Monday, September 01, 2008

Labor Day

Here in the U.S., it's Labor Day, otherwise known as the End of Summer. That's fine by me. And I get a day off from work, the kids are off school, and hubby is home. Even better.

I missed the game on Saturday night because I fell asleep. Oh well. We won. Plus it was only available on Pay-Per-View for the low, low price of $30 (gasp!), so I wasn't too torn up about missing it.

Got some writing in on Sunday and will probably continue that today. Also got in a nice brisk walk with Tiny Bear, which I desperately needed as I had a little too much junk food over the past few days. Gah!

And...my house is still clean. Actually, it's even more clean today than it was on Friday! I was quite proud of myself.

In a bit of a reading funk still. I can't get into any of the books I start. I was reading Francine Prose's Reading Like a Writer, but it started to get too "literary" for me - lots of examples were from "literary" works and since I mostly write mainstream, popular fiction, it kind of lost its impact. I really enjoyed the first chapter, so maybe I'll skim through other sections and see if I like it more.

I'm also reading (more like continuing to read after a three week hiatus) the memoirs of the pilot of theWW2 B-17 plane, the Memphis Belle. It is absolutely essential reading for my novel and it helps that it's written in a very easy-to-read, personable format.

I also read a few chapters of What Would the Founders Do? Our Questions, Their Answers by Richard Brookhiser. Fascinating look at what the founding fathers would think of contemporary issues we face today.

So. That's the weekend in a nutshell. If you've got any good fiction reads, give 'em to me - but a note of caution. They cannot be sad or depressing. I'm in the mood for something fun, and something positive and upbeat.

11 comments:

  1. I assume you are talking about the Husker game. I didn't get to watch either but did listen via satellite radio.

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  2. Happy holiday to you.

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  3. I'm in a funk too. Maybe it is the end of summer blues?

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  4. Travis - you are correct. It was the Husker game. I didn't even listen to it on the radio! How sad is that?

    Diane - Thank you!

    Ell - Since I'm actually thrilled that summer is over, I don't think it's end of summer blues, but I am getting desperate for a good read!

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  5. Anonymous1:58 PM

    Lani Diane Rich's THE FORTUNE QUILT. It's one of the most fun, upbeat novels I've read in a long time. It happened to catch my eye in a favorite bookstore --normally, I wouldn't have found it, because it's not a genre in which I read much. But I loved it -- sat and read it straight through in one afternoon, and now I want to read more of her writing.

    Don't give up on Francine Prose's book yet because she uses "literary" examples. The best mainstream fiction takes what works in the lit fic genre and applies it, in my opinion, without wallowing in it.

    But I do think books like that need to be read piecemeal, not all the way through. REad a chapter, wait a few days, read another, that kind of thing.

    Otherwise, I get sleepy.

    Enjoy labor day!

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  6. Anonymous1:59 PM

    Oh, I'd also suggest anything by Sandra Worth.

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  7. Devon - Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to have a gander at The Fortune Quilt.

    I agree - I think Prose's is the type of book that needs to be read in sections, otherwise it's too overwhelming. (Or maybe it's just me! *grin*)

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  8. Anonymous5:09 PM

    I caught the Mizzou game...even stayed up after 11pm to watch the sorry end of it!

    My reading is in a funk now too. Nothing is really catching my interest.

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  9. Kacey - You're a dedicated fan to stay up late and watch! I wonder why so many of us are in a reading funk? Weird...But hopefully we can help each other out of it!

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  10. I had a lot of high hopes for several books this summer, but started reading many of them and they just fizzled :( Maybe autumn will bring a fresh batch. I'm with you on the end of summer, ready for it to head off into the sunset! Love autumn and all that it brings.

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  11. Joanne - Same here! I'd start to read them then lose interest. Frustrating!

    Bring on autumn!

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