Space Station Mir

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts are hosted at Bookishly Boisterous ! 1. We bought a house! Taking care of the paperwork and scheduling and now packing has been a second job, although, imo, not as stressful as planning a wedding! So glad we waited a year after the wedding to do this. 2. Packing my books is an ongoing saga. I reduced my collection from approximately 700 to approximately 400 three years ago, and yet, it seems they've been reproducing! So far, I'm at 17 boxes with two and a third bookcases (of four) packed... 3. I'm not even counting my cookbooks, which got packed (generously, by my parents) with kitchen stuff. 4. Let me know if anybody wants these! I found the Dummies book helpful for understanding basics; I think the 100 Questions book would be useful for anyone who hasn't bought a home in several years, although of course, each market is individual, so for example, the negotiating advice isn't very helpful in a sellers' market!

I've had some wonderful bookish adventures lately! A family friend was downsizing her collection... I browsed the aisles at Barnes & Noble with birthday gift cards... and I absconded to the library for a lunch hour or two this week.

Just Finished: We Are Okay by Nina LaCour The cover art perfectly encapsulates the claustrophobic college dorm room, gradually overlooking the lonely seascape of the life Marin left behind. This poetic gem of a YA book lives up to all the hype though it reads more like The Writing Life by Annie Dillard than The Hunger Games , and its raw emotions are all the more poignant for being gentle. America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo Although set mostly in the United States, the Philippines are the heart of this novel, and how the Filipino-American characters relate to each other, their homeland, and other Filipinos in America. It's refreshing to read an "immigrant" novel that showcases the immigrants' cultures and isn't about fitting in with Americans at all. There are Pangasinese, Ilocanos, manilenos, not to mention religious and ideological differences. At least this book mentions enough ethnic dishes, from pancit to pinakbet to sisig, to feed t