book worm

Yesterday I stopped by The Frog Annex to pick up a take away ham sandwich.

I was packing my de-worming regimen and I wanted to get to it.  No time for a leisurely lunch when there was intestinal mayhem to commit.

While I was waiting for my sandwich, I talked to the owner who was resting in a hammock watching television.  He was astounded to hear that I do not have a television.  That I have not been a television watcher for over twenty years.

When his daughter handed me my sandwich, he asked where I was headed.  Back to the house I said.  "To do what?"  Probably, read, said I.

He looked at me with the look fathers have when they figure out their eldest son cannot do math in his head.  "No television.  Alone.  Reading.  You Americans."  The last phrase punctuated with a sad shake of the head.

It is true.  Mexico is not a reading country. A Mexican friend once told me a Mexican sitting alone reading a book is committing an anti-social act.  I would not be surprised to discover it is listed as a specific example in the anti-loitering statute.

Of course, I know a lot of Americans who are as book-adverse as my neighbors.

But not me.  I am a reader.  As long as I can remember, it has been my favorite hobby.  In high school, I would read while walking up the street to classes.  A girl friend's mother was convinced that I would one day absent-mindedly walk right into the ditch.  That bit of vaudeville never occurred.

At the moment, my electronic reading table is chock-a-bloc.  Looking in someone's wallet will usually give you a good feel of who the person is.  Along those lines, let me share with you what I have been reading and what remains unread on the Kindle.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel --a bittersweet novel of British retirees in India.  You already know all about it from the best exotic mexico hotel.

James Madison -- a small character study of the Father of the Constitution by Richard Brookhiser.  As with all of Brookhiser's "biographies," the book attempts to give us a feel of who the man was.  Not as intriguing as his treatments of Washington and Hamilton, but just as informative.  The Early Republic has long been one of my favorite areas of study.

The Christmas Carol Murders: Being the First Dickens Junction Mystery -- a pre-release murder mystery novel that the author has asked me to review.  I have finished reading it, and my review will be posted -- soon.

A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent -- obviously, a biography of President Polk.  Personally, an unfavored president.  I would usually not have put the book on my read list.  But the author is Robert W. Merry.  I read a review of one of his more recent books, and decided to give the Polk biography a try.  One of the wonders of the Kindle is the ability to download a free sample of the book.  We will see if it makes the cut.

Horoscopes for the Dead: Poems -- Billy Collins's most recent collection of poems.  I saw it in Portland in hard copy at Barnes and Noble in January.  And I just got around to buying an electronic version.  The Kindle is not a good format for poetry.  Because of its screen size, I do not get an overall feel for the construction of the poem -- something a reader can see on the pages of a book.  But I like his works.

Personal Reflections of Joan of Arc: Volume 1 -- of course, by Mark Twain. It is one of those Twain works I have been putting off for years.  I now intend to dig in.  The publication of his autobiography was undoubtedly an impetus to add this book to the list.

The Innocents Abroad -- another Twain work too long left unread.  This one undoubtedly is on my list as a result of this year's "semi-world tour."

Orely Farm -- the Anthony Trollope novel I usually recommend when someone shows interest in the author.  Over the years I have written pieces on legal ethics based on the book.  Truly a moral tale without any convenient conclusions.  It is about time to read it anew.

Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions -- a book about the creative process of art.  Music, in this case.  I have read the book.  But I am, now going back through it and playing the portions of music discussed in the book.  It is now more than a read.  It is a project.  And one I will probably not complete this year -- or next.

By my reckoning, if I were to do nothing but tackle this list, I would be in my garden alone until my eligibilty for Medicare kicks in.  And because I (rightfully) cannot exercise my Medicare benefits in Mexico, the day would go by unnoticed.

At least, I will have a bit more energy.  I hope.

I dosed my worms yesterday and last night with Vermox Plus.  The pills did something.  The pain in my intestines was as close to labor pains that I hope to get.

But, I feel fine this afternoon.  I am hungry.  I don't feel fatigued.  And that annoying ache I have had just under my diaphragm for two weeks is gone.

It is time to read on.