The Things They Carried

How could I missed reading "The Things They Carried," one thin volume of the several books assigned as summer reading for 10th graders in english class of the Long Beach unified school district, for three times. Three of my kids have read it. And my last tenth grader has just replaced it on the shelves.
Now, it's my turn.
Written by Tim O'Brien, the book has earned a lot of acclaims, good and positive reviews from newspapers and magazines of general circulation.
"Consummate artistry.... A strongly unified book, a series of glimpses, through different facets, a single mysterious, deadly stone .... O'Brien blends diverse incidents, voices, and genres, indelibly rendering the nightmarish impact of the Vietnam experience," said Andy Solomon of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
So now will I seek a quiet nook to read.

Books Inside the Garage

Spring has come and gone and still am saddled with a lot of stuff now “parked” inside the garage which seems more disorganized than ever.
There are books, most especially pocket books of different genre, as well as references, which either have to go to a donation center so others might enjoy the stories and knowledge within, or have to go someplace else.
Yesterday afternoon, I checked out some and found in the heap Death Be Not Proud, A Memoir by John Gunther so that I burned some eyebrow by my lampshade and started on the first part of the two part memoir. The second book in waiting, is Jill Robinson’s Past Forgetting – My Memory Lost and Found. Seems like I’ll be dealing with memoirs for some nights
But definitely books that will stay include Respectfully Quoted- A dictionary of Quotations as edited by Suzy Platt, Websters New Explorer Dictionary of Quotations, A World of Poetry, a selection by Michael Rosen and, A Little Book of Cherished Poems- Beautiful Poetry to Treasure as compiled by Kay Anne Carson. Also, Tom Ang's Digital Photographer's Handbook, a very good resource on photo editing will no doubt remain with us.
So the books in the garage will have to wait for the weekend even as I was assured by family members they'll lend a hand in the project. After all I've got a lesser number compared to theirs. Perhaps, an inventory listing is a good idea. Maybe it will give us opportunity to weigh for the last time what of the bunch will have to go and the few that should remain.