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As I have been saying and saying… I have been a reading fool although the words have not been coming out of my fingers in the form of reviews but that’s okay. I have reviews scheduled for the weeks ahead and I will focus on next week, this weekend. You ever do that? Schedule a bunch of stuff for a tour or because of a book’s release date and then find yourself with nothing for the very next week? I am not into memes so sometimes I have to improvise without boring you to tears. So, what do I do? Talk about what I am reading, what I plan to read and what I really need to get to out of guilt.

I am reading:

Emily Alone by Stewart O’Nan (sequel to Wish You Were Here)
The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (a re-read, almost done!)
Alien vs. Predator by Michael Robbins (poetry!)
The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (a re-read for me, a wonderful book)
The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakmi (stories)

What I plan to read next:

Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty
Words Get in the Way by Nan Rossiter (Her new one! Really liked The Gin and Chowder Club)
The Adults by Alison Espach (not sure it’s my thing, but it’s a library check-out, renewed 4 times!)
The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones
The Savage Garden by Mark Mills (a friend has been begging me to read this)

What I really want to read, but haven’t gotten a copy of as of yet and they are not out yet:

The Twelve by Justin Cronin (he is killing me on FB with all of the mentions and here I sit, waiting)
In One Person by John Irving (requested it on Net Galley and my request sits, not approved, not denied, not anything)

What I really need to read since my daughter ruined my review copy with her bottle of water:

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

This all looks good in writing, but any reader knows that this could all change at the drop of a hat! I am heading to the library to return the 17 books my daughter checked out, and that could mean an entirely new haul for me. I mean really, how can I avoid the New Books section? It’s just not going to happen. Why even try?

Knott's (Xcelerator) — The coaster that The Boy lives for!

Last week was Spring Break and it was lovely. We spent our first day at a theme park. The Boy rode every coaster known to man. So much so, that he was GREEN for the car ride home. The Girl rode one coaster three times and of course The Hub, had to go with her. I used to love a good roller coaster but this body just can’t take them anymore. Being tossed around and twisted into a formless mass of goo is not my idea of fun. Instead, I was in charge of the bags and if lucky, got to sneak in a few pages of We Need to Talk About Kevin every now and then. Speaking of which, that was one hell of a book and my mind is still reeling from it. Review to come.

The next day we headed out to Palm Desert. It was nice. Only 85 or so which was pretty much how it was at home so that was good. The Otter Pup did well on the car trip and she was a GEM at the place where we stayed. She was reintroduced to her crate after not being in one for over 6 months so that was interesting, but she took to it well. When we visited the in-laws, she was a bit of a bully with their 10-year-old Italian Greyhound but overall, she was very good. She is a cheeky little monkey!

All in all, we didn’t do anything special. I read, and I watched HGTV non-stop. It was perfect!! The kids bowled and swam and played golf. We also went to see a theatrical production one night which we all enjoyed. The entire week was very relaxing. I have no pictures! Why? Because I was a complete slug and didn’t feel like packing my big camera. I have my phone, but lately it’s been freezing up so I have no pictures to share. I do need to get you a photo or video of the Otter Pup soon as she is almost 2 years old now. Can you believe it? You all met her when she was just a pup. Now she is all set in her ways and quite the pistol! Just like The Girl.

After my lovely week, Monday came. Ugh. I spent most of the day catching up. I am all caught up with work, but not caught up at home so hopefully this weekend I will be able to do what I haven’t been able to do thus far…write! Oh, the reading is no problem, but I am still several reviews behind and what’s stopping me is one book that I really don’t know what to say about. Hint, it’s not We Need to Talk About Kevin. I have plenty to say about that one but this one showstopper left a bad taste in my mouth, yet there were things about it that I liked quite a bit. Plus, I see no other bloggers talking about it so it was either a real stinker or it is just a tough one to write about.

Someone explain the Independent Blogger Awards to me. I’ve never even heard of it before today. How did those blogs get nominated?

Okay, enough of my rambling. Back to work I go. Uh…yeah.

Chatting with friends about books and life…