It's chapter and page count time.
For the week:
CHAPTERS - 144
PAGES - 1,815
For the year so far:
CHAPTERS - 5,657
PAGES - 72,059
Today's book, "Julia Reed went to New Orleans in 1991 to cover the reelection of former (and currently incarcerated) governor Edwin Edwards. Seduced by the city's sauntering pace, its rich flavors and exotic atmosphere, she was never entirely able to leave again. After almost fifteen years of living like a vagabond on her reporter's schedule, she got married and bought a house in the historic Garden District. Four weeks after she moved in, Hurricane Katrina struck."
Today's book is not the kind I usually like to read. In fact, the only reason why I decided to read it in the first place is because it made me think of TV - specifically the storyline from Days of Our Lives in which the entire town ended up at Maison Blanche and also the New Orleans episodes of Designing Women (which are on my top 10 all-time favorite episodes list.) Well, TV did not let me down. I enjoyed today's book so much that I've added the author to my list of "Authors to Explore Further" (I love making lists.)
Favorite sentence, "There was a lot to do, but one of my strengths, which can sometimes be a serious weakness, is that I think I can make pretty much anything happen by the sheer force of my will." - I share the author's delusion, based in large part from a self-help book I read in high school that has stayed with me over the years, in which the author claims that people at a grocery store were able to will the customers to buy certain foods by concentrating on it really hard. I tried this same method out when I was doing volunteer work on the last election day. Every time things would get slow, I would try to will people to come in, but it did not work. And instead I ended up acting like the characters in the movie Cars. I even went so far as to say, "Customers," every time someone would show up.
Fun facts:
- Here's a totally useless fact that will only be interesting to those who love HGTV (which I do): A creole cottage consists of four large square rooms with no halls and a rear gallery. - I have no idea what to say about that, or what you're supposed to do with that information dear readers, but without it I would have only had one fun fact, and it just didn't seem dramatic enough to write "Fun fact" at the top of this section of the blog entry.
- Paul Newman is only about five foot five. - This information shocks me more than it should considering it has no bearing on my life whatsoever. I somehow always thought he was much taller than that. And now I suddenly feel the need to go watch a few Paul Newman movies so I can obsess over whether he looks taller because of camera angles or because everyone around him is standing on a hill or if he has shoe lifts. I'm adding this to my "Projects that Have No Point to Them" list.
