Woah - I'm lame.

Geez, it's November 11 and I haven't posted since October 21? That's pitiful. And I have been reading a lot in that time period, so I guess I'd better catch up here.

I finished The Long Winter and went on to read Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years and The First Four Years. Little Town was MUCH more upbeat than Winter was; I suppose they were so damned happy they hadn't starved to death that everything seemed better. Happy Golden Years covers the beginning of Laura's teaching career and I find it hilarious since I can relate to teaching several age levels at once. This is also the book where Almanzo begins courting Laura, but reading it is bizarre, because Laura is much more interested in his horses than she is in him. I couldn't figure out why he kept coming to see her since she was so rude to him over and over. They were married for 64 years and went through incredibly difficult circumstances their entire married lives, so there must have been more there than is portrayed in the books. First Four Years is a bummer again; Laura told Almanzo he had 4 years to make it as a farmer and he barely scrapes it out. Again, glad I'm not a pioneer girl.

Now I am fully engaged in a dirty, guilty pleasure: Anne Rice. As I mentioned earlier, we used books to decorate for Halloween, and when I finished Laura, I grabbed The Witching Hour from the mantel. Chris gave this to me years ago when I was still recovering from my Goth period, and I'm sure I read it, but it didn't stick with me AT ALL. So I'm getting to enjoy it all over again. Nothing like Anne Rice to get your blood flowing and make you happy to be an insomniac. Witches, ghosts, crazy family bloodlines and really well written sex scenes. Oh yeah.

So, OF COURSE, what's the reasonable thing to read after all the supernatural sexiness? Jane Austen of course! Or Jane Austen mysteries to be more exact. Jane and the Wandering Eye is waiting for me on the bedside table.