Tag Archives: Bookish Chatter

Chatter about books, reading and anything related to either one.

Vacation Reading: Spring Break Edition

Palm Desert
I think we are the last people in the country to be on Spring Break. It seems as if everyone has had theirs already, or is enjoying it this week but here in my neck of the woods, next week is the real deal and that means that I am taking the week off from work. You’d think that the University would be closed but no… it’s wide open so I am burning some vacation time to take it but it’s all good. I need the break!

Although we have the entire week off, we plan to take some day trips and then spend some time in Palm Desert. We’ve got family there and it’s just a really pretty place to visit. It can be unbearably hot in the summer, but right now…it’s lovely. I can’t wait to see all of that green. And the Otter Pup will be coming with us!

So what will I be reading?

I started an informal read-along of We Need to Talk About Kevin on Facebook. By informal, I did this…”Hey, does anyone want to read Kevin with me and then talk about it afterward?” Some people responded so we will be reading Kevin over the next couple of weeks or however long it takes us to finish it. See? Informal. I don’t do well with formal read-alongs because they seem like work to me but this just seems like fun. If you want to read it too, get yourself a copy and start next week.

I will also be reading The Starboard Sea and Emily Alone. I could add at least three more but realistically, it’s not going to happen. I always take too much and then I end up buying stuff wherever I am so this is what I am bringing with me.

Back in the day, I used to be able to read into the wee hours of the night but now the Otter Pup glares at me if the light is on so I have to go to bed like a good little human. I’ve tried to record her giving me the evil eye but she runs up to the camera and licks it to death. You can’t film a thing with Otter Pup slobber all over the lens and you can’t read a thing if she physically knocks the book and book light right out of your hands. However, if I do get video of her antics I will be sure to share it.

Opening Round: The Tournament of Books 2012

TOB Logo

Today is a very exciting day! It’s the opening round for The Tournament of Books! It took a really long time for them to update their site, but it’s all updated now and the first round between The Sense of an Ending and The Devil All the Time has been posted.

I’ve been aware of the tournament for a few years now and although I have enjoyed many of the books, and some have become favorites of mine (Model Home for example), I never read ALL of the books chosen. So far, I have read four of them (1Q84, The Marriage Plot, The Cat’s Table, The Stranger’s Child [DNF]) and I plan to read five more (Swamplandia!, Salvage the Bones, The Art of Fielding, The Sense of an Ending, The Tiger’s Wife). The others don’t really catch my eye.  However, depending on what is going on I might chip away at the remaining seven.

If you are not familiar with this event, I urge you to check it out. Books duking it out for the win. Judges keeping it fun. I love this event! Stop by today to see who won round one! Oh, and later… there will even be a Zombie round where one book, previously eliminated…will be resurrected!!! Very exciting!