Scholastic Book Orders

I just found out today that I'm supposed to be checking Landon's file at daycare. Apparently I'm the only parent who didn't know that as I found his folder stuffed to burst while every other kid only had the new October newsletter tucked inside. One of the items in the stack was the Scholastic Books pamphlet. Do you remember getting those in school? Brightly colored pages filled with age-appropriate books at discounted prices. Back before Amazon- back before there was even a bookstore within 20 minutes of my house- the Scholastic Book order (and Book Fair, which happened twice a year) was HUGE. I remember my teacher walking us through each pamphlet, highlighting books she thought were particularly good or appropriate. My family and I were major supporters of the local library through our weekly presence and late fees, but sometimes I'd be allowed to pick out one or two books to order. I waited anxiously for the day books would be passed out in class and feel giddy now just remembering the headiness of unwrapping the plastic on a brand new book. I still love the smell of crisp new pages waited to be turned for the first time. I hope Landon loves to read- I think it's been one of the greatest gifts in my life. In a practical sense in that I think it's a major reason why I did so well in school and on standardized tests, but reading means so much more than that to me- it's my escape and indulgence, my entry into other worlds.

Speaking of all three of those things, I finished Diana Gabaldon's latest novel, An Echo in the Bone yesterday. I shouldn't have started it- I had a mountain of work to do this weekend and my sleep was sacrificed to a terrible extent, but I had to finish it. After slogging through the first 500 pages of scattered, stop-and-go narrative, everything suddenly came together and next thing I knew it was 4 a.m. and I was furious with Ms. Gabaldon for not publishing book #8 at the exact same time as #7. The book finally picks up, characters finally cross narrative paths, and then it just ends? She did that in her earlier books too, but I didn't discover the series until the first five were written so that didn't bother so much- I'd just pick up the next one and continue reading.

The good news is that by not publishing the next book right away, she is helping me to not get fired from my job. October is going to be a tremendously busy month. I don't read or work when I'm with Landon, and my body needs more sleep than it's currently getting. I finished drafting my sections of a Motion to Dismiss very early this morning and had a productive day filled with finishing touches. Now I'm working on a different motion. I'm glad to get the opportunity to do more writing, it's something I enjoy and the reason I chose law over medicine, but some mindless doc review sounds rather appealing right now. As does my bed. Or the Scholastic Book Fair. Or a quick peak into Diana Gabaldon's working file for book 8.