Between raising chicks, building a coop, gardening, and stepping up my training for a couple of bike races, I’ve hardly had time to read much of late. Much of my reading is taking place on my commute to and from work, during my lunch break and at night before sleeping. I am not completely happy about it, but that is how it has to be for now.

The good thing about it is that it forces me to focus on only two books and I am almost done with both of them. Jane Eyre is my daytime book and, for those of you who have read it, Jane just arrived at Ferndean Manor. I seem to recall the conclusion goes swiftly so perhaps I will be able to finish the book tomorrow. That would be a nice thing. I have not yet decided what I will read next so I had better figure that out fast.

I have been saving a Jane Eyre link from The Toast for a few weeks and now seems like a good time to share it. Every Meal in Jane Eyre Ranked in Order of Severity. As Mallory Ortberg says, “Jane Eyre is a book about a woman who hates feeling comfortable. Every meal that passes her lips is full of gravel and self-sufficiency.” Ha! So very true!

My before bed book is The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie. I know I keep mentioning this one a lot. You will probably be glad to know I am almost done with it, about sixty or so pages to go. Then I will write up an “official” review and you all can breathe a sigh of relief that I will stop talking about it so much. To give you a little flavorful tease of the book, here is a parenthetical thought Veblen has fairly early in the book:

Which reminded Veblen, as her mind was quick to fly, of her childhood confusion between peasants and pheasants; it seemed brutal, insane aristocrats brought along ‘beaters’ to sweep through the woods clubbing hedgerows and trees to scare them out and gun them down, which was shocking either way, really, but proved the madness of too much privilege.

Heh. I like Veblen.

More on both of these soon!