Reading again

As my plane was landing in Atlanta I realized I absolutely needed another book. I had been reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett, and finished it minutes before the plane landed. First stop is always the bathroom, but I knew I couldn't spend hours on a plane headed for San Francisco with nothing to do or read.

I had lugged The Help from home all the way to Tennessee and was hoping to finish it while I was there so I could leave it. I didn't get a lot of reading time. I thought of leaving it anyway and picking up a copy once I got back, but in the end I stuffed it in my carry-on bag and devoured the last 30 pages or so from Tri-Cities to Atlanta.

I was traveling alone, so the level of boredom was high. I guess I could have just as easily paid for a movie on the flight, but I knew that would only last for two hours max, and I had another 4 hours, plus a layover in San Francisco, plus that last leg of flight to Seattle.

I enjoy novels, but my reading moods come and go. My desire to read usually coincides with the amount of time I have to dedicate to a book. Sometimes I have one book on my nightstand, and other times I've had at least four, all with bookmarks sandwiched between the pages.

I bought "State of Wonder" by Ann Patchett when I landed in Atlanta. I quickly found a kiosk with books and had to make a hasty choice as I was on a short layover and had to get to my gate.

"State of Wonder" had just arrived, the girl at the checkout stand said. She didn't know anything about it, but for me it was the most appealing of the small selection. I don't read vampire books, I wasn't in the mood for a biography, and I wanted something completely different from "The Help."

I'm mid-way through it.  So far I am enjoying the characters and can relate to the women in the book. It's about a scientist who is sent to get information about the ETA of a drug being developed by another scientist in the Amazon. The last guy the company sent down to get information ended up dead.

"The Help" was not what I would call great literature, but it was definitely a fun read. It was fast, and I liked the way the story was told. The voices of each character were so clear for me. I haven't seen the movie, and I'm not so sure I want to. I've got my own image of each of those women and I don't think Hollywood can do it justice.

Last night I watched Charlie Rose with Robert Caro. I was intrigued by his information about Lyndon B. Johnson, and I plan to read his series of books. It was fascinating to listen to him talk about his research for the latest book in the series, "Passage of Power."