Friday, August 21, 2009

Cool in the Pool Friday


Today's Blog/Website of the Day is Reading Extravaganza found at http://lilly-readingextravaganza.blogspot.com/. "'When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind.' Michel de Montaigne."


I'm finding myself reading more from THE LIFE OF ELIZABETH I by Alison Weir right now. Nonfiction is suiting my reading mood.


Do you do much re-reading? I usually don't and in fact until recently I didn't really keep any books that I had already read, preferring to use the space for to-be-read books. There are some truly fantastic books I'd like to re-read someday: DUNE by Frank Herbert (his entire series as a re-read), the Prydain Chronicles books by Lloyd Alexander, the FOUNDATION books by Isaac Asimov, etc.,


Books I have re-read are usually wonderful classics like LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott (and her other books), PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and PERSUASION by Jane Austen, ANNE OF GREEN GABLES and the series by Lucy Maud Montgomery.


In the past couple years, however, I've recognized that I would perhaps like to re-read some of the good historical mysteries I've consumed a few years/decades down the road. It might be nice to look at them in the meantime in my bookshelves and perhaps they won't be available in libraries -- a lot of them aren't there now. I think of Ellis Peters, Margaret Frazer, CJ Sansom, Alan Gordon, Ariana Franklin, Susanna Gregory, etc.


I do have some books that I've collected and haven't read yet. Coming to mind are the books by Dorothy Dunnett. I mean to read them; they are large, time consuming books. I have a goal of reading ten books a month and I fear that the Dunnetts would slow me down. Mystery authors I've got but haven't added to the rotation include Jane Haddam, Archer Mayor, Ian Rankin, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, Reginald Hill, Francis Fyfield, Lindsay Davis, heck a lot of the roman histmyst authors, and so many others.


There are elusisive authors, too, for which I keep an eye out. I'm thinking of Gladys Mitchell. I don't know why I think I want to read her.


If they stopped publishing today (gasp -- INCONCEIVABLE), there are so many authors that I haven't even gotten to yet that I would [probably] be fine but then I could also re-read those that I've been keeping and be perfectly okay that way. As long as nobody takes away my stash.


It's back to hot weather again -- hitting the 90 degree marks this weekend, I believe. I will probably do some reading and cleaning of house/laundry. Steve HAS to mow and will most likely be spending time on the computer playing his new game -- he hasn't been able to play it since the first evening he got it on Tuesday. I think another thing we could do for fun is watch The Watchman DVD; we saw it in the theatre but we would both like to see it again. Finding the time to do so is the difficult part.


Have a good Friday


Much love,

PK the Bookeemonster

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