New and Improved

Now that I am back to (semi) regular blogging, I decided to add a new "feature" to my blog. You'll notice on the right side of the page a list of books that I am reading or have recently read. Hopefully, this will give a little more insight into me. As I read new books, I will probably comment on them so that you can go enjoy them too.

I love to read. I have always tried to be a voracious reader. Books, magazines, newspapers, it doesn't matter. I want to read it. Many people find this strange since I just graduated from law school (including the extra year that most sane law students avoid like the plague). My mom has always told me that my grandfather was not a reader because he did not want to read after spending his entire day at work reading things. I also have friends who are not big readers for the same reason. But me, I like to read. Of course, I am not in practice yet, so it might change, but I doubt it. In fact, I feel like I am behind. I have done little non-school reading the last four years. Not becuase I read so much for school, but because I simply did not have the time. I tried to get in a lot of books during the summer, but it was never enough. So now that I am out of school, I am starting to move through some books.

As you can see, I have recently been reading some fluffy crime novels. These were books that my mother in law left lying around on past visits. My rationale for reading them was this: they were stacked on top of the bookcase rather than actually standing on a shelf like normal books. I have been in a bit of purge mode since I got back from Gainesville. We have too much stuff. So things that don't have sentimental value or a place to call their own must go. This includes books that are not standing on the bookshelf in a normal manner. But these three books have created a new problem. I enjoyed them so much, I want to read more by those authors, particularly the James Patterson book. It ended on such a cliffhanger that I NEED to read the next book to see what happens. This is brilliant marketing by these authors. Creating characters that appear in book after book creates a built in customer base. The dilemma is that I have more books at home that need to be purged because they do not have a shelf. So do I read them or go to the library and get the next Patterson?

I am currently reading "Stealing Elections" by John Fund. I decided to read something topical since the election is right around the corner. Fund spoke at UM Law School right after the 2004 election to promote this book. At the time, he was covering the election controversy in the Washington Governor's race. The book is about the different problems facing the American election system. I've only read the introduction, but I hope to get it read by the election. I will tell you what I think when I am done.

For now, go vote and go read.