On Book Reviews

I really hate writing book reviews.

The truth is, I really hate writing when it takes a lot of work. Incidentally, that would explain why I've written so little in the past months but that's not what we're talking about. For me, writing a book review is a lot of work. 

I refuse to tell you how long these

blocks have been on my

dining room floor, 

stacked in various creations. 

I just keeping moving them to the wall

and sweeping and mopping around them. 

I love to read. As a young girl, I used to read voraciously. I almost forget how much I used to read until I watch my eleven year old and then I'm reminded. I'm a fast reader and if I start a good book, it's almost impossible to put it down until it's done. Somewhere along the line, when duties and responsibilities became a bigger part of my life, I all but stopped reading books. Occasionally I would have an all day/ late night fling where all of my other duties would suffer and time would stand still but mostly, I just didn't read.

In the last year or so, I've been trying to read more.  There's probably several reasons for that. It's partly just because I have the time and I've gotten into audio books but also because I know it's so good for my mind; so much better than the mindless other things I do instead. Most of the books I've been reading are ones I saw recommended by someone else. So, of course, you know what that made me think I should do.

I love the creativity so much. 

They're all crossing the street 

in the crosswalk....

But oh, dear me. Writing a book review is so much work! And I really hate writing when it takes a lot of work. 

Here's the thing. I am not good at taking a whole conversation with someone or a whole story or a whole book and relating it to someone else. My husband can come home from a meeting and, nearly verbatim, repeat to me what every person there said and did. I love it. But I don't have that ability. Of course, it probably goes back to the fact that I read too fast and can't remember half of it by the time I get done. I'm not sure how that corresponds to conversations but I have the same problem remembering those. 

We had a birthday girl last week...

And she got to have some

 friends over after school.

They had a little "tea party"...

A n y w a y.

There are several books I have read recently that maybe some of the rest of you would enjoy. I am not your typical 'book review' kind of person. I don't know my authors, I hate looking at books at thrift stores, I don't know genre and literary so forths and what have yous. We own very few books, especially when compared to a lot of readers that I know. Somehow I just never felt the need. I can get practically any book through our library system and if I buy it, there it will sit on a shelf after I've read it, and for what purpose? You book buyers feel free to argue with me and keep building bookshelves, I really don't mind; that's just not me. 

We've got our second

teen-age driver in the house. 

Those firsts don't really get less terrifying. 

I have at least four books I'd like to tell you about -- four books that I'm going to 'recommend'. I like that word better than 'review'. I don't think I'll even try to write reviews, as such. The very thought gives me a headache. And now that I have wasted all your time meandering around the subject, I think I'll leave my book recommendations for another day. 

Back soon!

PS. I don't know why I like sticking in random pictures that have nothing to do with the post. I hope you don't mind.