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!
the chickens. You’ve read The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald, right?
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booksandbuttons, no I have not read that one 🙂
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well, you must.
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I can see that reading is a bit of a casualty in all the happy activity but it will make you focus more on what books you want to read. It also perhaps makes the decision on what to read next a little more stressful. Yikes!
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Ian, unfortunately so. But you are right, it does force me to focus on the books I really want to read!
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I am also way too busy and I so wish that I had more time to read.
I am looking forward to reading your final thoughts on Jane Eyre. The more I think about it, the more I am thinking it is one of my favorite novels ever.
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Brian Joseph, you too? Hopefully in the not too distant future we will both find ourselves a little less busy. Jane Eyre is a pretty awesome book. I don’t know if I’d rank it as one of my favorites ever, but if I were going for a top 100 it would be there!
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More pictures of the chicks, please! 😉 I’m enjoying the calm of April and getting a fair amount of reading done, but dreading the end of the month, because May and June are my busiest time other than November/December, because of so many family birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc. I like the quote you shared at the end of your post and am looking forward to your review of The Portable Veblen , but not because you’ll stop talking about it!
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Laurie, heh, I posted a video Sunday of them seeing broccoli for the first time. So you are in the calm before the storm. Enjoy it while it lasts!
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I keep saying that I’m going to reread Jane Eyre. And I will. Someday. Sigh. Maybe after Middlemarch?
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Laila, I know that sigh! Rereads are so hard to get to with the shiny distractions of newer books!
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I’m reading, but it seems I’m not getting anywhere. I think it’s because of what I’m reading: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Harari and Carl Sagan’s The Demon-Haunted World: Science As A Candle in the Dark. Neither of which can be rushed. In fact, I’m listening to the Harari on audio during my commute and found it necessary to put the printed book on hold at the library. There is just too much to take in on audio…I need to go back and re-read some of the stuff…good stuff though. Chickens and bike riding and gardening are good stuff too.
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Grad, both sound great but not exactly reading to zip through! I hope you write about both of them when you are done as I would like to hear about them 🙂
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SQUIRRELS!!!!! I so want to devote time to the next letter I send. Will let you know when posted so you can track or at least anticipate a soon fun thing in the box…
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Care, heh 🙂 No rush, take your time!
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I am now really really kicked to get hold of The Portable Veblen….You the article in The Toast seems very interesting…Jane Eyre does seem to disdain all food unless it the pain missionary variety of bread and milk/cheese…never thought about it!
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cirtnecce, I am almost done with Veblen. I hope if/when you get a hold of a copy you enjoy it! Jane disdains quite a few things besides food like nice clothes, pretty colors and jewelry. It’s like she thinks because she isn’t pretty she doesn’t deserve pretty things.
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I’m finding it hard to get things done, too. Too many things I need to do and too many I want to do and why does it seem like time goes faster than it really does? I then make the mistake of adding books to my reading piles–something new comes in I can’t help but pick up, a library book I either need to start reading or return or an ILL book that is due all of a sudden. I am also trying to pick and choose and read in small numbers in order to finish a few faster than the normal dipping into many, but they all seem to be pressingly necessary to read NOW. We both need a vacation, eh? And today is Charlotte Bronte’s birthday, right? I keep seeing her all over the place it seems. I saw this list: http://offtheshelf.com/2016/04/happy-200th-birthday-charlotte-bronte-14-books-that-celebrate-the-literary-icon/ and it makes me feel like picking up one of THESE books now. Sigh. Must stop looking or something….Good luck squeezing in reading time along with all the other good things you are doing!
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Danielle, I think I’d be ok missing Jane Slayre 😀 Some of the others look pretty good though.
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I’m so excited to hear about the Veblen! I read a review of it the other day (at Of Books), and it sounded super intriguing. I hadn’t heard of it AT ALL before it was shortlisted for the Bailey’s Prize.
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