It turns out I really CAN judge a book by its cover

I'm currently in the midst of trying to buy up all of the Kirkus Star-red books available at the local used book stores. First I tried pulling up the 2012 Kirkus Star winners, then look for each of them, one at a time. Very time consuming. Now, I just go through the shelves and pick the books that I think probably got a Kirkus Star. Sometimes I recognize a reputable book or author, then search the Kirkus site. But since I don't know of the many reputable authors that are out there, this doesn't work very well. What does work is picking the books whose spines "look" like their Star recipients. Then I look at the cover. Then I search for the book on the Kirkus site. And it turns out that I am right approximately 80 PERCENT OF THE TIME!

I started a GoodReads book club in which only Kirkus Star-red books are read

It's a bit of an experiment. I tried to find a place where really good books are discussed. Yes, I could move to New York and attend readings or go back to college. But I was kind of looking for a more economical route.

After a brief look online, it looks there aren't any groups on GoodReads or in Google + focused on really good books. And I assume, the people that are into really good books aren't into discussing them online. Or at least, I couldn't find them. (Admittedly, I didn't spend too much time.)

So I created a GoodReads book club in which only books with a Kirkus Star are read. The purpose of this group is twofold: 1) Encourage people to read really good books, 2) Encourage people who usually stick to a few genres to try a good book, regardless of the genre. 

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/109910-kirkus-stars

This group is not affiliated with Kirkus Reviews. Also, I knew this group would need some kind of reputable, yet arbitrary litmus test for quality. Achieving a Kirkus Star doesn't automatically guarantee that the book is perfect or that you will like it. Also, there have been plenty of quality books that haven't received a star. Ya just gotta start somewhere.

I really enjoying reading in a pool

I've always loved reading. Don't know what my first book was. Maybe it was something us 70s schoolkids ordered from Scholastic. Maybe it was a book in the Forest Grove Elementary School library. Maybe it was something my Nana had.

When I was young, it was adventure stories, both classic and recent. As a teen, it was Tolkien, Herbert and other fantasy and science fiction. As I grew older, I continued with the fantasy and sci fi, but also a lot of religious, spiritual and philosophy books.

I guess the attraction to reading in a pool started when I discovered the joy of reading on a beach when I first started vacationing with my wife. We got married in the early 2000s when I was in my late 30s. At some point we started vacationing at different parts of the U.S. Atlantic coast. I don't remember what books I got enraptured in. But I loved it. Sitting on a beach chair, with my feet in the water. Or sitting on the sand where the beach met the waves. It was pure bliss.

We continued to vacation at the beach, but at some point started staying at rentals that had pools. And to be honest, we stopped going to the beach as much as we had in the past. Part vacation laziness, part convenience. No driving, no sand, no crowds. And if you got to got to hot, wanted to snack, or had to wee, you just go inside. And thus the practice began.

NOTE: The picture isn't me. But I sometimes read like that. But mostly it's either standing in the pool, at the edge, with the book on the concrete. Or, I sit on the steps in the shallow end of the pool. Or I just wander about in the shallow end, holding the book over the water.

If I read inside, I have to fight falling asleep. And in Florida, during the summer, I find it too hot to read outside in a chair. (Except early in the morning. I love reading on the patio early in the morning.)