Reading Rambo

As part of Roof Beam Reader's TBR Pile Challenge, which I have kept up with relatively well throughout the year thus far, I'm reading Sophie's Choice. I have zero idea when I thought that would be a stellar addition to my shelf, but I asked for it for Christmas, and my at-the-time 12-year-old brother bought it for me. Yeah. Appropriate? No. Oh well.
So I'm pretty near the beginning, and I have been CONFLICTED, because I hate -- HATE -- when authors use unnecessary words. Like Nabokov and his damn 'nates' in Lolita. Screw you, sir. He also FOR REAL used 'nictitate,' a word I made fun of in my high school SAT prep class because all it means is 'to wink,' only it sounds nasty. Our sample sentence in the book was "The old man was nictitating at her." Gross.
Anyway, so the book is narrated by an author, a young Virginian who -- dare we guess? -- is supposed to basically be William Styron, who was born in Virginia and would've been the cha…

Hello! It's a Happy Labor Day (or Labour Day, as our friends to the north say) posting from Reading Rambo! Did you forget the blog was called that? Because to be honest, I do sometimes. But I guess I tend to think of my blogging compatriots by their blog titles, so maybe right now you're looking at me like you have no idea what I'm talking about.
Right then! In honor of today, I finished a book. Yes, a book. The Mysterious Benedict Society. And OH, what a journey it was. An awesome, awesome journey, with illustrations by Carson Ellis of Decemberists fame.
I possibly laughed. I know I cried, because I am an emotional mess today (turns out it wasn't allergies, but rather a pernicious cold, which I am still battling), and I pretty much all-around loved it.
Those who are my friends on Goodreads, don't hate on me for using the same review in both places. In this one, you get bonus stuff! (see above) So it all turns out well in the end.
So there's children's lit and…

Allergy season has hit Chicago, meaning I and most of my coworkers are sniffling/coughing/being generally gross. I used to be one of the privileged people who was unaffected at this time of year, but then oh, the distance I fell from my very high horse. If we met in person right now, I would in all likelihood glare at you and then refuse to speak, as talking hurts my throat and has made me generally irritable, but! these are the interwebs! So I can project a very happy-go-lucky state indeed. Now let's talk about books!
After a succession of reads that were just kind of 'eh,' I started to think I was going through what I've seen other book bloggers talk about as a dry spell, book-break, rest from reading, or what-have-you. But I have since revised my opinion, and decided instead that the books were really just kind of lame, and I am still very open to reading non-lame things.
SUCH AS -- The Mysterious Benedict Society! My gosh. Cannot tell you. Love. LOVE. I mean, things …