- But it’s a good kind of tired, an “I worked out very hard and now I’m ready for a good night’s sleep” tired. I rode my bike for two hours this morning and swam for an hour this evening. Can I just say that I love my teaching schedule this semester that allows me to do this? Teaching online frees up just enough time to get in some nice long workouts during the day, and it’s wonderful. I’m so spoiled and I’m going to hate it next semester when I’m back to a more normal routine.
- But I pay for the long workouts when I have stacks of papers to grade on the weekend that I didn’t have time for during the week.
- Yesterday I ran in the morning, taught class in the afternoon, and then went to a friend’s poetry reading in the evening. A nice day, don’t you think?
- Today I taught music in my Intro to the Arts class, and I didn’t mess it up! Yay!
- And now on to books. I have three books on the way from Book Mooch: Jenny Diski’s Skating to Antarctica; Robert Louis Stevenson’s Travels with a Donkey, which I found out about through the excellent Richard Holmes’s Footsteps; and Elizabeth George’s A Great Deliverance, which was strongly recommended by a friend, and which I’m getting from fellow-blogger Charlotte. (Thanks Charlotte!) I also received a book from fellow-blogger Iliana: Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes. (Thanks Iliana!) It’s a novel about Anne Boleyn, and it looks perfect for when I want some historical fiction.
- I just started two new books, Hermione Lee’s Viginia Woolf’s Nose, which looks at the ways biography gets written and particularly the relationship of biography and the body. It’s short but good. More on that later. And I’ve read the first few pages of Tom McCarthy’s novel Remainder, which promises to be odd but good.
- Today I began listening to Laura Lippman’s What the Dead Know, which so far has been a fast-moving, exciting story, perfect for the car. I recently finished listening to Colum McCann’s The Dancer, which wasn’t so good for the car. More on that later.
- And now I’m off to bed …
Too tired for anything but bullet points
Filed under Books, Fiction, Nonfiction, Teaching, Triathlon
Of Books and Bicycles 
I think I will try and get a copy of the Hermione Lee book as I’ve gotten more interested in literary biography and the different ways it can be accomplished and approached. I’ll be looking for your thoughts on it as well.
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I’m really interested in what you think of the Tom McCarthy – I was inches away from buying that yesterday but plumped instead for a book by Rachel Cohen called A Chance Meeting which brings over thirty artists together in different permutations. It’s another odd biography kind of book and it looked so intriguing. But I digress – I’m still interested in the McCarthy too.
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Sounds like you had a great day! I love that tired but happy from working out feeling – not that I get it often enough, but when I do it’s good.
Looking forward to hearing what you think of Ms George!
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I’ve had Travels with a Donkey on my list for over a year. I actually thought I read about it on your blog or maybe Kate’s.
Brief Gaudy Hour was out of print for years, now that it has been re-published, I’m seeing reviews everywhere! I loved it, but really need to read it again.
Glad to hear that your schedule is working so well for you!
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I’ve been wanting to read the Hermione Lee book for ages! I’ve never seen it in a bookstore though, I guess I might have to go the online route. I am glad to hear it is good and can’t wait to hear more!
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Even without your triathlon training you are incredibly busy so it is no wonder you’re too tired for anything but bullet points. I like the bullet points though — its a nice summing up.
Glad things are going so well!
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I LOVE that kind of tired. I’m jealous you have the time to do it. I went through an Elizabeth George kick for a while, a few years back, and whoever recommended her to you is right. I think you’ll like her.
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That sounds like a great schedule that allows you time to fit in things you like and need to do along with work! I love Elizabeth George, too. Inspector Lynley is a favorite and I hope you enjoy A Great Deliverance. I’ve read all her books except the most recent which I hope to get to soon. Her earlier work is really wonderful. And I am listening to the same Lippman book and have also found it really absorbing. The only thing is I swear the reader didn’t start off the police detective’s voice with an accent but it gets stronger as the story goes. I don’t know that I quite like it, but the story is good, so I can overlook it.
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I thought A Great Deliverance was wonderful so I hope you enjoy it. And, just think there are many more in the series to follow if you like it… Which reminds me I need to get that second book 🙂
Hope you’ll enjoy Brief Gaudy Hour!
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Verbivore — I’m about halfway through the Lee book right now; it’s very good, although it’s not blowing me away like some of the other books on biography I’ve read recently. More thoughts on it soon.
Litlove — oh, the Cohen book sounds great! I’ll have to look it up. And so far the McCarthy book has been good — very odd and disturbing, but in a good way. More on that later too!
Charlotte — I just spent most of the day on the computer, and now I need that “I’ve worked out hard” feeling badly!
Jenclair — Kate wrote about the Stevenson book a while back; I’ve mentioned it before in connection with Holmes’s book Footsteps, but that’s it. I’m looking forward to that one and to the Campbell!
Stefanie — I was lucky enough to find the Lee book in a store and couldn’t resist buying it when I saw it. I think you’d enjoy it — and it’s very short (which has its good and bad sides of course).
Zoesmom — I like using bullet points now and then too — it’s a fun, informal way to catch up on my life a little bit.
Emily — oh, good, I’m glad to hear that about Elizabeth George! I’m pretty sure I’ll agree … it was a school colleague who recommended it, someone who knows her way around the mystery genre pretty well.
Danielle — I noticed some weirdness with the reader’s accent! How funny. But I think the reader is pretty good anyway, and it is a very good story. I’m glad to hear you like Elizabeth George so much too!
Iliana — well, everyone seems to like E. George, which is very good! Chances are very high I’ll like her too.
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