The weather reports on the CBC keep telling me it’s going to thunderstorm this afternoon but it’s brilliant and sunny out right now. I believe in the sunshine even if the CBC doesn’t. Of course, I’m only saying that because I don’t want to get completely soaking heading home tonight. Here’s a little rambling list for today:
1. Started and abandoned Dorothy Allison’s Trash. Her writing is powerful, personal and honest but the content of the short stories really didn’t interest me at all. As I said on Twitter this week, I really like where she writes from but not what she writes about. I did, however, find both introductions incredibly inspiring, and how her writing gave her a power she never expected to have in her life. Also, Cavedweller and Bastard Out of Carolina are two of my favourite books.
2. Am now feverishly reading The Winter Vault to be finished by the time Canada Day kicks up so I can finish my Canadian Reading Challenge. Then I’ll need to decide what to read for the 09-10 challenge. All Poetry Edition? New Releases? Backlist Frenzy? Anyone else have suggestions?
3. Our garden has exploded. Soon we’ll have about a half-dozen cocozelle zucchinis, beans, basil, and cucumbers (well, they’re flowering so that’s something). We’ve been eating our recession garden lettuce for about a month now and I’m about to start brown bagging my lunch every day if only because I’m working my butt off to get more of our house renovations paid down.
4. Speaking of which, I hope most of you are around late summer-early September because we’ll finally have a housewarming party almost five years after moving in. Trust me, it’ll be worth it. My house is gorgeous these days.
5. Feeling diseasy is intensified when I’m covered in hives from a strange allergic reaction to the sun. It only happens on my arms (well, sometimes my legs) and I’ve been sitting at my desk itching for the past five hours. Argh.
6. Newsweek has 50 books “for our time.” I’ve read 5. Obviously, I’m not very timely.
7. You know what still makes me laugh? Thinking about The Hangover three weeks after seeing the film. That and my 3-year-old nephew rapping.
Short and sweet today friends. Short and sweet.
It was pretty thundery out here today – maybe it all passed you over for us.
Re:2 – I've just finished mine Challenge up by reading 2 short story collections- inspired by the interesting promotion HarperCollins is running for the summer 😉
3. Lucky you! Sounds like garden heaven
6. Just remember what Clifton Fadiman said:
Books are not rolls, to be devoured only when hot and fresh… If you read only new books or only old ones, either way you are dated.
That would be "my Challenge", I am not a medievalist…
Thanks for pointing to the Newsweek list, of which I've read three. And that's assuming that the Trollope I read in university was The Way we Live Now, and it might not have been. Only three by women (two by people with first names of indeterminant sex) I note disdainfully. But, they have a theme about "these times" and may have just tried to find a theme to knit together someone's book collection.
It certainly poured buckets, with thunder and lightning, starting around 1:15, out in Leslieville.