Here's the list of recent reads:
23: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris. It's about Sookie Stackhouse, who can read people's minds, but not those of vampires or werewolves or fairies or other supernatural creatures. The main thing I noticed while reading this one is that Harris's protagonists are always cleaning their houses (or other people's, in the case of the one who owns a cleaning business). And it makes me want to clean more often. They just vacuum real quick while waiting for someone to try to kill them, or work on cleaning the attic until someone else turns up dead. It's weirdly inspiring to me, reminding me that I could clean for a few minutes here and there while the baby is sleeping or playing. It doesn't have to be a huge, whole-house cleaning. Just a touch-up.
It's so weird to think of how busy I was during college! I worked full time, took at least 5 classes a semester, had friends, and had hobbies! If I had half an hour before I needed to get to work, I might run to the store. Now I feel like I need hours free to do anything. Part of it is that I live in the burbs and it takes half an hour to get to the store, but a lot of it is just a lazy mindset. Maybe I will be able to change that this year.
24: The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht. A really good novel that takes place in Eastern Europe, in modern times and during WWII. We follow a young woman doctor and also learn about her grandfather's youth. Definitely recommended.
25: The Memoirs of a Survivor by Doris Lessing. This is a kind of alternate-reality novel in which something has happened that causes all production to stop, and government to lose control, and people to slowly ooze from the cities. An older woman, still living in the city, somehow becomes the guardian of a young teenage girl. The woman doesn't want to leave the city, but it's becoming more and more dangerous as the wild children who have been left behind take more and more control. It's creepy. Even creepier that she describes it as an autobiography!
26. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling. After seeing the 7th movie, I needed to re-read this book since I couldn't remember it very well and I wanted to know what happens at the end. When it first came out, I read it really fast, like in a couple days (759 pages). When I speed-read, I don't seem to synthesize the content nearly as well. I like that Rowling "humanized" Dumbledore by giving him faults. And I still say Snape was a dick, no matter what side he was secretly working for.
27. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. This is the first in a series of novels about a 1930-ish lady detective in London. She is also a psychologist and has been trained in meditation, so her methods are a bit unorthodox. Mazie's past influences her behavior in regards to her clients, and it really adds a lot to the stories. When she was 13, her mother died and her father sent her to be a maid in a rich family's house. They discovered how intelligent she was and set about educating her. She studied with a psychologist/investigator/Secret Service Agent/Medical Examiner, then went to a posh college. She dropped out to become a nurse during WWI and ended up in France, right in the midst of horrible fighting. She was injured and went home to convalesce, finish school, and work with her mentor. Now she has her own business, a male assistant, and a couple of suitors.
In this first novel, she investigates a retreat intended as a safe haven for soldiers whose disfigurement made them uncomfortable in normal society. (Did you know they used to make tin masks and paint them to look skin-colored for those whose faces were badly damaged?)
28. Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear. In the second Maisie Dobbs novel, she searches for a runaway spinster heiress who has a habit of running off. Another good read.
29. Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear. In the third Maisie Dobbs novel, she searches for proof of death of a wartime pilot. She also helps her friend find information about her brother's death.
I used to be unable to stand to read about wars -- it really upset me. For some reason I am able to read these fictionalized accounts of war and post-war events with interest and without becoming overly saddened. I find it fascinating to read about this time period in between the World Wars and am really enjoying Maisie Dobbs as a character.
30. The Last Bookstore in America by Amy Stewart. An alternate-reality short novel about a world in which the Gizmo has replaced books. Once people can just stream books for free, they quit buying them, and eventually all publishers stop publishing and writers stop writing. No one actually reads books anymore -- just tweets and blogs. A young married couple inherits one of the last remaining bookstores, but what they don't know is that it stays in business by selling marijuana. Funny and well-written. And I read it on my Gizmo -- I mean, my Kindle.
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The days are just rushing past around here. Jason and I decided before Violet was born that we would take her picture every day for her first year, and we've kept up with it so far. It is really cool to see how much she's changed already! Today is day 161 with her in our lives, and it's been pretty great. She is so sweet and snuggly, and so impatient and demanding, and so curious and brave. She loves electronic devices, though we really want her to avoid our tv addiction. She is totally enamored with our cat, Francis. She can't wait until she is 6 months old and can try eating food. Her wavy hair has the biggest whorl in the back, and she almost always has an Alfalfa lock of hair sticking straight out. She blows spit bubbles and laughs and squeals in delight. Her nails are razor sharp. She is very strong and seems almost ready to stand up on her own, though we're still working on crawling.
In other news, we're planning on building a deck this summer (well, hiring people to build it for us). We're planning a garden again, and may plant this weekend. I'm glad we waited because yesterday was all tornado warnings and hail and rain, rain, rain. Last year I planted right after Mother's Day and the garden was destroyed by hail. I learned my lesson: wait another week or two!
We have planted berry bushes again (this year I've been watering regularly and I know that it just might take a while before any growth is visible). And we added some lilac bushes along the fence to block the neighbors' view into our yard. Some day the bushes will be taller than the fence :)
I want to plant tons of bulbs this fall so we have a beautiful spring next year. We may also plant some trees this year. I'd really like to have cherries and apples. We are kind of waiting to see what happens with the deck first, but the guy who's supposed to be drawing up the plans had to go to a funeral and now it's been like 3 weeks and we're still waiting. Doesn't he know the WHOLE YARD is waiting??
Anyway, it's fun to do more to our yard and see it start to look less like a rock quarry and more like a suburban yard. And in a few years, it will be a crazy yard, filled to the brim with flowers and fruits. And maybe a half pipe.
See you soon!
