I can't believe how little I got read...

...though not because I usually read more than this or anything. In fact, many days I read a lot less. No, the thing is that I'm totally sucked into Unwind...it's so distracting, because I find myself thinking about it and wanting to pick it up all the time. But thus far, I've been good and stuck with getting my work done instead of ditching it all and just curling up with this book until I finish it. Anyway, yesterday I managed another 45 pages in it. For me, it's one of those books that isn't perfect, there are some definite flaws in my mind, and yet I'm thoroughly enjoying it anyway. :)

*****
And in the dangerous world of blog-reading, these books have been added to my wish list:

*Love's Executioner by Irvin D. Yalom (thanks to Chris' heartfelt review...dang, I meant to look to see if the library had this when I was there this morning)
*No Place Left to Bury the Dead by Nicole Itano (thanks to Eva's glowing review of what sounds like an incredible book)

*****
And what I'm dying to read from our own shelves (shelf #2):

*Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
*The Homecoming by Ray Bradbury
*The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
*The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
*The Sisters Grimm: The Usual Suspects by Michael Buckley
*Northlander: Tales of the Borderlands by Meg Burden
*Black Hole by Charles Burns
*Fledgling by Octavia Butler
*Mijeong by Byun Byung-Jun
*The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey and Peter Gross

Like last time, if you could please help me maybe weed this list down a bit, I would greatly appreciate it. Tell me which ones you think I should leave on, and I will strike the rest off (with the exception of one I get to pick myself). 

perhaps I should change the name

Of this blog, that is. Because I'm doing a lousy job of keeping up here on a "day-to-day" basis. Of course, I won't really--it's still fulfilling its purpose of giving me a place to record my personal reading journeys.

So, in the past two days...I read another 56 pages in Scrapbook Page Maps (and am still unsure as to whether this will make the "keeper" pile), only another 9 pages in Last Chance to See, and a mere 6 pages in Shadow Man.

But I did start a new book. Bad, bad, bad me!!! My pathetic story: Rich and I went out to buy new towels last night (our old ones are literally falling apart--not surprising seeing how they are over ten years old). Anyway, being so close to Borders, we decided to pop in, grab a coffee, and relax a bit. But I was just in one of those finicky moods where I couldn't find anything I wanted to look at while we sat in the cafe. Well, with Chris' review fresh in my mind, I decided to go grab Unwind and just read the first few pages. I'd already decided it was going to be my next read after finishing Shadow Man anyway. And I promised myself that when we went home, it was right back to Shadow Man, and Unwind would have to wait. Yeah, easy to see where this is going, huh? Yep, I'm a big fat liar...we weren't home for five minutes before I was down grabbing Unwind off Annie's shelf. I apparently just can't be trusted.

But at 54 pages in, I am absolutely loving this book! The whole concept (abortion being made illegal, with the caveat that teens from the ages of 13 to 17 can be "unwound"--that is, they are taken apart and all their body parts go on "living" as organ transplants--if their parents so choose for any reason) is just so thoroughly disturbing, but thus far, the book is not graphic in any way. I do somewhat question the point where it all began--years ago with the Second Civil War (fought solely over reproductive rights) and the constitutional amendments that were passed to end the war to the satisfaction of both sides. See, what I question is why the pro-choice side would agree to the terms...as they really do nothing to protect a woman's rights over her body and yet all responsibility is still laid fully on women. I'm just having a hard time seeing what was gained for the pro-choice side. It just doesn't sound plausible to me. I have a feeling, though I could obviously be wrong, that this isn't even going to be talked about in the book...that the Second Civil War and the resulting constitutional amendments are just the set-up for the story. And I guess I can live with that...the story is so incredibly intriguing! It may just be one of those incongruous things that I have to set aside to enjoy the book. (And then again, maybe I'm wrong and this will be discussed later in the book, bringing up points I haven't considered.) Anyway, I fear there's no stopping me now--I will be reading this book right alongside my other reads, instead of waiting like I'd promised myself I'd do. Oh well. :P

 But on a "I'm proud of myself" note--neither Rich nor I has bought a book for ourselves the last three times we've been in a bookstore!

