Yes, that's right. Or maybe with my new haircut I should say I'm "29"? Anyway, what's with the gratuitous mention of my birthday today? Well, I want something from you all. (There's always a catch, isn't there?)
This month, Unnamed Partner and I will be going to Ptown for a week. As in Massachusetts. In mid-May. It's a little risky, I know. But we seem to be eternal students, which means we are eternally on a budget, and we need to get a deal where we can. Which means going to the beach before Memorial Day.
Okay, so what do I need from you? Some good books. Well, not the actual books -- I would be quite happy with the titles, really. You see, if the weather is sketchy, I foresee plenty of time to curl up together and catch up on some reading, but I need your help:
What is the best book you've read lately?
By the way, today is also the birthday of Englebert Humperdinck, Bianca Jagger, Catherine the Great, and Lou Gramm (yes, from Foreigner).
And also on this day in 1938, Ella Fitzgerald recorded "A-Tisket A-Tasket," so let's enjoy, shall we?
15 comments:
HAPPY 29th! May it be a good day and a great year for you!
How many times have you read "March of Folly" (Barbara Tuchman)?
"Blacklist" (Sara Paretsky)
Marcia Muller (Kinsey Milhone series)
what category of books so you want?
First off, Happy Birthday! Be sure to have as much cake and ice cream as you want without any guilt. Have seconds and thirds.
I'm reading Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine right now, and it is making me both depressed and angry - I'm not sure that's what you want for a beach holiday.
My Year of Meats is a fast, fun book - with a message. But you don't feel beaten up over it.
Regards,
Tengrain
Cootamundra w. -- thanks! That looks like a great start! I'm open to all suggestions. It's a great chance to catch up on "classics" I should've but never did read, but it's also a chance to read the great light trashy stuff that is pure entertainment.
Tengrain, Thank You! and thanks for stopping by the House of Jello here! I think I'll stay away from "Shock Doctrine" this time, but "My Year of Meats" sounds like a distinct possibility.
Happy "39th" Birthday! :-)
Happy birthday. Hope it's a good day for you.
Reading suggestions:
Nonfiction - I just finished Polio: An American Story. It won the 2006 Pulitzer for history and was a remarkably engrossing read.
Fiction -- if you want mind candy, any of Joan Hess's Maggody mysteries would qualify as nice lightweight escapism.
There are used bookstores in practically every strip mall on the Cape and "A Buck A Book" place at the discount/outlet center close to the Sagamore bridge so if you run out of stuff to read you won't have any trouble restocking.
Having lived in Hyannis, I can tell you that mid-May is a great time to go to Ptown. The traffic won't be nearly as insane as it gets after Memorial Day, the Cape is gorgeous in the spring, and while you may not get much swimming done you're not likely to actually freeze to death either.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Have two pieces of chocolate cake for me!!
I'm taking off in May for three weeks. I'm so excited, but still not sure where I'm going.
Since I only read blogs, I'm no help in looking for book titles. But have a fun vacation!
BAC
ps ... there is cake for you at Yikes!
BAC
Happy Birthday!
Hmm. Books? I'm reading Oscar Wilde's plays. They're funny, but only if you're into those Victorian manners, mix up kinds of stories.
Have a great trip when you go!
Happy Birthday!!!!
All the greatest and best wishes to you!
happy birthday, and have a great vacation! the water will be to cold for swimming (unless you are of canadian heritage!) but just sitting by the waters edge and doing nothing can go a long way to revitalizing yourselves. i am one of the lucky ones that live on the ocean (yes, the maine water is even colder than the cape, so i NEVER swim in it, thank god for kayaks!) and have the opportunity to be refreshed by it daily. have fun!
Gosh!
*blushing*
Thank you all so much! And thank you for the book suggestions. I feel I have a good start here!
And Donald, I went swimming at Old Orchard Beach last year ... but it was July and I still didn't stay in for long!
Happy Belated Birthday!! Hope it was fun. You guys should have made the hour south drive with us to the lakehouse. We had several friends for the weekend celebrating three birthdays all on Saturday. (Which we all think of as bizarre; a group of eleven friends and three share the exact same day.) Enjoy your trip to Ptown. I agree with Nan. Good time to go; you'll miss the heavy summer traffic. I'm way behind on my book reading. In fact, I think everything I've been reading has now made it to paperback before I've finished. "Bill of Wrongs" by Molly Ivins and "The God Delusion". If you want something that is a short easy read and down right hilarious, try "Zippy" (can't remember the author). Great book to pick up, read a couple of chapters for a laugh and then on to something else.
Morgan, you're so right! These times definitely call for some Molly Ivins!
I read something somewhere about the mathematical odds of having several people in a room with the same birthday. It's actually very high odds, although the reasoning behind it was beyond my comprehension.
But it's actually an interesting ice breaker when you have a group of say 30 people. Almost every time, 2 people will have the same birthday.
Huh.
Happy belated birthday! Sorry I'm a couple days late here.
We'll be at the Cape the first week of June ourselves - Eastham. Hope you have a great time.
Let's see, books - How about "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner). We read it for our book club and it was fascinating and really brought to life the human toll on the people of Afghanistan that all the years of war have taken. Not exactly a beach book but it's very engrossing and well-written.
Thanks Mauigirl!
One of the few books I have lined up is "The Kite Runner." I'm the last person in this country to read it, I think ....
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