I had all sorts of ideas for what I would post today--I could tell you about the September installment of Anna Pavord's gardening book which I have been dipping into this week, but maybe I will just combine September with October at this point?
I could tell you about one of the books I have recently finished like Amos Oz's My Michael--wonderful! Or Isobel English's Every Eye--picked up completely on whim and very good with surprising depth! Or John Boyne's This House is Haunted--nicely atmospheric. But I guess they will all wait until next week now.
I could share with you my most recent needlework finishes. One small project has winged its way abroad and now has a new home. My bee sampler is only a very few motifs away from being finished--yay. I have two new projects in my sights to begin. I'll share them all very soon, too.
I keep an Excel spreadsheet of the books I've read over the course of the year which becomes just a little more detailed the longer I use it--a new tab for each year. I had fallen behind in tracking my books--hadn't logged a single one since May so finally caught up with adding all my new reads. It's a nice way of seeing where my reading has taken me over the year. I was thinking about which books have been really stand out stellar reads. I have read lots of really good books, but I am not sure how many will fall into that exceptional and amazing category that will linger on well into next year. Of course there is still plenty of time to find some of those really amazing books, but I had thought I might ask you which books this year you thought had been head and shoulders above the rest.
I might tell you about some recent book finds a few of which I have actually started reading (umm, yes, there have been a few). And then I could tell you how much I want to read Elena Ferrante's trilogy that I can't seem to go a single day without hearing how wonderful the books are. I want to see for myself, and maybe I will start the first book this weekend!
I am planning on spending most of the weekend at home and ensconced in my rocking chair with a book in one hand and a nice cup of hot chocolate in the other. Or maybe with a needle and thread in hand. My only plans (other than the usual chores which I hope to quickly finish) are to go to the opening of an Andy Warhol exhibit at our local fine arts museum and possibly check out the new conservatory that is opening tomorrow at our botanical garden. I'm afraid there will be a mad crush of people at the latter so maybe it's best to wait until a nice quiet day during the week. I've been getting out quite a lot lately seeing new movies and going to lectures and visiting cafes and coffee houses, but I think I like the sound of kicking back in a pair of nice comfy old sweats curled up under a blanket.
I think it is going to be a short story weekend! I have already read the next New Yorker story (not quite sure what I think of it and will let it percolate just a little), and several collections for both RIP reading and just because. The December issue of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine came in the mail yesterday and has a number of stories I'd like to read all fitting into the fall/RIP season including one by Joyce Carol Oates, Miriam Grace Manfredo (she writes a historical mystery series set in Seneca Falls, New York--it's been ages since I read one of those novels) and the international story is by a Dutch author (new to me), René Appel which sounds quite appealing if only to bring back some nice memories of this past summer's Dutch Lit reading.
I may do a little added investigating of books with spirited heroines (thanks for all the wonderful suggestions--feel free to keep them coming).
I have loads of good books to choose from whatever however I end up filling my free time this weekend. I'll tell you all about them next week. Hope your weekend is filled with many bookish pleasures, too!