*****
And in the dangerous world of blog-reading, these have been added to my wish list:

*Love by Toni Morrison (thanks to Ana's amazing review, which literally left me in tears)
*The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander (thanks to Eva's fun "cold reading" post)
*Terra Incognita by Sara Wheeler (as above)

nearly a week's worth...

and it still doesn't add up to much. :P

I finally got back to Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine, and read 91 pages. I hadn't meant to set it aside exactly. But Annie needed to read it for school a few months back, and well, I just never got back to it after she'd finished. Ahhh, but I am so glad to be reading it again--I LOVE THIS BOOK!!! I plan to talk about it when I finish it, because some books just deserve to be gushed over.

I read a scrapbooking book this week--We Dare You: Scrapbook Challenges about Real Life (117 pages). As far as scrapbooking books go, this one is just completely awesome. I've followed "The Dares" for a long time now online. Seriously such fun. And the women who started The Dares and put together this book...well, creative doesn't begin to describe them. They make the most edgy, unique, and meaningful pages. Someday (if--no when--I finally get my scrapbook area back into a useable state) I plan to make my own "Dare" album...I think it will be quite rewarding.

And the other night, after yet another trip to Lowes, Rich and I went to Borders to grab a coffee and relax a bit. And while there, I managed to read Sweet Tooth: Out of the Woods by Jeff Lemire (128 pages). This is the second Jeff Lemire graphic novel I've read this month (the other being The Nobody). I really enjoyed this one, and I can't wait for volume 2 to come out. It's a post-apocalyptic tale (gee, no wonder I loved it, huh?) in which most of humankind was wiped out by some sort of disease. But during the time when the sickness was really wiping people out in massive waves, some children were born. Children who are part human/part some other animal. Children like Gus (aka Sweet Tooth) who sports antlers like a deer. These children appear to be immune to the disease...and well, you can guess what kinds of things that might lead desperate, scared, and sometimes downright evil people to...

And speaking of evil...I started a new thriller. Shadow Man by Cody McFadyen. Whoa. I've only read 97 pages so far, but is this book intense! I'm really loving it--best thriller I've read in a long time. (Of course, I haven't really read all that many in the past couple years.) Anyway, I can see this being a series I actually follow through with. ;)

*****
And in the dangerous world of blog-reading, these books were added to my wish list:

*Rowan the Strange by Julie Hearn (thanks to Amanda's very organized and fun-to-read review :D )
*Crossed Wires by Rosy Thorton (thanks to a second, and still enjoyable, read by Amanda)
*Bellfield Hall by Anna Dean (thanks to the darling Ms Eva's enthusiastic recommendation)
*Twinkle Twinkle by Kaori Ekuni (again thanks to that little book-pusher, Eva)
*The Heart That Bleeds by Alma Guillermoprieto (and yet again, thanks to Eva--three books from one post, sheesh!)
*Hidden Wives by Claire Avery (thanks to Staci's intriguing review)
*The Secret Life of Words by Henry Hitchings (thanks to Ana's wonderful review, which left me both fascinated and hopeful that I will actually understand it)

 Cross Country was the only book I picked up yesterday. Well, picked up to read, that is. (I did do tons of work in the library--we weeded out five huge boxes of books to give to the library book sale.) Read another 92 pages. Somewhat different for Patterson's books. Being one of the Alex Cross series, it obviously features the tough and tender detective, but a great deal of this book is set in Africa. Lots of heartbreaking stuff going on. Heartbreaking because while this book is fiction, the horrors described really do happen there. Every. Single. Day. And this book is really giving me the urge to pick up some more nonfiction. Perhaps I should finally get around to finishing up Africa: A Biography...I've only been working on that book for a year and a half now.

*****
And in the dangerous world of blog-reading, these have been added to my wish list:

*City Chicks by Patricia Foreman (thanks to Jeane's list of awesome finds)
*A World Without Bees by Brian McCallum (again thanks to Jeane's post--oh my, I am so incredibly thrilled to have found Jeane's blogs, but she is going to be murder on my wish list!)

one of those torturous sort of days

 I only read ten pages yesterday. Ten! How sad is that?!! But the worst part...I was surrounded by books all day. Of course, being surrounded by books is actually a wonderful thing...the torture comes in the form of not being able to read them all. I worked in our little home library for quite a while. With Max's help, we went through and weeded out all his fiction books in there (we haven't tackled the ones in his room yet). We had piles to keep, a pile to send to a friend's little boy (which we, meaning me, boxed and got ready to mail, though who knows when it will actually get to the post office), a pile to donate to the library book sale, and a pile to be listed on PaperbackSwap (which we, meaning me, also accomplished). Then I also spent time at the town library...it was Teen Game Night, so the boys and I went a little early to pick Annie up. They managed to each come away with books (even though Max had just checked out 15 the day before!), but I didn't come home with a single one. And then finally, I spent a couple hours with Annie in her room--sorting, weeding out, cleaning, and reorganizing her bedroom bookshelf. So yeah, books, books everywhere...and barely a minute to read.

