The Week Ahead: November 3 – 9, 2008

Raise your hand if you’re swearing off the rest of the Halloween candy starting this morning!  I’m sending bags of it into the office with my husband (OK, there’s a small stash I’m stowing in our storage freezer … don’t tell the kids!).  My healthy attitude will get a boost this morning because I’ll be walking more; my car battery died and the car’s in the shop most of the day.  I’m bundling up LM4 in the jog stroller this morning for a walk to preschool, then walking back in the other direction to meet a friend for coffee — a visit with a friend is always a good way to start the week!

Monday 11/3 – Christopher Meeks starts his two week visit to LibraryThing Author Chat; Visit the main Groups page for Author Chat and scroll down to click on the thread with Chris’ name;  or, just click this link (depending on whether you subscribe to the “give a man a fish” or “teach a man to fish” theory).  I loved Months and Seasons, a collection of short stories that I reviewed here.  Click this link to see a timely video – Rod Maxwell, an actor doing a dramatic reading from the middle section of one of my favorite stories, “Dracula Slinks Into the Night.”  The actor portrays the protagonist, Hugh, a somewhat reluctant Dracula at a Halloween costume party with his wife; it’s very well done and gives you a taste of Months and Seasons.  The story continues after the video ends, so you’ll want to get the book to learn what happens next with Hugh and Kathleen.

Tuesday 11/4 – Election Day in the U. S.  I’m not going to give you a long list of reasons why you should vote, or try to tell you who to vote for … here’s a tip though … go into Starbucks after you vote for a free tall coffee! (valid November 4 at participating Starbucks stores, view the ad on the website for details)

If it’s Tuesday, it’s time for Tuesday Thingers!

Wednesday 11/5 – Come back to read my review of Jennie Shortidge’s Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe, a stop with TLC Book Tours.  This is a wonderful “coming of (middle) age” story with a main character I would have as a friend.

Thursday 11/6 – Swapna at S. Krishna’s Books has written a wonderful post for the “Spotlight on Bookstores” series.  Read what she has to say about a delightful store she discovered on her honeymoon, and her husband’s sweet comment about her love of books.

The younger kids have no school today (parent-teacher conferences), so I’ll have three kids with me at storytime this afternoon.  Hopefully we can get out and do something fun after lunch.

Tonight my TriCon Book Group meets to discuss Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.  We usually do a theme dinner, but none of us were in the mood for mutton, so we’re going potluck when we discuss this classic.

Weekend Plans – Our weekend is pretty open at this point; what have you got going on?