Sunday Salon: A Look Into the Past & Random Bookish Thoughts

I was sitting at my desk last night, doing a little blog hopping before snuggling under the covers to get in a little bedtime reading when I heard it. One of the most beautiful sounds ever. Rain. Pouring rain bouncing off the pavement, soaking the grass, and dripping from the eaves. Such a heavenly sound. An autumn like sound, if ever there was one. I do hope today is just as wet. Oh, how I love a good rainy day! It is perfect for curling up with a book.

I'm afraid today is not a day for originality. During my Saturday night blog visits, I came across Michelle's Sunday Salon post titled Ratings Retrospective. What an interesting idea! Why not give it a try? Hopefully she won't mind my borrowing her idea.

Michelle went back two years to when she first began keeping a record of her reading and decided to revisit what she read during this time in 2006, reviewing her reading choices, what she thought of the books and what she thinks of them now. I began keeping track of my own reading near the end of 2003, although I did not begin blogging until 2006.

I did not start an actual count of the books I read until November of 2003, although I did list three books in my reading journal that I read in October of that year that I strongly enough to document. Here are those three books along with my journal entries at the time:

Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
Very Good
A thriller of sorts set in Boston, Massachusetts. This is a haunting tale of three men whose pasts were permanently tied together one fateful day when one of them was kidnapped as the other two looked on. They find themselves pulled together again when the daughter of one is murdered. As the investigation ensues, the reader is given an intimate look at the lives of these three men and their families. The book was dark and depressing and yet thought provoking; after completing it, I found myself sitting there for several minutes as if the wind had been knocked out of me. The characters were extremely well drawn by the author, each of them complex. Mr. Lehane is a gifted writer and I am eager to read some of his other books.

The Mindhunter by John Douglas
Good
John Douglas was brought to my attention when his talk radio show first aired on the radio. He was a profiler for the FBI for many years, retiring from his position as Director of the Behavioral Investigation Unit. In this nonfiction book, he describes how he came to work for the FBI and describes the nature of the work, providing the reader with a general overview. I found the information interesting and am curious to read some of his other books, with more specific focus on the different crimes or types of crimes he investigated.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Excellent
A gentle and yet deep book about a girl’s coming of age in 1964. She accidentally killed her mother when she was four, something she never really was able to forgive herself for. Her father mistreated her and was not much of a dad to her. She was raised by a black woman who just wanted to register to vote. Together, they run away and find themselves in the home of three eccentric sisters who will change their lives forever. The book takes its readers on a journey of love, life and bees. It talks about the power of women, prejudice, faith, bees, forgiveness and love. I cried and laughed as I turned the pages, fully a part of the tale woven by Sue Monk Kidd. This is by far the best book I have read this year. It touched me deep in the heart, inspiring me as a woman and as a daughter.

I remember each of these three books well. I still highly recommend Mystic River and The Secret Life of Bees to this day and feel that the thoughts I recorded then are similar, if not the same, as how I view the books today. I particularly was drawn to my review of Mystic River--about the feeling of having the wind knocked out of me. I had forgotten about that, and yet when I read those words, I suddenly could remember that moment quite vividly.

I also thought it was fitting time wise that The Secret Life of Bees would be among the books I read five years ago last month. I recently saw the movie version of the book. I was surprised at how quickly the book came back to me as I watched the movie.

On another bookish note, Wendi from Wendi's Book Corner, J.C. from The Biblio Brat, and Alice from Hello, My Name is Alice tagged me for a Book Themed 7 Random Things About Me meme and I thought today would be a good time to post my list.

1. I have over 50 bookmarks of all varying kinds, and yet I still often use scrap paper to hold my place.
2. I have a difficult time moving on to the next book until I have had a chance to write the review of the book I just finished. At least by way of getting the first draft written.
3. I have an embarrassing amount of unread books in my house. So embarrassing, that I hate to admit just how many. Even other book lovers look aghast when the discover the truth.
4. I always read the dedication, acknowledgments, introduction, and end notes of the books I read.
5. I am not a very expressive person in my daily life, however, when I read, my emotions come easily to the surface.
6. I get most of my reading done on the weekends and right before bed at night.
7. I will often reread the book flap or back cover of a book I am about to begin reading just so I know what I'm getting myself into.

I am supposed to tag seven people, but as this particular meme has made it around and around, I will refrain from doing so. Feel free to play along if you so desire!

If you have not already, please check out my reviews from this past week. I have two open giveaways going, both of which will close on November 7th.
Review of A Jolly Good Fellow by Stephen V. Masse
Review of The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (including an interview with the author and a giveaway)
Review of Imaginary Friends edited by John Marco and Martin H. Greenberg(including a giveaway)

And be sure and drop by later this week! The author of Murder Takes the Cake, Gayle Kent Trent, will be stopping by tomorrow to discuss her experiences with book signings. I will also be discussing my thoughts on two Charlaine Harris books I read this past month along with the HBO show True Blood, loosely based on the Southern Vampire Series. I will be announcing the winners of my surprise 500 post anniversary giveaway later this week as well.

I promised my husband we could go out for Mexican food for lunch today, but until then, I plan to step outside of my own world for a little while and into Karen White's. There are also those Entertainment Weekly magazines I have fallen behind in reading. Is it safe to admit I read that magazine? A guilty pleasure for sure.

Happy Reading!