There is a house I pass on the way home from the bus stop that occasionally has a box full of free books on their front stoop. A couple months ago I took two books and found them both to be just OK. And today I picked up another, which I hope is better than the last two. The thing for me about reading is that I can't stop a book I have started. Maybe once or twice EVER in life have I done this. And I've read a lot of books.
I was the kid under the covers with a flashlight after she promised to go to bed after reading this last sentence, paragraph, chapter. Now I enjoy my bus ride to and fro work because I get a chance to read and I don't have to feel bad that it's not school work.
I scored lots of personal pan pizzas in the old school Pizza Hut "Book It" summer campaign (do they still do that?) and have a deep love of libraries. We spent hours there at the library when I was a kid. Any chance you get, you shoulder wander the Boston Public Library. It is spectacular.
One of the books I picked up from the stoop this summer was "Magical Thinking" by Augusten Burroughs. Although I did laugh out loud many times, I couldn't get past his bitterness. I don't think I'll read another of his books. The other book was "Misfortune" by Wesley Stace. I had not heard of this author before, but thought the writing was very good. I just didn't quite enjoy the story. But I finished all 560 pages of it. On the bus, in the airport, in bed.
The one I picked up today is "Confessions of a Nervous Shiksa", the main character is a movie producer. I like the movies, so I will at least make it through this book. And, it was free without a due date and 25 cents a day late fee.
4 comments:
I really don't like Augusten Burroughs. People say he is like David Sedaris but I disagree. I'm reading Cutting for Stone right now and I think you would enjoy it. It's a lot harder to read the same books as you now that we live so far apart :(
Oh man, I loved "Book It"! I might still have my pin.
I will have to check out Cutting for Stone. I will definitely miss the Lewis-Hansen book exchange!
I'm like you. Once I start a book, I have a hard time giving it up, even when I'm angry! I really despised the main character in the Kite Runner, but kept on reading it. The girls can tell you stories of how I spent one angry week at the beach reading Angela's Ashes!
However, the good books I've read far outweigh the bad ones, and since I spend half my time trying to encourage my students to read, I think you are just brilliant to be reading anything!
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