How Many Books Do You Have to Read to Call it a Good Week?

How many books do you have to read to call it a good week? One? Two? More? Does it make a difference if the books were good books?

No matter how you define it, anyone would agree last week was a good reading week for me. I finished four good books. Not only were they well written, but they gave me hope for the future. That is big for me in this dark world.

The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer

Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th Century New York by Stacy Horn

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King 

Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver

Happy book-ish moments last week:

Georgia commented on a book review I posted at Goodreads: "Deb, I always read with eagerness your reviews. While I've just begun an outstanding book, after reading your reviews of Kingsolver and Wolitzer, I want to dash to the library and get started on the books today--in spite of writing assignments, three or four book reviews to write and other daily demands. I love your description of what you do when you are falling in love with a story--it's so real! Thanks for writing." 


And this from my friend, longtime writing teacher, Joyce Boatright:

How about you? 

What are you reading today?

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've
wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them,and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound
 journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....That's what happens
at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their
own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly,
mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book. Click here to join the Salon.

The Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Kimba at Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news and recap the past week.

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share books that we found in our mailboxes last week. 

 It is now being hosted here.

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which you can share the books you've acquired.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between!
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read”
book will come from! I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted at The Book Date.

Our First Class as a Texas Master Naturalist Intern

My husband and I are learning to be Texas Master Naturalists.

Our first class was held last Wednesday at Brazos Bend State Park in Needville, Texas. We spent the morning in classes and spent the afternoon taking a nature walk through part of the park. The head naturalist at the park, David Heinicke, taught the classes and led the nature walk.

In the morning, we learn about frogs, lizards, snakes, turtles, and...wait...what is that in Dave's hand?

Yep. It's a baby alligator. 

It is estimated that there are more than 250 alligators over 6' long at Brazos Bend.

In the afternoon, we set off for our hike.

Dave stops often to take a close look at things.

He gives us time to ask questions and write field notes.

If you look carefully, you can see Dave has a golden silk spider crawling on his hand.

Dave tells us this spider, which is commonly called a banana spider, spins a yellow web. 

Birds can see yellow well, and thus avoid flying through its web, but insects can't.

A golden silk waiting for prey.

One of our clever naturalist interns spots this baby alligator, probably one of the babies that was hatched at the nature center this summer and released last week. Only 2 or 3 out of every 100 alligators that hatch survives into adulthood, Dave tells us.

Dave shares a spiny orb weaver, commonly called a crab spider, that has adapted to have a very hard shell.

Dave tells us about bald cypress trees, the viceroy butterfly, bark lice, yellow-billed cuckoos, resurrection fern, Spanish moss, red buckeyes, mustang grapes...I think he knows everything about our part of the world.

I end up with twelve pages of notes. I am learning so much.

For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at West Metro Mommy Reads.

Books By My Favorite Authors That I Still Haven’t Read

I have read everything by some of my favorite authors. Everything. Here I sit and wait while you work (slowly, oh-so-slowly) on something new, Haruki Murakami and Maira Kalman.

I have read everything by some of my favorites and now they have passed away. Ah, Edward Eager.

But, happily, some of my favorite authors have written books I haven't read. Here are some of them.

Combine Editions

WALLACE STEGNER’S BOOKS

Average rating: 4.16 · 107,067 ratings · 11,357 reviews · 94 distinct works • Similar authors

	Angle of Repose  by  Wallace Stegner    4.27 avg rating — 45,470 ratings — published 1971 — 42 editions	Read
	Crossing to Safety  by  Wallace Stegner    4.16 avg rating — 31,300 ratings — published 1987 — 46 editions	Read
	The Big Rock Candy Mountain  by  Wallace Stegner    4.14 avg rating — 6,000 ratings — published 1943 — 3 editions
	The Spectator Bird  by  Wallace Stegner    3.98 avg rating — 4,607 ratings — published 1976 — 31 editions	Read
	All the Little Live Things  by  Wallace Stegner    4.08 avg rating — 2,524 ratings — published 1967 — 23 editions	Read
	Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs  by  Wallace Stegner,    T.H. Watkins (Afterword)    4.09 avg rating — 1,551 ratings — published 1992 — 5 editions
	Remembering Laughter  by  Wallace Stegner,    Mary Stegner (Afterword)    3.80 avg rating — 1,090 ratings — published 1937 — 10 editions	Read

Combine Editions

EVAN S. CONNELL’S BOOKS

Average rating: 4.01 · 8,422 ratings · 1,042 reviews · 31 distinct works • Similar authors

	Mrs. Bridge  by  Evan S. Connell    4.05 avg rating — 3,437 ratings — published 1959 — 35 editions	Read
	Mr. Bridge  by  Evan S. Connell   really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,521 ratings — published 1969 — 22 editions	Read
	The Connoisseur  by  Evan S. Connell    3.55 avg rating — 101 ratings — published 1974 — 5 editions
	A Long Desire  by  Evan S. Connell    4.37 avg rating — 75 ratings — published 1979 — 3 editions
	The White Lantern  by  Evan S. Connell    4.38 avg rating — 69 ratings — published 1980 — 6 editions
	Notes from a Bottle Found on the Beach at Carmel  by  Evan S. Connell    4.47 avg rating — 62 ratings — published 1962 — 4 editions

