Mmmm... Pumpkin Pie!

Now that my "engagement high" has kind of worn off, I'm more comfortable about planning a small wedding (well, I will be once I get to the point where I can set the date) and I'm also able to go through the motions of daily life again. I was getting sick of not being able to read.

I've been reading some good stuff lately. I finished my third Jane Austen novel, Northanger Abbey, a week or so ago. I really liked it, but I didn't think it was as good as the other two I have read, Sense an Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. I do understand that it was her first novel, (although not the first that was published) so it was bound to not be her best. I plan on having the rest read (excepting the unfinished novels and novellas) by January so I can watch all of the new Masterpiece Theatre novel adaptations!

My reading habits lately have been flip flopping between the classics and young adult books, so I moved on to Extras, the fourth book in the Uglies "trilogy." This one doesn't specifically deal with the protagonist, Tally, although she does appear in the novel. It takes place in a Japanese city and details a new post-apocalyptic society that is obsessed with fame. I really, REALLY, like this series. I've read some of his vampire novels and while they were good, they didn't quite appeal to me as much as Twilight, etc. But this series is very inventive, and I really want to ride on a hoverboard more than ever now!

I'm now reading Henry James' Turn of the Screw. It's pretty freaky. I'm not too far into it yet to figure out whether the children are really being possessed by these ghosts, or if the governess is just plain crazy.

Next up is a reread of The Book Thief. I read it earlier in the year and loved it. I'm supposed to be reading it this time around because I get to do a book review for The Georgia Library Quarterly. I'm excited because I don't get to do too many YA things being an academic librarian, other than order teen books. If all goes well, I should be published in the winter issue.

Moving on from books...

This Saturday, I'm going to make my first pumpkin pie and yeast rolls from scratch in preparation for Thanksgiving dinner with Jon and his parents in Colorado next month. My mom is an excellent baker and should be able to show me the ropes. The Thanksgiving dinner will be prepared in Jon's new house (he closed today) which I suppose will eventually be our house. Luckily he has the same stove as my parents, so other than elevation, I shouldn't experience too many problems.

I want to dress up for Halloween this year, but I just can't think of anything free to wear. I can't justify buying a costume at this point, and the only place I plan on dressing up is work, as I've declined attending any parties with a close to 60 hour work week coming up. Maybe I can be a nerdy librarian, oh wait...

I was really hoping to go off on a tirade about this talk radio host and how much he annoyed me on my commute home Tuesday, but alas, my enthusiasm for writing has almost completely petered out (and just when it was about to get interesting.)

Maybe next time.