BATH BOOK
My bath book is usually contemplative fare...some non-fiction book that I read in hopes that some personal enlightenment will sink in while I soak. The thought of having an epiphany when I am nude and neck-deep in scented bubbles certainly appeals...but, alas, I'm still waiting. Most important batth book qualification? The book cannot be a real page-turner that will leave me shriveled like a raisin in a tub of cold water because I can't put it down. And while we are here in the bathroom, I want to be clear on one thing...I do NOT read on the john. Such a guy thing.
PURSE BOOK
The main characteristic of my purse book is that I not be ashamed to read it in public. This is the go-to book that I read in waiting rooms, lines and whenever I have a spare moment. No bodice-rippers or self-help books in this category...classic lit or anything by Stephen King works best. The book has to be something I've already read and loved, so that if I am distaracted by whatever I am ACTUALLY supposed to be doing, I won't loose momentum. After all, I know the plot already and re-read them for the nuances. (If "the devil is in the details" then Mr. King is Satan himself...I learn something about writing every time I read his books.) Plus I am still single and you can't beat the cred you get with guys by reading The Gunslinger or Desperation in public. Not so much with Bridges of Madison County, capiche?
Read-Aloud Books
I've been reading to my daughter Madison since she was in utero. We covered all my favorite classics while I was pregnant, like Wuthering Heights and 1984...as well as the ones I always meant to read, but never got around to, like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. 18 works of literature in all. As an unwed mother-to-be, I was sure to include The Scarlet Letter and Madame Bovary; I like to think that these early bonding sessions helped develop her vocabulary...and her sense of irony. Of course, once she was actually born, I tried to switch to more age-appropriate books, but she never lost a her taste for big words and complicated plots. I read all seven Harry Potter books out loud to her and the coolest thing about that was they brought us right through her childhood. She's almost 14 now and a fan of the Twilight series (HATES the movie!). The Twilight books are a perfect example of a series not appropriate for me to read to her...too much romance and mushy stuff. Still, we keep the tradition alive; we're about to embark on the Alice in Wonderland books in honor of the Tim Burton movie coming out.
Bed Books
I can read just about anywhere, but my favorite place to read is in bed. I'm actually incapable of falling asleep without reading first; sometimes I fall asleep with book in hand, other times I stay awake all night. Being super-comfortable and melting into a book is (unfortunately) my number one priority when I go to bed. Half of my ginormous King size bed is covered with unread and half-read books in every genre and my entire bedside table is absolutely stacked. Historical fiction, sci-fi, romance, chick-lit, cyber punk, biography, romance, classics, fantasy...well, I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea. I guess my piont is that while I might be single, I definitely don't sleep alone...I've got dozens of amazing authors just waiting for me to take a crack at them.
So what am I reading now? You'll never believe it, but I'm working my way through Amy Vanderbilt's Everyday Etiquette, circa 1962. Actually, its a darned good read...equal parts educational and amusing. I was going to put it up for sale in Comfuzzled, then started reading it and got hooked.
But that's a whole other blog...
