Going by the almost record-setting temperatures here in Texas, it’s hard to tell that it’s the middle of October and autumn. It certainly looks like autumn as the tree leaves look a bit tired and are gradually turning shades of brown, but it certainly doesn’t feel like autumn: the temperatures were in the 90s yesterday. Sigh. I’m very ready for the cooler temps to begin. A cooler wave is forecast to arrive later in the week so fingers are crossed.
Another sign of autumn is the sudden onslaught of catalogues that are showing up in the mail box so I’ve been perusing those in amazement. They range from the sublime to the ridiculous, but still interesting all the same. With the meteoric rise of internet shopping, I was wondering whether people under the age of teenagers still go to the mall but they must as our local mall is undergoing significant renovations so that’s good. I’m not sure where the gangs of prowling teenagers would go on the weekends if this option wasn’t available! (And I’m not judging. If I was a teenager again, I’d be heading to the mall to hang out with my friends because where else would you go, really?)
Two weeks until I go to England – rubs hands with glee. I am psyched to go and get some English put back into my veins and see friends and family. (I’m not expecting 90 degrees over there during our trip!!)
We saw a Halloween-y play last weekend which was fun – “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde”. The troupe of actors did a fine job with a somewhat challenging story line, so glad we went. It’s a tiny theater where the company produces so it’s a bit like going to a private event at times, and even if the play was a *tiny* bit confusing, definitely A for effort for all those involved.
Finished up a Virago read, “Ladies of Lyndon” by Margaret Kennedy. (Post to come.) It was a bit of an uneven read but picked up in the second half when it suddenly became rather funny. Lots of Maggie Smith-type comments from some of the characters which made me snort out loud a bit, but the plot still worked overall. Country house shenanigans from a title family revolving around who should marry who when and what to do if one of your relations is an artist et al. It wasn’t a comfortable cozy read, but it wasn’t the slightly prickly read that Viragos can be as well. No idea where I found this title, but glad I’ve read it.
What next? I’m not sure. I’ve been thinking about which titles will make the cut to travel across the never-ending Atlantic leg of the trip (and then I can leave behind when we come back), and somehow a few more titles ended up in my trolley at the thrift shop yesterday. Not sure how that happened really… :-}
Halloween is around the corner so pulled out the graphic novel version of “Dracula” to read, and then I’m thinking it might be time for a short story collection, an essay collection, or perhaps a collection of other short works. I’ll have to see what flings itself into my hands tonight. Choosing my next title is one of my favorite parts of the reading cycle, so I’m happy to dig through my shelves tonight. I’m also thinking that it might be time for a classic title of some description. Maybe I could balance a classic title with another year in the ongoing Century of Books project? Hmm.
Life is good. We’re heading into my favorite season, and maybe – just maybe – we’ll get below 90 degrees today. 🙂
Just One More Page... 