Been a little while....

Okay, I have been remiss in updating this. I read Peter Robinson's latest Alan Banks book, Friend of the Devil. It was good. It tied into a previous book and I could actually remember enough of that story to connect to this one. There are some interesting character developments for the ongoing cast. I quite liked it.

I also read Carol O'Connell's Find Me. This is the latest in the Mallory series which I love. I always find those to be the kind of books that you can't stop reading, but you wish it were longer.

Now I have started the latest Patricia Cornwell. It is a Scarpetta book called Book of the Dead. So far so good, but I am not that far in. Benton is acting strange, as is Marino. What will happen? I don't know, but you can bet it will have lots of death.

For Christmas I got Mark the Steven Colbert book I am America (and so can you!). I have started a bit of this and it is funny. Best read imagining Steven Colbert's voice and attitude saying everything in it.

Being sick has allowed for more reading time so I am catching up. We are also on hiatus from rehearsal so that helps...

Oh yeah, Controversy.... Gotta love it!

The Golden Compass is on it's way... The religious right are in an uproar, it's all good. Bet none of them have even read the book! Bring it on!

Cold Weather slows down reading?

I finished up Exit Music (Ian Rankin). It was good for those of you who read the Rebus books. You also get the feeling that just because Rebus has retired he is not done... Yay!

I started another Mystery/Police Procedural. I am reading Peter Robinson's latest in the Alan Banks series - Friend of the Devil. There is something about reading a book from a series you are familiar with. You can sink into it and be comforted that you already know the major players and then you can just enjoy the ride.

The Title

Ian Rankin - Exit Music. I guess Rebus is retiring. Awww.

Finally Finished

I finally finished Spook Country. Not the best Gibson, but okay. Took me a little while longer than usual because I have not had time at night to read. My time is taken up with other things.

I will start on Ian Rankin's latest tonight.

A Little William Gibson....

I finished up Firethorn. It was okay but needed to move more quickly and was in many ways a romance novel dressed up as a fantasy novel offering little new to either genre. I doubt I will buy the second book of the trilogy when it comes out.

I started Spook Country by William Gibson. I am starting to get into it. I am a wee bit sick and I had that party thing and auditions so I am having trouble focusing. Gibson was in town a little while ago for a book signing but I had something on that night and couldn't go. What would I have said? "I really like your books." I can say that by buying the books and reading them, so I don't know if actually seeing the author is a big thrill. His performance is on the page, not in person. He probably has a web page I can post to if I really want to give him "props"....

Busy with Life...

I am still reading Firethorn. Life sucks up too much time.

I gave up...

I gave up on The Testament. It was really a poor man's Da Vinci Code and was kind of boring so about 200 pages in I gave up.

I am now reading Firethorn, a fantasy type novel by Sarah Micklem. It's okay, but not earthshakingly new. The writing is okay but I do want the story to move along a little faster. it is supposed to be the first of a trilogy but we will see if I get into it enough to continue.

Haven't been reading much...

In the wave of a new school year I have been too tired and too busy to read much lately. I am reading The Testament by Eric Van Lustbader and it is surprisingly slow going. It feels like a poorly constructed Da Vinci Code knock off with a religious secret being guarded and fought over by two opposing factions. The secret is revealed too soon. The action comes at you before you give a crap for any of the characters and the "code deciphering" is clumsy compared to Da Vinci Code. I may give up on it soon as it is really not a great read and I would rather be reading the new William Gibson...

And On to something else...

I finished up Divisadero last night. I love the way Ondaatje writes. I did wish he had gone back to the Claire/Anna/Coop storyline before the end, but the beauty of his words and sentences makes me forgive him for not doing that. Besides, it was his story to tell, who am I to want him to tell it a different way? He is so very gifted at the whole "weaving together" of the story thing. Love my Ondaatje!

I started Interworld (Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves). Not that far into it yet and it was late when I started so I cannot comment yet. It is a Teen/Young Adult fiction book, which I hadn't realized, but that's okay. It will go by fast.

I can tell I am in between projects...

Because I am reading so much... I finished The Amber Spyglass, read Dead Wrong (by J.A. Jance) and then re-read Stardust (Neil Gaiman). That was this weekend. I am now reading Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje. It is nice to have the time.

Book Three in His Dark Materials...

