Sunday Salon: What I Plan to Read Next

I do not really like to write much about what I have up next in my TBR stack. At least not beyond the next book I am about to pick up to read. I think it is mostly because I change my mind a lot. Even with a stack of books in my immediate TBR pile, I remain a spur of the moment book chooser. I just sometimes limit my options. Yet, here I am, to tell you about a few of the books I hope to get to in February.

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, as many of you know. While reading should have been my escape, it wasn't much of one. I chose a serious book that dealt with a couple grieving over the death of their son when I should have chosen something light and funny. As a result, my reading was slow going. Don't take that to mean I did not like the book at all. I did. I liked it very much. I just am not sure it was the best book for me in the moment. No. I take that back. Maybe it was. Sometimes sad books can help us through our own sad moments, can't they? There's something to be learned in such books. Even perhaps some comfort to find, however odd that might sound. The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar was like that for me in its own way. Although, something funny might have been nice too.

I was reading another book alongside it. I almost forgot to mention it since it's an e-book I am reading on my computer. I hate reading books on the computer. I have nothing against e-books. I just hate reading them on the computer. It's a pain in the behind, especially since I am unable to sit for long periods of time. The book is Janice Daugharty's The Little Known, which is due out early next month. I am about half way through it at the moment. Set in Georgia in the 1960's, it is about an African-American boy who comes into possession of hundreds of thousands of dollars. He decides to give it to his family and neighbors in hopes of making their lives better. Only, that's not what happens. The money seems to make things worse. The whole "child finds money and tries to do good plot" has been done before, but I am curious to see just how Daugharty will spin the story.

After reading several reviews recently of Craig Thompson's Blankets, I mentioned my interest in reading it to my husband. He was kind enough to dig through his shelves of graphic novels and find his copy for me. I hope to begin reading Blankets later today. Maybe tomorrow.

This coming month I also am planning to read a historical thriller called The Fairest Portion of the Globe by Frances Hunter. I really enjoy historical fiction, but it's been years (and I mean YEARS) since I read something set in the United States during the late 1700's. Usually my reading of that time period finds me in Europe or thereabouts. Hunter's novel is set in the Louisiana Territory, a highly desirable region controlled by Spain. Tensions are high and the threat of war is very real. This was the time when the legendary scientific explorers William Clark and Meriwether Lewis, well known in American history, first meet.

Clea Simon's latest, Grey Matters, featuring Dulcie Shwartz, a graduate student studying Gothic literature, is another book I look forward to getting to in February. Rumor has it that it's the author's best yet. I enjoyed the first book in the series, Shades of Grey, and am eager to visit with Dulcie and feline friends again.

Calling my name (and rather loudly at that!) is the Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead: The Frank Meeink Story as told by Dr. Jody M. Roy. I read a bit of the opening when it first arrived in the mail, and I have to say, I was hooked immediately. I can't wait to dive back in.

I think that will be a good start--not to mention a bit of variety. What are you planning to read in February?


This Week In Reading Mews:

Reviews Posted:
The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia

Books That Found Their Way Home:
2666 by Roberto Bolaño (bought with gift card and coupon)
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (bought with gift card)
A Golden Age by Tahmima Anam (bought with gift card)
Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger (bought with gift card & a little bit of money out of my own wallet)
The Singer's Gun by Emily St. John Mandel (from the publisher for review)

American Rust Giveaway Winners:
Laura from Musings
Alice from Hello, My Name is Alice

Posts of Interest This Week:
Monday at the Movies: Sherlock Holmes
Tuesday Tangents on Thursday: Update on Anya, RAWW, and Other Random Thoughts
It Takes a Village: A Guest Post by Author Misa Ramirez

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