A Big Apple a Day

I don't know how you guys feel but it was definitely an up and down year for me. Highlights included a month in France, discovery of new foods and wines, travels to places far and near, and friendships both old and new. The lows, well, let's not visit those just yet as there may be a tragic (albeit slightly comedic) novel in my future.

So as we begin to wind down 2010 and find ourselves waxing poetic about the did, could have, and should have of the year, I raise my glass of reading water to you and thank you for another year of wandering through random commentary in search of inspiration for your next read. I hope you found what you were looking for.

Best wishes for 2011 with love and peace.

What Did You Expect?

So in the end, I began Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I am fairly certain I have not read the book since high school and though that was not that long ago (ahem), the story drew me in.

That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day.

Think Outside the Box

Today is Boxing Day which for you may mean either a bank holiday or a good day to punch someone (I am not advocating violence, mind you). Shopping will once again push to a crescendo near that of Black Friday but perhaps with a little less gusto and more gift card usage. For me, Boxing Day is a snowy, knitting, drink a bit too much coffee and ponder my next read kind of day.

My first book with the new bookclub group will be Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. This title is thankfully available in an electronic version as the shipping weight is 13.6 oz which does not bode well for plane travel. I also may sneak in Life, The Universe, and Everything which seems like an appropriate semi-retrospective title for the end of the year.

How will you spend your last five days of 2010?

Have Yourself

(a) a merry little Christmas
(b) a happy December
(c) a dashing Festivus
(d) all of the above
(e) none of the above

Cheers!

The Final Countdown

Five days before Christmas

And checking the house

To see what is missing

And what needs to be roused.

Last minute emails

Contract reviews

How to finish

All on list to-do?

Perhaps some will be left

And others complete

And with a little bit of luck

Won't be dead on my feet.

Moon River

With the last GBC meet of the year hovering this week, I spent a few moments this morning reading poetry, the theme of the month. As it is unlikely I can make an appearance, I will contribute one small verse virtually both in nod to the meeting, to tomorrow morning's lunar eclipse, and to the recent information that women who are successful are more likely to be single as they age:

TO THE MOON

Art thou pale for weariness

Of climbing heaven, and gazing on the earth,

Wandering companionless

Among the stars that have a different birth, -

And ever-changing, like a joyless eye

That finds no object worth its constancy?

- P. B. Shelley

Don't Panic

As the sun sets on the Saturday evening leading up to my first holiday party of the season, I have taken a moment for a second coffee and a peruse through my last-minute cart of book purchases. Online shopping has saved me since moving to a "more modest" locale. Thank you Mr. UPS man for being my lifeline to the pretty, the thought-provoking, and to my favorite lipstick.

Circle

I had a small chat with my mother last night about books. There are a few recently published titles which are on her list and which may end up in her stocking. (Stocking is loosely interpreted in my house.) She had no preference to hard cover or paperback as she gives them to another reader when she is done.

In the area where my parents live, most communities have a "prayer circle" so that if one person gets news about a death, illness, or even that their cows are out (seriously), that person can contact the next person in the circle (or list for those not as skilled in the art of PowerPoint). It is a pretty effective means of communication and avoids two or three people calling Bob and everyone forgetting to call Linda.

So this morning I am wondering if the book circle continues past my mom's friend which generates a host of other questions. Are they all like-minded readers? Could we create a book circle where books get shifted about? Or is the system that mom employs more like a library, just without the card and the fines? What would happen to the books when they get back to the beginning of the circle? I imagined an outlet point and then the circle starts to look like the male gender symbol. So now having consumed copious amounts of caffeine while typing, I have stopped pondering the circle. If you have ideas, let me know.

Rocket Man

Occasionally small blips in the Universe occur which when viewed from somewhere deep in space seem like a blink of a small asteroid. These events when viewed from the proximity of one's own living room somewhere closer to Earth cause interruptions to blog-writing. (Proven fact.)

I hope you will forgive my temporary pause in ramblings. I am certain you are off to an amazing pre-holiday week ahead. If you, like me, have Christmas shopping still ahead of you, good luck and God speed.

You Had Me at Also

We tend to remember our firsts: first kiss (Scotty), first home run (in the park), first taste of butter not parkay, first time I wore the yellow pants (Field Day), first hamburger (Chicago) after giving up beef for a really long time (relatively speaking), and on the list goes.

Last night was another "first": first invite to a bookclub in my new town. The sentence (via email) began: "Also, would you have any interest...?" Yes. Emphatically, yes. The group is mostly neighbors but a few are not. Meetings every six weeks or so - sounds promising. I am excited and of course already comparing to the GBC family. You are my baseline. Will there be reading water? Dare I ask?

Note: Author's donning yellow pants was era appropriate though admittedly perhaps neither haute couture nor complimentary to skin tones.

Afternoon Delight

The December GBC meet will focus on a collection of favorite holiday passages. In preparation, I have been in search of a Christmas read. One new discovery, courtesy of The Guardian, is The Box of Delights by John Masefield. As the selection is not yet available via eBook form, I have added the title to my list of "real" books to check out.

What books do you read or re-read for your December inspiration?

Fussy Math

One of the things I enjoy about a trip back to Nashville is the ability to discuss books as well as music. While sitting in my stylist's chair [subtle plug to buy her book], I overheard the new to Nashville patron beside me say "Nashville is a cultured town." I fought the urge to say, "We are more than rhinestones and boots, though I still have both." Instead, we (stylist and I) discussed Room.

This morning in reading through The Guardian, I discovered a list of quirky gift-buying ideas for "The Fussy" which included The Album Club but don't get too excited unless you are planning a relocation to the UK or EU. That being said, I did discover their Rough Trade shops which led me to "10 Book Gifts" which is a list of artsy titles including A Rocket in My Pocket by Max Decharne and What the Hell are you doing? by David Shrigley. It is a pretty solid list.

Enjoy the week and I hope you discover something which leaves you a bit less fussy.

Power Dresser

While reading through my daily email, I got a link to a quiz. Feeling in the mood to explore a bit, I decided to leaf through the questions to discover my "Fashion Style." Little did I know that the result would lead me back to a Birkin and a previous post:

Checking blackberry before bed? Guilty. I would however update my style icons.

Doctor in the House? Part II

Hail Hail, the 2nd of December

Try not to forget the things you should remember.

This little ditty brought to you by Sleep Deprivation. Side effects can include inability to write coherently, belief things are amusing when they are not, and the blocking of certain neurosensors which prevent more clever things to be expressed to your readers on the 2nd of December. In most cases, these symptoms are temporary. If side effects persist longer than one week, someone tell me to see a doctor and specify which type.