Last week went much better than I dared hope it would be. I managed to catch some parts of the Presidential Inauguration and the evening program, and just the realization that the administration is really, truly, definitively changing has just sunk in, I think. I haven't spent more than about 5 minutes each day on the news (didn't feel the need to) and I hope to keep it that way for as long as possible. Life Yep, another busy work week. I know I hoped for a lighter work week, but who am I kidding. Work has been a different kind of busy each week this whole month and it will be nothing different this coming week. I just hope to figure out how to get my lunch hour freed up and use it to recharge. Not much happened in life this week - kids are loving being back at school, and I am loving my uninterrupted time, something that was only a luxury for much of last year. Reading Even if life was busy this week, I did read quite a bit. I'm slowly reading So You Want To Talk About Ra

After two weeks of feeding more books to my TBR, I had plenty that I wanted to share with you, but I managed to hold myself to just two.

Helen @ Helen's Book Blog reviewed this book, rating it very high and strongly recommending it. Thirteen-year old Lakshmi is very poor, but her life is full of fun. But when the harsh monsoons wash away all the crops, her stepfather insists that she take a job. He introduces her to a stranger, who promises her a nice job in the city. Instead, she is sold to slavery, where an old woman named Mumtaz severely and cruelly rules the brothel. Gradually, Lakshmi forms friendships that help her survive. But when the day comes for her to take a decision, will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?
Ape House by Sara Gruen
Having read and loved Water for Elephants, I sure am glad to see another tempting offering from Sara Gruen. This one is slated for release in September 2010. The focus in this book is on a family of bonobo apes. When the apes are kidnapped from a language laboratory, their mysterious appearance on a reality TV show calls into question our assumptions about the relation between apes and humans, and humans' relationships to each other.

Comments
Here is my Friday Find: Never Let You Go by Erin Healy
nat @book, line, and sinker