post 323: a general update

Yeah, I ditched Republocrat. I knew I wouldn't be able to read it without giving myself an aneurysm, and so I stopped for the benefit of everyone. Let's see, I've got some stuff lined up, but I'm also way overdue for a break. The last one I took was sometime in November, I think, and that was still a working break. I have a couple of applications that are due at the end of this month that I have little to no desire to work on, so at some point I'll need a hiatus from the blog just to get those done. If you're interested in being a guest blogger, let me know (acampb8@kent.edu).

I'm going to do a fairly long list for this one, because on February 5th I went out to support my library in solidarity with all the people in the UK whose libraries are threatened. Also, it's been a long time since I just went into the library and grabbed an armful of books. Oh, and I put holds on eBooks and those became available more quickly than I realized they were going to. Almost none of these were actually on my to-read list. I am a bad person.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin.
This was recommended to me by an awesome librarian. You'll hear more about that in the blog post so that's all you get to know for now. It posts tomorrow, so you won't have to wait long.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.
This has actually been all over the place from NPR to the Colbert Report, and ALL OVER the book blogosphere. I'm excited to finally be able to read it and I am sure it's worth all the hype.

Fallen by Lauren Kate.
This was a title I made note of during ALA 2010. I'm pretty sure I got it from one of the many catalogs I picked up. It's gotten some good press on the book blogs. We'll see if I agree. Looks like it might be Twilight-esque... so... this title might be dropped in favor of something more substantive and enjoyable (for me).

Waiting for Daisy by Peggy Orenstein.
I was browsing in the library and saw that they had this autobiography. After reading Cinderella Ate My Daughter (which has blown up in the book world, and is doing really well), I saw no reason not to read this one as well. I love the discussions Orenstein has started on Facebook and Twitter. She's very in touch with her readership, which is something I appreciate. Anyway, I liked her writing style and especially enjoyed the chapters where she interacted with her daughter, so why not read a whole book on it?

Three Hands for Scorpio by Andre Norton.
Okay, so I've kind of feel like I've been in a reading slump lately and I really just want some familiar authors. I like Andre Norton's work with other authors, but I haven't read a whole lot of her individual work. I've also been starved for some science fiction. For some reason I've been neglecting that genre since starting this blog. Maybe because I don't follow enough sci-fi bloggers? Hmm...

The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie.
I absolutely loved Haroun and the Sea of Stories so the idea of spending a little more time with a Rushdie novel is a pleasant one. I have no idea what this is really about, but the title sure is catchy. Also, shiny cover, shiny!

Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth series) by Terry Goodkind.
So uh, I started this on audiobook, made it almost halfway through and then it expired on me (checked out from my library). So I went ahead and placed a hold on the book. I think I might enjoy reading it better because the narrator of my version, Sam Tsoutsouvas, had some vaguely Microsoft Sam inflections going on. It was tolerable as long as I was doing something else, but it also had the tendency to either annoy me or make me tune out completely. Ah, the importance of choosing the right narrator and the right reading inflections.