I loved this post! I often bounce around from thought to thought and wondering if anyone is still following. Nice to know others do it too :) And that picture of your daughter is precious! Hard to get frustrated with a reader, huh?

Aw, look at you being all conflicted about your Elle pick. If I told you how I ranked mine last year, it would make you weep. Okay - I'll confess. Last year, I couldn't quite manage to read all of them (turns out doing a fiction jury *and* a non-fiction jury wasn't one of my better plans), and I ranked one of the fiction titles that I hadn't even read 2nd because it, uh, sounded better than the ones I'd read. And then I felt really dirty for doing that (even though I'm reasonably certain the one I didn't read and ranked was probably the best one of them all despite the fact that I didn't read it) and took this year off from Elle completely as penance. So - I say pick the one you like (or, uh, the one that looks like the one you think you'll like) the best. ;-)

Good luck with those other 5 1/2!

I love that picture of Heather!! Harmony was reading during breakfast and Ben said, "that child can not eat a meal without a book in her hand!". Harmony although she is 10, still takes baths so she can read while she is in there. Must be related, just like their Moms! And Toby?! That is the cutest prayer I have EVER heard!

Completely agree with Katie--I love posts like this that go from one topic to another! I'll write about one thing, then another, then still another and *hope that 1. it makes sense and 2. people are reading.

Katie & Rosemary - I'm glad I'm not the only one who rambles nonsensically :) I think as long as you make sense SOME of the time, you're good.

Megan - I hope you know that I blame you for getting me involved in this whole ELLE thing. I think you warned me about the end-of-the-year deluge, but I obviously didn't listen. Maybe I'll have learned my lesson by next year.

Seriously, though, I enjoy it. Not only do I get to read books I wouldn't otherwise, but I get to make myself sound important by throwing around phrases like, "Yes, my reviews have been published in a national magazine." I'm vain enough to enjoy that kind of thing - hee hee.

P - I know, my kids are hilarious. The other day when I told him that the kids and I were heading to the library - AGAIN - he said (in all seriousness), "It can't be healthy for you guys to go to the library so much." LOL.

By "him," I mean the hubs.

That bathroom seemed so familiar and yet I knew it didn't look like any at your house - and then it hit me, duh! A girl with a book in hand is always my best friend. I'll call you about weekend plans tomorrow.

Love the idea of waterproof books. I read in the tub all. the. time. Anyway, I would probably not want a 10-year-old reading Monster - it is very much a high school book. I'm pretty sure it has swearing, but I am more sure it is not ok content-wise (about a kid on trial for being the getaway driver in a crime). Just my two cents. Love the random post (and yes, I am quite jealous)!

That picture is so stinkin' cute!! I hope when I have kids they are bookworms like me! :)

I love both this post and the previous one and I am so envious of your reading material it is not true!

Mystica