Homework at the End

Well, lookie here. Back to this again, are we? I simply must come up with something new to talk about aside from these pictures. I have in my head a great deal of things to say about showering by myself. Or the lack of solo showering that I am allowed. It's swirling around in my brain, maybe 1/3 written. I'll get to that another day.....this is easier.

Tasha wanted to see unusual books I have. Well, if you know me at all you won't be surprised what I found looking in just one bookcase. I'm sure if I really made a valiant effort I could come up with more, but this was just too easy:



Laura B. asked to see the pile of books in my To Be Read pile, the short version of which happens to reside on my nightstand. There is a secondary pile that accumulates in the study and phases in as I finish books up. I like to have options when I lie down to read at night. I have never in my life read one book at a time because I'm always in the mood for something different. I bring you my bedside pile of "Reading Currently":

Well, was reading currently when I took this picture last week. From the bottom up, The Purpose Driven Life....my Sunday School class in Texas read this probably five years ago, and I remember liking it, so I am giving it a whirl again. It's not going to get read in the 40 days it's supposed to, but I figure it's my second time reading it. It's like auditing a class or something, right? Then, the non-fiction, textbook-style Exploring Harry Potter. It was written after the fourth book came out, so it's a little weird to read the predictions of "what's coming next!" when I know what happened. Good for some non-fiction if I want to pretend I'm scholarly and wise. I am sure to nod gravely at the predictions that are correct. 

Next up, Anne of Green Gables. I could read this book a thousand times. From the looks of it, I probably have read that book a thousand times. That copy  has been around since the 5th grade. I have another, newer copy, but I'm kind of attached to the old broken in one. It's sort of my comfort book. I like to retreat to the world of Diana and Gilbert and follow Anne around in my head.

Okay, the next one is pretty lame. It's called Queen of Babble, and you might note that in my sidebar I have listed two other books from the same series. The other two I listened to in the car, and I have to say, these books are much better to listen to than they are to read. When I read the book, it makes me feel like my IQ is dropping. That's not a very hearty recommendation, is it?

Tina Fey's Bossypants is my next one. I'm supposed to have it finished for my book club meeting this Friday, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. I was looking forward to reading it, but it's not nearly as funny as I thought it would be. It's entertaining, but it's not the book I've been picking at night. I suspect it would be better as an audiobook read by Tina Fey. But, it's cute. I'm sure I'll finish it at some point.

The top two I have just finished, and I liked both of them a lot. A Soft Place to Land is the second book I've read by this author this month; the first was called Bound South. I saw Bound South reviewed in a magazine and wasn't disappointed, so I went for the second one. My only complaint was that Meredith College (my school) was mentioned in both books in reference to the sororities that women joined there. Except there are no sororities at Meredith and thus, I was annoyed greatly enough to debate emailing the author to gripe. I decided against it since I enjoyed the books. The other one up there, The Dry Grass of August, I also picked up from a magazine reference listed as a book one might like if one liked The Help. Which I did. A lot. It was good as well....same time period, same civil rights issues, more serious than The Help, I thought. Less light. But a good read!

I feel like I've just done a book report. Or seven. Since I finished those other two books, I have since added in one called A Watery Part of the World, another magazine recommendation. Since I obviously thrive on recommendations, your contribution to this fine book report can be to leave me one or two of your recent reads that I might like. Go!