Sunday Salon: the pre-ALA edition

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Good morning, y'all! Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am to live in an era with air conditioning? I am hating this hot, hot, humid weather. Thankfully it's supposed to cool down later in the week, when I head to Chicago for the ALA (American Library Association, as most all of you know) Annual Conference. I'm so excited to be in Chicago, a favorite city of mine, and I'm even more excited to have what looks like reasonable weather for the second year in a row. (ALA has a tendency to hold its conference in places that are not seasonably desirable, so we breathe a sigh of relief each time temperatures are "only" in the 80s.) If you're going to be in Chicago this weekend, do let me know, and I've love to meet up. I arrive Thursday afternoon and depart Monday afternoon, so next week's Salon will come from Chicago.

What I'm reading today
I'm utterly immersed in Kate Atkinson's Life After Life, which was shortlisted for the Orange Women's Prize for Fiction this year. It's the perfect read for a hot weekend when I don't want to venture out of the house. I'm also still enjoying Dear Life by Alice Munro. There's something beautiful about waking up and reading a story each morning while I drink my coffee. I think I enjoy the sense of completion early in the day. I love to read my current novel in the morning too, but I always feel I'm breaking away to to go to work when I do. With a short story, the time seems more appropriately finite. I'm also still listening to Sonia Sotomayor's memoir My Beloved World on audio. It's wonderfully engaging, and I hope to finish all three this week.

Top of my TBR
I've been carefully keeping a pile of print books for the airplane rides. (Yes, I'm flying to Chicago--it's actually significantly cheaper than driving and paying to park for four nights.) Two July releases I'm eager to dig into are Tampa, perhaps the buzziest debut of the summer, by Alissa Nutting, and Loteria by Mario Alberto Zambrano. I've been saving these print galleys for just such an occasion. I never manage to get as much reading done at ALA as I intend to, but I hope to sneak in at least these two titles.



What I'm watching
I've managed to finish the fifth season of Grey's Anatomy and have just begin season six. It's not the best show on television, but it is one I thoroughly enjoy. The fifth season was quite good too, which was a relief after season four dipped a bit (I blame the writer's strike.) Mr. Nomadreader and I are almost finished with the first season of Arrested Development, which I continue to enjoy.

The Backlist Book Club
Voting is still open for the July pick. You may vote through noon on June 30, which is next Sunday. I'll announce the winner next Monday, July 1. Currently, Affinity is the leading vote getter.

Coming up on the blog this week

  • a review of Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld
  • two brief film reviews
  • a review of Ignorance by Michele Roberts
  • a review of Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures by Emma Straub
  • a review of The Fifth Floor by Michael Harvey
  • a review of Why Have Kids? by Jessica Valenti
Now tell me: what are you reading, watching and doing this weekend?


As an affiliate, I receive a small commission when you make a purchase through any of the above links. Thank you for helping to support my book habits that bring more content to this blog!

Comments

  1. BooksnycJune 23, 2013 at 12:17 PM

    At a BEA event, they passed around copy of Tampa and the cover was so tactile. It had a velvety texture. It seems like the book has some controversial content - I look forward to your review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sam (Tiny Library)June 23, 2013 at 1:45 PM

    Have fun at ALA!

    ReplyDelete
  3. (Diane) Bibliophile By the SeaJune 23, 2013 at 8:31 PM

    Have fun at ALA - a few from my library are going.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Laurie CJune 24, 2013 at 7:32 AM

    I've only gone when ALA was in Boston a few years ago. Have fun and don't bring home too many books! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. AthiraJune 24, 2013 at 5:56 PM

    Enjoy at ALA! I can't wait to hear your updates!

    ReplyDelete

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