Day 13 - A Fictional Book

I skipped the days I thought sucked.

Everyone knows I loooove my fiction, but I don't think I could ever commit to just one. Instead, I dedicate this post to fiction in general. Take the song, "Up Where we Belong" and replace the word "love" with "fiction." That's how I feel about it. I'm disappointed that genre fiction is not a respectable as just plain old fiction, and frequently perplexed by what warrants the distinction. Plenty of books I've found in the fiction section at Barnes & Noble were less than books found elsewhere. And books in the sci-fi, fantasy, occasionally romance, young adult, etc. genres were just as good as the best in plain ole fiction. But I still hear things from people who know I love to read and that I'm smart that they didn't think I read "things like that." (Most recently, it was referring to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.) I never quite get why I wouldn't read things like that. What's that?

Whoops! Didn't mean to get up on my soapbox there. When it comes to fiction, I'm not terribly discriminating. The bulk of my collection is fantasy, yes, but I also enjoy mysteries, science fiction, kid's stuff, thillers, even graphic novels on occasion. I have my guilty pleasures in the romance and supernatural/paranormal novels. I toss in a periodic classic or book club pick. This does have it's drawbacks: with so much to choose from, I have a very long list of things I want to read, and never enough time (or money!) for everything. I wish I could give up sleep.

Day 4 - Favorite Book

Oooo, this is definitely the hardest for me, as there are so many books I love. Robin McKinley is my favorite author, but she doesn't publish things very often. She wrote "The Hero and the Crown" which was the very first adult fantasy novel I read. (Very first was the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis.) She's often shelved in young adult, though, which I don't understand at all.

My second favorite author is Neil Gaiman. Unlike some other things I read, I don't devour his books as soon as I bring them home. They usually sit on my shelves for a little while, until I'm in just the right mood. He's a brilliant writer; I love his style and dry humor. I love his words. But he can be creepy (in a delicious sort of way) and that isn't always what I want. Bobby says he doesn't get why I can read his books, but not watch scary movies, and I can't explain it to him. I just know that Neil Gaiman really is fabulous.

My mother-in-law asks:

So have you checked out the Kindle yet? Any thoughts?

I say:
I have! It looks really neat, and I'm curious about how their digital "ink" really performs, but I don't think I'm ready to hop on the bandwagon yet for 4 main reasons:

1) I share books back and forth with my mom and the used bookstores. Not possible with digital editions.
2) Reading a book is comfortable. Staring at a screen, less so.
3) One of the publishers who contracted with Amazon changed their minds about something and made Amazon pull the book from the Kindles of people who'd purchased it already. They were refunded and all, but, I'm sure it's kind of like, "Umm, I was reading that!" Not to mention the big brother connotations. (Ironically enough, the book was George Orwell's 1984, big brother indeed.)... See More
4) I don't think the cost of digital editions is really enough less than that of paperbacks to make it worthwhile to overlook the other disadvantages. (I clicked on one just now to compare: $7.99 to $6.39. And it's available used for $2.39 from private sellers on the same site.)

If I were more into daily publications like the news and online feeds, I'd probably be more enthusiastic about the format. As it is. Ehhh. Nah.

So there it is people! Publishers, make digital copies cheaper, dammit! I'll have you know, I am the book authority in my friend circle, so people listen to what I have to say about books. And what I'm saying right now isn't positive. Money can make other complaints non-issues.

39 Weeks

I'm ready! Let's go! Come on! (If only it worked that way.) I realize my pregnancy has been extremely "easy," but still. I'm so over it. I've got tums stashed near all my hangouts in the house, I sleep in late, then take marathon naps, and I haven't felt properly hydrated since January. Mostly, it's the lack of energy that gets to me. How do women work through this? I always intended to work 'til I went into labor, but I just don't see how it's done. Especially for women that haven't had such a smooth ride as I have. Maybe if I'd been working the whole time, I'd feel differently. Maybe I should feel lucky I got laid off when I did. Impossible to say, but what else do I have to do but think about these things? (Hah, plenty, but fat chance.)

Bobby makes me laugh. Twenty minutes after complaining about how many books we have and labelling me a "book hoarder," Bobby called to ask me to find a purchase a book he heard about on the radio. 'Sup, irony. Meet my husband. In all truth, though, I do have an awful lot of books. I really hope I can get my kid addicted to reading too.