Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Turn the Page... Tuesday

March was full of more random reading - fiction, non-fiction, sports...  but one thing you'll notice is missing is Sookie.  I actually did it - one whole month without her & her vampires.  Crazy, isn't it?

Before I get too carried away with my book stuff... make sure you visit Some of a Kind for more TTP...T info and to see what others are reading.  Thanks, Adrienne, for this excellent idea!

So what was on the list for March, 2010?  In no particular order, they were:

Trizophrenia:  Inside the Minds of a Triathlete by Jef Mallett

Your First Triathlon by Joe Friel

As you can guess, these are books to help me in my preparations for my first triathlon coming up on July 3rd.  I won't bore you with the details of the books - but suffice it to say... I read them at the same time, and what a perfect combination.  Serious training info (YFT) with a lot of comic relief (T:ItMoaT).


My world has kind of become this mix of preparation and folly since I signed up for the event.  I'm trying to make my preparations fun and exciting - even tho there are days I feel my lungs are going to burn up or I wonder where this "mystery pain" came from.  I'm a little less than three months from the event... panic and pride are common emotions for me lately.
It's all good!


Olive Kitterage by Elizabeth Strout
This is my Book Club's selection for our April meeting.  I'm giving it a 3.5 (out of 5). 
At first, I really disliked Olive.  She seemed callous & rude, self-centered with a total lack of empathy.  But she grew on me, tho I never loved her.  I don't think she was meant to be the most beloved character in the story - there were plenty of others who instantly drew your affection.
I didn't know before I read the book that it's set up as a series of short stories (not necessarily ALL about Olive).  However, the characters created a "fabric" of sorts - people with intertwined lives showing different sides of their personalities depending on who they were with.  Olive is definitely the center of this tapestry. 
A nice story about life... and the people who live it.

Woodswoman: Living Alone in the Adirondack Wilderness by Anne LaBastille
I've only just started this book.  My husband bought it for me during one of our trips to the Library Book Sale (he knows I'm into books about strong, independent women).  This is Anne's account of her life as a newly divorced woman who sets out to make a life of her own in a self-built cabin the Adirondacks.  So far, she's built her house (and moved it due to a zoning issue) and is about to settle in.  This is real rustic living and I can't wait to read more.
There are two more installments of this autobiographical story... we'll see if I can find them, too.
You can do whatever you put your mind to!

Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
I picked this book up over the weekend; I was "between" books and wanted something short.  Like Woodswoman, I've only just begun Catcher so I can't comment on it yet except that Holden Caulfield seems like quite a character.  I've heard the book has been banned in some places, so I'm very curious to find out why.  I guess I'll learn soon enough.

Well, that's it for this month.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to participate next month - I won't have access to a computer till around the 8th of May... but I'll be sure to stop by to see what everyone else is up to when I'm back online.

Enjoy your spring wherever you are!  Happy reading.

5 comments:

Adrienne said...

Thanks so much for participating again! What a list of books you have there - I've wanted to read Catcher too ... maybe I'll have to snoop around for a copy and see what all the hub-bub is all about too - ha!

Paige said...

I read Catcher in the Rye many years ago - I should read it again to remind myself of why I liked it so much!

Unknown said...

Woods Woman sounds good. I like books about people who make the best out of bad situations.

~ The Jolly Bee ~ said...

We have the exact same copy of "The Catcher in the Rye" sitting on our coffee table right now -- it's required reading for my son's 12th Grade AP English class. I haven't read it since I was a senior and it is tempting me.

Good luck with all this tri-athlete training stuff. Never could I do that. Hats off to you!

Paula said...

Looks like a great bunch of books for March. I'm so impressed by your triathalon training. That's so cool, you should be really proud of your effort!

I love the classic's, but have never read Catcher, that I remember anyway. It's added to my list! Woodswoman sounds good too and I'll keep an eye out for that one. I buy alot of my books at yard sales, thrift stores and library sales, so you never know what I might find.