September 20, 2009
7:30 AM
Good morning! September has been a hectic month and I have missed a couple of Sunday Salons. Last weekend Kip and I traveled to visit friends in Lake County – we enjoyed stunning views from their back deck, along with laughter, good food and great conversation. What could be better?
Since I last posted for the Salon on August 30th I have read:
- The Help, by Kathryn Stockett – a fantastic book set in the early 1960s deep south (read my review)
- Cleopatra’s Daughter, by Michelle Moran – another great historical novel by this author which was just released (read my review)
I started The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon which I expected to really enjoy given my high rating of his previous book The Shadow of the Wind (read my review). But, I am struggling with his latest novel. It started well, but began to drag for me about mid-way. I don’t really like the protagonist, and Zafon’s themes seem to be rehashed rather than original. I’ve set it aside for now so that I can read The Promised World by Lisa Tucker for a TLC book tour on September 22nd. I’m 100 pages into Tucker’s book and I’m intrigued by the psychological aspects and plot.
How many of you participated in BBAW this past week? I was absolutely amazed at the incredible job that Amy and her team did putting all of this together. It boggles the mind at the amount of activities, giveaways, posts, awards, etc…that were organized for one week of blow-out fun. I have to admit, I barely scratched the surface of what was offered…and there are so many new to me blogs I’d like to peruse at some point. If you haven’t been over to the BBAW site, you should – there are some great links to some fabulous blogs and fun posts.
Yesterday I posted about burnout. I think we all encounter this at some time. For me it is a combination of factors which make me feel tired, overwhelmed, and needing to step back. Because of that, my reading has slowed down a bit. Just yesterday I planned to take some time off of work around the holidays so I can actually enjoy them. And I am making time in my life to enjoy the simple things which have no deadlines. How about you? What do you do to renew your energy?
Today Kip and I are traveling to Reno to visit a friend who is set to deploy to Afghanistan in a week. This will be his 4th tour (the other three were to Iraq). We’re looking forward to spending time with him and his wife since we have not seen either of them for some time now. So my reading time will be mostly during the drive there and back.
What about you? What are you doing today? Whatever it is, I hope at some point it involves a great book.
= Excellent
= Good/Very Good
= Okay read
= Not recommended
= Ugh! Don't waste your time.
I’m contemplating a combination end-of-summer-ice-cream/book-buying trip this afternoon. Tomorrow will be Marilynne Robinson and Joseph O’Neill. And wouldn’t I love to plan a quick trip to Washington for the National Book Festival this weekend!
Great post
I can’t wait to read Cleopatra’s Daughter.
I watched BBAW from the sidelines too and was amazed at how full-on it was in the book blogging community. So many new blogs to follow now too – overwhelmed with recommendations
Wow, I can’t imagine what your friend’s wife is going through – sending he husband off for his 4th dangerous tour of duty like that. Enjoy your visit with them.
Lake County is beautiful, isn’t it? My brother lived there for a couple of years, but I only had the chance to visit him there once. I’m sorry to hear you are struggling with The Angel’s Game. I haven’t yet read that one or the author’s previous book, but I do plan to. I look forward to reading your thoughts on The Promised World.
I hope you have a nice visit in Reno with your friends. I have no special plans today. Hopefully I will get in some reading. I need to do the laundry. Have a great week, Wendy!
I also put The Angel’s Game aside yesterday and posted about it. From what many (including my husband) have told me, perhaps I would enjoy The Shadow of the Wind more.
And BBAW was great, wasn’t it? A whole new world of blogs opened up to me.
Happy reading (at whatever pace works for you now)!
Enjoy your time with your friend who is getting read to deploy. Tell him that we’re proud of him and can’t wait for his safe return home.
Burnout…been there and now I’m trying to ease up on myself. My reading has slowed down because I’m back to work at school, my son has football, and I do correcting for 2 elementary teachers at night. That has really cut into my reading and blogging time!!!
BBAW was pretty awesome. I didn’t participate much because my time was spoken for but I really enjoyed reading a lot of blogs and what they were doing at the time!!
Enjoy your week
I am feeling tired today. So no post about a book, but this quick meme, which I tagged you to join in on, if you feel so inclined. Enjoy your visit in Reno.
THE ANGEL’S GAME didn’t entirely work for me, either. I did finish it, and there were parts that I quite enjoyed, but I was mostly underwhelmed.
I have both The Help and Cleopatra’s Daughter in my TBR pile.
Debbie: What could be better? Ice cream AND books! Hope you had an awesome afternoon…and I hope that if you made it to the book festival, you’ll share it with all of us!
Ceri: Hope you’ll love Cleopatra’s Daughter. I know what you mean about BBAW being overwhelming with new blogs…wow, is all I can say!
Kathy: And he is in the reserves…four tours seems like just too much. We had a great visit with them.
WendyCat: Lake County is one of my favorites…it is very rural and beautiful. We had a terrific time in Reno…a short, but pleasant get-away. I don’t know if I’ll ever finish The Angel’s Game…
Frances: So many bloggers seemed disappointed with The Angel’s Game…me included. Glad I’m not alone! BBAW was so huge this year…I cannot even imagine what it will be like next year *laughs*
Staci: I passed on your thoughts to my friend…he was appreciative! I think quite a few of us are experiencing a bit of burnout lately…glad to know I’m not alone!
Jeane: I haven’t forgotten your tag…will try to get to it this weekend!!
Memory: Yes – underwhelmed is a good way to describe how I am feeling toward The Angel’s Game.
Stephanie: You are in for some great reading!!!