Ramblings....about books.....please read if you're looking for something good to read!
I started a new job last week and they don't have my computer system set up to do my job yet, so I'm left to do whatever I want in my little cubicle. For awhile I surfed the internet and looked at blogs and pictures of celebrities for several hours. Then I wised up and started reading a book. First I read "My Antonia" which was a good book, but nothing fantastic. I would compare it to "Little House on the Prairie" but for an older age level. It was not very challenging though (I mean that in the sense of getting me to think about what it meant).

Once I finished that, I decided to read a book one of my roommate read in college. I knew nothing about it, but saw it in the library and thought I'd give it a try. It's called "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck. I've only ever read one of his books -- "The Pearl" -- and I hated it. I didn't understand it and the ending was depressing, so I was a little leary of reading Steinbeck again. As I first started to read, I didn't really like it, but I figured I'd give it a little more time. And I'm very glad I did. It's an incredible book. I tried to explain to Nate why I like it so much, but I couldn't. I think I just like the way Steinbeck writes and that it forces me to think about what he's writing and actually put myself there. I could try to give a synopsis of the book, but I would end up making it sound horrible or give something away. Basically, it's the story of Cain & Abel, but told in such a subtle way, you have to pay close attention to catch that. I highly recommend it. It does have language, whorehouses (no explicit details) and "thematic elements" -- the villain is the worst I've ever read -- It's a pretty deep read, but worth it in my opinion.

I made a list of the books I want to read -- it's about 25 books long and I know I'm forgetting several books -- so expect lots of posts about good books (especially if I don't get work to do soon! :)