Combine Editions

CAROL SHIELDS’ BOOKS

Average rating: 3.78 · 64,790 ratings · 3,989 reviews · 50 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Stone Diaries  by  Carol Shields    3.86 avg rating — 32,689 ratings — published 1993 — 73 editions	Read
	Unless  by  Carol Shields    3.63 avg rating — 11,580 ratings — published 2002 — 59 editions	Read
	Larry's Party  by  Carol Shields    3.72 avg rating — 7,340 ratings — published 1997 — 39 editions	Read
	The Republic of Love  by  Carol Shields    3.73 avg rating — 2,320 ratings — published 1992 — 34 editions	Read
	Swann  by  Carol Shields    3.71 avg rating — 1,810 ratings — published 1987 — 36 editions
	Happenstance: Two Novels in One About a Marriage in Transition  by  Carol Shields    3.71 avg rating — 1,163 ratings — published 1980 — 19 editions	Read
	Small Ceremonies  by  Carol Shields    3.71 avg rating — 891 ratings — published 1976 — 21 editions
	The Box Garden  by  Carol Shields    3.62 avg rating — 935 ratings — published 1977 — 22 editions	Read
	The Collected Stories of Carol Shields  by  Carol Shields    4.14 avg rating — 665 ratings — published 2004 — 16 editions

Combine Editions

RICHARD POWERS’ BOOKS

Average rating: 3.74 · 29,090 ratings · 4,239 reviews · 33 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Echo Maker  by  Richard Powers    3.35 avg rating — 7,286 ratings — published 2006 — 30 editions	Read
	Orfeo  by  Richard Powers    3.63 avg rating — 3,905 ratings — published 2014 — 29 editions	Read
	Galatea 2.2  by  Richard Powers    3.73 avg rating — 2,150 ratings — published 1995 — 17 editions
	The Time of Our Singing  by  Richard Powers    4.24 avg rating — 2,192 ratings — published 2002 — 11 editions
	The Overstory  by  Richard Powers    4.35 avg rating — 2,260 ratings — published 2018 — 10 editions	Read
	The Gold Bug Variations  by  Richard Powers    4.11 avg rating — 1,471 ratings — published 1991 — 10 editions	Read
	Generosity: An Enhancement  by  Richard Powers    3.50 avg rating — 1,621 ratings — published 2009 — 23 editions	Read
	Three Farmers on Their Way to a Dance  by  Richard Powers    3.85 avg rating — 716 ratings — published 1985 — 13 editions
	Gain  by  Richard Powers    3.76 avg rating — 832 ratings — published 1998 — 15 editions
	Plowing the Dark  by  Richard Powers    3.67 avg rating — 739 ratings — published 2000 — 15 editions

Combine Editions

ZOÉ OLDENBOURG’S BOOKS

Average rating: 3.99 · 860 ratings · 97 reviews · 20 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Crusades  by  Zoé Oldenbourg    3.95 avg rating — 222 ratings — published 1965 — 14 editions
	The World Is Not Enough  by  Zoé Oldenbourg,    Willard R. Trask (translator)    4.05 avg rating — 177 ratings — published 1946 — 13 editions	Read
	The Cornerstone  by  Zoé Oldenbourg,    Edward Hyams    4.12 avg rating — 94 ratings — published 1953 — 9 editions
	The Heirs of the Kingdom  by  Zoé Oldenbourg,    Anne Laurel Carter (translator)    4.09 avg rating — 64 ratings — published 1970 — 9 editions
	Destiny of Fire  by  Zoé Oldenbourg    3.89 avg rating — 44 ratings — published 1960 — 9 editions
	Cities of the Flesh  by  Zoé Oldenbourg    4.32 avg rating — 25 ratings — published 1961 — 5 editions
	The Awakened  by  Zoé Oldenbourg    3.83 avg rating — 6 ratings — published 1956 — 3 editions
	Catherine de Russie  by  Zoé Oldenbourg    4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2014	Rat

C

JOHN STEINBECK’S BOOKS

Average rating: 3.91 · 3,152,706 ratings · 85,895 reviews · 311 distinct works • Similar authors

	Of Mice and Men  by  John Steinbeck    3.85 avg rating — 1,642,704 ratings — published 1937 — 388 editions	Read
	East of Eden  by  John Steinbeck    4.36 avg rating — 363,439 ratings — published 1952 — 251 editions	Read My
	The Grapes of Wrath  by  John Steinbeck    3.94 avg rating — 608,310 ratings — published 1939 — 420 editions	Read
	The Pearl  by  John Steinbeck    3.43 avg rating — 160,494 ratings — published 1947 — 257 editions	R
	Cannery Row  by  John Steinbeck    4.03 avg rating — 97,096 ratings — published 1945 — 35 editions
	Travels with Charley: In Search of America  by  John Steinbeck    4.07 avg rating — 57,443 ratings — published 1961 — 137 editions	Read
	The Red Pony  by  John Steinbeck    3.43 avg rating — 42,945 ratings — published 1933 — 114 editions	Read
	Tortilla Flat  by  John Steinbeck    3.83 avg rating — 37,475 ratings — published 1935 — 162 editions
	The Winter of Our Discontent  by  John Steinbeck,    Susan Shillinglaw (Annotations)    3.99 avg rating — 33,230 ratings — published 1961 — 67 editions
	The Moon Is Down  by  John Steinbeck    3.88 avg rating — 16,585 ratings — published 1942 — 125 editions

I have many, many more favorites, but these ought to keep me busy.

Are any of these authors your favorites?

Are there any of these authors you haven't read yet?
(Go right now and order their books. You can thank me later.)
What authors are favorites of yours? 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each Tuesday That Artsy Reader Girl assigns a topic and then post her top ten list that fits that topic. You’re more than welcome to join her and create your own top ten (or 2, 5, 20, etc.) list as well. Feel free to put a unique spin on the topic to make it work for you! Please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own post so that others know where to find more information.