Got word from the Library

That the copies of American Gods and Land of Laughs I want to read for Carl’s RIP III challenge had arrived at the branch where I requested them to be delivered. So I now have checked them out and have them here! I’ve started reading American Gods. It starts out a good bit darker than Anansi Boys. I’m looking forward to reading more of it.

Finished World War Z

It only took me half a year to get the book and read it. It is an interesting read. There are parts that I was snickering at, and there are parts that are so true to life that I ached for. Check below the cut for more.

picked up books at the library

I stopped by the local library branch yesterday and found that they had the books I had requested the earlier. Now they hadn’t called me to let me know. They hadn’t emailed me to let me know either. I need to check out my patron profile to see if they have an email address and the correct phone number there. There needs to be a better way to find out if the requested books are ready. But I picked up Dan Simmons The Terror. I’m going to be reading the books I planned to read for the RIP II Challenge, even if it happens a lot later than I initially intended.

Books read for the trip

I only finished up one book of my previous purchases on my round robin trip last week. It was Robert Rankin’s Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. As promised by the title, it was a bit surreal. Nursery rhyme characters and toys are alive. Vehicles and other items are run with windup clockwork mechanisms. But it isn’t always a nice place, living in Toy City. Murders happen, and they have to be solved. There are winks and nods made in the direction of the audience. I was amused by the book. The story was strong enough to get my attention. I will admit I was ready to read a book that wasn’t serious or particularly scary while I was traveling after the funeral and on to other events.

I did start the next of my RIP II challenge books, the first of the Colleen Gleason Gardella Vampire Chronicles, The Rest Falls Away. I’m about a third to half way through it. I’m not a romance reader, so the romance tropes are annoying me. Its set as a regency romance, so the Buffy the Vampire Slayer attitude is a jarring anachronism at times to my reading. I’m hoping that the book will drop some of those affectations along the way. I’m going to finish the book, but picking it back up it not as attractive as some picking up some other books.

Art imitates life, and sad news

Life imitates art imitates life.

In the Thursday Next books, there are organizations that are dedicated to the proposition that William Shakespeare did not write the plays that were attributed to him. This is nothing new, there are folks in our reality who assert the same. But now another organization that has the same views is getting press. The article gives some of the folks who doubt, as well as their web site, www.doubtaboutwill.org. I’ve not got a dog in the hunt, so make up your own mind about it.

Oh no, I just found out that Madeleine L’Engle passed away on Friday. I enjoyed her books, and had the opportunity to hear her speak here in town once. She was an enjoyable and compelling speaker. She will be missed.

Finally finished Harry Potter

Whew. Its done. I finally finished it. I knew once I started to get back into the book, I’d want to keep going. And I did. This story is not just a kids story.

I’ll discuss it under this cut. Warning, there are spoilers!

More books for the RIP Challenge

There are a number of books that we own that fit into the parameters of the RIP II Challenge. I got back into our library today and dug out Dracula and Phantom of the Opera. Re-reads of these books will be fun for the season. And ALW’s musical Phantom of the Opera is coming to town this October, so we’ll be going to the show too.

New books!

DH & I made a trip to Books a Zillion this evening. I’m going on a trip for my biz later this month, and I needed some additional reading material. Don’t you just hate it when that happens? We got the second Thursday Next book, Lost in a Good Book. We also picked up the 3rd book in John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War’s universe, The Last Colony.

I grabbed 2 books for the RIP II challenge. Colleen Gleason’s Gardella Vampire Chronicles, The Rest Falls Away and Rises the Night. Carl who is organizing the challenge has recommended these books, so I grabbed them when I found them. I looked at World War Z, but they only had the hardback edition. If I’m traveling, I don’t want to carry a hardback book. So I gave it a miss, along with Dan Simmons’ The Terror. But I did get Robert Rankin’s Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. With a title like that, I had to get it. Now its time to get to the library to see about the books by Jonathan Carroll, Max Brooks and Dan Simmons.

