Salutations!

Hello and welcome to my first post. Yes, I am late to the blog party, but I figure better late than never. Besides, I'm Latina and we don't believe in always showing up on time
:-)


Reading is a huge part of my life. The library is my second home and I have the great fortune of having access to two library systems in my area. My hubby works for a bookstore, so I also have access to a 30% discount. I try to use it sparingly, and so far have succeeded (with great effort!). I have the fortune/misfortune of living in the DC metro area and using mass transit. That gives me plenty of time to read.

Anyone that lives in the DC metro area knows that commuting here can turn perfectly normal people into a mass of murderous, passive aggressive, heathens. If you take mass transit, you have the oh so lovely fortune of commuting with the cranky, or the overworked and/or underpaid, or the clueless, or the sweaty, or the nasty, or the selfish... I could keep going, but this blog isn't about mass transit woes. Reading has made it possible for me to maintain my sanity during the 1:30+ hours it takes me to get to and from work. Yes, the idiot next to me might have his/her iPod on with the volume way too high, but I can concentrate on my book and pretend I'm elsewhere. And yes, I never get a seat on my commute back home, so I'm usually surrounded by a sea of armpits. But I can stick my nose in the book I have at hand, so there!

Sadly, I haven't participated too much in other book blogs. Hopefully, having this blog will change that. I do, however, frequent the New York Times Sunday Book Review and The Washington Post Book Review. The Book Studio is also one of my favorite sites. Amazon's book recommendations may not be the best, but that feature alerts me whenever there is going to be a book coming out that I would be interested in reading. Please do suggest places to find more books to pick up. I will try to find places to suggest, too.

Unlike the vast majority of people, I enjoy reading fiction more than nonfiction. That's just a heads up to people who don't like reading made up stuff. I do! I love reading stuff people make up! I love, love, love reading stories, especially if they are not true. For me, reading is about escaping. Yes, plenty of people read to learn or stay informed. That doesn't mean that I don't read nonfiction, but those books aren't usually in my urgent TBR pile. I read newspapers and magazines for that. Of course, I don't mind learning something from what I read, but that's not my main goal. I'd rather read something that is beautifully written and made up. Just the way I roll.

Also, I don't consider myself a book snob. I won't read romance novels just because the writing makes me want to get in a fetal position and cry. But I do enjoy popular fiction. I won't lie about that. My choices aren't based on literary merit. If I enjoyed it, I will say so. And if a book bored me, I will say so. And yes, sometimes I will enjoy a story even if the writing leaves plenty to be desired. Kind of why I also enjoy movies like Dirty Dancing. I don't really care that the dialogue could use some revision. So there!

So please leave book suggestions, opinions, where to find good books, and so on. I will give my honest impressions here. Please, be honest but civil! Reading is something to be enjoyed, end of story :-D