metaphorical chipmunk cheeks

as the sun sets on my summer reading - a whopping, heavy-duty sack of winter reading opens and out comes a brand new day. winter reading- plausibly even nicer than summer reading. winter books are certainly more urgently needed: to distract me as much as possible from the cold; to amuse me when i am inevitably knocked down by viruses and plagues and bits of plagues from the usual grab-bag of sniffly delights (courtesy of my elementary school teacher roommate); and to balance out my overwhelming creative out-put during the school term. the final school term, i might add.

anyhow. yes, having been let go from class early, i went down to Pages and stuffed my metaphorical chipmunk cheeks with metaphorical nuts for the (really & truly) winter. i guess it is winter, either way...

winter books:
coraline neil gaiman
if on a winter's night a traveler italo calvino
the baron in the trees italo calvino
everything is illuminated jonathan safran foer
magic: for beginners kelly link
the transformationcatherine chidgey
misfortunewesley stace
jonathan strange & mr. norrellsusanna clarke (i have put it off because of so many barely-tepid reviews...but 10.oo for about 1ooo pages... why not? some people liked it.)
mobius dick andrew crumey

+ordered a replacement copy of china mieville's perdido st. station

(yes, i know this list won't last me the entire winter... this is not news to me; but as is my arms hurt carrying it all home and i do not live so very far away from the bookstore...)