This makes me pretty sad. This bookstore is right across the street from Roosevelt University. I have to admit I didn’t buy much there (part of the problem! not the solution!) but then I didn’t buy any architecture books anywhere else, either. At least not recently.

I’m sort of at a loss as to what to post right now. I’m due to my job interview (seven people, not six) at 1:30 p.m., so I’m trying to distract myself. But I won’t be distracted. My mind is a steel trap when I’m anxious about something. I wouldn’t normally be nervous about a job interview, except it’s been eight years since my last one. I just want to get it underway. Once I’m talking to people, I’ll be fine. But right now I’m sitting on my porch waiting to go talk to people. Not as fun.

How about a book review?
46. Away– Amy Bloom
I love Amy Bloom short stories, but this is my first try at reading one of her novels. (She has two.) I loved Away from the start. It starts strong. Strong voice. Strong personality. There’s a lot to love for a long time, and then the book ends. I’m not even teasing. The book suddenly gets that wrapping-up feeling and then it’s over, and I could have read another 200 pages. Part of this feeling might have to do with the kind of ending Bloom is giving in this novel. Without giving things away (har: away), this novel doesn’t have the ultimate happy ending. It has a sort of happy ending, in that the people you want to be happy at the end are. There’s just something about the pacing at the end that feels as though Bloom was given a page count to hit, and when she got near it, she wrapped it up quickly, dusted her hands, and was done. It was disappointing on a grand scale for me, but I still say that it’s a good book. Also, read her short stories. They are excellent.