… or something.

Vote! Vote! Vote!

So. I have things to blog about Chicago and South Bend, but I’m waiting for a photo, plus, I don’t have the brain space at the moment. The reason I don’t have the brain space is that, as always upon returning home after a trip, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. My email is overflowing; my snail mail is overflowing; my un-unpacked suitcase is overflowing; my laundry hamper is overflowing; my to-do list is overflowing…. pretty much the only thing that’s not overflowing is my refrigerator, which is completely empty. Sigh…. a gal could get stressed out. (And hungry.)

This is why instead of trying to blog about something that takes brains, I’m going to sit here on the couch in my flannel pjs, eat some chocolate, and tell you the library books I have out right now, because even though my library shelf is also overflowing, its overflowingness is of a kind that makes me happy.

All of these are either books that were recommended to me by someone with good taste OR things I saw at the library that looked intriguing, so consider them all recommendations. Ready? I’ll link to Amazon descriptions, so if something catches your eye you can go learn more:

Fiction

• The Children’s Book, by A. S. Byatt — recommended to me by several people. The reviews have been mixed, but, being Byatt, it’s bound to be complex and full of stuff to think about, plus, it’s so beautiful!
• Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson — I’ve been meaning to reread this one and was reminded by the recent media kerfuffle.
• Boy Meets Boy, by David Levithan — a friend of mine ADORES this book and it’s about time I read it.
• Men Giving Money, Women Yelling: Intersecting Stories, by Alice Mattison — I love intersecting stories, and a friend raved about these ones.
• The Virginian, by Owen Wister — I… have a feeling this might be one of the ones that goes back to the library unread. Supposed to be a great Western classic, but you might remember how excited I am NOT about Westerns, plus, it’s really long, and I’m going to die someday.
• Shane, by Jack Schaefer — loved this one in high school, but… ditto. Not sure why I have it, to be honest.
• The Potter’s Field (a Brother Cadfael mystery), by Ellis Peters — I just can’t get enough of this 12th Century monk who solves murder mysteries. I haven’t looked too closely at this one, but I’m guessing some innocent passerby discovers a body in a potter’s field. It’s kind of amazing how many murders there are in and around the abbey.
• Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather — this is a book with Western themes that I might actually read.
• Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi — comes highly recommended by Rebecca Rabinowitz, who calls it “Ripping scifi with fantastic world-building. Also, interracial protagonist of color surrounded by supporting characters of color.” I am kind of beyond myself with excitement about this one and just need to find the TIME.
• Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes — all I know is that it’s about Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans and came recommended by many people, and I will be reading it soon.
• Invitation to the Game, by Monica Hughes — I actually know next to nothing about this, but I really liked her book Keeper of the Isis Light. Also recommended by RR, with one reservation.
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green and David Levithan — a friend practically hopped when she recommended this one to me, which is impressive, as she was sitting on my couch at the time, just exactly where I am right now. In fact, experimentally, I have just tried practically hopping, and have not met with success. So. Obviously the moral of this story is that we should all read this book.
• Ballet Shoes, by Noel Streatfeild — this will be a reread. Loved this one when I was a kid.
• King Dork, by Frank Portman — also recommended by a friend, though I’ll be going into it cold — don’t have the foggiest notion what it’s about.
• Report to the Men’s Club and Other Stories, by Carol Emshwiller — fantastic stories from a writer I’ve heard of a million times but have never got around to reading.

Nonfiction

• The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones. This is, apparently, a hysterically funny reference book about fantasy tropes, though I’m not sure if I’m going to find it funny. I may, instead, cringe my way through, seeing as I make a living from those tropes. :o)
• J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, In and Out of Time, critical essays edited by Donna R. White and C. Anita Tarr. Judging from the number of post-it flags I’m sticking into this book, I think I might need to own it.
• American Windmills: An Album of Historic Photographs, by T. Lindsay Baker. I just… like the pictures, ya know?

DVDs (I usually get my DVDs from Netflix, but I think I mentioned that the library had a Bollywood display up the other day? All of the following are Bollywood movies, in Hindi with English subtitles, and all star a certain person but NOTICE THAT AS PROMISED I AM NOT MENTIONING ANY NAMES)

• Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, directed by Karan Johar.
  
• Baazigar, directed by Abbas-Mustan.
  
• Om Shanti Om, directed by Farah Khan, who directed Main Hoon Na, which I loved. (I’m particularly happy when I discover a female director whose work I love.)

Well, that’s it for today. Better get back to trying to organize things around here. And then go to the grocery store and also VOTE.