Book of the Week

For this glorious month of June, I have decided to try and stay at site alone for the whole month because, somehow, in the entire year that has past, it has never happened. I’ve always come up with a reason to leave or I’ll have a visitor. I also feel like I ought to put in a little time after abandoning Africa for a European respite last month. Turns out, there’s not so much to do at site after school is over for the day. It’s winter here, so the day is super short anyway. I’ve been reading a lot. Like more than I’ve ever read ever. I’m averaging a book a day. I’m reading some really good stuff, and some real crap. Like I recently finished an absolutely abominable Nora Roberts book I inherited on my mom’s kindle (which she generously swapped for my touch screen kindle, which I hated, because the cat could turn the pages whenever she wanted attention). The horribly grotesque book was something about childhood friends running a wedding venue together and finding husbands themselves and blah blah. I wanted to puke the whole day I read it. Also reread Michael Crichton’s Timeline, which was enjoyable, and John Grisham’s The Confession, which was tolerable, and the final installment of that horribly written Eragon series, which I can’t believe was even published. Who told that kid, Christopher Paolini, that he could write? He shouldn’t even be allowed to compose emails. Almost had to put that one down, which I’ve done almost never. Right now I’m in the middle of Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen, which is a breath of literary fresh air. Depressing, but really well written. But hands down, the best book I’ve read this week, is Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern. I’m sure it’s not for everybody, but it had me laughing like a crazy person. I’ve never laughed like that for a book. It’s just this guy telling stories about his dad and the crazy stuff he says, plain and simple. Added bonus, the family is from San Diego, which makes multiple appearances throughout the book. Some quotable gems: “On Table Manners: ‘Jesus Christ, can we have one dinner where you don’t spill something?...No, Joni, he does do it on purpose, because if he doesn’t, that means he’s just mentally handicapped, and none of the tests showed that.’” “On Chivalry: ‘Give your mother the front seat…I don’t give a shit if she said you could have it that’s what she’s supposed to do, and you’re supposed to say ‘No, I insist.’ You think I’m gonna drive around with my wife in the backseat and my nine-year-old in the front? You’re a crazy son of a bitch.’” “On Packing My Own Lunch: ‘You have to pack a sandwich. It can’t just be cookies and bullshit…No, I said if you packed it yourself, you could pack it how you want it, not pack it like a moron.’”