Reading

The library of New Bedford, MA has set up a program to encourage reading: if you read 50 books in one year, they will give you a prize (and you will be entered in a drawing for more prizes). Pretty cool.

Of course, that leads one to wonder, how many books have I read this year?

Well, since I've been keeping track on Goodreads, I had a place to look. Last week it looked like I had read 37 books in 2010 (9 days to go!). Since then, I've been finishing up the half-read books lying around the house and got two more up there. If I'm lucky, I might hit 41 or 42 by the New Year, but 40 is more likely.

I have to admit, too, that a lot of those books are comic books (some of them are huge though -- the Walking Dead compendium is 48 issues, or over 1000 pages), and some are children's books. But in my defense, I read a lot more comics and kids books that I don't put on Goodreads because I don't feel they are all worth noting.

So 50 books next year? Hard, but doable. Cancel that New Yorker subscription!

My other thought about reading next year was to have a year of presidential biographies. That would cut down on thinking about what to read and there are plenty I have wanted to tackle for a while: Edmund Morris on TR, Grant's autobiography, American Sphinx, John Adams... Of course, those are big books so I might have to aim for 30 or thereabouts (or read a lot of quickie thrillers in between).

(Feel free to "friend" me, or whatever, on Goodreads, btw.)

Just for the record...

... Mari's stated ambition now, at age 6, is to be president. She thinks it would be extra neat if she were the first "girl" president.

I asked her if I could come visit her in the White House.

She said, "Well, only IF you're still alive."

Fair enough.

Art: updated with pictures

The kids are becoming artists!

The art teacher at their school chose 3-4 projects from each grade to contribute to the art exhibit at the Dept. of Education building and both Mari and Austin's were chosen! Mari made a flower out of paper and Austin did Chinese brush painting.

Not only that, they each published a photograph in the Working Writer's Daily Planner. Pretty neat!

Austin with his painting of mountains and bamboo. His teacher recognized his minimal use of strokes.

Mari with her flower. Very symmetrical and three dimensional and with a detailed background.

Excuses, excuses

Just invited someone over to our house and he replied with this e-mail:

Unfortunately I’ll be in Erbil that day. [I added the link.]

Can't really argue with that.