Various and Sundry

Well, I've become self-conscious about writing this, so I didn't for a while. Now I can't remember what all I have read. Oops Italics again. I've read a couple more in the Kurt Wallender stories from Henning Mankell. Not sure why I am hooked on him, but I like his sad self-awareness. Then I read that Mankell has a gloom and doom view of what's happening to Sweden and the world and that's why he wrote them. I thought they were just good mysteries. The last one I read was The Pyramid which were sort of the backstories to the series.

I read about half of Jitterbug Perfume and just quit- I couldn't stand one more throbbing staff! Enough said.

Saw a great movie- very sweet and humorous. Lars and the Real Girl. I didn't think I was going to like it. I thought is would be more X-rated, but was glad to find that it was not. Not that it would matter just wasn't in the mood for hard-core.

Our next book club selection is The Education of Little Tree. The person who suggested it and loves the book was horrified to find out that the author reportedly had been a member of the KKK at one time. The book is supposedly heartwarming, etc. (hate that word) so we are going to read it for its own merits, whatever they are.
Enough for now. Just didn't want to feel guity about not writing.

Running and Hedgehogs

Well, I hit something after doing this once before and it all went away. It's not like I just started with a computer. I don't know what my problem is. Here we go again.
Read Run by Ann Patchett. A little disappointing. A little too politically correct and I figured out about halfway through what was going to happen ultimately.
Then I just had to have The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Not sure what I read that convinced me, but I had to run right out and buy it. After the first couple of chapters all I could think was VERBOSE AND PRETENTIOUS. (did I spell that right?) I could hardly get through the first few chapters, too philosophical for my tastes, but low and behold, the main character mentioned two of her favorite authors, Connelly and Mankell (!!!) and I knew I had to keep slogging on. It gets better, but it certainly bursts my bubble of self-delusion about how well-read I am. Oh, well, I think that's good every now and then - to make you question your image of your self.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Well, I sped through The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Love the character of Lisbeth Salander. I've tried to analyze why and the only thing I can come up with is that she kicks butt and always manages to come out on top. The mini-super-hero. The author, Stieg Larson, has one more in the triogy to come out. He actually died in 2004. I'm sorry that there won't be anymore books coming from him.
I don't know what it is right now with me reading Swedish authors. I didn't plan it that way. The only problem I had with TGWtDT is that there is a plethora of Swedish names. I realized halfway through that I should have made myself a cheat sheet with the characters. Since I can't pronounce a lot of the names I didn't differentiate between them enough to keep them straight. Too many S names, etc.
Well, that's all for now.

I'm gliding along again, reading Henning Mankel's Before the Frost - Kurt Wallander again. Don't know why I am fixated on these stories. I think there are a few more out there available but haven't really checked. I will need to read something else and give it a rest. It's funny how the more you read and talk about books, the more you NEED them. I keep updating my Amazon wish list. I keep hearing about new authors or new books by old favorites. I keep thinking about the Elegance of the Hedgehog. Don't know why that appeals to me, but I need to hold off buying anymore and make a dent in the 10,000 or so books I have sitting around that I haven't read yet.
P.S. What am I hitting on the keyboard that is italicizing everything? My nails are too long and sometimes I type with the tips of my fingers instead of the pads which makes for a slippery, slidey action on the keys. Maybe I need my keyboard with foam or something on it so the nails wouldn't skitter off.

I finally gave up on the Women Who Walked Into Doors with about 50 pages left unread. I just couldn't read anymore about abuse and alcoholism.
I'm totally hooked on Kurt Wallander books right now (author-Henning Mankell). Not sure why that is- maybe because I can visualize him after seeing a couple of PBS productions of the same-played by Kenneth Branagh. (how do you pronounce Branagh anyway?) I've read The Fifth Woman and Faceless Killers and have almost finished The White Lioness. TWL irritated me some. I wanted to read from Kurt's point of view and I kept having to read from some other character's viewpoint. I was frustrated and anxious to get back to Kurt.
My book club's next selection is the Julie & Julia book by Julie Powell. I've read it so that's a slight disappointment that I've read the selection, but oh, well, I'll get over it. OOps! hit some combination of keys and now everything is in italics. No emphasis here!
Totally into Inspector Lewis programs on PBS. ( a spin-off from Inspector Morse). Gee, I have no life, but I already knew that. Well, enough for now. Hopefully to return - un-italisized at some later date.

Well, after reading Julie & Julia I was thinking about blogging. And I was thinking about reading and my book club. I feel the urge to write about books I am reading. I have been reading a lot lately. I mean, besides books and art what else do I have ???? a boring life, I guess.
The books I have read in the last few weeks - Julie & Julia, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Slaughterhouse Five, 84 Charing Cross Road. Can't remember what else. Liked J&J-so profane and irreverent. The AoRitR-not so much. I didn't want to like for some reason. Maybe since it was from a dog's point of view? I liked it - marginally. Was DISAPPOINTED with S5. I thought this classic would be so great- but time travelling? I am not into fantasy, apparently. Only had a page or two about the bombing of Dresden which I thought was the whole point of the book. Not what I expected. Loved 84CCR. Read it in 24 hours. Lot of interesting stuff about rationing, etc. after WWII and life in England after the war. I'm reading the Woman Who Walked into Doors right now. Very Irish and lots of Shite'ing. Well, that's all for now. Maybe I will eventually give author's names and a better review.
TTFN