Pictures of morning glories

Just because I felt like sharing.

October book list

These are the books I finished reading in October.  I loved them all!

Brown, Larissa Golden and Martin John Brown, Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together.

Oh my heart, the pictures.  So pretty!  I love doing crafts with other people, and just glancing at this book on the coffee table made me want to sit with 5 or 6 people and drink coffee and do crafty things even if I can't follow a single pattern in this book.  It had pretty pictures and a message I liked hearing.  All I need.

Browne, Jill Connor.  The Sweet Potato Queens' Book of Love. 

The last time Jarrett was at my house, I somehow discovered he didn't know what Sweet Potato Queens were--even though we'd just sampled the cheese dip from the central Arkansas branch, Hogs and Kisses, at the cheese dip championship.  So I pulled out my books and we as a group of friends banded together to impart this important knowledge of fabulous Southern ladies to this poor half-Canadian.  Then I wound up reading the book.  These ladies know a lot about love.  They seem to think it's important.  I'd have to agree.

Farrell, Chris. The New Frugality: How to Consume Less, Save More, and Live Better.

Some of this I already knew, some of this I didn't need to know (investments are confusing), and some of this I didn't want to hear (what do you mean I need to stay away from Target and Old Navy?!).  But a lot of it was incredibly valuable--especially the parts about paying off debts early, and the difference a little extra money each month can make when you contribute toward your retirement.  You should read this.

Smith, Alexander McCall.  In the Company of Cheerful Ladies.

I love when detectives solve crimes.  And I love when the tone of a detective novel is light-hearted and charming and fun to read while I'm falling asleep.

Woolf, Virginia.  Orlando.

Swoon.  This is her most fun novel that I've read.  She's not just wry here--she gets flat-out mischievously funny.  But it's still so good and full of standard Virginia Woolf-like complicated and deep thoughts about the sense of self and gender implications and travel and heritage and time and what it means to be an artist.  Sigh.  I love her.

Book list for August 2010

King, Stephen. The Gunslinger: The Dark Tower I.
--. The Drawing of the Three: The Dark Tower II.
LeCarre. John. The Constant Gardener.
McCall Smith, Alexander. The Kalahari Typing School for Men. 
--. Morality for Beautiful Girls.
Rich, Adrienne. The Dream of a Common Language: Poems 1974-1977.

Book list for July 2010

Byatt, A. S. Possession: A Romance.

Potter, Andrew. The Authenticity Hoax: How We Get Lost Finding Ourselves.

Smith, Alexander McCall. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

--. Tears of the Giraffe.

Stewart, Martha. The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as You Start, Grow, or Manage a Business.

June book list

I almost forgot about this! Here are the books I finished in June. Ta da!

Douglas, Susan. Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message that Feminism's Work is Done. New York: Times Books, 2010.*

Hall, Donald. Without. New York: Houghton Mifflin Compnay, 1998.*

Leonard, Annie. The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession With Stuff is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health--And A Vision for Change. New York: Free Press, 2010.

Rich, Adrienne. An Atlas of the Difficult World, Poems 1988-1991. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1991.*

Sedaris, David. When You Are Engulfed in Flames. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.*