Saturday, July 07, 2007

"Childbirth classes neglect to teach one critical skill: How to breathe, count, and swear all at the same time." ~ Linda Filterman

First: the baby update. Saw the doctor yesterday, all seems well. We spotted the little bean with its itsy-bitsy heartbeat – even with the crappy office ultrasound machine - although since I am not sure about the dates, the doctor thinks I am actually due later in February than we originally thought. Since I have had three normal, uncomplicated pregnancies, they are not as concerned about my “advanced maternal age” (God, how I despise that phrase!) as they might be if it were, say, my first. Now H and I are trying to decide when to tell the boys. Preferably sometime before I file for Social Security benefits and my AARP membership comes due.

Second: the RSS feed update. David, did you get the whole post? Lemme know.

Now, the book update:

I finished Baker Towers last night, and I have to say, I LOVED this book. Thanks for the recc, Gina. I enjoy complicated family sagas, and this one was a goodie. It reminded me a bit of Rebecca Johns’ Icebergs although the actual plots and geography differ greatly. They are both books you can get lost in, if you like. While H took the kids to his mom’s for the fourth time in five days (I don't even want to see people I LIKE that often), to play baseball with their cousins, I stayed home, finished off my book, and ate cheese, pretzels, and chocolate for dinner. (What? Chocolate and cheese are dairy! Calcium and protein, my friends. Calcium and protein.)

I then started Ian Sansom’s The Case of the Missing Books, which is going to be an incredibly light read but most entertaining. Israel Armstrong completely cracks me up, and I can’t wait to see how he resolves the issues with which he is faced. The scene in which the locals give him directions to Balleymuck via Balleygullable made me howl. It might help him if he grew a backbone, but the story wouldn’t be nearly so amusing then.

Due to the general Internet disgust and confusion over the movie version of Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising, and Lazy Cow’s indignation more specifically, I am about to check this book out of the library and read it tonight.

So the project to read down my TBR shelves is coming along swimmingly: both Baker Towers and Missing Books hail from TBR Land; however, I can anticipate having to buy the next Ian Sansom, which will shoot my intentions straight to hell. And after all the light fiction, I may be in the mood for something like The Children’s Blizzard next, or maybe some nice Russians. I’ve never read The Brothers Karamazov, and it IS sitting on my shelves.

10 comments:

Badger said...

My TBR stack will NEVER EVER EVER be wittled down as long as HPB exists.

And I ALMOST bought The Dark Is Rising (which I've never read) there yesterday.

Paula said...

I use to get all bent out of shape about movies being made of books I like until I spoke to an author a few years ago and asked him how he felt about his books being turned into movies. He said, the book is the book and the movie is the movie. They are not and perhaps should not be the same thing. After all, he said, the book is me and the movie is someone else. Don't worry the book will always be there.

I felt much better about movies and books after that.

Katy said...

I know that you didn't do it for me, but I am thrilled that your whole posts are coming through in the RSS feed, it saves the click-through, but also decreases my chance of commenting.

Yay for babies!

BabelBabe said...

Katy I would have done it for you if I had known. David just asked first
: )

Sarah Louise said...

Haven't read Dark is rising yet--you'll tell us about it? Tho, mayhap that will be MY reading tonight.

I like Paula's comment on books and movies, as that is my philosophy to a "T."

I LOVE the title quote. Oooh, and now I know someone to rec this cool preggers book that crossed my desk a few weeks ago, hold the phone, "From the Hips" by Rebecca Odes. It's in my librarything account.

lazy cow said...

I tried reading The Case of the missing books but HATED it; he was trying too hard to be funny, in my opinion.
Saw the Clare Clark monsters book you'd mentioned at Borders last night and I reserved it at the library, even though I'm trying hard to read only my own books.
Love the quote. Apparently I swore like anything with the Boy's birth, but don't recall any of it.

Suse said...

Sweet Jesus, who has the time or presence of mind to SPEAK during labour? (Profane or mundane. Both impossible when I'm pushing a baby out).

Onto books ... husband just read 'Requiem for the East' by Andrei Makine and prounced it the best book he's read in years.

David said...

Loud and clear - thanks.

I just discovered today that there is an RSS for blog comments now too.

Woohoo!

Caro said...

I'm still mad at the lamaze people for telling me with my first child that one could BREATHE through the pain. Fuckers.

I like to show up at the hospital with my arm out pleading for drugs.

Ah, the little heartbeat on the ultrasound makes me hold my breath in awe everytime.

It's a beautiful thing.

Anonymous said...

My goodness, I haven't been surfing the blogosphere for a while, and here you are, with a fresh little heartbeat! Congratulations!!!