Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Busy, busy day! (Turn the Page... Tuesday)

You would think a Tuesday wouldn't be jammed packed with stuff... but here I am, 11:02pm and I'm not quite ready to goto bed.  Well, that's not true.  I'm ready to goto bed, but I promised myself to post my Turn the Page... Tuesday info.  (Want more info on TTP..T or want to join in?  Visit Some of a Kind and see what's what.)

But first...
Happy, happy, birthday to me!  Happy, happy, birthday to me!  Happy, happy, happy, happy birthday to meeeeeee!!!!!
Every year my sister and I buy pedicures for each other as a birthday present, so today after work we went for our joint treatments then went to dinner together.  It's nice because we're both married with families and careers, so we don't get a lot of sister-time.  This has become a truly cherished tradition for the two of us.  If I wasn't so tired I'd hunt down my camera and snap a shot of my pretty toes, they look (and feel) great.

Now on to Turn the Page... Tuesday...

I have 32 pages to go in my reading of A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.  This is an incredibly odd story of an overweight, over-educated, "idealist" in New Orleans, LA and the variety of characters with whom he interacts.  My book club is meeting tomorrow to discuss this book, and I'm very cuious to hear what the others thought of the story.

It's brilliantly written.  There are a number of dialects and speaking styles used - and from what I understand, this IS 1960s New Orleans.  The characters are also rather brilliant (in the sense that they are clearly distinct characters - no confusing people in this story) - from delusional neighbors & inept police offcers to overprotective mothers and flamboyant homosexuals.  You would think with a cast like this it would have to be good.

Sadly, the story didn't hold my interest very well.  In fact, the only reason why I didn't drop the book and continue with the Sookie Stackhouse novels is because I felt I needed to finish so I could fully participate in Book Club.  Who knows, maybe after tomorrow night I'll feel differently, but at the moment I'm happy that in 32 pages I'll be done and I can put it on the bookshelf till the next time we move (hopefully many, many years from now).

December 2nd Update:  Post Book Club Meeting
Well, seems there were people who loved CoD and others who hated it.  I was among the 3-4 people who were in the middle.  By the end of the discussion, I had an improved appreciation for the book and the writing and a couple of the characters, but I still don't think I would recommend it to others.

Now, I'm on to the January selection... Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

3 comments:

Adrienne said...

I hate when that happens. I kinda felt that way about Poisonwood Bible - I had to finish it but the ending was blah.

Thanks for joining in again!

Paula said...

That's to bad. The cover illustration is a fun one and it sounds like it should be a good read. Bummer!
Oh! and Happy Birthday! A pedicure with your sister sounds like the perfect day!

Debi said...

I have to give you credit for sticking it out until the end. My reading time is so precious that if I'm not hooked by the end of the first chapter I rarely finish the book. Happy belated birthday... aren't pedicures wonderful??? wht a great way to celebrate another year!