the eight year wait is over. can‘t remember the last time I was so excited for a book‘s pub date.

day 28: hubby suggested I read one of his favorite stories "Bicentennial Man". Robots! #nationalshortstorymonth

Day 24: memorial read. He may not have been the best Bond but he was the one who objected to the way society glorified a man with a gun. RIP Roger Moore. #myfirstbond #genxbond #shortstorymonth

day four: Carolyn Cooke's debut collection was a souvenir from a trip to northern California in the early 00s. Cracking the spine for the first time to read "Girl of Their Dreams." #shelfsitter #stories #shortstorymonth

day three : no longer a Carol Shields virgin. This morning I read "Segue" in the posthumously published Collected Stories. #shortstorymonth #stories #canadian #modernclassic

Day 2: title story from Hemingway's Snows of Kilimanjaro. I bogarted this copy ($1.25) from my father in the late 80s when I supplemented my college studies with attempting to become a Hemingway completist, which is one of the only things my father and I have in common. #shortstorymonth #papa

May is Short Story Month so kicking it off by reading the title story in Gay's bad-ass collection. #shortstories

I never gave this book much thought until my friend James recommended that I read it. 15 years ago. I had a newborn. It was very difficult to hold a baby and a 900+ page book, and I gave up on page 37. Thinking about Gothic architecture lately, I gravitated right to this epic fictional account of building a cathedral. #thisistheyear

happy birthday to me!!

My local: Common Good Books, prop. Garrison Keillor. Yes, he's often in the house. #getindie

Last month I visited Labyrinth Books in Princeton, NJ where they had a book tribute to Bowie and Prince. No visit to Princeton is complete without a stop here. #getindie

morning still life. feeling hungry. #finecookingaugust #bonappetitaugust #sternmen #cookkorean #augustreads #evidentmagazineaddiction #moleskinedailyplanner

Surfing, which I have never tried, has a real romantic appeal, and I am somewhat obsessed. Finnegan's book was so satisfying, an awesome combo of wave science, rugged adventurism, exotic locations, and raw athleticism. I loved it. #FridayFunPhoto

I'm a little late for #InternationalCatDay but would still like to celebrate my kitties who are named after the girl sleuths Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden.

no visit to Princeton is complete without a visit to Labyrinth Books. some for him, some for me.

August 2016 book stack. not pictured: the travelers, which is on my ipad.

I would like to have read more books this month but vacation. My family tends to vacation hard--driving, sightseeing, walking, hiking, early bed, early mornings. As a result, I tend to be too distracted and never get much reading done away from home.

latest obsession: Helen MacInnes, lady spy novelist, whose books include an occasional lady spy

why didn't anyone tell me about helen macinnes, the queen of spy writers. instant love.

imagery rich: "three layers" and "Mod Podged pileup"

book stack for july

Patti and I read the Sunday Times the same way

a day late for Friday Fun photo, but I met the author somewhat unexpectedly this morning, and he kindly signed a book for me.

June stack. Two new purchases, two shelf sitters, two library books, and one borrowed from friend @Caryl. Not pictured: Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George on audio #fridayphoto

Phil Klay's Redeployment was part of my story stack for short story month and the only book I read in its entirety. this examination of modern warfare (Iraq) was gritty and emotionally complex.

guilty pleasure

shelf-sitter since 1996. reading "A tree • A rock • A cloud" for short story month