What I am reading...

So, it's been a while since I last posted. I thought I was on a roll... Oh, well. I have been trying to get into reading again - in spite of everything else that I have going on. I have been going back and forth from non-fiction to fiction and looking for writers that keep me interested. What I find particularly interesting are the writer's personal websites. Knowing more about the writer's history and what they are motivated by gives me inspiration to dig a little deeper into myself and what it is that I have to say, to contribute.

I will try to figure out how to put this in a separate spot on this blog, but I haven't gotten that far yet. So, a short synopsis of where I am at now:

An Inconvenient Book - Glenn Beck


~Still haven't finished it. Brad read it start to finish and I think that is the first book that he has read cover to cover. That says a lot, regardless of what you think about him! (Glenn Beck, not Brad) It is a very funny book and he makes humorous ventures into the political correctness of being a liberal. I am anxious to finish it.

I Am America and So Can You! - Stephen Colbert


~I thought that if Brad finished the Beck book, then he would really like this one too. I am not sure if he has read it all or not. I started it too, but can't seem to get past the first chapter. Not that it's not funny, it is. But almost like he is trying too hard to be funny. This is on my list of things that I want to finish, but not terribly pressing.

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits - Ayelet Waldman


~I checked this out at the library when I was looking for another book by Jennifer Weiner. (W's are together!) She had several titles there and apparently writes a series called the Mommy Tracks, more on that in a bit. So, I read this whole thing and about 90% of it in one sitting. Great book! I can't remember a time when I have read a book in which the protagonist isn't exactly too likeable. You grow to like her, but it's not instant. Actually, I was quite frustrated with her in the beginning. As the story unfolds, you can see how realistic her character is and what an awesome writer Waldman is.
Part of the trouble that I have when reading is that I am always thinking about the author and HOW they have written the story - character, plot, dialogue, etc.
Roughly one-third of a way into the book, I forgot about that stuff and got into the book. Another mark of a great writer, that she made me forget.

Oh, so I didn't even say what the book is about. The majority of the book is about Emilia's relationship with her five year old stepson. He is a real number. The other factors are her new marriage and the death of her daughter by SIDS. How all of this comes together is what makes the story. A very intriguing read.

Death Gets a Time-Out - Ayelet Waldman


~This is one of the books in the Mommy Track series. I liked the title, so I checked it out. It's about a stay-at-home mom that starts to investigate murders and do a little PI work. I am a few chapters into this one and I do like it. I will post more after I finish it.

So, that's where I am at right now. I checked out Waldman's website and found out that her husband is a Pulitzer Prize winning author, Michael Chabon. I may try to read some of his work as well. If you have any great books that you think I should check out, let me know! Because I do have all this free time on my hands! Hee, Hee, Hee!