Books and a Broken Toe

Having not had a book to review for VOYA since sometime in late spring, I am proud to announce that I finished reading one this morning and will soon be writing my review .... the book was quite horrible, but still, I was happy to have a book.



While I'm here, a list of (good) books I've read/been reading in my absence from the blog seems to be in order ...



Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee. It just might be that the best word to describe this book is "likeable". It's very emotional but so much fun at the same time ...



Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger. I'm a bit more than halfway through this one and really love it ....



The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Too good to be finished, but I finished it anyway.

Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton. I've always wondered where the word okay began, and now I know!

Spam-ku: Tranquil Reflections on Luncheon Loaf by John Cho. Each verse in this compilation of haiku is all about SPAM, the luncheon meat, and actually really lovely. Some of them are also absolutely hilarious, but each feels like genuine haiku (some have more of a traditional flavor than others -- which feel more like Western haiku).

On another note ...

I am a walker -- one harboring a great passion for journeying through an unknown neighborhood on foot. As a result of this passion, my neighborhood is no longer unknown to me -- I've been down every single street many a time; however, in the not-so-distant past, I wandered down unfamiliar streets and got myself lost, and was always nervous about that (more worried about my mother's being worried than anything else, actually), but relished the satisfaction of having found my way out. And walking become a routine but no less of a great love.

Anyway.

My toe is broken just in time for the flare of color and crisp air that marks the early Octobers of New England. Sigh. We only get so much of this weather. The cast won't come off until December, and I can only hope for a mild winter.

(If you're wondering how it happened, about a month ago I slipped on the stairs and landed on my toe, which buckled underneath me. I didn't think it was broken and so waited a while to have it examined. Of course, if it wasn't broken to begin with, it fractured when I reinjured it by tripping once more, only this time -- fortunately -- not on the stairs.)

I love walking. And I do miss it.

~Emily

The Graveyard Book At Last and Padma Venkatraman

Neil Gaiman's new novel comes out today! I am so excited to read The Graveyard Book and almost as excited to see a real, actual copy sitting on the shelf of a bookstore!

Also, I would love for people to know that Padma Venkatraman, author of the very wonderful novel Climbing the Stairs, will be making appearances on the East Coast later this month; I strongly advise going to see her if she's going to be in your area -- she is a truly lovely person and brilliant writer.

Thursday, October 16th -- 10:30 a.m. at Politics and Prose. Washington, DC -- 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW; phone: (202) 364-1919

Friday, October 17th -- 2:00 p.m. at VIMS, Gloucester Point, VA 23062 -- 1208 Greate Road; phone: (804) 684-7000

Also on Friday, October 17th -- 5:30 p.m. at The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA -- Washington 201 (old campus); for more information contact Ann Repeta at (757) 221-2457

Saturday, October 18th -- 5:00 p.m. at Big Blue Marble Books, Philadelphia, PA -- 551 Carpenter Lane; phone: (215) 844-1870

Finally, on Sunday, October 19th -- 2:00 p.m. at Books of Wonder, New York City! -- 18 West 18th Street; phone: (212) 989-3270

I especially recommend going to see Padma (who is a friend of mine) if you feel passionate about multiculturalism! For more information about Padma, visit http://cliofindia.com/padma, or http://climbingthestairsbook.com (which is a beautiful site all about her novel).

And now I am going to go play with The Baby Name Genie (http://babynamegenie.com/), because I tend to have too much fun with names ....

~Emily