Procrastinating

Instead of starting my next book group book, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin, I picked up Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena by Julia Reed. This was one of my selections for the Southern Readers Challenge that I did not finish in time but still wanted to read. It's a collection of essays celebrating all that is the uniqueness of the South. I'm really enjoying the selections but it makes me miss living in the South. I hope there's another Challenge this year!

Finished The Ha-Ha

Well, tonight I finished The Ha-Ha by Dave King. I am looking forward to our book group discussion on Monday evening - everyone always has something to say. I loved this book! Dave, if you stop again, I do hope you're working on another!

This was a book where I got hooked on the main character right away and it was a bit bittersweet and a bit funny sweet but very satisfying all the way. I loved the author's style and felt like so much thought had gone into crafting it. This was a book that made me think of some of the unconventional "families" we form in our lives as well as how easy it is to turn away from those things that keep us going everyday and potentially make some bad decisions. It is a reminder to me of how open and expansive life can be if you stay open to possibility and remember what a gift life truly is. This is a book to savor and I highly recommend it. I will be passing my copy along to my sister as a recommendation for her book group.

Next up is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Morgansen.

2007 Book Tally

I keep a notebook list of all of the books I read throughout the year and this year's total read was 54 - a pretty respectable total compared to last year's 37. In looking back at the list, I read some really good books, some not so great and some that were just fun.

Good ones - Highest Tide by Jim Lynch, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides

Not So Great ones - A House for Mr. Biswas by VS Naipul, Sons & Lovers by DH Lawrence and Lunch at the Picadilly by Clyde Edgerton

Just Fun - the JR Ward vamp series, the Mercy Thomson series by Patricia Briggs and Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai.

These are completely subjective categories of course because the VS Naipul & Lawrence books are from the Modern Library List so they're not really "not so great books" it's just ones I didn't enjoy as much.

I'm trying to finish up my next book group book before Monday's discussion. We're reading The Ha-Ha by Dave King which so far is going on the "good ones" list for 2008.