An Abundance of Katherines

“Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.”

I have finally read An Abundance of Katherines. I did this because a) I finally finished The Book Thief (more on that later) and because John left a comment that I did not have to understand math to understand Katherines . And I suspect John – is John Green – and when an author leaves me note, not only does it make me giddy _ (I’m an author geek what can I say?) but it tells me I should actually read what I say I am going to read for once. So I did – and guess what? There is a lot of talk about theorems and graphs, and variables – and remember, me and math? – not friends. But as John said you don’t have to understand math to understand the story, although I am still not convinced math is narrative.

“And the moral of the story is that you don’t remember what happened. What you remember becomes what happened.”

But Katherines is as much about telling stories, and language (which Colin actually prefers) than math. And it is a love story, which, ok, was enjoyable but not nearly as much as the way the story was told. And isn’t the way a story is told what makes a story worth while – Lindsey Lee Wells thinks so.

“… maybe stories don’t make us matter to each other – maybe they’re also the only way to infinite mattering he’d been after for so long.”

And now for a little plot. Colin has been dumped by Katherine XIX (he only dates Katherines, and they always dump him) and he is wrecked, wrecked I tell you. So his best friend Hassan pulls him up off the floor of his bedroom for a road trip, which lands them in Gutshot, Tenn. There is a reason why it is Gutshot but I don’t want to get all English teachery on you. There they meet Lindsey Lee Wells – and that is all I plan on saying in terms of plot. Read the book.

“The stories they’d told each other were so much the part of the how and they why of his liking her.”

 

Books I Wish I Had Time to Read

I wrote this post and then woof – it disappeared which is always annoying.

So here is the rewrite, which is never as good as the original.

Someone came through the library today while I was compiling a book order. “I wish I had a job where I could read all the time” says she. “So do I” was my answer. Because the thing is, even though I could make a case for reading being part of my job I cannot read at work. There are way to many distractions and disruptions to get into the flow of a book. So I have this growing list of books I wish I had time to read that I just cannot find time for. Of course if I didn’t watch Veronica Mars, and Grey’s Anatomy, among other things I might have the time. But I can make a case for that being work related too. I can, really. Plus how great was the Arizona Cardinal meltdown on MNF – even if Joe Theisman is like the worst, most annoying booth guy EVER.

So really what do I wish I had time to read . . .

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City: Girls Scouts gone bad, kick ass spy girl. Seriously, I have to read this book. But it keeps slipping because it is more middle school than high school. ::sigh:::

An Abundance of Katherines – How have I not read this book?!? Except maybe it is the math that is intimidating me. Not that it is about math but it has this formula, and lets face it – math and I – not friends.

Oh – and I have Cheating at Solitaire on my bookshelf.

Oh and I love Peter Pan. I used to fall asleep waiting for Tinker and Peter to come get me so we could go to Never-Neverland. And there was no way I was going to play Mother to a bunch of lost boys, I was much more interested in swimming with mermaids, running from pirates, and hunting down the ticking crocodile. Wendy was a sap! Hated her. Which is all to say that I have Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson’s Peter and the Shadow Thieves that I have been meaning to read.

And Mary Beth Miller’s On the Head of a Pin (I loved Aimee), and Nancy Werlin’s The Rules of Survival, and Laura Esquivel’s novel about Malinche, and oh yes, Isabel Allende has a new book, Ines of My Soul, and I still have summer reads, like Hummingbird’s Daughter, and well, I could go on I am sure.

I should stay at home, eat bon-bons, take bubble baths, and read books.