ROBIEWANKENOBIE

goodreads.com? is like crack y'all. after a hiatus of about, uh, seven years? i'm starting to read again. sure there was a harry potter here and there, and some badly written but fabulous vampire books, but aside from that? butkus (which seems to be spelled with only one t according to the internets, which i think is a mistake of epic proportions, but whatever). at any rate, my reading has really been limited to things that i could put down at a moments notice or enjoy in the 1.2 seconds that i could take a relaxing bath. magazines, mainly. then an internets friend suggested goodreads. and i am addicted. it allows you to rate books, see books that your friends have read and rated, form to read lists, and hook you up with places to buy them online. in addition to new books, i've been able to reconnect with a few favorites.

read
their hearts were young and gay by cornelia otis skinner: a travelogue from the 1920's about two young friends and their unfettered adventures in europe. it just cracks me up. i've read it a couple of times, and i hate to re-read books.

a girl of the limberlost by gene stratton-porter: a coming of age novel. written in 1909, it chronicles the life of a young girl as she comes to terms with her family history and finds solace in the natural world.

the accidental tourist by anne tyler: if anyone can capture the little details of life, tyler can. her plots are like a good song, they ebb and flow from the first moment until the last. her characters are complicated, and real. forget about the movie, this is the shitz.

speaking of books to read, and movies to ignore, the world according to garp by john irving: i once gave up television for lent. this about killed me, and the local librarians whom i pestered to within an inch of their lives. i read every irving book that was on the shelves, and this was my favorite.

the lords of discipline by pat conroy: believe it or not? this may be my favorite book of all time, despite the subject matter (who gives a flying fuck about the citadel? not me. but conroy has this delicious vocabulary, and strong voice...enough to overcome my hesitations.

to kill a mockingbird by harper lee: of course. if i had a girl? most probably she would be named harper or scout. the leon would be opposed, but we would have a throwdown, and i would win. for true.

postcards from the edge by carrie fisher: no, really. this is certainly based on her life, but disguised in her main character. fisher has gone on to be a script doctor for sitcoms, and her ability to bring humor to difficult situations can be found in postcards.

night of the avenging blowfish a novel of covert operations, love, and luncheon meat by john welter: i love it because it is so damn weird.

recently read
the eyre affair by jasper fforde: i found it in the science fiction section, but really it is a comedy. or a mystery. or maybe a literary...well, you get the idea. and it doesn't really focus on jane eyre. a basic knowledge of the plot is helpful, but it really is about its heroine thursday next. i'm currently reading the sequel.

in the woods by tana french: ooooooooh! good stuff, and something that i never would have read had i not seen it reviewed on an internets friend's booklist. like most books that compel me, it is the characters that i can't get enough of. the subject matter was a bit much for me...i'm not a fan of blood or murder, but like any good mystery, it is about more than the mystery itself.

to read
me talk pretty one day by david sedaris: i love his segments on this american life. i wonder if i'll like his books as much? part of his charm is in his performance.

the color of magic by terry pratchett: i'm not sure that i will like this AT ALL, but i read a review that lauded pratchett as being able to transcend genre. i certainly hope so, because popular doesn't always mean good.

the likeness by tana french: i've just got to read this. got to! the first book, in the woods was utterly compelling. damn. this is going to be creepy shit, for sure, but if the characters are as well developed as they were in the aforementioned book? i'll be unable to put it down.