Dusty Shelf

So this is an idea I snagged from the online version of Library Journal. One Thursday a month I will dust off an older book that I have read and give it its day in the sun. This month's books is Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns.

Here is the description of the book from amazon.com:
"On July 5, 1906, scandal breaks in the small town of Cold Sassy, Georgia, when the proprietor of the general store, E. Rucker Blakeslee, elopes with Miss Love Simpson. He is barely three weeks a widower, and she is only half his age and a Yankee to boot. As their marriage inspires a whirlwind of local gossip, fourteen-year-old Will Tweedy suddenly finds himself eyewitness to a family scandal, and that’s where his adventures begin."

I first read this book in the ninth grade and absolutely loved it. I re-read this book in eleventh grade and I liked it just as much, if not more, the second time around. So many authors who write Southern fiction tend to make their characters so off the wall or eccentric that they go beyond being colorful and into the realm of completely unbelievable. Frequently I want to ask them 1) if they realize that they have reinforced a lot of the stereotypes about the South, and 2) who they knew in real life who came anywhere close to the characters they've written about. This is not the case with Cold Sassy Tree. While the characters in this book are certainly unique and the events are mostly humorous, you never get the feeling that the author is trying to make fun of them. Or that she was trying to win first place in "craziest Southern family" contest. This is an easy read, but with more substance to it than what would be classified as a "beach read." Highly enjoyable.

If you are looking for a pleasant, fun read, I highly recommend Cold Sassy Tree.

w.w.w. Wednesdays

One thing about reading these other book blogs is that I can steal all sorts of fun ideas. I have no problem in admitting that I am enhancing my own creativity with inspiration from others. Why try to reinvent the wheel? Anyway, here is the first one. I took it from Should Be Reading

What did you just finish reading?
What are you currently reading?
What do you think you will read next?

I just finished reading The Dead Travel Fast by Deanna Raybourn.
I am currently reading The Lost City of Z by David Grann. This is for book club and I really like it, although I do get a sense of dread and claustrophobia during the descriptions of the perils of the Amazon rain forest.
I will finish reading Educating Alice by Alice Steinbach once I am done with Lost City of Z as it was usurped by the book club book.

I used to think I was a serious book nerd

now, I'm not so sure. You see, while I still love to read, and certainly read more per year than the average person, I have run across some great book blogs by women who put my reading tally to shame. Two of them do a Sunday round up each week and recap all they have read that week. One of them missed a Sunday so she had two weeks worth today. Seven books which for her is super, super low.
I realize that I shouldn't compare myself to these lovely literary ladies, but I can't help it. On the one hand, they inspired me to start blogging again and reading more, but sadly I haven't been able to keep up with the second part of that inspiration. I fully understand that all our lives are very different and I'm doing and/or experiencing things that they aren't. But still. My reading tally for the whole year is woeful compared to theirs. Poo.
They also seem to have access to this reading fanatic community where they participate in all sorts of day to day reading challenges and two 24 hour read-a-thons. Mon dieu. I am simultaneously filled with a mixture of envy and wistfulness as well as a huge sense of relief that I am not consumed by any one passion to that extreme. I would share the links to their blogs but don't want anyone else to feel they are as an inadequate reader as yours truly.

So now I have a thing for paper flowers

Yesterday I watched a mind blowing documentary called Between the Folds, and it was all about origami. Not your little kid variety, but mind-blowing, super complicated and realistic origami. Of faces, and dragons, and animals of all kinds. I said "holy crap!" and many similar variants repeatedly while watching. Mind-blowing I tell you.

This particular documentary is one I purchased for work and I really can't sing the praises of PBS enough. They have all kinds of cool and amazing works that certainly never aired on my local PBS stations. But they have them. And what's more, we have them at work. Hooray!

If you get the chance to watch it, please do. Of course, you may start wishing to make origami flowers for people to wear like yours truly. If you can't, at least check out the website for my favorite of the artists that were featured.
http://www.ericjoisel.com/home.html Mind blowing!

Is 100 books possible?

A few months ago I decide to really challenge myself and try and focus my reading list into some sort of order by doing the 10-10-10 reading challenge. The point of it is to read 10 books in 10 different categories in the year 2010. (Well, actually, the real version of it is by October 10, 2010 but there is no way that is going to happen.)

