Saturday, February 9, 2013

RL: Body Surfing

 
Well, that was a quick add - yesterday I finished another book, Body Surfing by Anita Shreve (Mom hand-me-down). I've got several Anita Shreve books, and while I don't find her women characters particularily compelling, I love her painterly writing style. All of the books I've read by her are set in the Northeast and I have an unexplainable fondness for the area. Unexplainable because I've never been there! Isn't that strange? It's just always entranced me. When I was a teenager, I imagined attending an Ivy League university and then settling down in the upper Northeast. I loved the thought of old buildings steeped in history, lushly landscaped academia, four seasons to experience, the closeness of the grey ocean (am I the only person in the world who would rather be at a grey, chilly beach than a warm, tropical beach?) It sounded so romantic! I still have a soft spot for it, and Shreve's books do tend to transport me there.

Since it's Saturday night, the kids are playing Barbies, James is working, and I'm feeling a little punchy - here goes. As a teenager I had both of the Sinatra Duets CDs. I LOVED them. Now, I had to be careful I didn't tell my peers how much I loved them right off the bat, because what 17 year old in the mid 90s listened to Frank Sinatra? Suffice it to say, I was an, uh, unique teenager. This was one of my favorites and I can sing it word for word (although I sound like neither Frank nor Linda). Someday, Vermont, I will visit, I promise. ;-)


5. Body Surfing - Anita Shreve (I give this a lukewarm endorsement - just because I like the way she wrotes, moreso than the content - some of her other books are better)

4. The Magician's Assistant - Ann Patchett (I loved Bel Canto by the same author and try to make it a point to read her books, if I come across one, although this one was just okay, in my opinion)

3. Twelve Extraordinary Women - John MacArthur (I also try to pick up the doorbuster books at my local Christian store whenever the budget allows and this was one of them)

2. The Merchant's Daughter - Melanie Dickerson (I won this signed copy by having my name drawn as a result of our Million Page church reading challenge)

1. Gideon's Call ~ Peter Leavell (this is the one by the author at our church - I've had it for months, but it took me a while to get to it)

0 comments: