It's a little strange not having a short story to write about today. After getting into the habit last year I hate to stop reading short stories, so I hope to have a collection on the go most of the time. I started reading Alice Munro's The Beggar Maid this week, though I'll wait until I've finished reading the book before writing about it. I've been wanting to read Alice Munro for a long time as I know she's a well respected practitioner of the short story format. The Beggar Maid is a series of related stories concerning Rose and her step-mother, Flo. I like the idea of connected stories and will have to be on the lookout for more books like it. I will say that Munro is excellent when it comes to characterization, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Rose and Flo develop individually as well as their relationship together. She writes so descriptively and with such psychological insight that they seem like people who might be your neighbors.
I finally got around to organizing my mysteries and entering them into Library Thing. I had to buy another bin to get them to fit. I epxected there to be room left over for a little growth, but as you see they are packed pretty tight. At least all the same authors will be together now. Of course as I was rummaging through, several unread books made their way from the bins to the pile next to my bed. The bins were lugged back downstairs to my book room, but by the fourth (and heaviest) bin, I had to drag it (thump, thump, thump) rather than carry it.
You'll have to forgive my hasty post today, but as it is my last day of vacation (sigh), I'm trying to get in a little reading time this afternoon as this evening I plan on watching Masterpiece Theater's presentation of Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Will anyone else be watching it? I read Tess a few years back and loved it despite the very dire story. This reminds me I need to read more by Thomas Hardy. You can check out the preview for Tess here.