Our Thoughts

glitter-graphics.com Today is Thanksgiving here in the US, a day that is supposed to be dedicated to reflecting on our many blessings and feeling grateful for them. That's sadly starting to get a bit lost in the rush of the huge Thanksgiving meal and the ever-earlier kickoff to the Christmas shopping season though. In the spirit of the season, what books are you thankful for? And/or what other blessings do you want to share here? I'm first of all thankful for my kind, patient, and loving husband, Luis. And my kind, patient and loving family and extended family. Do you get the feeling that I require a lot of patient, loving kindness? :-) I'm also thankful for a decent job that pays the bills, a beautiful house I love in a gorgeous part of the world, the ability to travel and see new places, and my faithful blog readers who stick with me even when I neglect posting for enormous amounts of time. Now, a few books I'm thankful for. Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery--This is the first book I really remember falling in love with. I've always been a reader, and I definitely remember making my way through Beverly Cleary's books, Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series, and Lois Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik books as fast as I could, but Anne is the first book that I remember falling head-over-heels, re-read-it-'til-the-cover-is-about-to-fall-off in love with. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak--I read this about six years ago and it immediately became my absolute favorite book. I tend to love stories of WWII and the Holocaust anyway, but these characters gripped me by the heartstrings and haven't ever let go. There are many themes and ideas in it that resonated deeply with me as well. I'm afraid to re-read…

Do you read the bonus material in a book? There are tons of extras that publishers occasionally see fit to throw into a book. I read most of it but not all and I'm curious how other readers feel. My list and how I feel about them (I do realize that some of these are way more "extra" than others): 1. Introduction--I avoid these like the plague. They should be called "Conclusions" at best, or, more honestly, "Spoilers." They definitely need to be put at the end of the book rather than the beginning. I mostly see them in the Barnes & Noble editions of classics. I know the books are classics, so the plot is supposed to just be general knowledge, but I frequently don't know anything about the classic that I'm reading. So to read an "Introduction" only to have the entire plot outlined and spoiled quite honestly pisses me off. 2. Dedication--I do usually glance at these. I think they give me an idea about who the author is as a person. Does she dedicate it to her family, friends, pets, or readers? These can be pretty cute sometimes. 3. Prologue (or whatever you choose to call the bit of story that comes before Chapter 1)--I do read these. They frequently set up something that comes along later in the book. I have one friend on GoodReads who refuses to read them. She says, "If it were necessary to the story, it would be called 'Chapter 1.'" 4. Epilogue (or whatever you choose to call the bit of story that comes after the last chapter)--I read these as well, but sometimes I regret it. For the most part, I feel like epilogues give me some closure. Usually some time has elapsed, the characters are in a better…

I turned on my computer tonight for just a few "quick" things. I wanted to comment on some blogs; I wanted to write a review of Fairest, which I just finished listening to on the way home; and I wanted to choose my next audio book. None of these things should take too long, right? I'm tired. I can knock this out and be in bed by 10:30. Here it is 10:20 and I haven't written a review and I still haven't chosen a new audio title. I think I make this harder than it has to be. Here's how my process goes. I log onto my library's digital website. I'm not organized enough to actually request a book from another library, so I just go with whatever is available digitally. I go straight to my wishlist. And then I scroll up and down and down and up aimlessly. See, the site's still fairly small, and I still prefer print to audio. Two strikes against me. It gets worse from here. First, I have to decide what I'm in the mood for. Tonight? I just finished a fairy tale so I want something a little meaty. But not too meaty, because I need to be able to focus on a print book for that. Up and down, down and up. Hmmm... Secrets of Eden by Christ Bohjalian could work. But wait a minute. Is this about abuse? Yup. I'm finishing up a book that centers around abuse and stalking, and there's only so much of that kind of thing I can read and keep my sanity. Next! Up and down, down and up. Maybe Romancing Miss Brontë? Nah. I think I want to physically read that one. What about Bet Me? Yes, that could be good. It's not meaty, but…