Monday 21 April 2008

hidden on the bookshelf.....

Hooray!! I am so happy. I was looking for Harry Dresden book #1 The Storm Front that Rhinoa reviewed on today's post. I know I have a copy and read it last year - I loved it - I wanted to see what cover I had compared to hers - and didn't find it (did I lend it to someone? Alas, I think I did...) but I found, lo and behold, in the pile behind on my fantasy shelf, Fahrenheit 451!!!! The reason I am doing my happy dance is, it's on my Banned Book Challenge List, which I have to finish reading soon, and I couldn't find a copy anywhere in the stores....I honestly did not know I had any Ray Bradbury, which goes to show how often I've moved that front stack of books lately!!! It turns out I have Fahrenheit 451 and A Medicine for Melancholy AND The October Country by him!!!! Oh joy, this is almost as good as - no, it's better than finding them in a bookstore, because I already own them!!! whew. I still am looking for Ulysses. You'd think a book that caused so much controversy when it came out, and is on university reading lists and people either love or hate, would be easier to find. kind of like Lolita by Nabakov, which I have started looking for as I think I want to read it next year. Yes, I'm already planning my books for next year's challenges - not that I know what any of them will be other than the Canadian Book Challenge, set again to start in July, not that I have finished this year's challenge yet!! Yes, I am challenge-addicted. Bring it on!!! Ok, that was the competitive part of me. Now I have to go read them, not just make the lists (as much fun as that is! And it IS fun!)...

I am currently reading Suite Francaise, really enjoying it, moved by the drama of the stories and the characters who for the most part are the most unlikeable and real bunch of people I've come across in a book ever - and it's deeply affecting. I'll write more when I finish it. I had hoped to finish yesterday, but got caught by the spring cleaning bug and actually cleaned out part of the basement yesterday! We set up a play area for the children downstairs. Holly-Anne was so excited by the new space! It really opens the basement up, which is only half-finished - walls done,but no flooring to speak of, just cement. It was dusty and filled with cat hair and horrible spider webs and dried out husks of bugs - sorry, but it was the storage area for a long time, so neglected except for moving boxes in and out for several years - now it's all spic and span and really inviting. Totally off topic, but now you know why Suite Francaise isn't done yet, which was my original plan for yesterday!!! I could say happy children = more reading time for me, but sadly, it means loudly happily playing children instead.

The cat is shedding hair upstairs now, warm weather = clumps of cat hair everywhere. Why can't the good fairy come and do my housework for me so I can read more??? dust bunnies and I are good friends, but cat hair - *sigh* I can't really ignore.

6 comments:

chrisa511 said...

What a great surprise! I've done that quite a few times this year...that is, find books that I didn't know that I had and almost bought them all over again. Almost did it yesterday in fact with Jan Siegl's Prospero's Children. I discovered Bradbury all over again last year and fell in love with his work. It's truly amazing. He's quickly become one of my favorite writers. I highly suggest Something Wicked This Way Comes when you get a chance and you absolutely have to read The Halloween Tree around Halloween. It's a kids book and only around 160 pages or so with illustrations and all, but it's the most perfectly Halloween book I've ever read and goes over every different Halloween tradition in every different culture with a great story. I fell in love with it last year and I'm going to read it every Halloween for now on I'm sure! Enjoy Fahrenheit 451...that's a great one. It's the first one I read of his last year and for the Banned Books Challenge no less!

Anonymous said...

I hope you enjoy Fahrenheit 451. I read it at the begining of the year and really enjoyed it. I hope to read more of his writing in the future. It sucks not being about to find Storm Front, but it is a good excuse to get another copy and stock up on the rest of the series!

Good luck with cat hair, it's a right bugger to clean up...

Susan said...

Chris: thanks so much for your comments, you got me thinking, and voila! A new post (see today's)....so thank you!! and like my post says, I read Something Wicked a while ago...I have to go back and reread it again. It looks like I might have to start a re-read pile, as well as having the TBR pile!
I haven't read The Hallowe'en Tree, and now you've made me really want to, since Hallowe'en is my favourite time of year, and my kids love it. I'll let you know when I find it :-)

rhinoa: I'll be reading Fahrenheit 451 shortly I'm sure I read it when i was 16 or 17 in high school, so I was due for a re-read since I can barely remember it.
the cat hair remains untouched at this time, the life of a working mother means cat hair remains until the weekend!!

Patricia said...

Ok, around here it is not just the cat hair from one cat....try 2 cats and 2 dogs!! Then the dust bunnies that come out of nowhere and grow like crazy. I hate housekeeping too and find the smallest excuse to NOT tidy and vacuum, etc.

I can't recall if I've ever read Fahreheit 451...what's it about? Geez, I hate reading your blog because you & your commenters talk about all these books that sound so interesting and I just don't have enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do!

Ana S. said...

yay for finding books you didn't know you own! That has yet to happen to me, but I bet one day it will :P The only one of those I've read was Fahrenheit 451, and it was great.

Emily Barton said...

I'm challenge-addicted as well. I often wonder though, since I don't always manage to finish them, is if what I really am is addicted to making the lists of books I'm going to read.