*****
And from the dangerous world of blog-reading, this book was added to my wish list:

*Guesthouse by Barbara Richardson (thanks to the lovely Staci's thoughts on the book).

slow day on the reading front

Busy day on the running around front--writing program at library for Annie, doctor's appointment for Gray, soccer game for Annie--so reading time was a little sparse. Thirty-four pages in The Lightning Thief was all I managed. But hey, it was a good 34 pages. :)

*****
And in the dangerous world of blog-reading, this book has been added to my wish list:

*The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley has been added to my wish list (thanks to Ana's irresistible review).

some days are hardly worth writing about

Interspersed amongst the essays/articles in The Biodiversity Crisis are short little case studies as well as mini biographies of some of the people out there in the world battling biodiversity loss. All I managed to read yesterday from this book was one of these little (3 pages) case studies. It was about Lake Victoria and the cichlids. That whole situation is so utterly heartbreaking, both on a ecological level and on a human one. Anyone interested should watch the documentary Darwin's Nightmare. Such a powerful, disturbing, heartbreaking movie. And really, it's a vitally important story that most people know nothing about.

Bedtime brought me back to Harry. But unfortunately I'd stayed up too late that by the time I settled in to read, I could hardly keep my eyes open. Only read 18 pages. The shit was really starting to hit the proverbial fan, and still I couldn't win the battle against sleep. Oh well, just means tonight's reading will be mighty exciting.

*****
And in the dangerous world of blog-reading, this book has been added to my wish list:

*Tamar by Mal Peet (thanks to the lovely Ana's review)

not meeting goals

Have much school work to get done today, but I thought I'd make some reading goals anyway. I'd love to knock out at least 100 pages from Harry Potter. I'd love to finish Field Notes from a Catastrophe. And I need to a couple chapters from The Body Book and about 35 pages in The Encyclopedia of the Human Body. Hmmm...as I am the slowest reader on the planet, I guess I'd better get started...

Oh my. I suck. Seriously pathetic amount of reading got done today. One chapter in The Body Book. Sixteen pages. Which is fantastic when compared to how much I read of The Encyclopedia of the Human Body--zero pages. But about The Body Book. It's really an awesome little book about the human body and how it works. I'd say it's probably geared towards middle grades, but sheesh--I'm learning so much! It's written in a really fresh, interesting way. While it doles out all the important info about how our bodies work, it also talks about all kinds of stuff that is really of more interest on a day to day level. And it answers all these really cool questions that I didn't realize I even had until I started reading. :)

And I only managed to get five pages read in Field Notes from A Catastrophe. Yep, five. *sigh* I know, I know--it sounds like a lousy excuse, but I really would have knocked out a lot more, but Annie and I are both trying to read this book at the same time. I'd just gotten started when she asked if she could have it, so I relinquished control. After all, it is a school assignment for her. It's a super wonderful book though, and I'll be sure to talk about more on a day I get a bigger chunk read.

Okay, it's 10:30 already. And I got so freakin' little sleep last night that my eyes probably won't stay open for more than a page or two (if I'm lucky). But I'm going to go give Harry a go.

Well, I managed 22 pages. I'm now about halfway through the book, and I have to say that I think this is my favorite one yet. I'm so glad Rich picked this for me for family book club--if he hadn't who knows  when I might have gotten to it. And speaking of family book club, Rich finished his book--which means I'm the last to finish yet again. But finish I will. And I'm so excited for the next round, because Chris will be joining us! :D

*****
And in the dangerous world of blog reading, this book was added to my wish list:

*The Dark House Book of Hauntings, a graphic novel anthology (thanks to Chris's bad blogger post)

a little work, a little play

First up, I finished the last eleven pages of chapter 7 in The Century. I won't say much more, as I already gushed yesterday...but yes, it is very much enjoyable reading.

Next, it was eight pages in our environmental science textbook (Environment: The Science Behind the Stories by Jay Withgott and Scott Brennan). Covering efforts being made to mitigate global climate change.

