Week 10: Read for pleasure

My goal for week 10, much like the one for week 8, is one that I'm surprised I had to "resolve" to do.

Reading is one of my greatest pleasures in life. For this, I blame - and thank - pretty much my entire family. My grandma used to take us on trips to the library when we were little to entertain us. My grandpa gave me the complete works of Shakespeare as a birthday gift... when I turned 10. My parents, sisters and I spent many a Friday night at an independent bookstore called The Library, Ltd. when I was growing up. (This bookstore, tragically, has gone the way of too many independent bookstores and is now closed.) My oldest sister has been teaching English for about the last 10 years, but I think her vocation really began approximately 20 years ago in our basement. I won a book collector's contest in college. We are all voracious readers, and I am incredibly grateful for that.

An old candid, taken by my friend Sue - December 2007

Despite my love of books, I haven't sat down to read a novel since I was in North Carolina. I did listen to a few audiobooks, and Elle was kind enough to read this adorable book aloud to me on our trip. Now that I have passed my RD exam, I decided that my goal for week 10 would be to sit down and read a book for fun. Audiobooks just aren't doing it for me.

So, did you do it? Half and half. I started one, and though I haven't finished it yet, I'm sure that I will soon. It is so good! Here's what I'm reading:

Photo via

I've been on a little bit of a Native American lit kick lately, so this book seemed perfect. I've never actually read one of Louise Erdrich's novels before! I've only read her short stories. I kept being drawn to this book every time I went into a bookstore in recent months, so I finally downloaded it; I haven't been able to put it down since. So far, I'd put it in the "highly recommended reading" category, along with Stuffed and Starved.

What great books have you been reading lately? Do you have any Native American literature recommendations for me?