Karen's Book Nook

My coffee table book that I’m reading right now is Simpler Times  by Anne Christian Buchanan featuring Thomas Kinkade‘s beautiful, peaceful artwork. (I often find lots of Victorian houses that I would love to live in among his works!)  I hope to get a lot of reading done this week since I’m on school vacation and I’ve been so behind.

Are you a fan of The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs?  I just recently read it and LOVED it. The sequel, Knit Two is coming out this month and Stephanie of Stephanie’s Written Word is giving away 5 copies. Check out her post to learn how to enter!

This one is my “purse book”  that I can pick up when I have a few extra minutes to spare. I’m reading Green Chic: saving the earth in style by Christie Matheson. It’s full of green tips; many that I I’m already doing but I’m sure I’ll pick up something new along the way. I’m really making a conscious effort to do my part to live as green a life as I can. (Of course, it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to live in comfort and style so I’m looking forward to reading it.)

Although I’m back to school and my reading time has been cut significantly, I did manage to do some reading during our trip to San Diego and little snippets at night while unplugged at home.

I blew through Educating Esme, The Diary of a Teacher’s First Year by Esme Raji Codell.  It was a quick memoir and I could relate to many of her struggles teaching in the inner city. Besides, she’s a book lover and I can truly identify with people who appreciate  books!

I also read The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs while on my trip. It’s one that I had picked up during the summer but never got to. I enjoyed it and really wished I had my knitting with me as it got me itchy to pick up the pointy sticks…hehe. Chick-lit is always something that I enjoy, especially on vacation.

My purse book for October was Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying by David Bach.  It had some helpful hints and actually broke down the monetary savings and the effects on the earth. Many of the ideas are things that I do already but it was good to put it on the front burner as a reminder of the impact of the little things.

I’m hoping to finish Pillars of the Earth by the end of the month to complete my reading challenge but it’s a long one and will be tough.

Currently reading The Biggest Loser by Maggie Greenwood-Robinson, the stories of the contestants from the first two seasons of my favorite show.  Also contains exercise and diet tips following the principles used on the ranch.

Since I’m here in San Diego on vacation, I’m able to catch more reading time than I do when I’m home. I know I committed to read Pillars of Earth but picked this one up first because it was calling to me and is so much shorter it doesn’t seem as daunting. I’m catching  lots of little snippets of time to read and since it’s light “chic lit” it’s an easy read. It’s making me itch to pick up my pointy sticks but I don’t have knitting with me here on vaca. I do have some things started at home though which I pick up while watching movies on Saturday nights.

Go Green, Live Rich by David Bach is my purse book to carry around with me while I’m waiting in lines and when I have a few spare minutes. I’ve always been a “green girl” and nature lover and try to live sustainably for the good of the planet.  If I can save a few bucks during these hard economic times, all the better. Not being frugal is really one of my faults and I’m trying to work on that.

Since I’m going on a west coast trip this week I’ll have plenty of flight time to read so I’m going to tackle the 3rd of the three books that I committed to read in the Heard it through the Grapevine Challenge way back in the spring. I did read quite a number of books this summer, especially on my vacation in August but I never read the last of the challenge books. So, I’m starting the (long) Pillars of Earth by Ken Follett this week.

Since I’m back to school I have little to no time to read “for fun” right now. I’m swamped with getting my year underway and it’s also the beginning of the dreaded Alternate Assessment window which saps all of my time and energy.

I am managing to read little snippets of Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year by Esme Raji Codell when I get a few minutes to spare. Since it’s all diary entries, I can blast through a few at a time. This one is my “purse book” and travels with me.  (Recommended by my teaching partner, Syd )

* I just noticed when I linked to her site that she has written many more books and also has a blog.  I’ll be sure to check everything out!

Today’s book is The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard. It’s another one that I got from a fellow teacher when I left school in June. She handed me a stack of books to read over the summer and I’m glad to be able to return them to her READ, next week. I just realized that she also wrote The Deep End of the Ocean, one of Oprah’s Book Club selections years ago. I believe I read it right here on vacation in this very spot many hundreds of books ago.