The Apartment Is Clean(er)

While I remain in a holding pattern, waiting to hear from the new editor, I figured I'd let you know I don't spend all my spare non-apartmentcleaning time, playing with Scooter.

Actually, since I have almost a week before the American Idol finale, I have plenty of time to read (well, maybe not plenty, since Joyce and Lew are coming this weekend). Here's the list of what I just read, am reading, and will be reading:

I finished reading Devil's Gate. I learned a lot about early Mormon history. If I'd had any doubts before, I decided I never ever want to cross America while pulling a handcart. Never.

I am currently reading Nathan Hale by M. William Phelps. I'm determined to finish it before Joyce and Lew get here, so if Lew wants it, I can give it to him. It has big margins and not that many pages, so I should be able to finish it today.

Next, I'll be reading Testimony by Anita Shreve. It's a 2 week library book, but it has big margins and not too many pages and looks pretty juicy (if any of you have read it, and it's not juicy, don't let me know).

After that, I'll be reading Mistress of the Monarchy by Alison Weir. I had one of those Borders coupons, and I treated myself to it. I always like Alison Weir biographies, so I was pleased to see a new one. This one is about Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancester. I never heard of her either. She was John of Gaunt's mistress. I haven't exactly heard of John of Gaunt (although his name is familiar), but I like biographies with lots of sex in them. You have no idea how many biographies I've read of Henry VIII and all six wives. Catherine Howard was definitely the sexiest.

Scooter is just now figuring out how to chase his tail. This is very distracting.

After I finish Mistress of the Monarchy, I'm going to reread Cashelmara and The Wheel Of Fortune by Susan Howatch. Alison Weir says one of the characters in The Wheel Of Fortune is based on Katherine Swynford (so I guess Susan Howatch had heard of her), and while The Wheel Of Fortune isn't exactly a sequel to Cashelmara, it kind of is, so I might as well reread it first. Susan Howatch novels are my favorite things to reread in the summer.

I found this game on the internet. You open the book you're reading to any old page, and then you write down something from lines 7-12. So in honor of Nathan Hale and inspiring people to read, here goes:

Nathan explained where he had traveled over the past eight months, after he had left Coventry in January. "As to Brigades." he said, "at the beginning of the Campaign we were at Winter Hill...from thence we were removed to Roxbury... and then we moved from that place here...eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeghw22222222222222222222kkk, 78222222222222222222222222222222222222222

Okay. Some of that isn't from page 131 of Nathan Hale. Scooter may not know how to read, but he sure knows how to write!