One Sitting.

Good morning, afternoon, evening, night to you readers out there, depending on the time of day when you read this post!

I've been feeling down and discouraged as of late.  Why?  Fall.  It seems like this time of year is most everyone's favorite, but it is just not mine.  I dislike the shortening of days: waking up when the sun has not even had the chance to get up, night being in such a blessed hurry to fall and disorient me.  I'm in South Carolina, but there is a bit of a chill in the air in the mornings this week and that chill doesn't cheer me but brace me for the cool, cooler, cold days to come.  I am not the biggest fan of pumpkin flavored things.  I dislike the color orange (though I have loosened up on that issue over the years).  Needless to say, I just don't like fall.  It actually depresses me quite a bit.

Yep.  That about covers it.  

I've been trying to think up some good things about fall so I don't feel so pissy: bonfires with s'mores (forget the fact that I have no friends here, as I believe I've mentioned), scarves, hot cocoa and hot apple cider, people are actually in the mood for soup (I am always in the mood for soup.  Call me crazy), it's Kyle's favorite season and things that make him smile are okay in my book.  And the best reason is our anniversary, which is coming up in just a few days. 

Ahh, October 16, 2010... you were among the best of days.

Anyway, mix my personal foreboding dislike of short stories with my contempt for fall (apart from those things listed above... and feel free to add your own encouraging good fall things to help me feel better, but so help me if you say football) and you get a highly unmotivated Loralee who wants to read anything but that short story book (in this case, I'm still talking about The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg) and not want to do any housework or crafts or anything but loaf on the couch.  I don't like that Loralee much at all.  Nor do her work pants, which continue to tighten.  So, yes, I PROMISE I will finish the book, but I needed something with meat to read in the meantime, and since I asked Missy (one among you who kept tragically getting outvoted) to vote here and she asked for The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin, that is what I read today.  So this present post is just fair warning that the Stepford post may come before the Whatever I Wanted post as I finished it in just one sitting.  Not only that, but I'd like to move to the next read after the short story book.  Since I've demonstrated my dislike for this season and my lack of motivation to do things, I think we'll go with something I've already read and, therefore, know that I like: The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst.

And no, I don't just like it because the dog's name is Lorelei.  Lorelei is certainly not a minor character, but the fact that her name is close to mine is minor in my head compared to the rest of the reasons I enjoy this book.  You know that I don't recommend books I haven't read yet but if I may recommend a good book to you, this is it.  Please keep in mind... it has some very weird parts.  But it is also beautiful.  Yes.  Recommended.  We'll get to it soon, friends.  After The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted and The Stepford Wives. 

Oh, and as a side note, The Dogs of Babel was also published as Lorelei's Secret, though I believe that was exclusively in the UK.  It's also supposed to be made into a movie one of these days so you'll want to read it before that happens!  I'm pretty sure no one can live up to the expectations in my head.