June Moons

Through the kindness of strangers/near strangers:

• I have internet access until mine is activated (shh)
• I received a bouquet of flowers
• I have received tips on which side of the road has fewer potholes
• I have been given short-cut maps
• All manner of questions have been patiently answered

My list of things from the kindness of friends would be miles long. Thank you.

Double the Fun

Call it exhaustion or creativity, but I managed to find a place in the bookcase for Box #2 this evening. This was the last of the book boxes which occupied much of the space in my living area these last few days. I took a friend's advice and many of my shelves are now home to two rows of books. Sure, this methodology does create a small challenge for finding a few of the books, but it does help with storage economics. It is a trade off, and I still have the spreadsheet for reference in the event I cannot find something that I thought I had.

I spent a bit of time reviewing the titles and remembering the occasions which resulted in duplicate copies of books, most inspired by the desperate airport purchase for the trans-Atlantic flight or the obsession. I was also reminded of my copy of Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides which met an untimely demise on a flight as it was caught in the seat during a recline. It took a very strong man to help me unwedge this book; the binding went very quickly with no time for suffering.

It is not just the read that creates a memory for a book. What stories do your books hold for you?

Busy Bee

Moving is exhausting. By the end of the day yesterday, I had reached a stage where my only wish was to lie down and rest...until I saw my kindle. "Ah, a few pages before I take a small nap and get back to unpacking," I thought. A few pages turned into the last 25% of the book and as I neared the end of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, I realized there was still one unresolved issue. Would Larsson tie up all the loose ends? Of course he will, but I do not want to give too much away. The book is a great wrap-up to the rest of the series and I think fans of the first book will be eager to work their way through the last two titles.

What's next on my list? I am not certain, but as I unpack the many boxes of books this evening, I am certain I will find something to catch my eye.

Couch Surfing

I have reached the point in my current read where I do not want to stop. To use a sports reference, this is the "sweet spot" of reading. It is the time where one begins to shift one's schedule, abandoning all unnecessary, non-income related items in order to enjoy those last hundred pages uninterrupted to see if things do indeed have a happy ending.

As the day draws near to its own happy close, I am sending birthday wishes and love to the woman who let me read books on the sofa every summer instead of playing outside. Thank you.