Book Orders!

Yes, I've gone a bit wild ordering books lately, mostly books that I haven't been able to borrow from the library. I've ordered Elizabeth Bowen's The Heat of the Day, published in 1949, a novel set in England during World War II, particularly during the Blitz. I have never seen the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of the novel. Have you?

I've also ordered Flights of Love: Stories by Bernhard Schlink, published in 2002, several years after The Reader appeared in the U.S.

And I finally bit the bullet and ordered the audiobook Life by Keith Richards, acclaimed Rolling Stones guitarist. The hardcover sits at 596 pages, so the unabridged audiobook should keep my brain enchanted for many long commutes to work. The importance of this occupation for my psyche cannot be underestimated. When I'm done, I'll donate it to a library that does not own an audio copy.

I much, much prefer memoirs for my commutes. For me, novels require so much more concentration, and because I'm driving in snowy weather almost all of the time, I need my wits about me!


It has been a fascinating birdwatching January. We've been visited by a bird that spends its summers in the high Canadian Arctic. 60+ common redpolls have crowded our feeders in the last few days, crowding out the other birds. This is the first time in my life I've had redpolls, so our birdwatching life has been exciting!

Back to Books: I'm so enjoying The Girl Who Played with Fire. When I read the series the second time, and indeed I will, I'm going to make sure I have an excellent map of Stockholm as well as one of Sweden, so I can keep track of all the comings and goings. They're important to the plot, and as it stands now, I have to ignore the places, for the most part, because I don't have a clue about any of them.