The Sunday Salon: Bookish Chatter

Welcome to The Sunday Salon. I first came across this community through Wendy at Caribousmom and thought it was a fun idea. What better way to spend a Sunday than looking over my week in reading, whether I review the week before, share my thoughts on what I am reading now, note great finds, or predict the future (in my reading, anyway).

Today is a perfect day for reading. I can hear the rain falling outside, the sky is gray and the air clean. I am warm and toasty inside and will soon be settling in again with my book for a bit of quality reading time, something that I can never get enough of.

It never fails that by the end of the week, I feel a little disappointed that I did not get in as much reading time as I like. This past week was no different. I should not feel that way though since I actually found myself cracking open Murzban F. Shroff's Breathless in Bombay at work on Wednesday and Thursday as the mornings and afternoons dragged on. Business was exceptionally slow. Not that I am complaining, or at least not much. I never begrudge the opportunity to read, but I do find myself feeling guilty that I am being paid for doing something other than work. Friday the office was back to normal, not even time for a lunch break much less peeking inside my book. I was relieved when the work day ended, looking forward to an evening of reading, which as it turned out, was not to be.

I am a one book at a time woman. Once I begin a book, I tend to be carried away with what I am reading and have no interest in stepping into another book until the first is finished. It is just the way I am. Every once in awhile, when I tackle a longer book or certain nonfiction books, I break out of my usual habit and will attempt multiple books at once. Never more more two. Since I decided to embark on a Russian literature adventure the beginning of this year, reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, I decided to break my usual routine and juggle three books at once. Why three, I am not sure. It just seemed like the thing to do in the moment. War and Peace and Richard Montanari's The Skin Gods, both hardbound books, seem better left at home, while the slim trade paperback copy of short stories by Murzban F. Shroff was more fitting for traveling to work and back.

It has worked out well. Sort of. Reading a short story here at the office has proven to be perfect. It was not quite as distracting as trying to read a full length novel,with all the interruptions that were bound to take place. It was also nice to be able to finish a full story in the span of half an hour, my lunch break, rather than worry about going over time because I had to find a good stopping place. It helped too that I am quite enjoying Murzban F. Shroff's stories. He is a good writer, painting Bombay in all sorts of colors, capturing the mood and tone of the diverse city and its people.

I have always found I sleep better if I can read a little before dozing off. Because my eyelids were already beginning to struggle to stay open by the time I was heading off to bed the past few days, I decided War and Peace might be a little too ambitious. And so I settled in with The Skin Gods, a crime novel about a movie loving serial killer. That proved to be the best choice as it immediately woke me up enough to fit in a couple or more chapters before I would finally be ready to call it a night. Richard Montanari does a great job at setting the stage for a thrilling and intriguing novel. It's easy to lose myself in his writing and grow attached to his protagonists.

War and Peace, my big winter project, sat on the table next to the cat bed (which the dog is curled up in) by my home computer all week. I did not want to lug it to work with me and it did not seem appropriate to try and read it when I was half asleep at night. It was not until this weekend that I finally was able to open to the first page. Its moment had finally come. I am not too far along in it, but already I have been swept up in Tolstoy's tale.

The weekends are the most difficult for reading multiple books at once, I must say. Which do I pick up? This morning, I am dying to get back to Byrne and Balzano to see how their investigation is coming along and if the killer will strike again, and yet a short story might be just the thing before Anjin, who had a late night raiding with his guild, wakes up. I would not mind spending a little time in Bombay to start the day. Oh, but War and Peace, is calling to me as well. Anna Pavlovna is saying goodbye to her guests. All sound good, I wish I had three heads, so that I could read all three at once. That might actually come in handy at work too . . .

I had hoped to be finished with one or two books by now. Normally I would be. Reading multiple books, I guess, will draw out my reading in the long run. I am not sure I will make a habit of reading so many at once. I am always amazed when I see people are reading five or more all at one time.

On the movie front, Atonement finally opened up here in town, and I dragged Anjin to the theater to see it. The theater was packed, mostly an older crowd. It was a beautiful movie and reminded me of what it was about the book I loved so much, and also of what I did not like (which was not much, fortunately).

Recent additions to my TBR Collection:
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - All this talk about the movie and the story, I finally caved in and decided I might want to read the book.
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon - Okay, so not really my book. It is my husband's recent addition to our house and one I would like to read. Therefore, it counts as part of my TBR collection.
Matrimony by Joshua Henkin - Much to my glee, this arrived in Friday's mail and what should I find inside, but a note from the author himself! I won a copy of this book through a contest run by Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf. Many thanks to both Dewey and Josh!

Mention of David Simon reminded me. Tonight is the first episode of the final season of The Wire on HBO, only the best police drama ever written. This will be the first time Anjin and I watch the show live, having watched all four of the previous seasons on DVD.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and happy reading!