Mrs. Furious Recommends (or, one of these things is not like the others)

My friend Mrs. Furious has great taste. So a few months back when she recommended some of her favorite books to me, I wrote them down with the intent of checking them out later. I then promptly lost the list and have been occupying my time with other books (including The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls--I couldn't pry my eyes away from it). Imagine my astonishment when the list magically reappeared a couple of weeks ago. It's amazing what you find when you go through the stacks of junk cluttering your house (like the credit card that I thought was stolen at the gas station last week. Turns out, there was no thief involved at all. Just a scatterbrained Mary Poppins who didn't put it back where it belongs. I did have the good sense to cancel the credit card upon discovering that it was "stolen," and so now I get to enjoy a few more credit card-less days until the replacement arrives. Sorry, Bert).
Back to the issue at hand: the list of books recommended to me by one, Mrs. Furious. List in hand, I submitted an online request for them from our local library and yesterday the books arrived. Here are the first three in no particular order:

Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald, a #1 international bestseller and an Oprah's Book Club pick.

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, a modern classic touted as "one of the greatest and most cherished American novels of the twentieth century."

The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx, National Book Award winner, national bestseller, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

I was having a hard time choosing which one I would start with since they all seemed to receive such wonderful accolades. But then I looked at this beauty and knew that would be the first book to fill the coveted spot on my nightstand.

I'm not sure what speaks to me more--the temptress's seductive cleavage, her unique jewelry choice, or her "come hither" stare. From the looks of it, this guy can't stay away from her. And I'm not sure I can either. I'm intrigued, to say the least. It may not have won a Pulitzer Prize or even a place in Oprah's Book Club, but neither did the Amish romance novels Mrs. F is so fond of.

Update:
The Heart is A Lonely Hunter seemed like such a diversion from her usual taste, so I had to do a bit of investigative reporting. I spoke to Mrs. F on the phone today before they left for their vacation. The conversation went something like this:
MP: "Who wrote The Heart is a Lonely Hunter?
Mrs. F: "Carson somebody" (the sound of typing, some obvious googling, or other such fact checking going on in the background) "Carson McCullers."
MP: "I was afraid of that. I checked out the wrong book from the library. This version looks like some cheezy romance novel. You should see the cover."

Well now thanks to modern technology, Mrs. F, you can.

Speaking of books, many of you out there have heard about Nie Nie, a blogger who was seriously injured in a private plane crash last month with her husband. Mrs. F contacted me about it, and I've been sucked into the story ever since and you'd better believe I went back and read every single entry she posted. She's unlike anyone I've ever met. You can read her blog here, read her sister's updates here, and get more information about how to help Nie Nie and her family here. A fellow blogger is publishing "Sometimes Life is Funny," a book of essays to raise money for Nie Nie's recovery fund. In the spirit of wanting to help, I've submitted an entry. Whether or not it's accepted remains to be seen, but I'll keep you posted. Interested in submitting one of your own? The deadline is September 30th. Click below to read all about the contest.
navel gazing at its finest: Blog Book Update and Call for Cover Art

Finally, the workout update: As of Thursday--2 down, 2 to go.