That's what I'm reading --> The Amber Spyglass. It has been slow with Fringe and all, but it is coming along. I do love how blatantly this "children's" series deals with religion and the concept of heaven and hell and the afterlife. It is amazing there hasn't been more "flack" about it. Remember the early Harry Potter days? Of course the series isn't as well known in North America so maybe when the movie comes out all the fundamentalists will get their knickers in a twist!

Moving on to Book #2...

I finished up The Golden Compass and moved on to The Subtle Knife. Good words Mr. Pullman.

When to read?

Halfway through The Golden Compass. It is hard because I remember the whole series in bits and pieces and I am anxious for the story to get on the way, to get to the parts I remember. I am trying to just read it. I don't have much time.

I think I have read 11 books in the last month (by my reckoning). Pretty good. Quicksilver, Middlesex and What the Body Remembers took up quite a bit of time.

What now?

Finished What the Body Remembers. I liked the last 1/3 of it the best when it dealt with the political ramifications of the separation of India and creation of Pakistan.

Started Maximum Ride (The End is Near...Or is it?) by James Patterson. Then I will re-read The Golden Compass (Philip Pullman) in preparation for the movie release. I then plan to re-read Stardust (Neil Gaiman) for the same reason.

Middle sex - Great Read

I finished Middlesex yesterday. It was a great book. One of those ones that you wish was twice as long so you could still be reading it. I shall have to pick up The Virgin Suicides to see if the author Eugenides is consistent.

I started What the Body Remembers today. It is by Shauna Singh Baldwin, who taught the course I took at Women's Words this past June.

Fast Work --> Fast words

I finished up No Country for Old Men (Cormac McCarthy). It was a quick read. Some interesting commentary on the changing world. Very violent, but at the same time there was a lot of reflection. I would recommend it for a read.

I am now reading Middlesex (Eugenides). I think it is the current Oprah book, but it is also a Pulitzer Prize Winner. Besides I really like Oprah and think she would have good taste in books.

On To Something New...

Finished Dead Watch today. It was not the best Sandford novel. I would recommend one of the Prey or Kidd novels before this one. Perhaps this new character will grow on me, but I am not sure it is as compelling.

Started No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy (he wrote The Road). My Mom lent it to me. So far so good. I am getting used to the lack of punctuation.

A little lite reading

Started Dead Watch by John Sandford last night. Having trouble posting on this Blog. Driving me crazy!

A Busy Week

So, This week I finished up Quicksilver (Tues), started and finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Tues-Thurs) and started and finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Thurs - Fri). I knew I had to re-read book six of the Potter series because other than Dumbledore dying I couldn't remember a thing. I am glad I did because it really informed the final book. They were very connected, more so than the other books.

On Quicksilver - It was very interesting and very dense. I had to really pay attention when I was reading it. I liked it and will read the next book in the series, but perhaps not right away. I am not sure what book I will pick up when I go upstairs tonight.

The Final Potter was good. It worked. I even got a little teary at one point (no actual tears, but teary). I do wonder about it for younger kids as the final book was particularly death and battle filled. But then again, she's killed people off in many of the books and Voldemort is a pretty "scary" fictional character.

An Update on Quicksilver..

Not done yet, but I am finding it much more like Kim Stanley Robinson's writing than William Gibson. Maybe it is this particular book and topic. Quite interesting if you like and understand Mathematics and have a rudimentary knowledge of Calculus. If you didn't have that base knowledge I am not sure if it would pull you in or leave you in the cold.

I thought it might be interesting...

to log what I am reading. I can look back and go - "yeah, that was a good book" or "junk food reading - good for keeping the synapses firing". Stuff like that. I also want to see how much I actually do read, because I feel like I read a lot, but who knows.

So, This weekend I read:

Hard Luck and Trouble by Lee Child
- another Jack Reacher novel. Pretty good as they go. Read the rest of the series first.

Invisible Prey by John Sandford
- In the Lucas Davenport series. Good one. I liked the 2 intertwined stories and the "guest" appearance of Kidd and Lauren was kind of funny.

Last night I started:

Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
- I am reading this one because at the APN thing the other night, someone mentioned Snow Crash by Stephenson and compared him to William Gibson (who I love to read) so I looked for Snow Crash and couldn't find it. Apparently there is a copy a Kingsway Coles. I may order it online if I like this one. So far so good.