hope to make a dent in before December 20th. Check out the link above for the challenge details. It's simple! Also, I'll be adding my November and December book club picks when they are chosen.

In no particular order, here is my list:
Escape (for October book club) - finished 9/27
The Time Traveler's Wife - finished 10/9
The Hunger Games* - finished 10/20
A Thousand Splendid Suns - finished 12/8
3 Cups of Tea - finished 11/30
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
Boundaries
The Strong-Willed Wife
America, America
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Shanghai Girls - finished 12/4
New Tricks - finished 10/28
That Old Cape Magic - finished 10/19
The Emotionally Healthy Church
Still Life* - finished 11/1
The Forgotten Garden* - finished 10/14
The Broken Teaglass (Nov. book club pick) - finished 10/26
Water for Elephants (Dec. book club pick) - finished 12/10

*Added as a result of reading others' Fall Into Reading lists...it's a dangerous pasttime.