This weekend I’ve spent quite a bit of time catching up with my books but somehow I’m still behind. It wouldn’t be so bad but one of the books is for book group and I hate not reading the book in time.

I’m reading Zeno’s Conscience by Italo Svevo for my foreign authors book group and am also counting this as one of my choices for the Year of Reading Dangerously challenge. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so surprised this novel is taking me a while to read after all the blurb on the back calls it a ‘miracle of psychological realism.’

What realism? I admit I’d never heard the term psychological realism but take a look at this Wikipedia definition. In this case Zeno has begun to write the historical analysis of his smoking habit at the request of his doctor and takes the reader along on the journey to examine his life. It’s interesting, at times funny, and with a bit of madness. I hope to finish this by Tuesday.

Two other books that didn’t quite get my attention this weekend despite hoping they would have are Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. I already love this book. Easily this book could be read in a day I think but I want to savor it so I’m taking my time. Unfortunately my other book Engleby by Sebastian Faulks (which I’m reading for review at Estella’s Revenge) has been neglected a lot. I haven’t gotten very far into it and I may just have to re-start it.

Anyway, this week I’ve got my two book group meetings, bookbinding class and hopefully a lot of good reads ahead of me. Hope your week starts off great!

Thanks to Ann I found out about the 3rd Annual Brigid in Cyberspace Poetry Reading. The what you say? Here are the details:

What: A Bloggers (Silent) Poetry Reading
When: Anytime February 2, 2008
Where: Your blog
Why: To celebrate the Feast of Brigid, aka Groundhog Day
How: Select a poem you like – by a favorite poet or one of your own – to post on February 2nd. More details can be found here.

So below is the poem I wanted to share – enjoy.

Lady, lady never start
Conversation toward your heart;
Keep your pretty words serene;
Never murmur what you mean.
Show yourself, by word and look,
Swift and shallow as a brook.
Be as cool and quick to go
As a drop of April snow;
Be as delicate and gay
As a cherry flower in May.
Lady, lady never speak
Of the tears that burn your cheek —
She will never win him, whose
Words had shown she feared to lose.
Be you wise and never sad,
You will get your lovely lad.
Never serious be, nor true,
And your wish will come to you —
And if that makes you happy, kid,
You’ll be the first it ever did.

~ The Lady’s Reward by Dorothy Parker.

This poem is from the fabulous collection of Poetry Speaks Expanded.