17 posts tagged “books”
The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie! (Yes, Hugh Laurie, of House M.D. and Jeeves and Wooster fame!) And man, is it hilarious. I'm only halfway through, but I'm in a constant state of chuckle. I really, really love his style. Smart and witty and I just adore the main character to death. If I knew him, I'd totally want to hang around him all the time because he would make me feel cool.
CJ, you'd love this book.
I wish I could read books really quickly. I'd be able to maybe make some headway on this monstrous, growing list of things I'd like to read.
Todays books that have crossed my desk and look interesting:
Amerigo Vespucci... who was he? How did his name become the name of our country? I know I learned this at some point in school, but I'm not sure I was ever told anything more than "he was an explorer".
According to the book's sleeve, he was "a sometime slaver and small-time jewel trader; a contemporary, confidant, and rival of Columbus; an amateur sorcerer who attained fame and honor by dint of a series of disastrous failures and equally grand self-reinventions."
Huh. Sounds like an interesting guy. And being an American, it might be nice to actually be knowledgeable about the guy who gave his name to our country, wouldn't it? I think it would.
And then there's the writing thing again; I'm always, constantly enamoured by books about writing. They're both motivating and interesting, and often amusing as well. While I'm still struggling to put together my fantasy story (yes, still working on that, and yes, I'm making some progress, thanks for asking) it's a lot of fun to read these books that offer advice.
SO, that was a tangent. Anyway, I'm currently making my way through the innards of a Twinkie. So far the book is excellent; the author is funny, makes lots of pop culture references, and is even going so far as to debunk some of the more popular Twinkie-related urban legends. No, a Twinkie is not made up entirely of chemicals. Although the simple-seeming little cakes DO consist of over 35 ingredients. And no, Twinkies do not have a shelf-life of 25 years either... more like 25 days.
I'm not necessarily a big fan of Twinkies (as I grow older, I find them a bit too sweet for my tastes) but I've eaten them, and I've been and continue to be a consumer of convenience foods, and it does interest me to learn where those unpronounceable ingredients come from, exactly.
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill. I have to read this during the day, while at work (on breaks and lunch, because no, contrary to what some believe, librarians do NOT sit around reading all day). Because I am a wuss and this book is somewhat creepy so far. I'd probably be all right reading it at home before bed but I'm scared of the dreams it might inspire.
Then again, I'm only in the first half and it hasn't gotten too bad yet, so maybe it won't. But we'll see. I do like it, so far. It's pretty obvious even by the writing that this guy is Stephen King's son.
So since I can't read the creepy book at home in the evening, I'm also starting in on Jim Butcher's fantasy series. It's been a long time since I've read a "pure" fantasy book (as opposed to a contemporary fantasy, like his Dresden Files books) so it's something different but also a bit like coming home. So far so good, too; his characters are strong and a bit snarky just like I like 'em. ^_^
Oh heck yeah, I'm burning through these! I'm really liking where the Harry Dresden character is going. He's the perfect blend of funny/snarky, do-gooder/badguy. Doesn't hurt that he's tall, dark and handsome too. Although the pics on these newer covers have him wearing a hat, and he doesn't wear a hat. Get it right, people. :-)
The SciFi show continues to not amaze me. It's all right and of course I'll keep watching (because the guy playing Harry pretty much has Harry's personality dead-on) but I wish they'd get it together and really make it all that it COULD be. Plus, I'm finding it interesting how they're working with the changes they've made. (Justin was Harry's uncle, and he killed him as an adult instead of a teenager. Also, Bob is not just a spirit but actually used to be a sorcerer and was Harry's teacher. In-ter-es-ting...)
The new book comes out SOON and I'll be done with this one in time to read it, I think. YAY.
Well poo. I started this post earlier today and it disappeared. Harumph.
I'm on book 7 of the Dresden Files! I really like how this character has developed. Many people compare this series of books to the Laurell Hamilton Anita Blake series, but at this point I have to say that's an unfair comparison. Yes they're both set in Midwestern cities, and yes both involve magic, monsters, mystery and mayhem, but the main huge difference is Harry Dresden becomes more and more interesting as the series continues while Anita Blake becomes less and less interesting. As far as I can tell from the latest Anita Blake book I read, she's really nothing more than a Mary Sue for the author to live out her fantasies of sleeping with a whole lot of men.
Anyway, this wasn't meant to be just a rant about the Anita Blake series. Jim Butcher has another Dresden book coming out in April, White Night. Maybe by the time it comes out I'll have also finished book 8 and then I'll be all caught up!
There's no image of it available (it's an old book) but I also picked up my first Nero Wolfe novel, "A Family Affair". So far I love how it's written, and I can see why these books have continued to be so popular. The author actually assumes the reader is intelligent and can keep up with the jokes. I'm particularly enjoying it because The Husband and I recently finished watching our DVD sets from the A&E series, and I've been missing my daily dose of the curmudgeonly Nero and the dapper Archie Goodwin.
As someone who never really had a taste for mysteries, I'm certainly reading a lot of them lately!
Also, the Sci Fi tv show is picking up. The latest episode, Rules of Engagement, finally explained a few things that had been left hanging in previous episodes. Questions like, does the show's Murphy really believe Harry is a wizard? And is he hiding his actual abilities from people? It's quite a bit different from the books in several ways, but so far they're making it work. I think the character of Harry is done very well though; he's almost exactly as I'd pictured him in my head.
Meanwhile, I'm also on a cookbook kick. Why? Certainly not because I cook. I guess I just like to pretend I might start some day. Plus, while at the gym I like to set the TV closest to me on the Food Network. They're often playing that Rachel Ray's 30 Minutes Meals show, and she makes it look so easy. I suppose it is pretty easy if you've got someone stocking your kitchen with exactly what you need. ^_^ Getting all he right ingredients together at the same time has always been my failing.
Anyway, my latest purchase is a book I became enamored with when cataloging it for our library. The Lee Bos.
I've begun re-reading the Harry Dresden books by Jim Butcher in anticipation for the new Sci-Fi series, The Dresden Files, starting January 21st. I CAN'T WAIT! I hope it's a successful series. We need more snarky-hot men on TV. No, I'm serious; WE DO. Well, I do, anyway.
In addition, I'm also reading Peter Pan in Scarlet, on loan to me from a friend. I had NO IDEA there was a Peter Pan "sequel". I'm thrilled with it so far.
And as if reading two books at once wasn't enough, I'm also making my way through the short stories in The Ladies of Grace Adieu, by Samantha Clarke. She wrote the Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell book that I just couldn't force myself to finish. I do like her writing style, but due to my short attention span, her short stories are much more to my taste.
SO, I've finally finished Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier.
It was long but worth it; a great book with lovely imagery. This is the guy who also wrote Cold Mountain and now I'm getting to see that if I read his stuff, I'll have to be prepared to be left a little bit depressed. But again, it's worth it.
