The Book Project is Over But You Can Still Find Me Elsewhere

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I write about canning and preserving at Food in Jars.

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March/April Books

The last two months have not been the most prolific reading times of my life.  I’ve barely squeaked in six books in the last two months, and two of them were for school.  Here’s hoping that the summer is a little kinder.

February books

January 2007

 

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
The Shawl by Cynthia Ozick*
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway*
The Sexual Life of Catherine M. by Catherine Millet
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
The Economics of Attention by Richard A. Lanham*

Books read for school are marked with an asterisk.

Final Four

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

Blessed are the Cheesemakers by Sarah-Kate Lynch

Paperquake by Kathryn Reiss

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

And with those four books, I catapult myself over my goal of 52 books this year and clock in with an impressive 53!

I’ve really enjoyed having this as a goal this year, as it has kept reading books when I might have otherwise fallen into the trap of reading things online and in the newspaper more exclusively.  I’m planning on continuing this blog, using it as a way to track and remember what passes in front of my eyes.

Happy New Year!

My Horizontal Life and Straight Up and Dirty

The titles of the two books I’ve read most recently make it sound like I’m dabbling in smut.  They are really just two memoirs by women in their late 20’s/early 30’s.  The first, My Horizontal Life is by comedian and comedy writer, Chelsea Handler.  The second, Straight Up and Dirty is by blogger and photographer Stephanie Klein.  Both were quick and entertaining.  And really, that’s about it for them.

Teacher Man by Frank McCourt

In years other than this one, I worked my way through Frank McCourt’s previous books, Angela’s Ashes (which I read for a sociology course in college) and ‘Tis, both of which were wonderful, full of quirky lovely details and totally engrossing.  His latest book, Teacher Man, about the many years he spent as an English and Creative Writing teacher in the New York School System was equally wonderful.  I picked it up at a thriftstore about a week ago, and for the first time in a long time, I found myself pulled in.  For most of my recent reading, I’ve been the one pushing myself through a book, either to pass time, for school, or because I’ve found that I really want to meet this 52 books goal.  But there was no effort to keep reading in this case, I couldn’t wait to rejoin the story.  I would be a grateful, happy reader, if that was the case with more books.

The count

I just did a quick count of the books I’ve read this year, and the total comes to 46. This means that I am actually on track to meet this goal of 52 books this year. I’m a little flabbergasted, especially since sometimes it feels like I let weeks will go by without picking up a book. The process hasn’t been as neat as I had hoped, but it’s been interesting tracking what I’ve consumed.

Vacation Reads

While home in Portland for Thanksgiving week, I managed to speed through three books. On the airplane on the way out I got through about half of Jodi Picoult’s The 10th Circle, knowing that my mom would want me to leave it behind for her to read when I was through.

Next came Sara Paretsky’s Fire Sale, the latest in the very wonderful V.I. Warshawski series. I’m not typically into detective stories, but somehow V.I.’s don’t-mess-with-me attitude has always appealed to me.

On the way back to Philly, I spent about four hours with The Monk Downstairs by Tim Farrington. I picked this one up at the Goodwill while I was in Portland, and while I don’t regret reading it, my endorsement of it does not extent to the instructions to run right out and buy it. However, if you’d like my copy, you are welcome to it.

I’m actively working on three books at the moment, I hope to finish up Teacher Man by Frank McCourt, The Adventures of Klavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon and Name All the Animals by Allison Smith very soon.

Food and Fluff

So far this month I’ve read a book about food and a trilogy of fluff.  The food book is called “More Home Cooking” and is by Laurie Colwin.  Laurie grew up in the same neighborhood as my mom, and used to hang out with around their house.  She briefly dated my Uncle Wallace, before deciding that they made better friends that romantic partners.  She died of a brain aneurysm in the night in 1992.  I miss her terribly, even though we never met.  Each time I finish one of her books, I call my mom, sign heavily and say, “I am so sad that Laurie Colwin is dead.  I want to talk to her about writing.”  I am grateful though that she left as much of herself behind as she did, because her personality and energy shine through every word she wrote.

The fluffy was The Circle Trilogy, Nora Roberts’ latest formulaic concoction.  Her books are built on the same structure.  The stories are predictable and the characters are too perfect to be real.  But she tells a good story and during those times when I need to give my brain a rest and be entertained, that is priceless.  I recommend them most during high-volume work times or when you need a fast escape from your current reality.