What I've Been Reading

Thought I'd share a quick little tidbit my fellow readers might find fun. Here are the books that I have read since James has been born. I have only read them while nursing him, and, while nursing him, I only read when I'm not at the computer or dozing off (because it's the middle of the night). I still think it's a respectable pile.

Since getting to the public library has only recently progressed from no-way-it's-gonna-happen-with-these-two-kids to I-guess-I-could-but-still-not-worth-it to sure-I-could-do-it-if-my-to-do-list-weren't-already-too-long, my reading selection has been largely from my own books.

After finishing The Lord of the Rings and then reading Jane Eyre (for the first time ever, I might add! I know. I'm shocked, myself), I found myself swinging away from the awesome-but-slightly-more-substantial fiction toward the easier-but-still-good-classics I loved in my pre-teen years. Hence Hatchet and Julie of the Wolves.

I also found myself drawn toward the books that reminded me of college. A Man For All Seasons was worth the re-read, and it served well to bring me back to those first few weeks of my freshman year. My Antonia was a book from my American Modernism class that I remembered one thing about--I had been profoundly struck by its beauty the first time I read it. It was a feeling I'll never forget. It had just as much power in this re-read.

Needing something a little less demanding of my mental resources, but longer and still very interesting, I dove back into His Dark Materials--that's the series beginning with The Golden Compass. I think I first started that series in late elementary school, and I enjoy it more every time I read it again (you can tell it's well worn by now).

Now that the kids are more manageable and I'm desperate for new and different books, I think I'm going to head to the library and delve into the Young Adult section. I have a good reason for this--my best friend from high school is becoming somewhat of an expert in this category, and she's even compiled a handy dandy list for me to refer to. There's never anything quite like reading an exciting, well-written, relevant book for the first time.

After a YA binge, maybe I'll find myself swinging in a different direction again. Perhaps I'll head in the non-fiction route (I'm feeling a re-read of Freakonomics headed my way) or even try biographies.

So. Thank you for indulging in my book-nerdiness (I keep discovering new types of nerdiness in myself...). Feel free to share what you've been reading! I'd love more ideas to add to my "to-read" list.