Vacation reading prep

**Somehow I wrote this post and then saved it, and went on vacation. I'm posting this now even though I'm back, and I'll post a follow up to report on what happened with my reading!**

I'm about to pack for vacation, gathering enough distractions and gear for 10 days away from home. I'm traveling by car with my cat, so some of the space will be taken up by his mammoth carrier, cat litter, food, but the rest is for books, right?

So far I've requested and picked up 2 books from the library, been chipping away at a pile of books borrowed from my sister, downloading audiobooks from Audible and the library, downloading ebooks to my Kindle, and generally neglecting the snazzy "to read" shelf I created in my apartment, filled with actual books that I own and have never read.

Here are the books I am bringing with my on my vacation:

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (recorded the movie on Tivo, then realized I really wanted to experience the book first. I have to read this to clear up space on my Tivo! I've renewed this twice now.)
• The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna Reid (Also renewed twice.)
• First Grave on the Right / Darynda Jones (recommended by my sister. Fine, I'll give it a shot, even though it's not really the kind of stuff I read. Wait a minute - isn't that one of the things on the challenge list?)
• 8. Read a book in a genre you normally wouldn’t choose. (romance/fantasy)
• 11. Read a book suggested to you by someone you know.
  
• The painted girls / Cathy Marie Buchanan (for book group in August)
• The Mystery of Mr. Nice by Bruce Hale (library edownload, kids)
• Feminist Ryan Gosling by Danielle Henderson (library edownload)
• Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo (audio)
• Unlimited by Jillian Michaels (audio - I've been listening to this an hour or two at a time, but my phone crashed and deleted the file so I will have to listen along and find my place again)
• My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher (audio)
• The Figure in the Shadows (Lewis Barnavelt, #3), The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring (Lewis Barnavelt, #3), and  The Ghost in the Mirror (Lewis Barnavelt, #4) all by John Bellairs

Did I mention I also plan to leave the house and *DO * things?

• kayaking
• outdoor jogging (yes, specifically outdoors)
• hiking
• road trip with mom and sister to visit the old family farm
• art gallery
• neighborhood rambles
• gym
• mall - run all sorts of errands because I will have a CAR
• family visits
• hammock-ing (okay, this is where reading will fit in for sure)
• visiting with friends near and far
• catching up on blog post writing (I have a bunch of draft posts of book reviews, knitting updates, etc., but my perfectionist tendencies prevent me from publishing them)
• knitting
• checking out local yarn shops
• going to local art spaces

Book Review - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, 1937

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, 1937

(I wrote the bulk of this post in April when I first read the book - so much for keeping on top of posts!)

Most people read this short book in high school. I managed to read both The Grapes of Wrath (496) and East of Eden (600) in high school, and I'm pretty sure I read The Pearl in 6th grade when I was part of a short story club for advanced readers (we also read The Veldt by Ray Bradbury- one of my favorites). I've always shied away from shorter works, thinking that they wouldn't have enough meat to them. My past experience with short stories always leaves me wanting more. This work could have easily grown to a 400+ page novel, but the simplicity of the story and characters warrants the length.

I realized partway in that this Bugs Bunny cartoon is a direct reference to this book. There are hundreds of cultural references to Lenny that keep connecting in my mind, popping up in old movies, commercials, etc.


Bugs Bunny Abominable Snowman cartoon
This link is to the complete cartoon - the Yeti shows up at 1:42.

Book rating: 4 out of 5

The language is so beautiful. Reading Steinbeck makes me want to make a blanket fort outside in the shade and spent all day reading and drinking iced tea under a canopy of trees and blankets, no wordly pressures creeping in, just the dimming sky forcing me inside for a late dinner.

Left me a bit sad. I knew as I read on that something terrible would happen, but all the same I hoped for Lennie, and for the others too, that somehow the dream of having their own place could materialize and not be just a far off dream to occupy their minds.