Trivia has space and new winter books

I am stuffed with candy and an afternoon sifting the recesses of my memory sounds like just the ticket. We have room for a few more teams on Saturday for trivia. Last time we did it we hosted over 75 people! It is a lot of fun. I’ve noticed that some of the regulars have not signed up… c’mon friends!

I have been in a bit of a reading-rut over the last months… it’s so difficult to read something you love and then you’re disappointed with everything afterward. My mom says the secret to a happy marriage is low expectations, maybe that’s the secret to great stories too. In September I read Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins. I would put her in an arena with Jennifer Weiner and Jane Green. They often write about smart, young women who came of age in the late 80s and early 90s – betcha can’t imagine why I’d be interested. It’s a sub-genre of chick lit. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with this one about three friends who grew up over weight. It delicately explored what that was like then and how it impacted them as adults. It really resonated with me.

After that I made it through Jane Doe. It’s a bit of a twist on the unreliable female narrator trend nowadays. Jane is damaged, maybe deranged, but not unreliable. I would like to do it in our book group some day as it brings up some interesting gender issues. It has not been flying off the shelf, but I do recommend it.

After that I hit a bit of a wall throughout October. I tried a few, but abandoned them. I’m listening to the Outlander series on audio in the car and it’s riveting, but somehow reading the books at the same time isn’t working for me. Maybe it’s because the reader is so terrific and I miss her voice. Last week one of you recommended The Never-Open Desert Diner by James Anderson, which she had borrowed via ILL and returned so I snagged it. So far, it’s a winner – interesting enough to hold me until I really get invested in the story.

I did just place our November order – it will be a little light this month and next because I have spent out my budget on nearly all adult books. I’ll be only buying what we really need and the rest will go onto the wishlist. If any of you are feeling benevolent during the holidays and want to buy some prezzies for your friends and neighbors, we would be happy to recognize you with a book plate. I often can get a better price via my sources and you could just write a check for that amount – I’ll even put you first on the holds list!

We are working on something big for Wednesday, November 21st – the day before Thanksgiving – stay tuned for that!

Lichen