Literally Literary

I love a good book. Good books seem to be hard to find anymore. I peruse the shelves of the local libraries for hours on end sometimes and only find a gem or two to take home and curl up with for a spell. It seems I have to search longer and harder these days to find something enjoyable.

Today I discovered a web page that just may change all that. It's called Good Reads. Why didn't I think to look for something like this a long time ago?! So many books! So little time!

My reading list for 2011 is quite sparse. My reading time this year has been pathetic. But I hope to change all of that. I hope to scope out some good reads in the near future and buff up my reading list real quick like...

And if anyone out there has any favorites to suggest... please do!

Currently Reading...

found on Amazon or your local library :)

I have to admit, I actually started reading this book some time ago. I managed to read about a third of the way into it and then set it aside to read something else. I kept telling myself I just needed to read it and get it over with. I think my problem is that I saw the movie some years ago and it's interferring with my reading. I like to read the book before I see the movie. That way I can visualize the characters my way and enjoy the story from my perspective, rather than the perspective of some Hollywood producer and a gaggle of writers who all want to put their own two cents into it. Hopefully, I can get past the movie scenes playing in my head and enjoy the story my way :)

Journaling Me: Hobbies

Have you ever reread books; what's the criteria for doing so?

Yes! A most emphatic Yes! I do reread books. It has been years since I've done so, as all of my favorites are in storage in MI while we are here in FL. But someday I will have all my books about me again!

The biggest criteria for rereading a book is its entertainment value. A book that is highly engaging and makes me smile, or even chuckle out loud is a shoe-in for the "read it again" list. Which means that most books I reread are very much fictional, and most usually historical in nature. One exception (to the historical category) is the Harry Potter series. I've not reread any of them yet, but I most certainly intend to do so! I'm even planning on knitting a scarf in the Gryffindor colors! Cheeky...

I do read a lot of non-fiction books, though few would be read again. One book I enjoy every time I pick it up is Ali Edwards book "A Designers Eye for Scrapbooking". I also tend to borrow craft and decorating books multiple times a year from the local libraries.

I love books! At any one time I could have as many as 60 library books out! Mostly books for me, with a few school books sprinkled in for good measure. Our current library system here in Orange County allows patrons to borrow up to 100 books/movies/etc at any one time. I've never hit 100, but have gotten very close in the mid-90s :) I checked out so many books, that they started providing laundry baskets to haul them out! ha! I always used my library bags, but I noticed other homeschooling moms using the baskets. Very nice of them to think of us. Not many libraries would be so accomodating.

It has always been my dream that when I have a house I will have one room designated as the Library. I certainly own plenty of books to get one started! I also like to collect the turn of the century primers that libraries try desperately to get rid of in their book sales. I have a nice collection, some with the owners lovely signatures enscribed in the flyleafs. They are getting harder to find now that mixed media artists are using them as part of their art.

Library Day

It's time to return some books. I love books. I check out more books than I have room for here in the RV. I stack them everywhere. The bookcase holds all the school stuff, so the library books are stacked on chairs, the floor, next to the couch, next to the filing cabinet, even on the table sometimes. It's rare for me to go to the library and not check out at least a handful of books. Right now I have 68 books checked out and I have a request in for 2 more. Today I will return 23 books, and probably bring home a dozen more :)

The one book I absolutely have to return because I renewed it to the limit:

Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. (click the link to go to Amazon) This book is genius! The recipes are simple, and most of them are everyday kid foods, but made healthier. I can't wait to make some of these recipes. I typed up a lot of recipes out of this book. It's a winner.