Friday, January 30, 2009

Slumping In January

My totals haven't been this bad since graduate school! So far, I've read only 2 books this month and 511 pages of Middlemarch. I am getting a little bit of a break though -- I fly out of Korea back to the US on January 31st around noon, and thanks to the magic of time travel (or at least time difference), I'll get to my destination on ...January 31st!

I (reluctantly) left Middlemarch behind and decided to travel with the 3 books for my Well-Seasoned Reader Challenge:
Let's Eat Korean Food - Betsy O'Brien
Fried Eggs With Chopsticks - Polly Evans
Consider The Oyster - M.F.K. Fisher

When I got to Seoul, I went to What The Book? hoping to pick up a copy of Lonesome Dove, but no joy. After looking at what Updike they had available (small but very nice selection), I decided to work on my Pulitzer shelf and bought a copy of The Bridge Of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder. It's the 1928 Pulitzer fiction winner. This purchase dovetails nicely with my resolve to concentrate my US book buying frenzy into this particular area. I'm hoping to find Lonesome Dove (I need it for the February 15th book group meeting), The Optimist's Daughter, Advise and Consent, The Fixer, Humboldt's Gift, The Confessions of Nat Turner, One Of Ours, Alice Adams, and The Magnificent Ambersons. Wish me luck. My Inner Completist Bookworm is bouncing off the walls with this one.

I hope to post while I'm gone...or at least read *your* blogs!

10 comments:

Eva said...

I hope you find the books you want!! :D And enjoy your 'extra' day of reading.

Bookfool said...

Lonesome Dove, The Optimist's Daughter, Humboldt's Gift, The Confessions of Nat Turner, and The Magnificent Ambersons are all on my stacks. You need a nice little used-book perpetual-sale corner. I've purchased most of my classics for 25 cents per stacked inch. Not to make you envious or anything. I'd share if you didn't live quite so far away.

Anonymous said...

Safe travels!!

Lisa said...

Hope you have a nice trip and find all the books you are looking for. I know many people don't like traveling, but at least you will have time to read!

Anonymous said...

Good luck! I can pick you up a copy if you like.

Well, Middlemarch. That's a month long read in itself.

Anonymous said...

So what happened to the books you had to leave in Korea?

I love M.F.K. Fisher.

wordjunkie said...

Love the words in your header!

Anonymous said...

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http://thatsthebook.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/awardaward/

Gentle Reader said...

Good luck finding those books! Also, 511 pages of Middlemarch counts much more than lots of little books, in my humble opinion, so I'd consider this a well-read month :)

Anonymous said...

I totally slumped in January too. And, unfortunately, February is not going to be much better. At least we're really SOMETHING, right? Some people don't read at all.