Read all the books I own, but have not yet read.

I think it’s quite appropriate to finish reading this during the International Year of Astronomy. This book focuses on Galileo’s achievements interspersed with letters from his eldest daughter, who was a nun and apothecary. The letters are full of love, and comments about pills or food she is making for him, and concern for his health. And occasional requests for money (because she was a Poor Clare, and no kidding…)

I see that the only book left on my “already started” list from before is A New Earth. Add to that Life in a Medieval Castle (and the other two, Medieval Village and City) which I bought in New York and started reading on the train. So I guess those are next.

I have been pecking away at The Language Instinct since August and I finally finished it last week. I liked it a lot, but it’s made watching The Sting a little bit harder—apparently, Lonnegan had no business having an Irish accent if he grew up in New York because children learn their language from their peers and not their parents.

On to Galileo’s Daughter.

...for giving you 8 solid hours to do nothing but read. I’ve gotten quite far into The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker. He studies how language is acquired. His thesis is that grammar is not learned but is as instinctual as walking (and by grammar, he doesn’t mean the who/whom thing, but being able to tell that sentences like “I know what you” are not correct—he also explains why that last sentence was a tad tricky to parse). It’s fascinating and he’s quite entertaining.

I went to a friend’s cottage this past weekend and FORGOT MY BOOK! Fortunately, someone else brought a copy of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and graciously allowed me to read the 5 or so pages I had left.

So it’s taken me the better part of a year, but I’ve finally finished the damn thing. It was very thought-provoking.

On to The Language Instinct, which is not on my list of already-started books, but I’ve been itching to read it. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly easy to carry, nor is the hardcover beach-friendly. Oh well.

I’ve been inching closer to finishing The Omnivore’s Dilemma but I keep getting distracted (with summer school, with planning my trip to Europe next spring, with re-reading Julie & Julia, which I forgot I had but of course the movie coming out made me want to revisit it and now I’m going through her actual blog, etc.) It will be done, however. Now, I’ve got nothing but time.

The marking is done, school is nearly over, and the guilt that I should be doing something more productive is nearly abated.

I’ve been chipping away at The Omnivore’s Dilemma and plan to finish it this weekend.

I actually finished The Colony of Unrequited Dreams back in September and have sort of stagnated ever since. I’ve since read Little Dorrit and Our Mutual Friend and started reading Nicholas Nickleby (obviously, I’m trying to catch up on my Dickens) but those don’t count towards this goal since they are on my Zire and not physical books.

I have started to finish The Mobius Strip (currently living at school) and The Omnivore’s Dilemma. My current goal is to finish those by at least the end of June, when school stops.

I haven’t started to finish The Colony of Unrequited Dreams yet because I caught part of A Knight’s Tale on TV and got interested in The Canterbury Tales, which is on my unread list, but a little bit further down.

Turns out the copy I have is in middle English, with no concordance (although there is a glossary at the back). Time for a new goal!

Finished reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It spoke to me on several levels. I’m looking forward to her follow-up.

On to The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. I’m already about half-way through it, but I left off reading it a year or so ago, so I hope I can pick up the threads of the story.

I have a long list on my Zire of all the books yet to be read/finished currently living in my apartment. It’s been a long time since I’ve checked one off. I keep rereading the same mysteries, spy novels, and Jane Austen. Austen, especially, survives many readings, but it’s time to make a real dent on the old “new” stuff.

I’m not very good about reading books in short bursts over many days—I’m more of a read the whole thing through in one solid 8-hour block type. If I don’t have all that time to spare, I tend to start a book, put it down, come back a day or so later and start another book, repeat. As a result, there are currently 6 or so books that are in various stages of un-read-iness. I’m going to tackle those first.

To be finished:
Eat, Pray, Love
The Mobius Strip
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams
A New Earth
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Galileo’s Daughter