Sunday, August 19, 2012

Sunday Salon - August 18

Summer isn't officially over for about another month but the kids in all of the school districts around here started back to school this week. That always makes it feel like summer is over, official or otherwise. Except at my house where, for the first time in 18 years, we didn't have any kids heading back to public schools. Wow, was that strange. That's not to say we haven't been making back-to-school preparations. Both of the boys start back to college tomorrow; Miss H has another couple of weeks.

It's been that same length of time since I had to be to work at a specific time. Since I started my new job, I've been starting work at 8 a.m. which has meant I'm battling all of the traffic that has just dropped off kids at school. This week I start a new schedule, a schedule designed to help me keep my sanity but which may cut into my reading time. I'll work an extra hour four days a week, getting me to work ahead of the traffic and also giving me a half day off one day a week. I'm really looking forward to that half day. I'm thinking I'll really be able to get some big projects done on those days...or have a nice long chunk of reading time uninterrupted. Hmm, maybe this won't cut into my reading after all.

I went way out of my reading comfort zone this week, reading Ernest Cline's Ready Player One. Let's just say, for know, that I found it interesting and I'm sure it's one that my oldest will enjoy. It will pass to his hands next. Followed that with Karen White's Falling Home which felt like I was eating comfort food or slipping into a favorite pair of slippers. I like to stretch my boundaries with my reading choices but it always feels good to fall back on women's fiction.

With all of that talk about cutting back on books I'm accepting for review, somehow I still managed to have four new books arrive at my house this week. This does not bode well for my efforts to get through all of my review books by the end of the year.

With Mini-him moving back home recently, we have been working hard on finding space for all of the things we'll have to store until he's ready to move out again. It's been a great incentive to clean out and purge. Today I managed to convince The Big Guy to get rid of the last of the textbooks he's been holding onto...for twenty-five years! I also got rid of a dozen books I've been holding onto for a long time. There are still more books to go through but I'm not sure how far I can push The Big Guy to get rid of any more for a while. Purging books was a topic of conversation on Twitter last week; how do you decide which books to keep and which to get rid of?

This week I've got reviews of Lynn Griffin's Sea Escape, an new adaptation of Snow White, and Adam Johnson's The Orphan Master's Son. This week I'll start The Baker's Daughter, by Sarah McCoy, for a TLC book tour. What are you reading this week?

9 comments:

  1. The Orphan Master's Son is on my list too for the book tour. Hope you enjoy all your other books!

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  2. School will start here in two short weeks. I'm not ready because this is my youngest Senior year. I can't believe I'm here already..how can it be? We've been checking out colleges, talking about options, even thinking of the Air Force...life must slow down just a bit! I think having a half-day off sounds wonderful and I'm sure you'll keep a balance of reading and getting projects done. I just sent about 12 books to my oldest in Okinawa. I sent him a photo of all the goodies coming his way and he can't wait. I started another box and already have about 6 for that one. I have a neighbor lady that responded to my hoarders post on FB so I'm going to walk this fat tush down to her house tomorrow and drop some more books off to her. One way to get rid of the books, right? I think the books that you have coming up sound great and I'm sure you'll love The Baker's Daughter....that is a top read for me!! Have a great week!!

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  3. Purging... you know my answer to your issue but I will play along. If your house burned down, or a tornado blew through... what do you wish you had been able to keep?

    Of course keep other things but do you really want to try to inventory all the 'junk' we tend to accumulate? I’m actually dedicating the rest of Aug and Sep to the ‘big dig’… embarrassed to say I still have plenty of Frank and Barbara’s crap hidden in closets/rooms…

    Enjoy your kids and I love that you have found a way to get an afternoon for yourself.

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  4. I really need to sort out my books too, but I'm not good at giving books away.
    Hope your new working schedule works well and the early start will help with the traffic issue.
    This week I'm reading Down the Darkest Road - Tami Hoag.


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  5. It sounds like you are going through some big changes around there, and the new schedule seems like it will be a good thing! I have always had trouble letting go of books, but I think a purge is in order soon. The house just feels too cluttered! I just finished The Age of Desire and am working on Cloud Atlas and IT. I somehow found myself in two readalongs, so it's a good thing I'm not booked! Or am I? Have a great week over there!

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  6. Hope the new schedule works out. That is why I get here at 6am!

    I did not like Ready Player One. Besides the 80's references, what was there to really enjoy? I am not into gaming but can appreciate the gaming aspect, but beside that??

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  7. I work four 10s and have Mondays off. I've been lucky have this schedule for the past 14 years (yikes!). It took a good month to get used to the longer days, but having that Monday off is so worth it!

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  8. I would like to read The Orphan Master's Son. School should be starting for me soon. I'm at the beginning of the adventure with my four year old. :)

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  9. I'm glad you're getting a work schedule that's going to help you out some. That's great!

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