Reading Not Rutting

In an effort to both stay the course of recent good behavior (two weeks. woot?), keep my mind running (mostly away from American Idol) and support the writer's guild (a stretch. Maybe by reading good things and not watching "drek" as Dad calls it?) I am reading new books. New books that I picked up at The Boring Store over the weekend and am really pretty excited about. I also tend to sleep and write better when I'm reading so it's a wonder I haven't picked up much since Mexico.

The Pharmacist's Mate by Amy Fusselman

This is the first one I've started. I was intrigued by the cover art and then saw the following review from Zadie Smith on the back:

"As a rule, I am not scared of fish or individuals who stand less than five feet in their stockinged feet; this is because I do not expect small things to deliver a hefty punch. And yet Ms. Fusselman's book, brief as it is, affected me deeply. Not only that, the talent displayed therein was somewhat unnerving. In only eighty-six pages we find death, and birth and rebirth and other profundities. I cannot understand how this happened. It runs contrary to all human sense."

It's set-up is easy to read and so far descriptors like quirky, tragic, hilarious and honest all come to mind. No wonder she's running with Dave Eggers and Smith.

The New Kings of Nonfiction Edited by Ira Glass

Even though Ira didn't exactly make himself of beacon of Chicago by moving production of his popular NPR show, This American Life, to NYC... I still like the show and trust his judgment. And Chuck Klosterman is involved.

The Secret Language of Sleep by Evany Thomas

Truth? I couldn't bring myself to buy this one. So intimate and funny that it made me a little sad. However I do think this would be an amazing Valentine's Day gift to be given or received for those of you with other halves. And when I flipped it open to take a look, the first page I landed on held a line drawing of a woman sleeping the exact way I do. And it made me kinda happy because where at the moment it's only HC sleeping on the bend of my knee (I have cuter jams, for the record), I could sleep next to this guy. This "position" is called The Ventriloquist:

"Over the last twenty years, The Ventriloquist has become the most popular sleeping position in the enviable 21-34 age group...Spontaneous to the point of mania...Ventriloquists delight in role-playing and Halloween is their absolute favorite time of year: they find childlike delight in the chance to go all-out with the costumes, plan all the candy and blood.

Ventriloquist couples also have a tendency to speak without thinking, which sometimes leads to misunderstandings. But Ventriloquists' natural charisma is so potent that they easily charm their way into a new job or group of friends."

Yes, that does sound about right, doesn't it? That would work for me in an eerily spot-on way. Like a horoscope for sleep.Today's Musical Fun:

Fake Palindromes by Andrew Bird: "She's got knee socks on, what to cover a bruise..And she says I like long walks and sci-fi movies." Again with the eerie- I've been listening to this album for months and started listening more closely to the lyrics right when they started to apply. At least I don't feel the need to drill any holes and the "tying of wrists with leather" strikes me as counter intuitive to the title of this post.

New Soul by Yael Naim: I love the computer it goes with as well. One of those times where I just liked her voice so much that I bought the album. And so far, that's been a pretty great decision. She also covers "Toxic." Yes, that one. And it's good.

Her You and I by The Changes: Last song they played on Friday and I've been singing it ever since. Big fan.

Is There A Ghost by Band of Horses: Classic case of me being the last to know with no excuse but lack of proper attention. I'm loving this album (Thanks Caro!) and this song reminds me that I now get to go put on my jams, get in bed and read my new book. I may actually get 7 hours tonight- Glory be.

Get to sleep with a smile on:
There is a very entertaining, well written article on the Leisure and Arts page of todays WSJ regarding a fine young violinist, Nikolaj Znaider and his Guarneri violin if you have the time and interest.
Love
Dad