Spring Break Reading

First of all, I am enjoying the idea of having this entire week to hang out and read some books (and listen to my children fight) that have been stacking up on me. Today I didn't have much leisure reading time since I took my oldest two daughters and my mother to the Mall of America - and more specifically the American Girl store. This was our first trip there and we enjoyed it a lot. I will have to say that the idea of paying to get a doll's ears pierced or hair done is ridiculous, but my daughters had saved up some money of their own and paid for it. More frightening to me was the idea that a real person actually held that job. So, we left with a few bags and a little less money in our wallets. We also stopped at IKEA which none of us had ever been to. I am in the market for some new book shelves and their price is right. I now need to measure my walls and find a time to get a truck and drive back to Minneapolis to make a purchase. Maybe I won't have books stacked under my bed and in every other spare space.

Yesterday I was feeling especially productive - at least in reading. I finished Elizabeth Edwards' book Saving Graces. This was written a few years ago and I had held off reading it wondering how I would get through the segment of her book where she writes about losing her son, Wade in 1996. I will admit even a few years later the story is so heartbreaking. While the book is about Edwards' entire life, it focuses the most on her loss of Wade and also her battle with breast cancer. I thought Edwards did a good job not making this book too sad or depressing, instead focusing on how others have touched her and how she has managed to go on despite some hardships. Now a few years later I wish Edwards would add another chapter about her relapse, although I am not sure I want her to add anything about her husband's infidelity. Whatever people may think about John Edwards, Elizabeth is a remarkable woman and reading her book will just help confirm that.

I also finished The Agency by Ally O'Brien. This chick lit book is smart and fun and hard to put down. Tess Drake is a literary agent who is wishing to strike out on her own. However, before she can finalize her plans, her boss is found dead in his apartment of an apparent homicide, and Tess is a suspect. Her new boss, Cosima has it in for her, and Tess just happens to be having an affair with Cosima's husband. Add in a few problems with clients and The Agency is full of suspense, sex, and style. While I have no idea if their will be a sequel to this book, I am hopeful that I can hear about Tess Drake's exploits again one day.