I picked my categories out and wanted to read one book from each category before writing about it. That so did not happen. I discovered that one of the reasons I hadn't read so many "classics" is that frankly the majority don't appeal to me. Scandalous I know for a librarian to say something like that. But it is true. So I changed one of my categories thinking that would help, but it really hasn't. In a bit of a panic I allowed myself to count the books I had read prior to deciding to undertake the challenge in an attempt to bolster my confidence. After all, I had read a fair number of books before deciding to try for 100 books in a year and by golly they should count. However, I'm still only at 13. That's right, four months into the year, when I should have read close to 25 books, I am at 13. Ahem.

The reasons behind this sluggish pace are multiple. I have rediscovered other hobbies that take up some of my reading time. I have just gotten engaged and am planning a wedding. I work full time and do try and clean my house (no matter what my parents say on that subject). And finally, I've never been good at forced reading. I really do try and adhere to the rule that if, after 50 pages, the book hasn't grabbed me, I stop. It is possible that I miss out on some ultimately good books, but I'm okay with that. Unfortunately, my stubborn streak comes into play more than I would like. Despite the fact that I picked out the books myself I seem to have developed this attitude that "oh, I'm supposed to read these books" and therefore, I am disinclined to read the. Le sigh. I face a similar problem with diet. If I tell myself I am going to improve my eating habits so that I will look and feel good on my wedding I immediately want pizza and fried chicken. Does anyone else struggle with this sort of contrariness? If so, please send along any advice you've found works for you.

Musing about authors

I find that it is very difficult when you have fallen in love with a particular set of works by an author (typically a series) to branch out to their other works. You run the problem of the other books either being derivative (such as Metro Girl by Janet Evanovich), or being radically different from what you fell in love with (such as anything by Rita Mae Brown that was not co-authored by Sneaky Pie Brown). I can only think of one adult author who have found this type of transition with, and that is Christopher Moore. (Children's authors are another matter, there are a loads of them where I managed this such as Elizabeth Enright, Beverly Cleary, and Richard Peck just to name a few).
I bring this up because I just read Deanna Raybourn's latest book The Dead Travel Fast, and while I liked it, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoy her Lady Julia Grey series. This really surprised me since I love Ms. Raybourn's blog which covers a huge range of topics. However, I think it is more that I don't truly enjoy Gothic novels. I like elements of them, but generally find that even the best ones tend to be over the top and many of the characters a tad absurd.
That being said, I did enjoy TDTF. I read it in one day and was left with the simultaneous reaction of "what?!!! and "but of course!!!" This reaction is the hallmark of a good mystery novel to me and she really hit the mark. However, I don't think I can give it a complete and caveat free endorsement. If you aren't a big fan of Gothic novels you might want to look elsewhere. Other than that, but especially if you LOVE Gothic novels, give it a whirl.

Mixed Media Round Up

Here are some of the things I have been enjoying lately.

A Century of Quilts is a dvd of a PBS broadcast that profiled quilts and quilt makers featured in a quilt show of the 100 best quilts of the century. It doesn't sound terribly exciting, but the work is absolutely incredible. If you enjoy art and aren't a snob about your definition of art it is well worth watching. You will be amazed by what was accomplished with cloth and thread.

Offbeat Brideis a blog that was started years ago to advertise a book by the same name. It has evolved into something much more than that though, creating a space for individuals who, for whatever reason, don't adhere to traditional expectations. It is such a positive site and Ariel, the woman who runs it, gives absolutely fabulous advice on so many things. I love, love, love Offbeat Bride. Certainly not everything featured on their site is up my alley, but the levels and varieties of creativity that are featured will blow you away. It never ceases to amaze me how many different ways people have come up with to celebrate their unions. Obviously it will be of greatest interest to those folks who are getting married and want to do something out of the ordinary, but it is a pleasant diversion for anyone who enjoys creative displays and love stories. And if shows like Platinum Weddings and Bridezillas turn your stomach like they do mine then Off Beat Bride will provide a much needed balm.

Life in Cartoon Motion by Mika. I had thought I had lost this CD and recently found it in a basket full of cards. Just really fun music.