she ruined me!

After gulping down Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, I tried (oh, how I tried) to start a new book (well, several of them, actually) but nothing grabbed my interest. I started The memoirs of Mary Queen of Scots by Carolly Erickson and thought, ho hum, another book about the Elizabethan era...(You know how addicted I am to anything about Henry/Elizabeth and their historical cohorts so not reading a book about that time period is not typical behavior.). Then I tried Once on a moonless night by Dai Sijie who wrote the fabulous Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress but after 4 days of reading less than 30 pages (word of advice: don't start a book with an incredibly long "lecture" about history--more action is required to pique the reader's interest) I gave up. What was I going to read?

I really truly enjoyed An uncommon reader, a novella by playwright Alan Bennett but it is short, short, short and it was my bedside book. In it, Queen Elizabeth stumbles upon a mobile library (bookmobile in America) parked near Buckingham Palace. Because she doesn't want to appear uninterested, she checks out a book and reads it. Not the best book, but somewhat enjoyable nonetheless. Better than checking out a book, she meets Norman in the mobile library--a kitchenworker and devoted reader who takes her under his literary wing. He introduces her to new writers and old writers and is such an inspiration she hires him on as an assistant. Needless to say, her newfound love of reading puts a kink in the everyday running of the palace. The queen starts wearing outfits more than once to public appearances, she runs late after years of complete punctuality and, horrors, she starts asking her subjects what they read! (Harry Potter is not a good answer because the queen does not enjoy fantasy. Harumph.)

I was getting desparate--what was I going to read?

A couple weeks ago, I was listening to NPR in my car, an interview with author Michael Rubens about his novel The sheriff of Yrnameer. Bingo! The book for me. It is science fiction, set in a universe following the destruction of Earth. Planets, satellites, space stations are all sponsored by companies, various and sundry. The lone exception is Yrnameer (or Your Name Here) which has managed to escape the notice of corporate sponsors. It is wickedly funny, full of unexpected characters (many of them alien or stranger in nature) and wildly occurring plot twists. Lots of fun--especially since it is way off the beaten track of my reading choices.

My new bedside book is Going bovine by Libba Bray, author of the Gemma Doyle series about the Spence Academy. I loved those books. Well, I'm in for a completely different reading experience with the new book! The first clue: the cover picture of a cow with a yard gnome under her arm! I read the acknowledgements at the beginning of the book and was out and out guffawing! Laughter was definitely not part of the books about Gemma. I've only read a few pages and cannot wait to crawl into my warm and cozy bed tonight to read a few (hopefully a greater number) more!

I didn't see that one coming!

I've been up to my earlobes in Harry Potter and the world at Hogwarts, enjoying the books back to back--great fun since I actually remember the little details and how things tie together. I've started the last book and know I will soon be going through Harry Potter mourning again soon. Sigh.

My carry-around books have been fun but nothing spectacular (why you haven't heard from me in such a long time). But, last week, the long-awaited sequel to The Hunger Games arrived on my desk. Wahoo! I quickly finished the book I was reading and, during my lunch hour on Saturday, dove into the book.

Catching fire by Suzanne Collins follows Katniss Everdeen through the victory tour after the Hunger Games. She and Peeta travel throughout Panem, seeing many things that the Capitol wishes they hadn't seen. That is as far as I'm going with the story because there are so many twists, turns and unexpected happenings that really need to be a surprise to be enjoyed. I have been surprised again and again and again and I'm loving it! I have 120 pages left and gulping down the rest of this wonderful book is my only plan for the evening.

the best part

Today is my last day at work before 11 glorious days of vacation. I'm driving (now that I have a new and reliable car--the fair Minerva) up to Duluth for a few days to rest, read and watch the waves on Lake Superior roll by. I haven't even thought of the clothes I'm going to pack but I have picked out my books! I'm taking a little cozy romance by Eva Ibbotson (purchased in London in 2000 and still unread!), Adam of the Road (a long-ago Newbery winner) and E.L. Konigsburg's The second Mrs. Gioconda (guess what that one is about...). I'm taking a bright and cheerful picnic basket (good old Target comes through again) full of books, magazines and crossword puzzles. Also, the long unfinished counted cross-stitch of the New York skyline which will include the World Trade Center because it still existed when the kit was new oh so many years ago. I'll think about what else I need when I am packing on Sunday night.

