Quick Lit March 2016

Love to be reading outside again!

Each month I link with Modern Mrs. Darcy's Quick Lit as a way to talk about the books I liked, but didn't review.

I had a sick day a few weeks ago, and reading A Share in Death by Deborah Crombie in bed was just the right medicine. I read this all in one day, and immediately reserved a few more in the series. I needed a good distraction while I waited for Career of Evil to finally come up on my library holds list.

I picked up Train Like a Mother by Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell as inspiration for my summer hiking training. I liked the advice on time management, nutrition, coming back from an injury, and play lists even it was focused on training for a running race. Still useful even though I run a mile at best each week.

If I were to play the game where I had to match Cormoran Strike characters to Harry Potter characters Matthew the fiancé would be Umbridge. I was really hoping he would turn out to be the killer so we could be done with him. (That's not a spoiler: he was never a suspect.) Still a good book though; I can't wait for the next one.

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton was the first book in recent memory that I could guess the ending to before it happened. That doesn't make it a bad book. I liked the characters, and I'm glad I read it.

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Catching up on podcasts

When I'm not reading actual books, I tend to alternate between audiobook listening and podcast binging. This week I've been catching up on podcasts, and have found some bookish ones I loved. (Some of these are old, but they're new to me!)

Jane Austen Game Theorist from Freakonomics Radio

What to do with ARCs on Dear Book Nerd

Rick Steves talks to David McCullough about the Wright Brothers

The Get Booked ladies answer the burning question "What should I read if love West Wing?"

What's your favorite podcast?

Books that make me want to read other books

Everything I've read about Mary Karr's The Art of Memoir has been positive, but I've put off reading it because someone said it would cause me to add dozens more books to my TBR. Since my list usually hovers around 400 books, I'm a little scared to read a book that will add to it. So, I'm putting that one off until I can get my list down to 375 or so.

It wouldn't be the first time a book forced me to add to my TBR. It was Kelly Corrigan's Glitter and Glue that got me to try My Antonia, and Katherine Reay's books always have me tempted to spend my whole paycheck on Barnes & Noble Classics. So, it's not a bad thing that a book will cause me to read other books. I just need to put it off for a while. For the sake of my family. And my future employment prospects.

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The Book Was Better: A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson was one of the first books I read about hiking. I loved it right away, and made my husband listen to the audiobook version on a road trip. We both thought it was hilarious, and we still repeat some of the lines today. When I heard it was going to be a movie starring Robert Redford, I was puzzled, but excited. It sounded baby-sitter worthy.

My first clue should have been when we got the baby-sitter, but couldn't find the movie in any theaters around us. I finally ended up streaming it last week, and was really glad I didn't shell out baby-sitter + movie theatre type money for it. Everything that is so wonderful about Bryson's book comes off as stiff and uncomfortable in the movie. Some of my favorite plot points in the book were there, but taken out of context they just don't stand up.

It's a shame. When one of your favorite books is recreated by one of your favorite actors you expect magic. But even Robert Redford couldn't make this movie better than the book.

If you like books about hiking try:

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Turning to books for comfort

“When I’m 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I’ll be reading Harry Potter. And my family will say to me, ‘After all this time?’ And I will say, ‘Always.’”

— Alan Rickman

Last week we had to leave town suddenly for a funeral. It was very sad, and totally unexpected, so of course I knew I would need a stack of books to get me through. I grabbed the next four books on my reading list, and threw them in my bag without thinking. And then at the last minute I took Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows off the shelf. In the car on the way there I flipped through the book, re-reading my favorite parts, and let myself be comforted by the world we all know so well.

Books have given me so many things. If there's one thing I hope to pass on to my kids it's a love of reading, because from there all of the other important things will flow: compassion, empathy, understanding, pride, hope, courage, and comfort.

(Note: links to amazon.com are affiliate links. Thanks for your support.)