Summer daze...

Sometimes I wish that I could steal away to a mountaintop or deserted island, all by myself, for just a few days. My provisions would consist of bread, cheese, nuts, fruit, wine and chocolate, and a bag filled with some of the many books I want to read. Real life doesn't often allow for a surfeit of such pleasure, and I suppose I would not want that life I dream about. That's the difference between real life and fiction, I guess, at least sometimes.

I am still plugging way at "The elegant universe" by Brian Green. It's a little old--1992, or thereabout, so I'll have to read something newerto find out what the current thinking on the micro-universe might be. I find physics fascinating, though I don't pretend to have a complete grasp of every facet. I enjoy reading about the smallest bits of the universe much as I enjoy reading about the planets and stars and possibilities of outer space. My only problem is that I can't whiz through these books, because I have to take the time to digest what I'm reading.

One of my vacation eads this year was a slim volume from 1972 entitled "The language of Jane Austen", written in 1972 by Norman Page. Recently, I've been reading a great deal about Austen's use of language on Austen-L where I am a dedicated and long-time lurker. I'm constantly amazed how many layers of meaning are yet to be discovered in Austen's writings. I can remember my first few times through "Pride and Prejudice" and "Northanger Abbey", delighting in the new nuances and meanings I found each time. Page's work discusses ways in which the English of Austen's day differes from 20th century English. Sometimes the difference is subtle, sometimes major, so that a modern reader who did not know the 18th century context might form a wrong opinion--or miss the point of the exchange entirely!

Of course, vacation is also for relaxing reads. Lorna Barrett's "Bookplate Special" was a delicious follow-up to "Bookmarked for death". (See my comment to my previous post). "The cat, the professor and the poison" by Leann Sweeney was another perfect vacation read. Jillian Hart, the heroine, has a knack for becoming embroiled in murder and mayhem (isn't that the way with all good mystery heroines?). Of course, cats are involved! But, in this case, the first animal to go missing is a cow, and Jill can't help but try to solve the mystery--or to help out a kid who needs an adult to calm down his overprotective mother. These are all sidelights, though, because solving the mystery of the cow leads to a much bigger--can cat-filled--mystery. This book went perfectly with both coffee and iced tea--always an important consideration when I'm vacationing!

Now, I'm in the midst of another Sookie Stackhouse novel: I'm reading them totally out of order, but enjoying them completely nontheless. Currently, I'm reading "From dead to worse", and between moments of terror and moments that make me laugh out loud, I'm ready to race to the bookstore to pick up the ones I've not read yet. (No, I have not watched True Blood on HBO--I've currently reached my self-imposed limit on TV watching, so until I get htrough the DVD's in my to-be-watched pile, or until (heaven forbid!) one of my current series is cancelled, there will be no new viewing added.