Sunday Salon: Thankfully Reading Weekend, Almost Over

It was a dark and stormy morning. Not really. It was only slightly overcast, the threat of rain hanging in the air. The wind blew the clouds away to make way for the sun before I even got out of bed, the bed where I spent most of the morning cheering Jess on as she took matters into her own hands and hoping Lindy and her father would find a way to reunite again. It has been a long while since I last stayed under the covers late into the morning reading to my heart's content. Only a dog anxious to be let out and my growling tummy forced me to budge. Even then it was with great reluctance. I set my book aside and assured it I would be back soon.

Ever since I first heard about the Thankfully Reading Weekend, I looked forward to a few hours of uninterrupted reading time. The weekend has almost come to a close and it is time to reflect on how it's been going. I set no rules for myself and made no book lists, all with the intention of keeping the weekend relaxed and stress free. There was no mad dash to finish as many books as I could or to read from dawn until all hours of the night.

Friday I was able to finish The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia, a novel set in 1592 in a Jewish ghetto in Germany. A girl had been brutally murdered and it was up to a newcomer to the community to uncover the murderer and try to avert the annihilation of the Jewish community. I sat down at my computer the next morning preparing to write my review, but the words would not come. My thoughts still needed time to percolate.

It dawned on me all at once that Christmas is a month away, and I still hadn't begun my shopping for gifts, many of which would have to be mailed shortly or risk being late. So, instead of spending much of Saturday reading like I originally planned, I went on a gift buying expedition with my husband. It is the Christmas of books for many of those on my Christmas list this year. I am not sure how long we were in the bookstore, but I was determined not to leave empty handed. I may hate shopping for clothing or shoes, but I can't resist book shopping. Finding that perfect book for someone can be quite a challenge, but I felt up to the task.

It just so happened that there was an author signing her books up at the front of the store that day. I was looking over the new release table when she approached me with a bookmark, detailing the information about her book--a juvenile court attorney caught up in the disappearance of her brother and a case she is working on that involves a nine-year-old boy and his father. The author, Teresa Burrell, had been inspired by her own work as an attorney in the juvenile court system in San Diego. I had not come to the store with the intention of buying any books for myself, but I couldn't resist getting a signed copy of Burrell's The Advocate.

Anjin and I left the bookstore with two rather heavy bags of books. I would tell you what we bought, but on the off chance my family actually reads my blog, it's probably best that I don't. We stopped off for lunch at the Elephant Bar (I love their Santa Fe Chicken Salad) before venturing over to the mall. It's been quite a while since I was last in the mall, and I wasn't too keen on fighting the holiday shoppers Saturday either. Still, I didn't want to have to come back, so we figured we might as well get it over with then and there. We weren't able to find everything we were looking for, but we came away with a few gifts to check off our list.

By the time we got home, it was late afternoon and my back and hip were screaming for a nap. That evening, Anjin and I caught up on the television show "V" and I spent a little time checking my e-mail. It wouldn't be until bed-time that I would finally crack open my next book, Jennie Shortridge's When She Flew. I was a good way in before my husband came to bed and I called it a night.

So, Saturday did not exactly turn out as I might have hoped, reading-wise. Still, I got a lot done and have a lot less shopping for the holidays to worry about now. I made up for yesterday today by spending a good part of the day reading. I finished When She Flew and look forward to sharing my thoughts about the book with your later this week.

Now I have to decide if I want to write my reviews for the two books I finished this weekend or start straightway into my next book. Or maybe I will catch up on a little blog hopping to see what you all are up to this evening.

I may not have read as much or for as long as I might have liked this Thankfully Reading Weekend, but since I really had no plan going in, I think I did just fine. Ultimately, I accomplished just what I set out to do, to read at my leisure, stress free. Many thanks to the Book Blog Social Club for hosting the Thankfully Reading Weekend.

How did you all spend your weekend? Did you read any good books you are just chomping at the bit to talk about?

This Week In Reading Mews:
Reviews Posted:
Tears of the Desert: A Memoir of Survival in Darfur by Halima Bashir

Reading Now:
The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White
Guests of the Ayatollah: The Iran Hostage Crisis by Mark Bowden

Posts of Interest This Week:
Thanksgiving: Then and Now
Kicking Off the Thankfully Reading Weekend

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