1.31.2011

One Down, Eleven to Go

Success!  I finished my January book and have moved on to February and book #2.  Since I confessed my 2011 book goal on this blog, I feel I have some sort of accountability, which is good for me.  For January I read I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.  It’s an old-fashioned book, written in the 1940s, set in the 1930s English countryside, somewhat reminiscent of a Jane Austen novel.  If you like stories like this, then I recommend it to you.  The book is written as a journal of the narrator and tells the story of her eccentric family that lives in a decomposing castle without money or prospects.  Two handsome Americans arrive one day.  The plot thickens. 

I chose this book mainly because it’s been sitting on my shelf for years.  It belonged to my grandmother, and I always wondered if it was any good.  It’s an easy read with several humorous lines and characters, and a generally interesting story, though at times it feels a bit too Austen-ish (but can that truly be a bad thing?). 

So, onto February!  I’ve begun another book that’s been sitting on my shelf for far too long, The Postmistress by Sarah Blake.  I’ve only read a few chapters, but I’m really enjoying it so far.  It is set during World War II and that alone earns it at least one thumb up.  It seems to center on three separate women whose lives are interwoven.  We’ll see how it turns out. 

What are y’all reading?


1.24.2011

Hello

Just chilling on the couch watching another season of The Bachelor.  Ahh, some things never change.  I'm pretty sure I was doing this exact same thing with my mom in high school and with my friends at Samford.   How can The Bachelor be one of the connecting threads of my life?  I'm immediately retracting that sentence.  


It's 2011, and no, I did not make a resolution to write on the blog more (I know my limitations).  However, I did vow to read at least one book each month in 2011.  Sounds easy enough, and yet, I am cramming to finish my January book so that I don't fail my resolution in month one.   If I read 70 pages every day for the next week, I will prevail!  Procrastination, another common thread in life.  (Note that I began this blog by stating that I'm watching TV, not reading.  Ahhhh!)


Nothing too exciting to report, but I like 2011 so far.  Already I've seen lots of good friends, had a snow day from work, watched my husband coach several winning basketball games, and been informed that Verizon will grace us with the iPhone in a few weeks.  Huzzah!


Kent is beyond busy with work, coaching, and school.  My job is about to become crazy, but we have a springtime vacation planned and booked, so the countdown is on!  Kent put a surprise in my Christmas stocking announcing our getaway, and I couldn't believe it!  We've been talking for months about a vacation, but we could never make a decision about anything.  Thankfully, Kent took the bull by the horns and got in touch with a travel agent to plan the perfect, relaxing trip for us.  He's awesome, and I'm so excited to get to spend an entire week with him.  I bought warm weather clothes the minute they came into the store.  Thanks to the J. Crew salesgirl for pointing out that white shorts will definitely look better once I get a tan.  Yea.....


Hope everyone else is having a great year so far!  Ok, gotta go read!