My Horizontal Life

A "popular" book in both the positive and negative senses of the word.

Not funny at all - just a chronicle of stupidity. Then again, that does seem to be what passes for humor on tv. Which is exactly why I watch so little tv, but also probably why it sells so well.

Kudos, however, for the ending line. I appreciate the irony.

Little Bee

A good book.

The ending was... interesting. There's a lot of different emotional threads in it, and they're tangled when they should be woven. Or maybe just untangled. Depending on the mood you're in when you read it, it could be moving or disappointing or fulfilling or a letdown... it could be beautiful, or leave you wondering where the rest is. Although admittedly, the future Little Bee sees is one we all want.

Oops

I set myself some writing goals for this summer. Now that I only have two weeks before my classes start I realize that I have, so far, been an utter failure at all of them. I have not focused enough, and have put all my moments of concentration into this blog. So, with the exception of continuing my book reviews, I will be avoiding this blog until I start school.

Perhaps I'll actually get something done.

There's nothing like a close deadline, after all.

The Girl who Played with Fire

Impressively, all three of Stieg Larsson's books are at or near the top of bestseller lists. I enjoyed the first book, and was looking forward to continuing the series. Unfortunately, the second book's plot involved a pet peeve of mine - detective stories where the detective is framed. I have never liked this kind of story, because watching the investigation unfold when it is obvious to me that they are going in completely the wrong direction just makes me want to scream.

That said, The Girl Who Played with Fire was still well-written, intricate, and with enjoyable characters. I look forward to seeing how it all works out in the third book.

Continuing Adventures of Trixie

So, a lot has happened since my last post, but I never seem to get around to posting any of the bits and pieces of blogs I compose in my head during the day... which means by now, you just get a summary.

I worked Sunday, and kept forgetting what day it was because having Saturday off and going to church always makes Saturday feel like Sunday and Sunday like Monday... though I usually have it straightened out again by the real Monday. As of this week, Tuesday's the only early day at Borders, so even though I was opening shift Monday, I started at 8. It was nice not getting up so early, though it felt weird to have so many people out and about. I finally got to work a Tuesday opening shift - and it was so cool! Tuesday's laydown day. New books come out, the bestseller shelf's updated, displays are rearranged... And now it's Wednesday, and I have the day off.

On Sunday, Uncle Dave and Paula met me after work. I was excited all day waiting (which kept me awake, even behind the register) and asked to be able to leave as soon as the clock said 8 instead of waiting until the hour was called (it's often called 5 to 20 minutes late). We went to Kelly's, and then I showed them the apartment. It was nice to be able to just hang out and talk.

On Monday, I met the cutest little puppy on the way to work. It made my day.

On Tuesday, I recognized a woman from Sassoon's when I was at the register. She has a very distinctive haircut. I remember when I got my haircut, she was telling the woman whose hair she was cutting all about her new puppy, Trixie. At Borders, she was difficult to ring up because I couldn't get a word in edgewise; she was too busy telling her friend all about how difficult Trixie was and how she blamed the breeder.
I stopped at the farmer's market on the way home and got scallions, corn, and peaches.

Today, I ran a few errands, cleaned a little, and bought myself that eggplant pasta meal I've been eyeing at the little Italian place I pass going to & from church. It was really good, and now I have leftovers to take to work for lunch. I meant to do more cleaning, or go out to the beach, or the library, or the museum, but the heat got the best of me. I lay down to rest for an hour and didn't wake up until 5 or 6 hours later. Trust my day off to be the hottest of the week... Oh well. Perhaps Saturday will be better, since I have TWO days off now.

A Good Day Off

I slept in today and loved it. The weather was wonderful - mid 70s all day - so I wasn't woken by the heat. I did laundry, went to church, tried the Emerson B&N but it was closed, called Uncle Dave about his visit, went grocery shopping, bought milk, changed the sheets, made a good start on The Girl Who Played with Fire, and plan on doing a little cleaning before bed.

When I put that all in one sentence, I feel like I have had a productive day. I even made rice.


Some random thoughts:

There's a major bus stop I pass on the way to church, that's occasionally graffitied. Today, in huge, bright lettering covering most of the cement wall at the back of the shelter, it said: WE DON'T NEED This left me wondering. We don't need what? Were they interrupted? Or was that all they meant? It seemed very defiant, but also...painful.

It seems to be Boston's law of public transit that whichever direction you plan on going, the train going the opposite direction will invariably show up first. I amused myself for quite a while imaging just how Terry Pratchett would explain this.

I bought spices when I was at the grocery store and plan on buying onions/corn/fruit the next time I'm at the farmers' market. I'm tired of canned stuff.

I still want to get to the aquarium sometime. And the beach. And buy that wine.

No idea which meal I'm eating

Mary called me yesterday afternoon to ask me to come in early - 6pm - if I could, because someone was out sick. So, I did. I stopped at the farmers' market along the way and bought myself a nectarine, which I promptly ate. It was really good. Then I started work - I was on cash registers until closing, though it was more interesting than normal as several people actually came up to the register for help finding a book. At one point we had the whole store looking for The Color of Water for a customer, but had to give up. As luck would have it, I found it during clean-up after closing - it was on the magazine rack.

I now know where the media closet is, and how to refill the drinks. I spent most of the night unpacking and shelving magazines. It was just Meredith and I after midnight, waiting for the workmen to finish polishing the door handles. Her boyfriend picked her up and agreed to drive me home too - when his battery promptly died. So we had to flag someone down to help, but probably 90% of the traffic at 4:30 in the morning is taxis, and they won't stop for you unless you're looking for a ride. So it was a bit of an adventure.

Anyway, I didn't get to sleep until around 6, and the only reason I got up before 5pm (barely) was because I know I need to be at work at 9 tomorrow morning. Being nocturnal's easy, but constantly shifting my sleep schedule around like this? A bit more difficult.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I was looking forward to this book on my list - and I was not disappointed. Sure, it starts slow, but once it gets going it's hard to put down.

There are multiple mysteries woven skillfully together in this story, and the first introduced actually becomes the least important - at least to the reader. It is a framework. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a violence-awareness tale, wearing a financial intrigue like a thin disguise. This does not detract from it at all; in fact, in my opinion, it makes it more interesting. The focus becomes the characters themselves, rather than just their bank accounts, as they attempt to navigate both financial and physical dangers, searching for truth.

I am looking forward to the rest of this trilogy.