Books!

At the end of studying hard in biology for exams or some other deadline, I often long for a good, long book. The kind that needs cradling as I lie on floor pillows. I'm not sure what exactly drives me from science to literature, and the opposite happens when I'm struggling to work on my story--I'll crave medical journals instead of further wading in the depths of language.

Maybe this is my brain telling me a message. Like when I actually want to eat some salad. Though perhaps the analogy should end there, because truthfully I very rarely yearn for lettuce, and most of the time only consume it only as a vehicle to carry other edible things, like goat cheese and roasted beets.

I'm off to read for tomorrow's class, but here's my book stack I'm bringing with me on my business trip next week (well, it is an oncology meeting, so naturally I'm bringing novels):

- The Children's Hospital - this is a book written by one of our fellows, and I'm very interested in reading it so I can bother him with questions not related to work.
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - this is a reread. I recently got her second book (a collection of short stories), The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories, and it made me want to reread the book. The book is a magical blend of Jane Austen and Harry Potter.

Speaking of books, I've been semi-tempted to get the Amazon Kindle. Only in a half-wistful, half-convinced way, because I don't understand how something with its promises can have such horrible product design. Even Nate would be embarrassed to use it in public. And the upcoming Kindle 2.0 is going to look even uglier. Amazon, please, make it like a large iPhone, and make the keyboard a touchscreen, and I'll take two for Christmas, I promise.