Name Your Homeplace - Casapearl

Maggie has a contest going related to naming your homeplace. This is Casapearl. She is a 1920 California Craftsman bungalow on Pearl Street. I bought this house three years ago and almost immediately named her Casapearl and that's how I always think of her.

She is my refuge in a town I don't always like living in but I love my neighborhood. No matter how bad a day I've had, there is a relief to pulling into the driveway and knowing I'm home. She has windows in every room which means tons of light and gorgeous hardwood floors throughout. Not a huge yard but enough to keep me busy. The kitchen is short on countertops and electrical outlets but funky isn't always a bad thing!

And the porch.... what can I say? I fell in love with the house just walking up onto that old porch. Even when the house looked like this! I knew she had to be mine. I plant the window boxes every spring and sit out on the porch knitting or reading when it gets warm. I decorate her for fall and for winter. She's a jewel box and probably the most perfect house I will ever own.

She's allowed me to feel at home in my town and to get to know my neighbors all along my street - a very unusual thing in today's world. Last year the woman who grew up in her stopped to take a little tour. She left me with the original architectural blueprints for which I am extremely grateful. I will leave them with her next owner and take a copy to someday maybe build another just like her. She is my dream home - Casapearl.

The Library at Night

One of my strongest childhood memories is going to the library and it's a pleasure that has never really grown old. The anticipation of what you might find on the shelves continually lures readers in. I recently picked up The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel. I used to have a copy of his book The History of Reading but it's either been donated or lost - I never got around to reading it but would like to someday.

I was lured into this book by both the title and the photo on the dust jacket - isn't it neat? This book is an exploration of various libraries throughout history including ones the author encountered in his own life as well as the one he created at his home in the south of France. It was a pleasurable read and I enjoyed learning about the histories of the various libraries around the world. Many no longer exist but the writing allows you to imagine what they might have been like. The author is formidably well read -a bit intimidating in a sense but the bibliography allows me hope that I might expand my horizons a bit by tracking down some of the books he mentions. A worthwhile read if you're a library fan.

Southern Reading Challenge Choices

Well, I've decided on what my three books will be for the Southern Reading Challenge which starts on Thursday.

1. Gods in Alabama -Joshilyn Jackson
2. Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen -this is actually my book pick for my book group in July
3. Revenge of the Kudzu Debutantes - Cathy Holton

I got Gods in Alabama in the mail yesterday from Booksfree so I'm all set to start reading on Thursday.

Y'all its summer southern reading time!

I've been hoping that Maggie was going to host another Southern Reading Challenge as I really enjoyed participating last year. I did read three southern books but didn't finish my final one until after the time frame had passed. I plan to do much better this year!

So far I know my first book will be Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson. Now I've got to find two more to add to my summer reading. Maggie has provided several excellent suggestions so I'll have to see if my library has any of them.

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.