Courtney wants me to pick for August, so I choose Still Life with a Woodpecker, by Tom Robbins. Let me know if there are any objections!!

As far as I can tell I only have one immediate objection to this selection. Which I am willing to put aside for the sake of giving the book a chance.
I don't really understand what the book is supposed to be, whether it is an actually novel or memoir or something in and of itself.
What I am posting below seems to be the only review on the book I can find.
"Still Life with Woodpecker is sort of a love story that takes place inside a pack of Camel cigarettes. It reveals the purpose of the moon, explains the difference between criminals and outlaws, examines the conflict between social activism and romantic individualism, and paints a portrait of contemporary society that includes powerful Arabs, exiled royalty, and pregnant cheerleaders. IT ALSO DEALS WITH THE PROBLEM OF REDHEADS."
Now I added my own emphasis to that last statement because there in lies my one and only initial objection to the book. Who says there is anything wrong with RED HEADS???"
But other than that, I'm up for reading it.

I didn't even read reviews, I picked it out based on on a list of books with The Best Opening Lines, and it was the most interesting without being a series. And I like redheads too, Jessica on True Blood is almost my favorite character. I do have a close to Who's-Sirius-Black? crush on Eric/Alexander Skarsgard. The things I would be willing to do for that man!!! I need to get to Sweden, or at least LA, or wherever they film. This can be achieved by taking out the contemporary buyer, who is at the LA market now. However, I like her as a person, so I'll need a vampire to do the job for me.

Here's a book I've added to my BookSwim rental pool just because I've seen the love soooooooo many people on the book blogging sites seem to have for it:

Quote:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time By Mark Haddon Overview & Description Mark Haddon's bitterly funny debut novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a murder mystery of sorts--one told by an autistic version of Adrian Mole. Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers. Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington's owner finds him cradling her dead dog in his arms, and has him arrested. After spending a night in jail, Christopher resolves--against the objection of his father and neighbors--to discover just who has murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations, and the result--quirkily illustrated, with each chapter given its own prime number--is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Haddon's novel is a startling performance. This is the sort of book that could turn condescending, or exploitative, or overly sentimental, or grossly tasteless very easily, but Haddon navigates those dangers with a sureness of touch that is extremely rare among first-time novelists. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is original, clever, and genuinely moving: this one is a must-read. --Jack Illingworth, Amazon.ca

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You do know about libraries, right? Sometimes they don't have the books you need though. And if you pretend to be disabled, they'll send them to you. I'm not sure how it works, but I saw the Norman library would do it. I don't know about blogging, it'll be about how it's just me and my fish, 2 against the world. And you know how useful a fish is. I'll check it out though.

That book about the dog sounds interesting. I would read it.

Speaking (or writing) about book rentals, I saw a few weeks ago that in Sooner mall over by where stein mart used to be, there is a book vending machine. Well kindof. Yeah that may not be the best way to describe it but that is as close as I could get. But basically you get on line or something and tell Norman Public Library that you want a certain book. Then they bring it to that machine in the mall and put it in a specific locker type cubbie and email you or something. Then you go to the mall to pick it up. But then when you are done reading it you have to return it at the library. The whole thing sounded like just a lot of wasted trouble if you ask me. I mean it is not like the library and the mall are that far away from eachother. If you can make it to the mall why can't you go ten more minutes to the actual library. Especially if you have to make it to the library to return the book in the end anyway?

mandy has inspired me to find a new pic for my sign on. I'll spend some time searching out an image and then I'll see if I can remember how to change it.

Ok, so I know that a picture of the U2 360 stage doesn't quiet excite some people the way that Skarsgard does, but I am really excited that we are finally only 29 days away from the U2 concert in Norman OK. So I went with that for now and will change it again after October 18th!!!
I am so excited I could die!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I know maybe I can make myself one of those signature things like kate has. Hmm...let me try!

I can't figure it out!!!!!!!

that's true. i feel like such a fool looking in the teen section or even at graphic novels. i know how to turn books in, and try to use amazon and requesting books so only the check out person knows what i'm reading. isn't book 4 the best. yay sexy yet dependent in a good way Eric. i have the last book on audio tape, but was putting my apartment together for the last disk, so i have a vague idea how it ends. but i did make sure to rewind for the sex scenes. do you think it's awkward for audio book speakers to say that stuff?

Oh, see I feel cool when I'm looking at graphic novels. I expect that when I'm browsing around Hastings or Borders and a guy sees me migrate over to graphic novels that they are instantly thinking "Man I bet that chick is way interesting!"
But at the same time I don't reel that awkward looking in the teen section. I do walk straight past the Twilight section. Even if there is a part of my that wants to let my eyes wonder over to the posters or special edition releases of the series I never stop.

With all the books I have listened to on audio I don't recall coming across one where the narrator was talking dirty. There were a few scenes in Lonesome Dove but I don't remember them being all that graphic. I mean the book was written a few decades ago and the author often used phrases like "Hey how about a poke" or "she played with his carrot" so I don't recall being that uncomfortable with it.

How could you not be uncomfortable with "she played with his carrot"?

I don't feel as bad anymore buying from the teen section, many thanks to JK Rowling and Smeyers, but I won't browse if there's actual teens/kids browsing in the section. And while I rarely read romance books anymore, there is one author I still follow just because I've read her books since I was 14, but I usually end up buying her new books at Walmart when I can go thru self check out. I avoid the romance book section of Barnes and Noble like the plague... I feel like there's a lot of stigma attached to romance book readers, which is why I stopped reading them in the first place. But you can actually learn a lot from a well researched historical romance novel.