Currently Reading

In an attempt to whittle down my to-be-read pile, I'm currently reading several books in tandem. I don't often do this; I usually prefer to read one book at a time. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and due dates are looming ominously on the calendar. Instead of offering complete reviews today, I'll tell you a little about my current reads.




Dancing for Degas

This isn't a children's/YA book; I'm reading it for my 10-10-10 adult fiction/nonfiction challenge (read 10 books in 10 different genres by October 10, 2010). I love historical fiction (as long as it's not about the Tudors; I'm sick of them. Pretty much tired of anything to do with British royalty in historical fiction.), I love ballet, and I love Degas. This was pretty much made to order! I don't know how realistic this is (farm girl trains to be a ballerina and meets Degas, unless there really was an Alexandrie in Degas's life; I don't know that yet), but it's escapist and great fun.



Sir Charlie Chaplin: The Funniest Man in the World

YES! My copy came in yesterday; wooo hooo! I just started it last night, but I can already tell that it's terrific. Chaplin's political and romantic controversies didn't come until later in life, so I don't know yet how Fleischman handles them. I may have to check out some Chaplin DVDs after reading this.



Disney After Dark

I'm doing booktalks for our Tween Scene programs, focusing on new and recent titles. This series seems to be quietly popular, so I'm planning to talk about it this week (along with other titles).

I also checked out a mess of picture books because I feel like I don't pay as much attention to them (except for the new titles) as I should. I'll review them later.