Omnivoracious

Four Things I Learned on My Vacation

1. Stephen King was right about Meg Gardiner. The Dirty Secrets Club, featuring forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett (she performs “psychological autopsies” to determine if a victim’s death was natural, suicide, or homicide) is a smart and thrilling ride. Kudos to King and Dutton for bringing her to the US.

2. Apparently, I like westerns. So Brave Young and Handsome, Enger's follow up to Peace Like a River (my fave book from 2001), is terrific--the kind of book I want to hand out like candy after I've read it. A lyrical and evocative tale of valiant outlaws and relentless bounty hunters, it's a must-read for fans of Enger, The Brothers K (a book everyone should put at the top of their list right now) and Plainsong.

3. Thrillers dominate poolside. No one batted an eye when I pulled out Severance Package, which, by the way is fast and fun but seriously violent, even for me (and I loved The Wheelman). Booklist gives it "two thumbs up" but I can only think about how Swierczynski would have shot or chopped those thumbs off on page two. Back to poolside reading--I spotted multiple copies of the new Grisham, Down River (I almost stopped to chat with the woman reading, but she was nearing the end, and I didn't want to interrupt her), and Andrew Gross's The Blue Zone. I saw only one person reading the ubiquitous Memory Keeper's Daughter, but several people reading books by Chuck Palahniuk (including one boy who looked about 12).

4. I like myself better on vacation. I'm much less cranky when my to-do list includes only three tasks: 1. Read. 2. Eat. 3. Apply sunscreen. Soaking up the sun also allowed me to finally come up with a few six-word memoirs like my fellow omnivores. --Daphne

--Family history:

Don't mess with my little sister.

--Words to live by (applies to work, family, and sports):

Don't boo your own team. Ever.

--Advice for my fellow bibliophiles:

Life is short. Read better books.

My Turn at the Top

As Tom mentioned last week, the banner photo at the top of Omnivoracious is a real-life bookshelf—mine, this time, and since my books at home are all boxed up and waiting for shelves to be built, you are catching a glimpse of one of my always-packed, constantly shifting, nearly toppling Amazon.com office shelves. Click here to see most of the books featured.

I have many bookshelves in my office, but I picked this particular shelf because it was the least dusty and most organized. And by "organized" I mean that the books are upright (for the most part). Someday when my blessed shelves at home are built I'll unpack my boxes and lovingly organize my books by genre and by author…or maybe by genre and by title…by genre and by pub date? Hmmmm. I need to keep thinking about it. One thing for sure is that I won't be organizing them alphabetically by title. I'm an emotional reader—I choose books that suit my mood, so trying to remember what I have by title when I really just want to read something scary, or funny, or a little sad, gives me agita.

It's so easy to get distracted by the organizational possibilities…where was I? Oh yeah, my work bookshelf. I collect books in the office the way some people collect shells or sea glass. Something catches my eye--a pretty cover, a good quote, a great title--and I dump it on a shelf. Before it makes it into a box to come home with me, I comb through the stacks and save and reject based on a quick read from the first page. Starting with New England White and ending with the gorgeous paperback boxed set of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time series, this shelf features books that I have already read (Basic Black, Matrimony, The Blind Side), books that are next on deck (Tokyo Year Zero, Exit Ghost, Life Class), and retirement books (books that I can't get to now but know that I really want to read some day, like The Zero, About Alice, Made to Stick).

Highlights include Donald Trump's Think Big and Kick Ass (a book I'll probably never read, but seriously? Best. Title. Ever.), Better (people in the office can't stop raving about it), A Golden Age (highly recommended by the publisher), In the Woods (one of my favorite books of the year), and Charlie Huston's can't-read-just-one Hank Thompson trilogy.

Favorites on the shelf? I gotta go with Harry and Hank. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was easily one of my favorite books of 2007. I'm still reeling from the first read, and I can't wait to go back for round two. Charlie Huston's trilogy ranks up there with best series ever. I keep several copies of each book on hand for whenever someone comes by moaning about not having anything good to read. I've learned to give all three books at once--it protects me from late night calls from folks desperate to know what happens next.

We want to hear from you and see your shelves, so please send photos to banner@omnivoracious.com. No shelf is too cluttered, too eclectic, too focused, or too weird. We are omnivoracious, we understand. --Daphne