What I'm Reading Next

Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family (Oregon Reads)

If you live in Oregon, are you participating? Why not?

http://www.oregonreads2009.org/

I'm reading this right now. Won't you join us? You have your pick of book groups in the area. My book group is Tuesday, February 17.



Madame Bovary (Penguin Classics)

Much as I enjoyed blogging about Moby-Dick, I'm going to cut back, but still do a little bit of reflection here. Maybe you'd like to read along. An old translation is available here. I've been enjoying the book groups, more on that later. I'm reading the Penguin translation by Geoffrey Wall.

My schedule:

• February 8-14: Beginning - Part Two, Chapter 3
• February 15-21: Part Two, Chapter 3 - Part Two, Chapter 11
• February 22-28: Part Two, Chapter 12 - Part Three, Chapter 5
• March 1-7: Part Three, Chapter 6 - End
• March 22: book group

(March 17, book group on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I've read that, but plan to squeeze it in again. I keep meaning to read other books by Sherman Alexie.)


The Metamorphoses of Ovid

I'm reading this translation by Allen Mandelbaum. There are all kinds of free ebooks available in other translations if you want to read along. On the one hand, this book is THICK; on the other hand, the verse takes up only half the page.

My schedule:

• March 8-14: Books 1-4
• March 15-21: Books 5-8
• March 22-28: Books 9-12
• March 29-April 4: Books 13-15
• April 5: book group
  

I've got my reading cut out for me.

New Haunts

I've really got to find a way to whittle these haunts lists down...just way too many things to read. I wanted to share some new haunts. Many are on the green side, appropriate considering the regime change.

Speaking of regime change, the White House is one of my new haunts. If you didn't know the new administration has a blog, where have you been? Straight from the source, stuff as complex as press releases, press briefings, and legislation published for your comments, to something as simple as an announcement. Whoever is responsible for maintaining the blog understands blogs. Each post is just what it needs to be, nothing more, nothing less.

Treehugger: I'm not sure how long this will last...there are several (many?) authors and there's too much to keep up with. OTOH I would never have found out my grandpa's lifelong employer has launched a water saving campaign which includes an online game that earns faucets for Habitats for Humanity.

Nor would I have seen Fast Company's prediction of of the top green jobs in the next decade. I share that in case anybody reading is thinking about a career change that may not mean a whole lot of schooling. This really is the future....

The treehugger people can be a little grumpy, unlike Inhabitat, another new haunt. I found great stocking stuffer gifts here, and it's nice to look up at upcoming design that is also green, though I have found reviews may not be so discerning.

I've been reading Feministing for awhile. This too can be too prolific, but I can't give it up.

I never quite view problematic customer service interactions in quite this way, but I get a kick out of (The Customer is) Not Always Right. It's great for a quick stress-relieving laugh.

I really like Scouting NY for the photos, and for the way the author looks for the kinds of things I look for. I like noticing those hidden architectural details about a place, and like thinking about the past contained in the walls.


Finally, the best for last, my sweetie's sweetie has begun a new blog, The Cedar Chest, which is kinda like looking for those architectural details and imagined histories, but in ephemera.

She also sells a good bit of the stuff she features.

Pictured is her first piece of ephemera she bought.