Kim, isn't that such a funny experience--when you kind of end up uninterested in anything in your TBR pile? I have a lot of books on my bookshelf that just don't seem palatable, but then, one day, I pick some up and they look fantastic!
Guess it depends on your mood. Have you read
The Help yet? I thought that book was beyond fantastic. I ran into a former English teacher of mine from high school and recommended it to her and she adored it as well. I think it's a must-read for 2009.
Have you read
The Nanny Diaries? If not, that might be a fun one to read while in NYC.
Rebel, I love hearing about what you've read. You have great taste, IMHO!
Little Bee sounds really good...I've added it to my list.
PopcornFiend (btw, I love that stuff, too!). Glad to have another reader on board! I think
Glass Castle is on my TBR list. Is it an older novel?
I love PBS--I've saved tons there as well, and been able to read books that aren't available at my library (or those that have a huge waiting list) for very little cost. Great site!
Sounds fascinating,
RDW! Who's the author?
Cyndi, I hear you on the comfort of knowing it's not just a lack of willpower. Geneen Roth really helped me see that. I don't have the book with me (and am not sure what book it was), but she had this wonderful quote where she points out that overeating is a coping mechanism we developed to deal with something that was difficult, scary, or hurtful. She says that while it may not be the best way to cope, it was an effective thing at the time and a move we made to protect ourselves. She notes that we shouldn't beat ourselves up for that--just realize that at the time it was the best we could do and work on finding a better way for the future. I like that a lot.
Hey,
Jennie! I'm (obviously
) an avid reader, while my sisters aren't so much. They've come into their own as adults, though. One sister realized it was ADD keeping her from reading--she does great with it now as long as there's a lot going on around her. She has the radio, her phone, the computer, etc, while she reads textbooks on neuro stuff for her PhD.
It's crazy, but it works great for her! Hope you find books you really enjoy. Personally, I'm a big fan of "fluff," especially after I finish reading something really heavy or long. I am a huge fan of kids books, too, like Junie B. Jones or Captain Underpants.
I did a lot of self-help reading on self-esteem and still have more to go. I think I ODed on them at the library...
In the meantime, I read a couple of books.
I listened to
Finding Paradise in Parker, PA by Kris Radish on audio book. Though sometimes her books are a bit too fantastical for my taste, I really love the emphasis on sisterhood, empowerment of women, and finding joy and magic in our everyday lives. Not to mention grabbing life by the "horns" and making it what really makes you feel alive. The other two I've read by her (
Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Festival and
The Sunday List of Dreams) didn't really deal with the nitty-gritty of our everyday lives like this one does. Basically, it's about a woman and her husband who have a college-age child and a marriage that's just gone to the dogs and how they handle it. I really enjoyed it, though I felt that the end was kind of prolonged, then rushed and tied up with a neat bow. Nonetheless, it gave me a lot to think about and made me laugh regularly along the way. The main character's sister, ****, is just hilarious!!!
Based on many, many recommendations, I read
The Shack by William P. Young. It was absolutely, blow-your-mind-away amazing.
I never wanted it to end and I know I need to get a copy of my own (borrowed it from the library) because this is one I really will read again, several times. I was hesitant, because I knew, going in, that something terrible happens to the main character's child (this is in the summary on the back of the book--I'm not giving anything away) and I was afraid to read about that. I'm pretty squeamish. But this really is worth it and I was able to make it through since they don't give any unnecessary or overly salacious details into the crime. I think this book will really deepen my faith and my understanding of God and His purpose. It helped that a lot of it jived with what I already believe, but I really loved the way it brought things home to me. If
Jessie hasn't already read this, I totally think she should...I bet she'd really like it.
I'm almost through re-reading
The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman. Many of you may recognize the last name because of her famous author husband, Jonathan. I read this book (and many others in the series) about 7 or so years ago when a friend recommended them. I knew I liked it, so I recommended it to my book club when they were looking for a good mystery. It's about a rape that takes place at the mikvah (ritual bath) in an enclosed yeshiva (Jewish learning community) in L.A. There's also a love story between the main detective and the woman that runs the mikvah. I had forgotten how good this book was and was amazed to realize that I had totally forgotten all the details, so it's like reading the book anew! I'm so involved that I just can't put it down! The book was published in the 80s, so there aren't any cell phones or fancy computer searches, so it's fun to see someone doing old-fashioned detective work. If you like mysteries or have any attachment to Judaism, I think you'll really like these books.
Right now, I'm listening to Chris Bohjalian's
Double Bind on audiobook. I read his book Midwives and just loved it, many years ago. This one was recommended by someone and when I saw it at the library, I thought, "Why not?" It's interesting, especially since it was written as if Jay Gatsby and the other characters in
The Great Gatsby really lived. The main character, a young woman who works as a social worker in VT, finds a cache of amazing professional photos, many of which depict famous people from the 40s and 50s, in the possessions left behind by a homeless man. From some personal snapshots in the collection, she realizes he may have had a connection to her hometown of East Egg in Long Island. I'm trying to wrap my mind around the concept of Gatsby having been real and that's kind of hard for me. I wonder where this will go!
Looking forward to hearing more about what you are all reading! I'm not sure what's next for me, but I have a huge TBR pile at home, so I'm hoping to attack something from that.
SBD Tracker started 4/28/08
Depressing, too. But there must be some hope. Let us know what you find out! 
Take the Veggie Challenge! 
