Saturday, July 3, 2010

I Should Be Asleep

...But for whatever reason I can't seem to get there. So I'm going to share a few things that have been on my mind.

First of all, you may come to visit one day and discover that I've changed the look of the blog. Don't be alarmed. Blogger has some new templates available and they claim switching over will be a piece of cake. I notice others have done it successfully. It just might be time to freshen up the Nest.

Susan, who Plays With Needles, recently showed us what she has lined up for summer reading and asked us what we plan to read this summer. I happen to have a new stack next to my bed as the result of an online book buying binge (some of it bought with a birthday gift certificate):

Well, a couple of those are books I've had for a while. And a couple of them I've already read, at least once. I just finished A Cast Off Coven (which is brand new), and before that Magic Bleeds (also new). I read Clockwork Heart for the second time while I was waiting for Magic and Coven to arrive. I enjoyed it the first time through but there were a couple of things that bothered me in the beginning of the book. I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was though. I must have gotten over it because I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book the second time through.

The other one I've read before is Linnets and Valerians. Technically it's a children's story but the writing is so clear and beautiful it's a joy to read. The author, Elizabeth Goudge, takes you right into rural England early in the last century.

I've read Pride and Prejudice but none of Jane Austen's other books so when I saw Mansfield Park on sale I picked it up. I've never read Thoreau either. I'm looking forward to that.

I've only dipped into The City of Dreaming Books but it looks like it's going to be fun. Already I wish I'd sprung for a hardcover version. It could be something I'd like to share with grandchildren someday.

Two of the books in this stack are non-fiction. I've been reading Up Close off and on since I picked it up in the thrift shop.* It's a memoir written by the man who was one of the people instrumental in creating what is now the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona. I'm finding it pretty interesting, especially since those efforts took place before I was even born.

*Buying books from the thrift shop - or any second-hand source - is always risky. I've had to re-donate books that were too heavily perfumed for me to read. I can't read books from our public library anymore either, not after they've been handled by folks using hand sanitizers or certain lotions (I wish I knew which ones).

Finally there's The Other End of the Leash, written by a woman who not only holds at least one scientific degree but has years of dog training experience and expertise. I don't know that my dogs will benefit from this book but it can't hurt! I'm sure I will find it enlightening.

I am so grateful that even though I can't enjoy picture books anymore I can still read books of text. It's trite but true: books take you places in a way that television, movies, and even the internet can't match. Maybe I need to let one of them take me to the land of Nod...

3 comments:

  1. Is there any place you can put the second hand books to air out until they are safe for you to handle? Or doesn't that work for you.
    Cassie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thoreau is lovely!! Try to get a collection of Emerson and Thoreau. I read so much I have to do my binging on amazon.com with used books - delightful escape and also enlightening.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Cassie,

    You came up 'no-reply' so I couldn't respond to your question via email. We do have an attached garage we use as our toxic zone. New things go in there to off-gas. Unfortunately it doesn't always work with used books. There are some chemicals that produce fragrance that get into the fibers of the paper and just won't go away. So to be on the safe side I just try to avoid used books altogether. It makes reading a much more expensive hobby, let me tell you!

    ReplyDelete

Due to my health issues I am frequently unable to respond to your comments but please know that I do try to acknowledge your thoughtful responses. I cannot respond to 'no-reply' bloggers either, much to my frustration.
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