Sunday, August 10, 2008

Sunday Salon


My big plan for the day involves heading slightly north to the city of Lowell, which is hosting the Lowell Quilt Festival this weekend. Quilting is my other hobby, and this annual festival brings together quilts and quilters (not to mention vendors) from all over the region and all over the country. It's not a huge festival on the order of those which take place in Texas and Kentucky but it's the biggest thing around here and it's a lot of fun. I plan to gape at the beautiful quilts and shop for patterns. Should be good!

As far as reading, I'm still working through Oscar and Lucinda and I'm about to finish Sana Krasikov's wonderful book of short stories, One More Year. I think The Glimmer Palace, by Beatrice Colin, is the next August release on the agenda for me, though I won't start that until I'm back from California. I've picked out a selection of books for the trip, including

The Reader, by Bernard Schlink,
On Chesil Beach, by Ian McEwan,
Travels in the Scriptorium, by Paul Auster, and
Summer Lightning, by P.G. Wodehouse.

All of these are thin little novels I've been wanting to read for a long time. I know I'll buy books while I'm away but those I will have shipped home. I'm bringing little books because I'm hoping I'll have time on all the flights to knock a few titles off my TBR pile and read some things just for me. Because that's what vacation is all about, right?

9 comments:

wisteria said...

I'm reading The Glimmer Palace now and really enjoying it. Have fun at the quilt event, it's beautiful in CT. Hope the weather is good in Lowell.

Clare Dudman said...

Few treats in store here, I reckon. I've read two of these (Reader and Chesil Beach) and thought they were both excellent. There's something very satisfying about finishing a book quickly, I think - and some of these short ones are little gems.

Literary Feline said...

I hope you enjoy your time at the quilt festival, Marie!

I do hope you like The Reader as much as I did. I'm starting to think about which books I want to take on vacation with me. Do I want to take review books or take a vacation from those and read some "just for me" books? I've been leaning in the direction you've decided to go.

Candy Schultz said...

Lucky you. We have few quilt shows in my area.

I hated Chesil Beach and I think McEwan is the greatest living writer in English. I thought that was his worst book. Obviously I was in the minority.

As for P. G. Wodehouse, if you have not read him yet you are in for a treat. Or maybe not. I find people either love him or hate him. I have loved him for forty years. He is my favorite writer of all. He cheers me up enormously.

Have a great trip.

Andi said...

I'll be interested in your thoughts on Travels in the Scriptorium. I haven't read it yet, but I do LOVE Auster. I adored On Chesil Beach, so I hope you like it as much as I did.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I'm an idiot. I saw that you were going to a quilt show in Lowell and I was thinking Michigan. I went to the link to check it out because I grew up about 25 minutes from Lowell, MI. Then it occurred to me that your blog's name doesn't include Boston for no reason. Doh! ;)

One More Year has been getting some really great reviews. I can't wait to read yours.

Anonymous said...

Quilt festivals are one of life's pleasures! :)

Your travel choices are excellent ones! I read both On Chesil Beach and Travels in the Scriptorium...good reads.

Anonymous said...

Awesome, I loved all of those traveling books except Summer Lightning, which I haven't read--but you can be sure any Wodehouse will be lovely!

Allison said...

Sounds like you had a lot of fun!! I love quilting and hope to get in to making some in the near future. I wondered if you have read a great series of books about quilts called "The Elm Creek Quilt" series by Jennifer Chiaverini which started off with "The Quilters Apprentice"?
HERE is a list of books!