Happy Labor Day!

I hope your Labor day has been a good one. DH & I have slept late and and then rode the motorcycle out to 29 Dreams. We had a burger and drink out there, then came home. Whee, the motorcycle is working again! Then it was nap time. After working 2 festivals Saturday and Sunday I’m one hurting puppy. But it was a good weekend anyway. I haven’t read a thing today except for my emails. But it is still early.

Busy with prep for my biz right now

Sorry that I’ve been a terrible blogger. I’m trying to prepare for 2 festivals this upcoming weekend, and I’m finding that what I want to do is more work than I thought. Isn’t that the way it always is? But anything worth doing is worth doing right. So I’m creating new displays for my new addition and some existing add ons that were never displayed to their advantage at the beginning.

DH finished The Eyre Affaire, and loved it. Now we have to seek out the sequels. Its all my fault, you know. I forced the book on him, and he is now hooked. Bwahahahaha!

I’m hoping, after sleeping in on Monday, to finish Harry Potter. But we’ll see what life actually serves up on Monday.

What to read for RIP Challenge

So I’m taking part in this challenge, yasee? And I really am not sure what I’m going to read. Thanks to everyone who commented on my previous post. Life is galloping along at a breakneck pace, and probably will continue to do so until after Halloween. So I figure that I probably could have the last Harry Potter book as one of my books, since I’m about 220 pages in and don’t anticipate being able to finish it until Labor Day, at least.

I’m considering using Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, simply because of its size. About 2 years ago I’d gotten about halfway through it, then set it down for some reason and never picked it back up. More for the size of the book then any other reason. At 928 pages, its fairly daunting.

But then the recommendations for Neil Gaiman have been nearly unanimous. I’ve liked what I’ve read by him, so I am going to look for one of his books. Its probably going to depend on what I can check out of the library, but American Gods or Fragile Things look like good possibilities.

Jonathan Carroll’s Land of Laughs is available at the library here. Yay! I think that is definitely going to be one of my books for this challenge.

And one that has been recommended elsewhere, but not mentioned in Carl’s blog is Max Brooks World War Z. After participating briefly in the BLITEOTW challenge, I feel like its required to have a zombie entry.

Another good possibility is Dan Simmon’s The Terror. It looks to be just right for this challenge.

All of these books are ones that I’ve not read or finished. I probably will look at re-reading Bram Stoker’s Dracula, possibly Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot or the Shining, Children of Night by Dan Simmons. They’ll be fun for the season too.

Surfing Blog tags,

Or a study in random occurences.

One of the tags I like to check out is Books. It is a fascinating look at what other folks may be reading. You never know what you may run across. There are folks who will very eruditely discuss the classics that they are reading or re-reading. There are folks who are propping up furniture with books that reach the specific dimension that are needed. There are folks reading trashy novels, and art books, and detective stories, and everything across the spectrum. Its a never ending surprise to see what is there today.

Did I get the URL’s for these blogs to pass along? Of course not. It figures. Do your own tag surf and see what pops up!

I haven’t had much of a chance to read lately

So the fellowship of the ring has just entered Moria, and they are moving through the mines in the dark. They have just found the tomb of Balin, and are trying to figure out the best way to get to the doors.

No big or deep discussions here, just reading for the stories!

Reading update, January 9, 2007

Well, the hobbits have made it to Rivendell, and the Elrond’s council is meeting. The book goes pretty fast even though I’m only reading a couple of pages a night.

I’ve went to Books a Million yesterday to pick up the a gift for a friend. While I was there, I checked out the bargain books that are marked down. I found a compilation of stories by Firebird Books with stories by Patricia McKillip, Lloyd Alexander, Emma Bull, and many other authors. The anthology is called Firebirds, an Anthology of Original Fantasy and Science Fiction. Patricia McKillip is on my “always read” list. It looks to be a great collection. This book will be read soon!