I'm so excited!!!!

The "Lucky U" copy of Philippa Gregory's The White Queen arrived at the library today and it is going home with me tonight! In spite of my obsessive checking for new titles by my favorite authors, this one slipped under my radar and I ended up #72 on the hold list. Pout, pout. But now it is in my hot little hands and will be read as soon as I get my comfortable clothes on when I get home! Yippee skippy!

I can't wait to go to bed with my book

Because there are no more books to come, I've spent the summer rereading Harry Potter. I'm just starting to read about the third task in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I've enjoyed all of the books immensely though I must admit the first two seem pretty slim and unremarkable compared to the later books--what was all of the fuss about? It is such fun to read them back to back, while my memory is still fresh. Knowing how the series ends, I can now see clues in the earlier books. J.K. Rowling really did do something amazing with these books.

Last night, I read about the madness of Bartimeus Crouch, something I had completely forgotten. The movie changed that part of the story substantially and it, unfortunately, had a bigger part of my remembrances than the book which was first read oh so long ago. I also glorified Snape in my mind because he is played by the glorious Alan Rickman whose snear is so endearing (and attractive). And Dumbledore is ditzier, more like Michael Gambon's portrayal than the grave and ancient Dumbledore of Richard Harris (remember, I've had a crush on him since I was 12 years old).

All in all, a delightful reading experience.

after a long wait, a wonderful book

A friend at church recommended that I read "The latehomecomer: a Hmong family memoir" by Kao Kalia Yang, a Minnesota Book Award winner which she had really enjoyed reading. I requested the book once I got back to the library and, after a long, long wait, I finally got the book last week. I had to finish "Backstage with Julia: my years with Julia Child" by Nancy Verde Barr (I was doing my background reading before seeing the movie with the glorious Meryl Streep) so I finally got to start it over the weekend.

I was a little unsure if I would like it after reading the prologue (I was very put off by the writing style used), but once I started the actual story, I was hooked. Ms. Yang's parents were born in Laos and were newly married when the Laotian government decided to kill all of the Hmong people. They lived in the jungle with her father's family, running from the soldiers, constantly hungry and fearing for their lives. Under gunfire, the family, excluding one uncle and his family, escaped to Thailand and a U.N.-operated refuge camp. The story continues through their stay in the camp and their move to the United States.

Ms. Yang's writing is beautiful--I feel like I am there, a part of the story. Again, I am so grateful for my life of ease and plenty. I am also thankful that Ms. Yang has chosen to share her story for it is definitely worth reading.

huge crush (I mean HUGE)

I love cooking programs. If I had cable TV, I'd be nose to the screen with Food-TV all day long. Mercifully, TPT has a station that show cooking programs every evening from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. I allow myself complete slugdom on Tuesday evening and watch all of the programs. Heaven. My absolute favorite is the glorious Jacques Pepin. I wouldn't eat anything he prepares (when you look up "fussy eater," it says Carol the Reader) but I love to watch him cook, look at him and listen to that lovely French accent. Sigh....

I have now read several chapters of Katherine Darling's Under the table: saucy tales from culinary school, Ms. Darling's memoir/expose/whine about attending Jacques Pepin's French Culinary Institute in New York City. I am living her adventures from the comfort of my newly-mattressed bed (I feel like I'm staying in a hotel since the bed just doesn't feel like it's mine yet), happy to not be swathed in a polyester uniform (you know, the checked pants, long-sleeved and high-collared jacket and the neckerchief) in an un-air-conditioned kitchen. I've read about poaching eggs, making omelets and all things egg--each student is given 3 dozen eggs at the beginning of the session and must produce a perfect example of each cooked form of egg (imperfect samples are gulped down before the teacher notices and comments on the failure). I would imagine that learning to perfect a recipe would put you off eating it for a long, long time.

So far, she hasn't said anything to burst my bubble about Monsieur Pepin--heaven help her if she does!

(This weekend (I was under the weather so reading was the perfect activity) was a bonanza of wonderful reading: I finished The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, the companion book to Shadow of the Wind which is one of my all-time favorites. A fabulous read. I'm also well along in Home Safe written by Elizabeth Berg, my favorite grown-up author. She hooks me from the first word and I love and care for her characters and her words--there are always little phrases to savor and remember. Plus I read an entire issue of Vanity Fair magazine!)