Erin Go Bragh, blah, blah, blah

OK, stupidly, I crawled off my deathbed yesterday to go to the bookstore. I thought the fresh air and a change of scenery would help me feel better, along with some onion soup from Panera. I was woefully wrong, but that didn't stop me from buying a few books.

Geraldine Brooks' new offering, March, is the story of Mr. March, the father of those infamous Little Women. Intriguing concept to start (I mean, who isn't interested in those missing characters? Have you ever checked out The Wide Sargasso Sea? Or, worse, those awful P&P knockoffs?) and Brooks wrote a very good book called Year of Wonders, about the black plague, that was startling in its beauty. (Not to mention anyone who knows me knows I adore those plague and pestilence books…) She is also the author of Nine Parts of Desire, an informative and very readable book about Muslim culture and its women.

I picked up the next Mary Russell, O Jerusalem, put in an order for Justice Hall, and was happy to find out that there is another Mary Russell coming out in paperback any day now (The Game, which will necessitate reading Rudyard Kipling's Kim), and a new hardback coming out in June.

In the vein of my liking to read about things I will never in a million years attempt, I bought Swimming to Antarctica. Now I have no desire to swim the English Channel, any more than I wish to climb Mount Everest or deep sea dive for missing U-boats, but for some bizarre reason, I really enjoy reading about people who do. Considering my level of fitness enables me to shuffle slowly around the reservoir three times a week, I am clearly not in the running for participating in any of these great adventures, but I can lie in bed and really like reading about the crazies who do.

I also picked up an Ursula Hegi I haven’t read, on the bargain table; and a book called The Dewey Decimal System of Love. How can you go wrong with a title like that? It adds to my small but growing collection of librarian-based novels.

So while I was too sick last night to read any of these books, it comforted me just knowing they were there. And this morning after twelve straight hours of sleep and lots of buttered toast, I am emerging into the land of the living again. I’m not ready to go swim the Channel, but I might manage a few loads of laundry and maybe a walk around the block with the boys later.

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OK here’s something that is just COOL. Check it out.
http://babynamewizard.com/namevoyager/

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I am skipping any St Pat’s festivities since we threw our party last Saturday, but you all have a good time. Don’t eat the yellow snow and don’t drink the green beer.