Powell's August 2011

Well, I made my trip to Powell's Bookstore today like I do every time I come home to visit my family. My parents live on a 5 acre spread outside of Woodland, Washington, about 30 miles north of Portland. I used to live in Portland, and Powell's is like a second home to me - they have everything, and they have used copies of almost everything as well - except new releases, of course. They buy used books too, although I usually love my books too much to sell them back - even if they are often used and not very pretty.

Anyway, today I scored pretty well: 8 books for under $50. Here they are!



Starting from the back left and going clockwise:

1. The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir
2. Her Husband: Hughes and Plath - A Marriage by Diane Middlebrook
3. Kerouac: A Biography by Ann Charters
4. Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
5. The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway
6. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
7. Bloody Marry by Carolly Erickson
8. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I'm not sure when I'll get around to reading all of these - in addition to all the books I have at home to read - but they'll go onto the TBR shelf when I get home. I can't wait to spend some good time reading this fall. I can't even tell you how great it feels to have no pressure on me right now. I have the pressure of finding a job, but that's really nothing compared to how much work I was doing before. It is going to be luxurious to only have a job - even if that job is a crappy Associate Attorney position that pays low and requires a lot of time. I am feeling good right now, and I'm going to ride this wave as long as I can!

I suppose I better get reading so that I can write some reviews!

Christmas Books

Well, I see the poll results are in and ... it's a TIE! I am adding both Shalimar the Clown (Salman Rushdie) and The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett) to my short list. I was going to put up another poll, but I've got these two to read and I got a bunch of cool books for Christmas.

I stopped reading the Byron biography because it got really boring. How do you make Byron boring? He's one of the most salacious and dynamic poets in the history of the entire universe. But the biography is boring. I'm going to power through it eventually, but for now it's going to be on the back burner.

I also started reading The Finkler Question, by Howard Jacobson, but after about 40 pages of that, I was bored again. Something is happening to me as a reader. I get bored so easily lately. I spend so much time in school thinking and theorizing and hypothesizing that when it comes to reading I don't want to put in the work. Which is really sad. So not only has law school taken away a lot of time that I used to devote to reading, it's taken away my desire to read anything of depth.

But, I got some good books for Christmas, and my excitement for reading is not gone. Here are the books I got:

My favorite is the Pride and Prejudice graphic novel. Anyone who knows me knows my affinity for P&P - in any incarnation. Even though they were cheesy, I liked the trilogy of books telling the story from Darcy's point of view. I liked it when zombies were added into the story. And now I love the graphic novel. I am not exactly thrilled with how some of the characters were drawn - why is Mary drawn so sultry? - but it's fun. All of the best lines are still there, even if the story is simplified some. Thanks Bryan!

The other two books look good too, and they'll be added to the TBR shelf. It's now possible to give kindle books as gifts, so I got a few of those too. One of which I already read.

Maids of Misfortune by Louisa Locke.

This book was not great. The plot was thin and easy to see through, and I guessed the outcome right away. But it was a fun, light romp through the streets of "Victorian San Francisco," whatever that is. It ends with a nice setup for a long series. My biggest complaint is that it was kind of a mystery/romance novel, but there was no sex or mystery. It was a g-rated murder mystery. Everything was set up for me to hate this book, but I really liked it. I think it was just what I needed at the time - It didn't take any brain power and it transported me to another time and place. I honestly would be interested in reading the next book in the series as another escape.