A Post of Procrastination

It's cold and dark and wet today. I have several other things I could and should be doing, so naturally, I feel like procrastinating.

One of the things I should be doing is undecorating the Christmas Tree. This is the longest I've gone with a decorated tree post-Christmas. One year we took the tree down the day after Christmas, but that had more to do with the fact that the tree stand had been leaking water for 3 weeks and had completely ruined our floor.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting sentimental for the tree. Although it sure is pretty when the lights are on. The main reason the tree has not been taken down is that I'm lazy. Removing the ornaments and taking the tree down would require me to make a trip to the garage and bring in that big, awkward, dusty bin labeled "Christmas Decorations." I would have to remove all the little boxes and then repack them again in puzzle-like fashion so that everything fits just right. I simply don't want to do it.

Instead of taking the tree down or working on dinner or even working on the Relief Society lesson I will be teaching this Sunday, I'm going to blog about the books I read over the holidays. The break is not over and there still might be another book I will read, but I just can't justify massive amounts of time spent reading when I have a tree to take down and a lesson to plan.

Tamar, Mal Peet--Even though I figured out one of the twists at the beginning of the book, this was still a really great read, and that is something considering I don't normally like books that have Nazis in them.

Looking for Alaska, John Green--I finished this last night, didn't think I would love it because I didn't love Abundance of Katherines, but it turns out, I liked this one much better. By the way, this video is partly what made me want to give "Alaska" a shot after not liking "Katherines." I thought it was kind of funny, especially that part about Beowulf.

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies, Sonya Sones--Since the mother is already dead when the story begins, I didn't find this overly sappy or sentimental at all. Similar plot to Beige.

Bloom, Elizabeth Scott--Fine teen read, not really anything I would have ever related with as a teen myself.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect, Linda Urban--Quite hilarious and even touching. Best use of a Perfectone D-60 organ in any book I've ever read.

Hard Love, Ellen Wittlinger--Quick read, very enjoyable, sad, but in a good way.

Beige, Cecil Castellucci--OK, but too punk rocky for me and since I'd already read the Dead Mother book, it wasn't too much of a surprise. And I found out that Cecil is female, which I didn't know before.

Millicent Min, Girl Genius, Lisa Yee--This actually made me a little depressed. It frustrated me that the main character had so few social skills and was unable to read social situations, but I think the author was going for humor, so I shouldn't feel too bad. Really, a cute book.

Fever, 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson--Enjoyed this because I'd previously read a non-fiction about the Yellow Fever outbreak in Philadelphia in 1793. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much with out that background. I would have found it too depressing.

The New Policeman, Kate Thompson--Very Irish with no apologies, but there is a glossary. Good story, kind of confusing for a very long time though. It all comes together in the end.

The Name of This Book is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch--Great story, exciting, clever set up and narrative voice (good on the reverse psychology) but was kind of bugged when the ending made it very clear a sequel was coming. Sometimes I just want the story to be over.