F is for FIRED

Yesterday my boyfriend invited me to his book club meeting which is happening TONIGHT. I haven't even cracked the book open (The Stranger by Albert Camus), but he insisted that I'd be able to finish the 123 pages in time. Today is actually the first day in a couple weeks that I really don't have too much on the agenda. I mean, there's always stuff to do, but nothing very pressing. 

So I suppose I could power through the book, but I hate reading in a hurry because there's a good chance I will only absorb about 50 percent of it. And you know how people in book clubs get super analytical about shit and raise obscure points that really don't have anything to do with anything. (Well, I can only assume, but I was an English major so I know what these discussions can be like.) If I glossed over even one paragraph, I'd probably be totally lost!

Plus, I'm not the fastest reader in the world, and I blame that on my kindergarten teacher. I went to a hippie school where we filled our days growing plants, picking berries from a nearby forest and learning how to make homemade ice cream. I am not kidding. I was totally fucked when I got to first grade! Those developmental years are crucial, man!

Plus, starting a new book would mean taking a break from what I'm currently reading: A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton. My bf was like, "You know that's not like a book club type book, right?" Yes, hun, I know. Don't worry, I'm not going to push my guilty pleasure off on anyone else. But I'm getting totally into this murder mystery thing, and lucky me, Sue's written an entire series! B is for Burglar, C is for Corpse...and so on. Geeze, I wish I had thought of that! F is for FIRED: The Unemployment Series. Hey, I like the sound of that!

I go through phases, but lately I've been on a reading kick. Last week I finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. Verdict: Two thumbs UP. And before that was After Dark by Haruki Murakami. Verdict: Good, but not amaaazing. I guess Murakami is kind of an "it" author right now, so I basically read the book so I'd be able to chime in on conversations when his name is mentioned. (Um, is that lame?)

An.Y.way. What are you reading right now? Do you have any guilty pleasures when it comes to books? And who is your favorite author? Is is weird that I don't really have one??