Bookish Chatter | Book Chatter

So Cal has been dry for several weeks so when rain was predicted for this weekend, I planned my weekend around it. Comfort food, books, cozy jammies, etc. What we got though was a downpour at 6am on Saturday which lasted for 30 minutes. That’s it! Why was I up at 6am on a Saturday? The Boy had an early morning basketball game so unfortunately, I had the fun of dragging him out of bed.

Today, there is no rain in sight. That’s okay though, I still have a roast cooking away in the crock pot and I might throw a gluten-free lasagna together for later this week. I just love to cook on Sunday. I am still reading The Stranger’s Child. It’s slow going for me. It started off great but then took a very weird turn. I felt as if I missed a huge plot point so I reread several pages and I still don’t understand what is going on. I am about halfway through but it might be a DNF for me as I have a lot of other books to get to and this one is holding me back.

Remember my post about the new, snazzy rec center that they built at the university where I work? And how they wanted to charge staff a ridiculous amount of money ($163 per academic term)? Well, I went to the test run last Friday and because I was a grad and technically enrolled as a student, I got a discount of 60% off. Of course, I signed-up on the spot and then worked out for the first time in I don’t know how long. The foot injury which I never even mentioned here and all my auto-immune stuff kept me from working out, but now I am back. And sore. And limping around, but it feels good. My membership begins on Jan. 27th because that is when the Spring semester begins. Stay tuned for some humorous posts because I will be working out at 6am (before work) and I expect my body to rebel in a big way.

One more update regarding my book club. My suggestion of We Need to Talk about Kevin got shot down in a big way. I was sort of saddened by it, but not surprised. “Depressing” does not go over well with the group, but I felt it would be a really good discussion book. However, when someone else pitched my 2nd choice I threw in Norwegian Wood (which I really did not expect them to choose) and it ended up getting chosen. I will post the entire list here soon.

Right now, I am about to enjoy my second cup of coffee for the morning. Later, rehearsal for The Boy and then I must run out to buy more coffee because we are totally out. Happy Sunday to you!

I am in the middle of a reading frenzy and when I find myself in that position, I tend to not want to write about it. That leaves me open to discuss other topics. That said, I have gotten a few comments lately (mostly from non-bookish folks) that have called my reading or bookish habits…weird. I don’t think they are weird but they might be annoying to booksellers as the first two deal with my in-store experience.

*I have been known to rearrange books on a shelf to more prominently display a hidden gem. You know how books sometimes face out at the bookstore? Well, sometimes I choose which ones should face out. I do this with all books but probably do it a little bit more with children’s books or Young Adult. YA, because I tend to always see the same books showcased. Come on, mix it up a little!

*I have also been known to move a classic to the bestseller’s table, just to remind folks that there are other books besides the latest Josh Grisham, although I have nothing against John. I know this might be slightly irritating to those in retail but I worked retail for years and years so I get why you might be irritated, I just can’t help myself. I also straighten stacks and alphabetize books that need it so I figure it all evens itself out in the end.

*I will pretty much contort my body any which way to see what a person is reading. This is harder to do with eReaders, but not impossible. Just takes a bit more effort on my part. I can tell that they notice me sometimes and they don’t seem to mind, but then why not just put the book down and tell me what you are reading? Would be so much easier for everyone.

*The books on my shelf are in the order in which I plan to read them. This helps me keep a visual of what’s coming up. Sure, I add stuff to it all the time but I always consider the order first and then position the title accordingly.

*If I pack an actual book in my bag, then I wrap it in a large zip lock bag to keep it from getting bent or messed up in some way. This did not save my copy of The Art of Fielding (The Girl’s water bottle found it in my car) but for the most part, it keeps books in pretty good shape.

These aren’t weird, right? What do you do that could be considered a bit weird by non-readers?

Chatting with friends about books and life…