tis the season...

i hope this finds you happy and still revelling in the joy of your Christmas, Chanukah or even just a few days off!

my friend, Dr. Curtis Smith has won the prize for the interim title--notice it's gone back to working title... which is still the also the name of the film company who brought us Four Weddings and a Funeral and more recently Burn After Reading, and you know how much we love that good stuff! Dr. Smith didn't get the promised free book, but he did get a much coveted TIKI! TIKI! TIKI! t-shirt from the IFPL reading program... it will complete his collection. it's so interesting how a person without a library card can have a t-shirt from every program?

well, anyway, as you can see from the previous post, The Shack is quite a book. it's taking me a long time to read, because i feel the need to reread full chapters, make little notes, journal the parts that pierce my soul, and sometimes, i just have to set it aside. i'm not ready to discuss this one just yet...

however, at the last swim meet i read Lorna Landvik's new book, 'Tis the Season... this is one of those books that you can read at a swim meet because the story is told through emails and letters, so it's easy to follow even when you have to put the book down occasionally.

we have a celebutante who needs to battle her alcoholism and the demons of paparazzi to become her own person--not the one who everyone sees on the cover of the Star magazine while waiting in line at the market. or maybe i'm the only person in the world who finds the longest line at the wal-mart (sorry, guys, it's the only game in town) so i can read the magazines while i wait.

anyway, while i think that this book was a push for the holiday book market sales by Landvik's publisher and nowhere near her best work, it made me think about when i was in Washington DC two summers ago, watching Paris Hilton's release from prison. as i sat on my king-sized bed alone, i said to my self, "Self, why are you watching this? do you even care about this?" and yet i was drawn to the drama... as if my life doesn't have enough drama?

so then i waiver between pity and disgust. perhaps, i do feel like these girls are treated unfairly by the media--i mean, should my life be constantly photographed and criticized, i'd be a whackjob too! but then again, i usually wear underwear when wearing skirts, i try very hard not so sound stupid when i speak with people, and... well... this whole supposition is so ridiculous.

if you want to read something by Lorna Landvik, try Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons... and if you've read that, here is a list of her other stuff--it's all good!

oh, speaking of Christmas reading, i also started Christmas Letters by Debbie Macomber... anyone have any thoughts this one? i have never read anything by Macomber, but i know the gals at the library are crazy about her.

one more thing... can i tell you how irritating B&N is to me? since we are reading the Outlander for my book club, i went to the bookseller to buy the book and they don't have any of the books in the series! they have the newest books by Diana Gabaldon, the Lord John series... and according to fantasticfiction, there will be a new book in the Outlander series in 2009. maybe because i did my time in the slavery of the retail book hell, i'm hypersensitive to the fact that they rarely have the things i'm looking for! ugh!

enough ranting, it's the holiday season... so happy reading until next time!