It’s another beautiful day in Nebraska! I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been out biking so much this past month or if it’s been an unusual autumn, but I’ve definitely taken notice. The sky is so blue and the leaves on the trees are simply stunning. I’ll take these mild temps as long as the sun’s shining. We had snow in early October two years ago (and a terrible snowstorm in 1997), so I know how distressing an early snowstorm can be. I hope those of you on the East Coast didn’t suffer any terrible damage to your homes or vehicles and that if you lost power, it wasn’t for too long! Three million people without power is mind-boggling!
October 1997Lincoln, NE
October 2009Lincoln, NE
I’m having a great week with regards to my reading. I finished Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons (review to come hopefully before 2012!) and dove right into three (!!) books, all of which are calling for attention. I started listening to Faith by Jennifer Haigh and find myself looking for any reason to grab my Nano and listen to another chapter or two. I didn’t think I’d ever read anything by Haigh, but I just remembered that I read Mrs. Kimble. It must’ve been sometime before 2006, though, since I can’t find a review for it on my blog. I know I have Baker Towers on my Amazon wish list and will have to look for a copy of The Condition, as well.
I decided it was time to pull something from my shelves, something I’ve been meaning to read for a few years, and my hand fell upon The Little Friend and The Secret History, both by Donna Tartt. I wasn’t sure which to choose, so I read a few paragraphs from the former. I was immediately drawn into the story, so I set The Secret History back in its place and continued to read The Little Friend. So far, so good.
The third book I started is one I had not planned to read at all. Haruki Murakami is an author who has never appealed to me. I’ve read a few Japanese novels, but nothing that has impressed me enough to venture any further. However, Bellezza has mentioned Murakami on her blog many, many times and her enthusiasm for his latest novel, 1Q84, piqued my interest. I decided to give it a glance one day at work and before the week was over, I’d read the first three chapters. Wow! I need not have worried about a complicated or confusing writing style; I’m already talking it up to my coworkers, regulars and husband. I’m so curious to see where Murakami leads me that I decided to download the 944 page tome to my iPad. I wish I could spend the entire week curled up on my couch with this intriguing tale. If I were a more patient reader, I’d set it aside for my long flights to Kauai next March… Nah.
Friday, I posted a review for another Jacqueline Winspear book and I have three more reviews to compose and post. Who knows, maybe I’ll finally get caught up for the year. If the weather turns nasty, I won’t be riding my bike quite as much. I was able to log 70 miles last week and hope to get a few more long rides in before the temps drop below freezing. I suppose walking on my treadmill will give me more opportunities to listen to my audio books, though.
I’ve been an Amazon Associate for several years and while I don’t make a lot of money, I do get a little something every month or quarter. I happened to click over to the site this afternoon and decided to take a look at my recent reports. I’m always a bit amused by the variety of items ordered via a click-thru from my blog. Usually the purchases are limited to books, and recently I’ve seen a jump in e-books, but today I noticed that someone had recently purchased a Schwinn Recumbent Exercise Bike, of all things!
I never know who buys what, but I’d like to say thank you to everyone who visits Amazon from my blog. It makes the little bit of extra effort to create links all the more worthwhile. Now to figure out how to get someone to buy a car or boat… ;)
By the way, did anyone notice the similarities in the cover art for 1Q84 and The Little Friend?
Links to the books mentioned in this post can be found by clicking on the cover art in my sidebar.
I hope that snowstorm's not the start of a cold winter. It looks like you're doing well with Amazon - I tried it for a while with little success, so I gave up.
ReplyDeleteI remember that awful storm from 97! I had just started working at UNO--as a matter of fact that was my first day of work, but they closed! We have had a really lovely fall, which I have also been enjoying and thankful for! I am hoping to read The Secret History, too, so I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts. I also have a stack of other books I want to read, so we'll see how I do!
ReplyDeleteLoooove me some Murakami. The first book of his I read was Norwegian Wood, and I've also read After Dark. Both were lovely and I do plan to read 1Q84 at some point. Bellezza's zest for it certainly caught my attention. :)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe it last night when we were out driving and got in the midst of some snow! It is too early for snow...
ReplyDeleteYou on your iPad and I on my Nook, settling down for the Winter however long it took. ;)
ReplyDeleteKathy - Well, we had our first snowfall today but it wasn't too bad. Should all be gone by tomorrow, and we should be back in the 50s by the weekend. I may get a ride in yet! :)
ReplyDeleteDanielle - Wasn't that an awful storm in '97?! We had just listed our house and had so many trees damaged from the weight of the snow. Of course, 5 months later (in very early March), we had another storm that dumped more snow than I've ever seen in NE. We had sold the house and the movers were arriving and I had to call the county to see if they could plow our road for moving van. They did! I was so happy to leave NE and move to TX, but then a couple of years later, I was thrilled to move back to NE. If only we had snow just once or twice a year (and just a couple of inches at a time!).
I'm going to give The Secret History a try later this year, but tonight I gave up on The Little Friend. Just couldn't get into it, even after almost 100 pages.
Andi - I'm beginning to see the appeal for Murakami. I find myself reading each and every word of every single sentence. I'll have to try Norwegian Wood and After Dark. Hope you get to 1Q84 one of these days. It's definitely one to get on ebook.
Kailana - We had snow today! I agree. It's too early, but I suppose it could've been worse. It should all be gone by morning and we'll be back in the 50s by the weekend. And we didn't loose power! So I won't whine. Too much. ;)
Bellezza - LOL! Yep, it took a while, but I'm quickly becoming a fan, thanks to you!
Those photos you took really resemble this past weekend here (they are pretty though).....hope the winter will not be too wild. We just got our internet back today after Saturday's storm, so I am thrilled I can visit your blog again.
ReplyDeleteWell, I meant however long it takes us to finish 1Q84, but I guess it applies to becoming a Murakami fan as well. Although, I'm not sure you're a fan yet? We'll see, he's such a complicated guy who somehow speaks to me. I think I like how he feels a stranger in the world. So many of his characters feel familiar to me. I also like how I don't alway understand everything he's trying to say. I used to like answers, now I like mulling things over.
ReplyDeleteDiane - I'm just glad these are old photos! We did wind up getting some snow the other day, but it didn't stick around very long...and I doubt we even got half an inch. We've been so lucky to have such a gorgeous autumn. Yesterday we were almost at 60 and I think it should be just as nice today. I'm glad you're back online. Fingers crossed it's a mild winter for both of us!
ReplyDeleteBellezza - I think it's going to take me a lot longer than you! I'm only just barely into Chapter 7. I will say that I'm surprised that the novel is so readable. For whatever reason, I expected it to be either dry (without a lot of dialogue) or written in a post-modernistic style. Anyhow, I'm very curious to see where Murakami is going to lead me. He's definitely got my attention!