So Many Books, So Little Time

You can't get a cup of tea big enough, or a book long enough to suit me.
~C.S. Lewis

I took a trip to the library tonight (a little monsoon-esque weather didn't thwart me, no siree!).  I haven't finished the last two books I started (I do intend to), but that didn't prevent me from getting a few more.  Is it just me, or are libraries just about the best things this side of heaven?  Books fill me with awe-- do you remember that scene in Beauty in the Beast when Belle goes to the bookseller?

Belle: Good morning.  I've come to return the book I borrowed. 

Man: Finished already?  

Belle: Oh, I couldn't put it down.  Have ya got anything new? 

Man: (chuckle) Not since yesterday! 

Belle: That's alright.  I'll borrow... this one. 

Man: That one?  But you've read it twice! 

Belle: Well, it's my favorite: far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise! 

Man: If you like it all that much, it's yours! 

Belle: But sir?!? 

Man: I insist! 

Belle: Well, thank you, thank you very much!

Yep, that's how I feel about books too! (Oh, side note: I went to the movies last night and couldn't help noticing that Beauty and the Beast is coming out again in theaters in 3D on January 13th.  Yay!)


I haven't done this in a while, but here are a few of the books that I picked up tonight (in no particular order):

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I'm definitely NOT pregnant, but this book was on display and caught my eye.  It talks about different factors that influence pregnancies and babies.  Interesting, right?  Also, my bff, Corrie, had her baby not too long ago, and I'm the proud Godmother, so anything about babies interests me at the moment.  (I also have a slew of friends at the moment who have babies or are expecting-- it's just that time in life, I guess.)

WHY I PICKED IT UP: Selected by Caroline Kennedy, it's a collection of poems that cover all aspects of womanhood.  I have a friend who emails out a poem a day with his insightful commentary following.  It's making me appreciate poetry in a whole new way.  While flipping through the book, my eyes fell upon these intro lines to a poem:

oh this man
what a meal he made of me
how he chewed and gobbled and sucked

in the end he spat me all out

I was hooked, and the book came home with me.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I'm intrigued by the idea of choosing to be happy.  I desire to be a person who is satisfied with my life.  The author spends one year setting goals for herself and making every effort to find happiness in the life she has.  I'm going to follow along on her adventure and see if it holds any secrets for me.

WHY I PICKED 'EM UP: I'm a sewer-- a skill I use primarily in making clothes for myself.  I want to learn how to embroider, or more particularly, to do beadwork embroidery.  I love clothes from the 1920s, and I can't help but notice that beading seems to be a hallmark of that time period.  I'd like to work some beading into my designs if I can manage to get the hang of it.


What about you?  What are you reading these days?

Recommended Reading

I have been considering what I should read next. My reading of late has mostly centered around grammar books (Clean, Well-lighted Sentences and Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences), which I highly recommend, however, I have been feeling in the mood for something more... fictional. Or, at the very least, a good history that is so entertaining that it reads like fiction.


Enter my friends. The American tv show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? has entered the phrase "poll the audience" into our collective vernacular, and that is exactly what I did. Here, then, are the suggestions that I received from my literary-minded friends on Facebook:

1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt, recommended by both Christina and Jeffrey
2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luiz Safon, recommended by Leslie
3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, recommended by Krishan
4. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, recommended by Christine
5. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, recommended by Leif
6. Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose, recommended by Michelle
7. River Rising by Athol Dickson, recommended by Mrs. Larsen
8. East of Eden by John Steinbeck, recommended by Mike
9. Cutting for Stone by Anthony Verghese, recommended by Amy
10. Juliette, a Novel by Anne Fortier, recommended by Katie
11. Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov, recommended by Adty
12. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar, recommended by Rachel

Thanks for the suggestions, dear friends!  This should keep me busy for a while.  What about you, friends in the blogsosphere?  Have you read any of these books?  What did you think? Have you read any good books lately?


XOXO,