Winter: Book and movie time...

As I work crazy effing hours during the summer and fall, winter and early spring is the time for me to catch up on my reading, movies, and I admit somewhat sadly, television. So, today for the first time in about six months (oh, how embarrassing!), I'm headed over to the library to check out a few books, perhaps some new, and (being a fan of the 'lost generation' school of writing) something old.

Today I'll be stopping in at Ypsilanti's downtown branch (the former main branch), for my needs. Although the new main building on Whittaker is excellent, and deserving of the praise its garnered since opening-- I still prefer the smaller and (to me) more architecturally interesting historic building on Michigan Ave., especially since its restoration-- Remember that hideous paneling that covered all that nice marble? No one misses it, I think.

Today's hunt will be for the novels of Erich Maria Remarque- Of "All Quiet on the Western Front" fame. Yes! That's the one along with Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" we all had to do book reports on, back in our salad days... Aside from "All Quiet" he wrote some other interesting novels, including a sequel to "All Quiet.." called the "The Road Back" that many people don't know about-- It even contains some of the (surviving) characters from the previous novel, and its main thrust touches on the troubles of veterans returning from war, so it may have some relevance today... Of course, Remarque has other novels that I have enjoyed as well, "Three Comrades" (touching tearjerker) and "Arch of Triumph" (showcasing his socialist leanings that got him booted from Nazi Germany), comes to mind-- Good stuff!

In any case, I'm off! I promised myself not to get mired in television tonight, which I've already admitted to partaking of too much, lately. Damn, then again there's that "Little Miss Sunshine" DVD sitting at home-- So I guess we'll see what "wins out" insofar as my inner self....