Library Books

From Dana:

 

Cole and I have been going to the library every two weeks, or pretty close, when our books are due.  I say "pretty close" because Haskell Township Library doesn't have late fees!  Ha!  Can you imagine!  But, as a good Sublette citizen, I feel the need to be a responsible book checker outer, so I try to get our books back in a timely fashion, or get them renewed.

 

I have never in my life, I don't think, read a book in the given two-week lending time period from the library.  Ever.  Until recently.

 

I have a list on my phone of books to read that people have recommended.  I have decided that I will never again, if I can help it, just go blindly to the library and pick out a book.  I LOVE reading suggestions from people.  I think about the person while I read it and I talk to them about it afterwards and usually if they like it, I like it.  And since I'm not a fast reader, as evidenced by never finishing a book in two weeks, I'm glad to not be wasting my time on a ho hum book.

 

So, my two-week-book-finishing streak all started with "Serena" - a book made movie that we decided to read randomly as a family, the girls in the Ellis family - mom, Julie (though I don't think she finished it), Grandma, Carrie, and Susie.  I really liked the book from the very beginning and was happy to be reading a fun fiction book.  I finished it in the given two-week time period.  I was amazed.

 

And then I ventured on to "What Alice Forgot" a recommendation from a college friend's blog.  (If you haven't read it, you need to.  You're in for a treat.  I wish I could be you and still have not read it and read it for the first time.  Ahhhh!)  To my surprise, I read it, devoured it, in the given two week time period.  I was so proud of myself - two in a row!

 

Then, I went on to a few books Norma suggested, Silver Star and The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, which were littler books, thankfully, and I finished them in the two weeks!  I was captivated by The Glass Castle and still think about it.  It is the author's memoir, so it's true, which makes it even more stunning.

 

And then, Kathryn told me of a book turned movie she had just started called A Long Way Down that sounded really intriguing - these people meet on the top of a building where they were all separately planning on committing suicide.  Interesting premise, though I don't think I can recommend it because of all the bad language - which they make mention of often in the book from the perspective of one of the mom-type, sheltered characters (that's me!).  Kathryn hadn't gotten far in the book when she mentioned it to me (don't think that Kathryn loves cussing...ha!).

 

And then, I thought I had met my match.  The Storyteller by Jodi Piccoult - a suggestion from Grandma.  It just wasn't going very fast for me and then all of a sudden, about a third of the way through, the story changed perspectives and started being told in first person from some characters in Poland during WWII, and I couldn't stop reading.  Whew!  I finished in the knick of time.

 

And then came The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom - a recommendation from Mom.  It's Friday due date came and went, and I still wasn't done.  I figured I'd give myself the weekend and then, reluctantly, go renew it on Monday and get Cole some new books - ending my streak.  But to my surprise, the story took a twist, and I found myself awake at 2:00 AM Saturday morning nearly finishing the entire book.  I NEVER do that.  I read to fall asleep, not to stay awake.  It was crazy...and really good.

 

 

So, all that to say, I've been accomplishing something I never thought I could do - reading a book in two weeks.  If you have any suggestions send them my way, only if they're REALLY good.

 

I do think there's absolutely no way I will finish the book I got this week.  It's called "Fall of Giants" by Ken Follett.  I saw one of my Facebook acquaintances reference it.  It's nearly 1000 pages, historical fiction.  I tried to get a number of other ones on my list, but our library didn't have them - but could order them from other libraries.  The one they DID have, "Something Borrowed", had been taken out of their system and assumed lost (one of the ramifications of not having late fees, perhaps?).  I figured I'd take the Ken Follett book and see what I thought while she ordered me "Something Borrowed" from another library.  I haven't opened it yet.