The written word...

Tyler and I lived downtown when we first got married and one of my favorite things about that was being so close to the big library. And the farmers market, but this post is about books, not produce... We used to make frequent trips to the library and I was a reading fiend. When we moved to our apartment in South Jordan we were no where near a library and I kind of forgot that I like to read. I still read, but not with the vigor that I had before, and I seemed to only read things from my personal collection. Over and over and over. And the Harry Potter books as they came out. I read those.

An exciting thing happened last week. I went to the library with my sisters and nieces and nephews and got a new card, since mine had long ago disappeared. And I checked out books. And then I read them. (You may think that last part is a given, but I can't be the only person has had the problem of bringing home a book or a movie and then not getting around to it, right?) And I liked it.

I'd like to keep track of what I've read each month, just so that I can look back and remember. So here is the list from the past month or so...

Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse. Again. It's pathetic how many times I've read these, but they are my current favorite feel good and bath tub books. I first picked them up less than a year ago, but I have read them each at least 9 times.

Book of a Thousand Days and Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. Mom checked these out and sent them up my way. They are just sweet, heart warming little books. They're the kind of books that make you happy and optimistic.

My Life in France by Julia Child. A cute neighbor said she thought of me when she read it, so she brought it over for me to read. It was a fun read, talking about learning to cook, throwing dinner parties, writing her cookbooks, her husband and her love of all things French. I hadn't realized before just how tall she was- she was 6'2". I may have an inch on her, but she must have had it pretty rough back then..

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan. A nice read, very much like her other books. I enjoyed it but probably wouldn't read it again.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I loved this one! It's her story of growing up dirt poor, moving all over the country with her brilliant and drunk father, highly eccentric mother, and her siblings. I highly recommend this one.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I realize that I am about 5 years late on reading this, but oh well.. There is a reason it is such a popular book- it's thoroughly delightful. I enjoyed it.

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman. Becca checked this out from the library. Before she was halfway through she had ordered multiple copies of it on Amazon- it's that good. It's pretty much the most delightful thing I've ever read. It's a series of essays about books, words and language. She writes about compulsive proof reading, sesquipedalians, reading aloud and marrying libraries together (5 years and one child after getting married, they decide they are ready for this level of intimacy). I cannot recommend this highly enough.