Can you believe it’s the last Sunday of January already? We’ve had another busy week:
~ Back to Spokane for Josiah’s follow-up appointment with the oral surgeon. Three hours on the road for a 3 minute appointment in which a nurse looked in his mouth and said, “Looks good!” Seems a bit like just an excuse to charge the insurance company for another office visit, but at least I got to take Josiah out to lunch.
~ A busy homeschool week that was nice for the lack of enrichment classes to drive to – the 1st semester ended, and new classes don’t start up until next week. We finished up our unit on World War II, which I am very glad of – not an easy period of history to study.
~ Yesterday, we took the kids and some friends to the indoor aquatic center in Usk and had an absolute blast. After driving home over the mountain through fog, we found out that Nan’s best friend is in the hospital for pneumonia so Natalie and I went to visit her, then I got stuck with a flat tire in the Safeway parking lot. I was so very glad the flat had waited until then – it would not have been fun on top of the foggy mountain.
~ Today will be spent getting some homeshool stuff ready for this coming week and doing laundry. And, hopefully, getting some blog posts written.
As far as reading goes, it’s been a good week. I finished Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays by Zadie Smith, which I found very hit or miss, though I liked enough to warrant a 3-out-of-5-star rating; Certain Women by Madeleine L’Engle, which I LOVED; Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce – a fantastic read-aloud; and Life Mask by Emma Donoghue, which couldn’t have been more different than Room, but still very good.
If I get a chance to read today, I will be finishing Starter for Ten by David Nicholls and making some headway in The Postmistress by Sarah Blake. While doing laundry, I have three audiobooks in progress that will help me handle the mindless chores: The Lost City of Z by David Grann; Angelology by Danielle Trussoni; and Possession by A.S. Byatt.
What are you reading as this first month of 2011 draws to a close?
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I can believe it. I can’t wait until January is over. Boo, January!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Tasha – January has been a hard month?
I loved both Lost City and Possession. I would have done so many more mindless chores if they were my mindless chore audiobooks. Perhaps audiobooks are the key to my reformation.
Lisa McKenzie´s last post ..Expiration Date
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Lisa – I don’t know how I would survive without audibooks, because I detest housework!
Twitter: unfnshdprsn
says:
I heard you and Natasha (Vasilly) were reading that book together, and I heard you both thought it was hit-and-miss. Sometimes short story collections are like that, even if by the same author. At least, you found some of it worthwhile, though.
unfinishedperson´s last post ..You might be a book geek if…
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Bryan – I’ve found that with some authors, I love their non-fiction, but can’t manage their fiction – Michael Chabon comes to mind, although I’ve only attempted one of his fiction titles. With Zadie Smith, I adored her novel On Beauty, so I had very high expectations for this collection of essays, but there were really only a few that I truly enjoyed.
I love audiobooks for mindless work. I listen to them at my job and it helps me get some extra reading in!
Ash´s last post ..Sunday Salon- Montaigne & New Reads
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Ash – I love that extra reading time via audio! And how great that you have a job that allows you to do that.
Twitter: robnmccormack
says:
I have The Lost City of Oz in the stacks. I probably need to start listening to some audio books, but I end up tuning them out.
Robin´s last post ..E is for Eats- Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Robin – Audiobooks are definitely a different form of reading, but one you can get used to. Start with something light – like a cozy mystery or chick lit.
Twitter: bookjourney
says:
I am just starting Certain Women, glad to hear it is good! Have a good week!
Sheila (Bookjourney)´s last post ..LOST Encyclopia – A MUST HAVE for any fan of LOST
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Sheila – I really enjoyed Certain Women – hope you like it, too!
I got Life Mask by Emma Donoghue from the library . Can’t wait to read it!
Misha Mathew´s last post ..Random Magic Tour- Vive L’Amour Pre-tour schedule
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Misha – I hope you like it!
For real, where did January go? I’ve had The Postmistress on my shelf for a while now, but haven’t gotten to it. Looking forward to your thoughts on it!
Alita´s last post ..Monday Round Up 013111
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Alita – it is really good – beautifully written and I like the characters a lot. I’m about halfway through at this point -hope it stays good!
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue is my favourite by her if you ever get a chance to read it. It is very different from Room, though. It’s worth reading if you ever get a chance. I want to read Life Mask eventually. I have a copy and say that every year, but have yet to make any headway!
Kailana´s last post ..The Muppet Show Comic Book- The Treasure of Peg-Leg Wilson by Roger Landridge & Company
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Kelly – I definitely want to read more of Donoghue after loving Room and really enjoying Life Mask.