I’m trying to climb out of my book binge. Never easy. I, of course, read the new Harry Potter, but more on that later. Most of my reading material had been in the magazine form because articles and short fiction fit so well into the short snippets of time that I have between fishing foreign objects from my one-year-old’s mouth and fielding my five-year-old’s cryptic questions (“Did we park the wrong way or the right way? …er, right?). The New Yorker Summer Fiction issue was exceptional this year, especially Wildwood by Junot Diaz. I also got turned on to Breece D’J Pancake this summer and I’ve enjoyed his short fiction. I’m still trying to dig my teeth into Irving’s newest, but time is running out. It’s a library book for one and my open season on reading time is limited. I hate spinning my wheels. Lolly Winton’s new novel Happiness Not Included was a really good read. Her characters were all so sympathetic that the ending was both inevitable and a surprise. Not simple to pull off.

Then there’s J.K. Rowling and her epic story. I had so much fun reading the Harry Potter books. Rowling reminded me why I want to write: I love stories. What an amazing accomplishment to weave a tale that captures the entire world. Incredible. I’d like to read it again now that I know what happens in the end. Maybe I won’t read so compulsively next time. I also got a list of books from my professor for fall semester, (I know, boo! It’s semester break, right?) Problem is, I know absolutely nothing about Medieval Epic and Romance literature. I only recently learned to spell Medieval. I won’t be able to focus on the writing and revising we’ll do in class if I’m completely ignorant of the literature.

If there’s one thing that signals the end of summer, it’s the trading of novels for textbooks. We’re off to Spokane, WA to help my Grandma celebrate her 90th birthday for ten days in August and even though we have a month of summer left, so much of it’s already booked (add a trip to New York and camping to the Spokane vacation.) I hate to see summer go, but now that I live in Virginia I’ve learned a new appreciation for fall – at least the mosquitoes are dead.