beach books?

I love books. I love reading. I love lists. Over at So Many Books, So Little Time I saw this list of "NPR's 100 Best Beach Books Ever". I'm bolding the one's I've read, and reading the one's I haven't.

1. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling
2. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
3. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
4. Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding
5. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
6. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells
7. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
9. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by Fannie Flagg
10. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
11. The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
12. Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
13. The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan
14. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
15. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
16. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell
17. Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
18. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien
19. Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
20. Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen
21. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
22. The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver
23. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
24. The World According to Garp, by John Irving
25. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller
26. The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy
27. Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel
28. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
29. The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler
30. Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
31. A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole
32. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
33. The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant
34. Beach Music, by Pat Conroy
35. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
36. Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier
37. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
38. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry
39. The Thorn Birds, by Colleen McCullough
40. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon
41. Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
42. Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
43. Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice
44. Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier
45. Empire Falls, by Richard Russo
46. Under the Tuscan Sun, by Frances Mayes (I'm currently reading this!)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas
48. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, by Tom Robbins
49. I Know This Much Is True, by Wally Lamb
50. Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
51. Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
52. The Stand, by Stephen King
53. She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb
54. Dune, by Frank Herbert
55. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
56. Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
57. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll
58. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov
59. The Godfather, by Mario Puzo
60. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith
61. Animal Dreams, by Barbara Kingsolver
62. Jaws, by Peter Benchley
63. Good in Bed, by Jennifer Weiner
64. Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
65. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
66. The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway
67. The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand
68. Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut
69. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
70. The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler
71. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway
72. The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy
73. Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns
74. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
74. Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe
76. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
77. Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
78. The Shell Seekers, by Rosamunde Pilcher
79. Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver
80. Eye of the Needle, by Ken Follett
81. Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck
81. The Pilot's Wife, by Anita Shreve [tie]
83. All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy
84. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson
85. The Little Prince, by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
86. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
87. One for the Money, by Janet Evanovich
88. Shogun, by James Clavell
89. Dracula, by Bram Stoker
90. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera
91. Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow
92. Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger
93. The Secret History, by Donna Tartt
94. Dead Until Dark, by Charlaine Harris
95. Summer Sisters, by Judy Blume
96. The Shining, by Stephen King
97. How Stella Got Her Groove Back, by Terry McMillan
98. Lamb, by Christopher Moore
99. Sick Puppy, by Carl Hiaasen
100. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

Only 30! What have I been doing with my life!? I've gotta go read something. Well...maybe I'll go watch some sort of reality dating show instead. Anyone else wanna play along? How many have you read?

On shoe shopping and fate.

Years ago, when my daughter was less than a year old, our small family took a Saturday trip to the local mall. As a young, somewhat frazzled, stay-at-home mom I begged my husband to come along and walk with me. I wasn't sure if it was the kindness of his heart or the crazy look in my eyes that made him agree, but he did. He pushed the baby around in the stroller and held my hand while I looked at pretty things I didn't need. At some point while I was spending admittedly too much time in the shoe section, they slipped away together. It may have been a trip to the pretzel place or the game store, I wasn't really sure. What I was sure was that for those five minutes I was free. As I strolled around the department I noticed a woman browsing alone like I was. She was an older woman, at least 70, with slightly graying hair and the most beautiful caramel colored skin I've ever seen. She walked with poise and grace, like she considered each movement before she made it. She was dressed like she was going to Sunday church in a tasteful red suit with a small hat. I watched her as I browsed, noticing her well polished shoes, her impeccable lipstick, how she smiled largely at everyone who made eye contact with her. She was truly beautiful. Out of the corner of my eye I saw my husband and daughter making their way back to retrieve me. In an impulsive moment I rushed over to her and blurted "I hope I'm not interrupting you but I really wanted to tell you that I think you're possibly the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and I hope you have a great day. I know that's a strange thing for me to say but I really felt like I had to tell you." As I rattled all of this off she looked confused and then her eyes brightened and she beamed at me. She responded with tears in her eyes, "Thank you. It's so kind of you to say that to me today. My husband died some years back on this day. Every year I do my best to dress nice for him and look my best. Makes me feel better, you understand? We didn't have any children and all my family has passed. I like to go out to places with lots of people so I won't feel lonely in our house. You just made my day." We chatted briefly and then I quickly made my teary-eyed way over to my little family and we went on our way. I think about her every now and again. I consider how any number of slight changes in the day would have made that conversation impossible. I'm so glad I was there for that moment.

sharkano

This made me smile today.



www.nataliedee.com

happy mother's day :)

mish-mash

It's the day after Easter and I'm trying to rev myself up, trying to be motivated, to make something where there isn't any. We just saw a movie in which a character said something like Trying is Doing with the Intent to Fail, Don't Try, Just Do. I think Jedi Master Yoda said something like that too. "Do, or do not. There is no 'try.'" So I'm working on not trying. I'm making it a point to Get Things Done because well, someone must.

Most days I wake up feeling out of sorts wondering how the days are slipping by so quickly, wondering what the next days will bring. Moving is always an upheaval, I know. I'm actually pretty well-versed in change and don't mind the adjustment. I'm not a great fan of living in a rental four streets down from my old house for three short months. We don't have most of our stuff, which we're fine without, but it feels like we're living in someone else's house. We are. I feel unsettled knowing the big move is in less than two months now.

My son has gotten a cold and is spending the day resting and watching inordinate amounts of television today. I dragged both kids to the post office today, promising chicken nuggets and quality time with the couch later. I avoid Wendy's because they annoy me. I get irrationally annoyed and attempt to ruin their games. They often have competitions to see how quickly each car can be served. They're crazy about it. As soon as they get your money the guy at the next window is leaning out looking for you or has his hand stuck out the window holding your bag. This bugged me for a while and then when a man lunged out the window with my order and held it literally in front of my head IN MY CAR as I was putting away my debit card I asked him why. Why are you inside my car? He informed me that they're seeing how quickly they can do it. He really shouldn't have told me that because I have no problem making them stand there holding my bag while I put my stuff away. I appreciate good service, but come on, must it be so aggressive? No. And thusly I shall ruin their game!

I suppose I'll go DO now. Hello out there.