Sunday, April 08, 2007

BOOKS | Barely 12 Hours Back Home

I came home from the airport around 10:00 this morning, and I had to crash. After a good nap I'm consciously awake, instead of the consciously unawake state when I first got off the plane.

The state of "consciously unawake" is that zombie state where you're just barely functioning - able to get from point A to point B - but not really registering the world around you. In this "consciously unawake" you're likely to sign away your house, your car and your children without realising it.

I'm rambling. Okay, back to books.

Barely 12 hours back home, I went to the library - which makes me something of a nerd, I guess. Had to borrow my copy of Desolation Island and Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It. I wanted to finish the books ASAP.

I had a few more books I was interested in, but I've managed to limit it down to these:

  1. Wish I Was Here by Jackie Kay
    A collection of short stories. There was a rather good review for it from The Guardian some time back. The unifying theme? Heartache. Loss. Loneliness. Love in its fierce and tender permutations.

  2. Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields
    Like many people, I love To Kill the Mockingbird and I'm infinitely curious about the reclusive author. Yes, I'm a busybody. Been hearing about this biography on Harper Lee for a while now, and it was Jenclair's review that finally persuaded me to go get it.

  3. James Tiptree, Jr: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips
    The biography of the engimatic speculative fiction writer, James Tiptree, Jr who turns out be be a woman. It has been heavily reviewed previously by the major presses, and it's been on my wishlist for a while. I guess deep down inside, we all want to find out what is it about the writer's life that makes them write the things they do. The paperback actually comes out later this year. I believe in May.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glad you are safely back!! Hope you had a wonderful time (am behind in reading posts--I know you posted from Turkey, will read those next!). Enjoy those library books--they look good!

darkorpheus said...

Hi hi - glad to be back, but tired. I hope I can finish the biographies soon, especially Mockingbird. They seem so substantial.

So many books to read.

Carl V. Anderson said...

Welcome back! Hope your trip was wonderful.

JenClair's review of the Harper Lee book made me curious as well, especially since I just read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time last year and fell for it hard.

Anonymous said...

I've really enjoyed reading about your trip. Hope you'll share some pics :)

Imani said...

You're back! And you were blogging while you were there--I had no idea so I have lots of posts to catch up on. Glad you're back safely and that you managed to get some good reading in.

darkorpheus said...

iliana: Ah, the elusive pictures. Will try to get them up on flickr or something - but my photography skills leave much to be desired. ;p

Imani: Well, the Istanbul blogs were more meandering ramblings (as opposed to my usual ramblings) - thank goodness for internet connection in the hostel.

Still, The Rebel Angels is a very satisfying read. Glad i brought it. A good thick book is truly essential for surviving on trips!

jenclair said...

Welcome back! Hope you have been able to catch up on your rest!

Anonymous said...

Welcome back! I totally understand the need to go to the library so soon upon your return. Something familiar and grounding after the topsy-turvy of travel is very comforting.