Mary Biddinger’s book, Prairie Fever, arrived in the mail today. Yay.

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I’ve been going over what books to take with me to LA. We’ll take a guide of some kind, of course. Today, I was in the mood to read books about reading or writing, so I picked up Francine Prose’s book on reading like a writer, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeannette Winterson, Translating LA by Peter Theroux, and The Writing Life and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard.

I’m astonished that Tinker Creek won a Pulitzer. It does not seem like the kind of book that would win, because it’s heavy on heavy details. One page was spent on an insect that poisons a frog, turns the frog’s insides into a liquid and then sucks the liquid out for dinner.

So, which to take? I think Tinker Creek is out right now, because the details (while fascinating) are putting me to sleep — at least when I read in the sunshine at the pool.

I’ll probably pick Oranges by Winterson and the Translating LA. I thought it’d be a good idea to read about LA from a resident’s perspective. For years, I never wanted to visit LA. The town and its people sounded petty and fake. However, now a wedding draws me there, and I find I’m excited to visit. The art collections! The gardens! I already feel like Pasadena is home. I know the roads and the places I want to visit. We’re staying at a homey place (where Einstein lived for a spell!) on the CalTech campus.