Books! In fact I was rearranging my kitchen shelves today. When we remodeled our kitchen, we added a big built-in bookcase on one wall. Originally I had cookbooks on one shelf and random decorative items (lots of pottery) on the others, but it was bugging me that there weren't enough books there. I like to be able to grab a book (not necessarily a cookbook) to leaf through while waiting for something to cook, or for a friend who's hanging in the kitchen to be able to do the same. So now I have a few different genres of books in my kitchen. I have the cookbooks, of course, and I have a small section of music books, another of knitting books (DD and I are obsessed with knitting right now), some decorating books, and some reference books (since my kids do their homework in the kitchen, having the dictionaries there makes sense). My other favorite "accessory" is a vase of fresh flowers on the table. I recently started buying an inexpensive bouquet at the grocery store each week during this long and snowy winter, and it makes me happy! Finally, on one of my shelves, serving as a bookend, is my grandmother's old cookie jar.

A quick look at those titles makes me think they will be available at the library into the foreseeable future if you change your mind. I am trying very hard to either let go of books I know I will be able to borrow, and not to buy any new books if I can borrow it. I only purchase truly outstanding books, and then not on a whim. They sit in my amazon wish list for quite a while. Anyway, I enjoyed Year of Magical Thinking (well, enjoy isn't really the word, given the subject matter), but I had just suffered a horrendous loss myself and it helped. I would not recommend it to someone unless they specifically asked me, "Will this help me with my grief?" Otherwise I would be afraid of their reaction to it. My mother asked me about it, and I strongly urged her not to read it. After she found out a bit more about the book, she thanked me for warning her off and gave it to the library. So, like most things, it all depends. I'm guessing that even if you like The Egyptologist, you will give it away after reading it, unless you like to keep everything you've read. I found it very entertaining, and I believe it was, like most of my reading, a recommendation from someone here at RP.

Wild Swan is probably my favorite book on China - fiction or non. The stories of her grandmother, mother and herself read like good fiction, and I came away with a much better understanding of modern Chinese history and culture then I had before. I agree - I don't think you can really make any generalization about any country, but esp not one so big. Yes we export some of our most glaring stereotypes for all to see. But its so very different between regions, states, rural/urban/suburban, and so dependent on class, race or nationalities. Rather an interesting mix, actually. Im in a website that has a language forum, and people from all over the country pop in with their favorite regionalisms, and comments on others. Makes me remember how really diverse this huge nation is, and makes me wonder how in the world we managed to all stick together for so long!

My M-i-L watches the TV evangelists-one that she watches enjoyed the movie, becuase "it is all fiction-not one true word in the book or movie-it's a good story, that's all." Another one was highly offended by both the book and the movie. What I find interesting is that in the first book written about the main character, Angels and Demons, the Catholic Church is the innocent victim-in the DaVinci Code she is the perpretator of all nefarious deeds...Brown clearly just wanted to write thrillers, not necessarily attack the church. But we hear little mention of the first book. Mind you, it was as much a strain to the logic as the DVC...how he escapes so many death-assuring situations without super powers boggles the mind.