Today was another adventure in bookbinding. I am working on another hard bound book but this time I am making a rounded spine. The book should look something like this. Of course to get that rounded spine is no easy feat. I had to hammer the spine to get it to form and because I had glued up the spine last week the glue really settled so it was a bit harder than it should be – at least that’s what my instructor said. Anyway, after all that hammering my arm and hand were beginning to feel numb and I even worked up a sweat! But I think the spine came out well and now it’s sitting in the studio in one of the presses until my class next week.

That’s it for bookbinding and now to talk about some of my current reads. I am still enjoying Journal of a Solitude by May Sarton a lot but this is a book that I think is best savored in bits and pieces. I find myself taking note of a sentence here and there and then I’ll close the book and just try to mull over the bits that I liked.

I’m also reading The Worst Thing I’ve Ever Done by Ursula Hegi and it’s not really what I expected. I find it hard to get to know the characters but I’m sticking with it to see what happens. And, I’m finally getting to the second book by Will Thomas, To Kingdom Come. The first book in the series was one of my favorite mystery reads from last year so it’s nice to revisit these characters.

Hopefully I’ll get a chance tomorrow to tell you about two really good mysteries I’ve recently finished – Deadly Advice and Last Rituals.

As the year is winding down I am starting to finalize my choices on the reading challenges I’m going to join next year. I didn’t want to go overboard but I think at this point it’s inevitable. I just have too much fun. Plus, there are just so many good ones out there, and I’m even getting over my aversion to the year long challenges.

The latest challenge I’m joining is one hosted by Annie at Words by Annie and starts January 1, 2008 and lasts all year. For this one you have to choose a book in each of the categories. Here are my choices:

1. A book with a color in its title: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

2. A book with an animal in its title: Crow Lake by Mary Lawson

3. A book with a first name in its title: Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende

4. A book with a place in its title: The Seville Communion by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

5. A book with a weather event in its title: The Rising Tide by Molly Keane

6. A book with a plant in its title: Eucalyptus by Murray Bail

I’m going to try and stick with my choices but I may switch some out, and I do plan to overlap a bit with some of my challenges and my book groups. Maybe then I can finish some of these challenges. Heh. Anyway, stay tuned for more reading challenge updates!