Books Check 'Em Out!

Not sure if anybody else remembers the commercial from when we were younger, but this song goes through my head at random times. And, apparently, the commercial's message worked on me. I LOVE libraries. I have no idea why exactly, but I seriously love them. Especially the big 4-story main library in downtown Huntington. I get some kind of weird, eerie feeling when I'm in them that I cannot explain. It might be that there are all these strangers all milling around and being so quiet- and for some reason I love it. And maybe I feel like I'm more intelligent- just for being at the library haha :) I realize this is ridiculous, but I still feel like an intellectual when I'm there. And then there's the fact that everything is FREE!!! I cannot understand why people go and spend tons of money on brand new books??? I never know what to do with them after I finish, and then they just add to the absurd amount of clutter Nick and I already have- so I usually end up giving the books away anyway. And then there's the hippie side of me that loves that by borrowing from the library instead of buying the book, I'm helping cut down on paper used for printing. But the main selling point for me is definitely the free price tag. I left the library a few weeks ago with 3 great books for 0 dollars, and I felt like I had discovered this great secret, and I almost wanted to tell shout it out and tell everyone on the street!!
To actually tie this back into my 101 List (since I haven't updated about my goals in months), I've read 2 of my 10 classics- both Jane Austen books (goal #52).  I started with "Pride and Prejudice" and loved it, so then I moved on to "Sense and Sensibility".  As much as I enjoyed both novels, I decided to take a little break from reading the classics to read a few random books I'd been really looking forward to.  And it's amazing how much faster and easier I can read the books now compared to when I was reading Austen!!  haha :)  Some books I just finished are "The Weight of Silence" (GREAT book), "The Things They Carried", "Heroic Measures", and "The Art of Racing in the Rain".  Right now I'm in the middle of "The Choice" (a Nicholas Sparks book someone gave me to read) and "The Sweet By and By" I just started this week.  And I'm so so excited because the library has me on the list to get a book called "Little Bee" that I can't wait to read!!  After that, I think I need to go back and read a few more classics... but I just needed a mini break :)  It probably also helped that I was on vacation this past week, so I had more free time to read.  But sometimes I felt like I had to read some of Austen's sentences 3 or 4 times to completely appreciate what she was saying. 
While we were on vacation in Hilton Head, I also got to mark off #92 on my list because Nick and I went parasailing :)  It was a good experience and really relaxing, but not as amazing as I think I'd expected.  We also visited a new city that I'd never been to before (#11 on my list)- Savannah, GA.  What a gorgeous place!!  I loved all the cobblestone streets and the little parks throughout the city.  We tried to eat at Paula Deen's restaurant, but at the time they were booked, and Nick was too hungry to wait :)  So we walked down a few streets and found a restaurant called Belford's and it was INCREDIBLE!!  I got their crab cakes w/spiced tomato jam and Nick got the shrimp, grits and greens and both were amazing!!  Both dishes had won  "Taste of Savannah" awards from Southern Living magazine.  So I actually think it was better that we didn't go to Paula's restaurant- since I'm not a major fan of her cooking as much as I am of her adorable personality :)  I do wish I could have met her for a quick second though!  OK, that's all for today!