Indulgent plans to give myself a couple of hours to read for fun before bed. But they sort of fell through. I couldn't help myself--I couldn't quit watching Rich play with his new iPhone. ;)  Anyway, I ended up only reading 26 pages in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. (This is the book Rich picked for me for this round of our family book club...and I'm absolutely, positively loving it! Yes, I know, I'm like one of three people who hasn't already read it. Better late than never, right?)

*****
And in the dangerous world of blog-reading, this has been added to my wish list:

*Junk Beautiful by Sue Whitney and Ki Nassauer (thanks to Carl's review)

health, and science, and history...oh my

Is it terrible to admit how much I sometimes resent how much reading I have to do for homeschooling? Terrible or not, I do. And you know, it's usually not even the subject matter that bothers me--it's more that "I must read it" feeling.

Anyway, I read 24 pages in Encyclopedia of the Human Body by Richard Walker. It's one of those big DK books. I don't even have it on one of my reading lists at the side there because I've never had any intention of reading the entire thing. It's more of a "read the relevent sections" sort of thing. Up today--the digestive system, nutrition, and metabolism. Woohoo. Okay, Debi--shape up here! You're making it sound like you hate this book. And really I don't hate it at all. It's extremely informative and it has great photos and illustrations and diagrams. I'm just so ready to be done with school, so ready to read something JUST FOR FUN, that it sort of puts a damper on talk of pyloric sphincters and pancreatic enzymes and energy balance.

Next, I read an essay in The Biodiversity Crisis: Losing What Counts. I've been working my way through this book for the past couple months. And I've really been enjoying it. You know, in that way you "enjoy" something that breaks your heart. Truthfully, I've found some essays more interesting than others, but that's to be expected. And I'm sure others would list them differently in order of "interest level" than I did. Again to be expected. But there's not one that doesn't have something important to say. The one I read today, "Thompson's Ice Corps" by Mark Bowen...not one of my favorites, but short at only five pages. But in that cool manner of coincidences that I love, it turned out to be an extremely relevant one--it's about the evidence of global climate change being gathered through ice cores. And global climate change is precisely the topic that Annie and I have ourselves immersed in for environmental science right now so we've been doing other reading and watching of videos that have talked about ice cores as well. So why didn't I enjoy this article more? Well, it has to do with my aversion to chemistry. ;)  Lots of talk of oxygen isotopes that glazed my eyes over--I found myself having to read a couple of really long paragraphs over several times as my attention wandered.

Finally, I read the first 29 pages of chapter 7, "An Uneasy Peace: 1946-1952," from The Century. I'm actually reading this for school, too, but I don't have those feelings of resentment when it comes to this book. It's just so darn good! I really do enjoy reading this book so much. As we go through the years of U.S. history, through nonfiction texts and through literature from and about the times and through documentaries and dramatic movies and even through a few audio sources (like listening to a few of FDR's Fireside Chats), I think we get a pretty broad perspective of the events of this nation. And we usually finish up each little chunk of time by reading the corresponding chapter in this book. Yes, it covers information we've already covered from all these other sources, but it brings something special to the overall picture as well. One of the most wonderful things about this book is the personal accounts. Not of the "big players" in history, but of the everyday people who lived through it, written in their own words. Such a wonderful broad variety of people, with a wonderful broad variety of experiences. I got tears in my eyes a few times during these 29 pages.

"I think that my return home was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life." This was from the story of seaman who had been captured and spent three years in a Japanese labor camp. Of course, he was glad that the war had ended and that he'd been freed. But he was given no help afterward, nothing to help him make sense of what he'd been through or how to deal with the outside world again. He was simply shipped home, given a cursory physical exam, a new uniform, his back pay, and sent him on his way.

And there was the story of the man who fought for this country in Europe, won two purple hearts, and then came home to a nation that told him he couldn't sit in the front of a bus or downstairs at a movie theater. Not only enough to make you cry, but enough to make you sick to your stomach as well. But he went on to tell how he helped form a black veterans' organization, and talked about some of things they were able to do to help these abandoned veterans.

So yes, they're stories of ordinary people living their lives. But are any of us "ordinary"? I think that's what I love most about this book--without even trying, it shows that we all have stories worth telling.

I had hoped to get some Harry Potter read last night when I went to bed, but instead I just stuck with The Century. Overall, I guess I didn't get in an overwhelming amount of pages for a day. Oh well. And I'm sure it's evident that my favorite reading of the day was definitely The Century.

*****
And in the dangerous world of blog-reading, this has been added to my wish list:

*Animythical Tales by Sarah Totton (thanks to Chris's review)