Reading List

Those following along at home know that we have been downsizing. We don't know how many books we have given away but it is measured in hundreds, I think. There are still lots of books living here and a few more after Christmas presents. FFP bought me the Woody Allen one. (We caught part of "Hannah and Her Sisters" for the umpteenth time last night while I was starting to read that one.) On the bottom of the stack is Ulysses. I've been reading it for a while in fits and starts. I'm more than halfway through it. I dug up the The Namesake (as I mentioned a few days ago) after watching the movie and started reading it. The Anthony Bourdain book was an unexpected gift from a friend. She doesn't know we owned Kitchen Confidential (although where it is I haven't a clue) and have been to Les Halles in New York (his restaurant). She just thought it sounded neat. Yeah, I started reading it, too. The other books in this stack came from my sister and they were straight from my wish list, I must admit. I started one yesterday. My dad said he'd be interested to read Krakatoa when I finished so must get on that one. I think I'm in the process of reading at least six books at the moment. And my newspaper pile is a sight to behold.

So I guess it's no surprise that last night, after the parents grew weary of celebrating, I enjoyed sitting in my easy chair and reading a few sections of newspaper, working a puzzle or two and then picking up a book and reading a bit of it. Then repeating that process. We also watched a DVD of "Junebug." And bits of other random television. Can you say ADD?

It's really my favorite part of Christmas when it's over but everything is closed and you can't go out and you have to sit home and read. As the night drew to a close, though, I grew a little sad. Because we were in this house for perhaps our last Christmas. Because our parents were growing so old. Because it was the end of the year with lots of tax and bookkeeping stuff looming. Because we have so much downsizing left to do. But the reading comforted me. The feel of a new book, the nice paper, the letters, the words, the connections to things that interest me.