Barbara Feldman: Hedgehogs and CeeCee Honeycutt

Hedgehogs and CeeCee Honeycutt

Yikes! My Presidents' Day topic at Surfnetkids.com is being published AFTER Presidents' Day! In an effort to get ahead of my work, I've been writing the weekly topics in advance. But obviously I goofed on the timing of this one. Reminds me of "The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!"

Moving on ... I finished two books this week. On my iPod, from Audible.com, I just finished listening to The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. There were many times during the book, that I just didn't "get" the characters and some of the philosophical rants were a bit off-putting (as the British would say.) But in the end, I was totally captured and the surprise ending was very touching. When I hopped over to Amazon, to get link for this writeup, I was blown away by the selection of "Frequently Bought Together" which included The Help and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo because I ABSOLUTELY LOVED both of them.

And, there lies the crux of the Amazon magic, and why I rely on their recommendations. After liking one book, I frequently look at Amazon to find out what other books are liked by readers who enjoyed the one I just finished. Amazon has found me an anonymous book club! I read the same books as these anonymous Amazon customers, without ever knowing who they are. Fascinating, isn't it? Netflix's movie recommendations work the same way, except they are a bit more laser-targeted because I rate every movie I see. At Amazon the recommendations are just based on purchase history.

Anyway, I digress. Back to books, on my Kindle I just finished Saving CeeCee Honeycutt which reminded me of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Steel Magnolias which all revolve around Southern matriarchs.

What's next in my reading queue? On the Kindle, I've started the syrupy romance The Crossroads Cafe and on my iPod, I'm listening to Seth Godin's Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?. A bit eclectic, I know, but aren't we all?

So, my eclectic friends, what's on your night stand this week?

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