Also, you would think I would be a better speller for being such a reader. Or a better typist for being a secretary...

Ohhhh. Cindy, your post reminded me of when I read (re-read, mind you!) The Haunting of Hill House right after Pete and I had moved into our house. Our house that makes odd creaky noises, and that I had not gotten at ALL used to. That was not a good night.

Oh Jilli, you poor thing. I can only imagine.

I was on a Stephen King kick one summer (maybe the same one) and my parents were away a lot. I was very used to the house, but not at all used to staying there, alone. I ended up sleeping on the couch a lot, because I was too afraid to go upstairs. Then I'd wake in the middle of the night, and realize how close I was to ground level, and how many windows there were, and be dreadfully afraid to stay downstairs, but too afraid to get off the couch.

My mother and I also watched 'Salem's Lot, on TV (at a different time, I can't remember if it was before or after, I think it was even during a different year) and spooked ourselves, terribly. We realized we were out of milk soon after the film ended, and it was rather late at night. Neither of us wanted to go out to the store, alone. Neither of us wanted to stay home alone, so we went to the store, together.

I've never read The Haunting of Hill House. I may have to pick it up, for the summer. I haven't read a scary book in a long time.

cereal...

I miss thoe days, and wish I could get that much pleasure and just read that much, again. Now it is harder for me to read, both because I am busy and don't have summers off, and because it is very hard, because of my early experience with having all the time in the world, to read a book in multiple sittings.

Sophia, this is one thing I'm looking forward to for September, with all three kids in school, for a full day. I used to put away between a book and five a week, depending. I have a terrible time reading books now, because me sitting quietly tells the kids I have free time.

three kids in school...free time...

Hee.

Hee. Hee.

Hee hee HAw.

HAW HAW HAW.

Donald Johannsons book about discovering the skelton of Lucy

I have this one at home! It's great, not just because of his telling about his own discoveries, but because he gives an excellent history of paleoanthropology in the 19th and 20th centuries (up to 1980).

In that book, he talks about the difficulties he had dealing with the Ethiopian bureaucracy, and mentions specifically a fellow digger named Jon Kalb, who really fucked up Johanson's credibility with the Ethiopian government out of petty differences (according to Johanson). A few years ago, I attended BookExpo America and lined up for the usual slew of various book signings. When I saw that one of them was for a book about digging for ancient bones in Africa, I knew I had to get it, but it wasn't until I was nearly at the front of the line before I realized where I knew the author's name from--it was Jon Kalb! The book survived the Pre-Move Book Purge of 2006 because I do still want to read it even though I haven't yet.

I love book junkie weekends. During the school year, I don't have enough time, but I love going to the used bookstore buying a shitload of books, and just laying in bed, reading. I eat in bed, I carry the book with me while I'm nuking something, and then when I'm done, I immediately grab into the bookbag and grab another novel. Read till I can keep my eyes open no more, usually about 6 a.m, sleep like the dead, wake up, make coffee...and dive back in.

I love these weekends, especially in autumn and winter.

And if I have a new series? It's an all-weekend book orgy.

I think if I get an offer for the job I talked to people about today, and it doesn't start until November, I'm gonna leave this job in September and just spend October reading.

(Er, and going to Italy, yay.)

That sounds like it'd land on my #1 Way to Spend October list, Suela.

Excellent plan, Consuela.

It's on of the great things about being unemployed, being able to spend all day reading.

The first book I remember loving reading was Walt Disney's World of Nature at age four. Go on, act surprised.