How's Your List?

Summer reading lists are of no use to me.

"Clearly, Ashley," you say. "We've heard plenty about your summers."

Winters, on the other hand, offer a lot more freedom of movement. In-between time. Opportunities to relax in coffee shops. Evenings when the weather doesn't cooperate and staying home is both safer and generally more attractive.

Which is maybe why I've started my seasonal book hoarding once again.

Up right this minute:
  • The Contract Surgeon by Dan O'Brien (not that Dan O'Brien). The book tells the story of Dr. Valentine T. McGillycuddy, a rather prominent figure in this area (and the man whose ashes are interred at the top of Harney Peak). It's a fictionalization of his actual life and it's ... downright fascinating.
  • My Inventions by Nikola Tesla. This is the autobiography of one of the greatest inventors of the last two centuries, and ... oh, heck, if you don't know anything about Tesla, start here. To go with my upcoming visit to Niagara Falls, I actually have several books on Tesla in my collection but figured I'd start with this one. Let me just say now that it's entirely possible that he was genuinely crazy. A genius -- but crazy.
  • Emma by Jane Austen. I've been working my way through her whole collection again and the Kindle has made this one waaaaay too easy. Next up is Northanger Abbey, for some reason.
  • Looking for Alaska by John Green. Well, I've gotta start his collection somewhere, right?
  • Also, I've got the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on audiobook for the long drive I've got ahead. For the record? Kind of the perfect collection to keep a person alert on a drive.

Besides those, I have a little culling to do in my Kindle collection and perhaps a few more substantive books to pick up when the biographies are done. Any suggestions out there? There's a potentially long winter ahead and I want to be prepared.

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