Library Time!

My dad likes to tell my sister and I (and anyone else who will listen) that reading fiction will rot your brain. With 30+ years of brain rottage, we decided to start issuing each other summer break, non-fiction reading challenges. Mind you, we're still reading fiction. Right now I'm in the middle of the Nicolas Flammel, Fablehaven, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians series my niece assured me I'd regret not reading.

For the summer reading list, we just randomly pick out two or three subjects and read a book on each. Dad joined us last year, but refrained this year - I think my theology topics stunted his enthusiasm. Also last year my sister nearly killed me when the list included Jimmy Carter. "Geez...could you pick anyone more BORING?!?" This year when I said "Madeline Albright" I thought she was gonna cry! Just for her I switched it out with another topic. However, my 11 year old niece thought she would get in on the action, so she picked out a couple of subjects too. This year we've got archeology, tropical plants, starfish, self-sufficient living, folklore, and gardens. Folklore probably shouldn't count since by its nature, it's fiction, but still...

One of the amusing things so far is that Ang forgot I switched Albright for archeology, so she read an autobiography from her and ....LOVED it. She didn't want to admit it, but she told me I was allowed to laugh. However I've always made fun of Stephen King and anyone (like my darling sister) who liked reading him. I liked to say that if you painted his head green, he'd look like the Grinch. She finally talked me into reading The Green Mile and I had to admit that not all of his stuff was completely stupid. I even told her I should write him a letter of apology. I reminded her of this and told her I thought we were even.

I thought this year I ought to save time and read something from the Foxfire series, that way I could have gardens, self sufficient living, and folklore all in one book! That's what ya' call efficiency, but Ang would probably say that's what ya' call laziness! I'll probably save time with the starfish, because so far the only books I can find on the topic are childrens' books. I can find adult books with starfish in them, but not books wholly dedicated to the topic.

And all of these go on The List. I have several reading lists I keep up with - Mark Twain Nominees, Nobel Prize winners for literature - but my master list is seeing how long it will take me to read 1000 books. Since I've started keeping track in 1998, I've read over 425 books. It would be amusing to see if I could get to 500 by the end of this year, and I can't believe I've managed to keep track for the last 10 years!! Maybe I'll publish the first 500 on here...who knows! But I guess I better wrap up this journal entry so I can get back to my book!!!