Book Time

I haven't been reading as much as I would like to lately. This whole having a job that doesn't allow you to read, get on the Internet, talk on the phone, or watch movies while working kind of sucks. I miss the airport; I could set up my laptop, watch netflix, facebook, play endless hours of bubble spinner, and read to my hearts content. What can I say? I'm no model employee...just sitting at work bored doing nothing isn't "my thing." Now, when there isn't anything going on at work, I spend my time staring at the bullet proof glass thinking about how I could be doing the exact same thing at home, minus the uncomfortable clothes, the bullet proof glass, plus a DVR full of ridiculously bad tv. Or reading in my chair facing the water. Or even sweeping my floor. Really anything that isn't watching CNN with no volume and trying not to slide off my chair while I'm dying of boredom and misery.

Ok. So maybe it isn't all that bad. When I was at home, I just wanted to leave. Now that I'm out of the house, all I want to do is stay home. I guess the grass is always greener. It would help if my  job was slightly more enjoyable. But, I've made a promise not to go too in depth or complain about the job on here, because pretty much anyone and their brother's uncle's great-aunt's cousin can find this, so I'll just leave it at that.

Recently I've gotten to read:

 

1. The Story of a Marriage  by Andrew Sean Greer. He also wrote The Confessions of Max Tivoli, which, while most of the plot was ripped off from another author, was still incredible. Greer is a master of language and his stories are beautifully written. You can't helped but be pulled into the story. I won't say anything about the plot, because even a small hint would ruin it. Don't read anything about this book if you ever plan on reading it, the little surprises along the way are worth it. Definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a really good, really quick read.

2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. I read mixed reviews and I can understand why, though I personally really liked it. It is a retelling of Hamlet, though you can definitely read, enjoy, and appreciate it without having any knowledge of Hamlet at all. It was interesting, heart wrenching, and I won't lie - pretty tragic, which seemed to be people's biggest complaint. But you certainly can't retell Shakespeare without the tragedy. The book followed Edgar, a mute teen, and his family, as they run their dog breeding business, which was started by Edgar's grandfather. A lot of the book focuses on dogs, which was actually really interesting, even if it did get a bit repetitive. The book is long and takes some time, but overall, I'd say it is worth it.

3. Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. Usually I love Jodi Picoult books, despite the fact that they are all identical. I wasn't too thrilled with this one. Maybe it was because the last two books I'd read were so good, or maybe it was just too predictable, or maybe I'm just over JP...who knows. I just found this book to be so much of the same formula and so predictable, that there wasn't a real reason to keep reading, because I knew exactly what would happen, down to the big shock at the end. The story revolves around a family living with a daughter who has osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone syndrome). Of course, there is a lawsuit, 5 different points of view, and a big twist. If you haven't read anything by Picoult, or only one or two of her books, you may still enjoy this one, but don't judge all her books by this one...she has done much better work in the past.

 

Since I work across the street from the library, I've gotten to sneak over there more often. I usually walk home on Wednesdays, so I'm going to start using it as a chance to walk by the library and do some exchanging. Last week was the first time in about a year (since I got my library card) that I actually spent time looking at the books. I've been using the online system all year, since our branch is so small and offers practically nothing. I was surprised to find a few things I wanted to read, so I checked them all out and I've got a stack of books waiting for me. So exciting. I'm going to miss the library system here more than anything else.