Vampires versus the Civil War

Yesterday afternoon, I took Aubrey to her monthly orthodontist appointment. We both took books to read, as dentist offices can be boring places, especially if they are running behind and Dr. Phil is playing on the waiting room tv.

We were taken back into the exam room, and I continued reading while we wait for the doctor to come in. Now you have to understand that I have several books on my nightstand. I never read just one book at a time. Right now on the nightstand I have a theology book some friends gave us for Christmas, a book on organization, the book on mothering that we are going through in our homeschool group, an autobiography, a marriage book, and a history book. I always have a history book. This one is one on loan from my father-in-law. And in the iPod I have Jane Austen's Emma.

So anyway, the orthodontist walks in and asks how were are doing and the usual small talk. Then he glances at the book now lying in my lap, which is a hard back roughly 2.5 inches thick. He asks me, "What are you reading?"

I pick it up and show him the spine: Nothing but Victory: The Army of Tennessee 1861-1865, by Steven Woodworth. He looks at me a little funny as I tell him that it's about the civil war in the west. (Not the far west by any means, but it was the western theater.)

He laughed a little. "Not the normal reading material I usually see around here. Most people seem to be into that vampire thing."

I just laughed and told him that vampires weren't my cup of tea.