e-books and tea bags

A peek into my library. Everyone I know is getting Kindles and e-books.

I do like my hands-on paper books,

but I am beginning to see the possible benefit of utilizing BOTH!

.

I wonder if my feelings are similar to what the British thought of tea bags when they were first introduced.

My Latest Grievance

My Latest "Lipman"

Another Lipman! Copyright 2006. Maybe there's another one since! I have enjoyed all the Elinor Lipman books. Some more than others. This one is at the top of my list! Maybe part of it is it takes place on a college campus, and I have a special interest and insights into life on a college campus at this time. But, I think this quote from Newsday expresses my feelings best:


"Elinor Lipman's ninth book has all its author's trademark strengths: astringent wit laced through with tenderness; wildly flawed characters who defy us to resist them; a flinty, clear-eyed gaze at bigotry and other human foibles; expertly calibrated tension between the comic and the profound; and a deceptively simple plot that spirals into brilliantly orchestrated farce." —

The Family Man

By Elinor Lipman

This might be my favorite Lipman novel yet. Her characters are so interesting and funny. She wraps up her story at the end sweetly with everyone happily where they should be. I loved it. It does have some contemporary issues handled in a very lighthearted way. I read it in 24 hours. I really couldn't put it down.

The Whole World Over

by Julia Glass This was a complex book, the kind I like, with many stories and characters interwoven and eventually connected to each other. It is a contemporary kind of story, complete with gays, adoptions by singles, nine eleven, and Bush bashing included. But, the stories were interesting and felt pretty real. Lots of moral dilemmas explored. I've come a cross quite a few 911 events in books over the past five years, and this one was the most interesting by far. The view is more from a little distance, but close enough to feel impact. I also read Three Junes by this author.

Not Buying It

For a change, I read a non-fiction book. It was on an end cap at the library and I just couldn't resist it. Its not like I plan to spend a year without shopping myself, but I was curious to see what the journey was like for someone else. I did enjoy the writing style for the most part. Judith Levine told her story in an interesting daily journal type manner. She had lots of side information on what makes us buy what we do, and why we "need" so much stuff. She and her husband decided to spend one year not purchasing things that were not "necessities". So, they gave up movies, theater, bookstore purchases, makeup, new clothes, that kind of thing. They did manage to pay off a $7,000 credit card bill during that year.

Her lifestyle is quite different from mine. She did have TOO MUCH! She wasn't afraid to reveal that she had 8 pairs of boots and that she once didn't go skiing because she couldn't find her special "ski" socks. That was interesting. There were whole sections that were way too much about politics for me, that I just skimmed very quickly through. All in all though, it did open my eyes to some of my own spending habits and actually has made me not purchase a couple of things since, that I would normally have. I don't know how long it will last, but I think the self-awareness was worth reading it. It was a library book, I'm glad to report, so I didn't BUY it!