read 'em and weep

I've been reading a ton since Thanksgiving. I raided one of my SIL's bookshelves and then felt some responsibility to read at least one of the borrowed books before I saw her again at Christmas. So I finished Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, a book I should have read twenty or thirty years ago. I have many more on that "Should-have-read" list, but I'll space them apart. Too much identification with preteen girls might not be good for me.

My parents loaned me Dreams from My Father by Barack Obama and I whipped through it pretty quickly. It was one I'd highly suggest reading since it gave me a good perspective into the mind of our new president. I was given several books for gifts, so I went for The Godmother by Carrie Adams first. It was enjoyable and I may loan it to a few friends. VB is our kids' "godmother" and might be able to offer some good discussion if she reads it.

I'd hardly paused when I was done when CD finished Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food, so I picked it up. I've read his others, and this was written just as well. I can't help but reexamine our family's eating patterns (I say as I pop a piece of chocolate in my mouth) but in general, he makes me feel pretty good about what I buy and how I cook.

I realized that the inauguration was approaching quickly, so I started carrying Obama's The Audacity of Hope with me everywhere I went so that I could finish it before January 20. I did, but only barely. It was much slower to read than his memoir, but since it seems to contain all his goals and plans for the next four years, I even worked my way through the parts on foreign policy.

I thought I was picking something lighter when I went for more fiction, but Talk Before Sleep is anything but an easy read, at least from an emotional standpoint. I should have listened to my mom's warning on it and at least had tissues nearby. She and some friends lived through this same scenario a few years ago as they had an old friend died of breast cancer too.

In addition to my own books, I've just finished The Wizzard of Oz with both kids. There is a series of "illustrated classics" at Pook's school library and I wanted to introduce Pook to them. This one went over well; while they both liked the story, Bug held on because of the pictures on every page. I told them we'd rent the movie now that they've heard the book. Then hopefully they'll both go for some of the others in the series. I want to be sure they don't reject books just because I've suggested them.

I'm on a roll. I started reading over lunch instead of squeezing my food next to the computer on the kitchen desk. I began reading while Pook read for homework. CD and I started reading for an hour or so after putting the boys to bed. I've also carried books with me to lots of doctor appointments recently. The habit had been broken for years and it isn't quite fixed since I seem to get many magazines behind for every book I pick up. But as the kids become more independent and enjoy spending time of their own with books, I'm glad I can spend more of my own time doing the same.

I'm not sure what's next for me. I have a stack waiting on my bookshelves.