Maybe This Time

I just finished Maybe This Time.
Jenny, I just knew there had to be a twist.  There had to be something...something...it just couldn't end so easily. Especially when I saw on my Kindle that I had 6% left.
You were going to do something with the heroine.
And I was not disappointed.
I hadn't even figured it out.
And, Jenny, that last little bit at the very end....nice...very nice.
Thanks for an enjoyable time.
Now back to Hunger Games and the world as we don't want it.

Maybe This Time

I'm nearly finished with Jennifer Crusie's latest romance and I've been enjoying it. It's a wonderful mixture of odd characters, humor and ghosts.

The beginning bothered me a little. The heroine decides to give her ex-husband back all of his alimony checks - years worth. I just wondered why she waited so long and why he didn't realize that they hadn't been cashed....

But that was the only fly in a great read - true to Crusie-form.

Tomorrow I will count up the number of books for September and the total since July. I should have Maybe This Time to add to the count by then

I Love Romance

So I'm reading Jennifer Crusie's new book, Maybe This Time.
Jenny seems to be going back to a light gothic theme - "governess" in a falling down mansion, children with issues and even an odd housekeeper - with her usual humor and love triangle. I'm enjoying this book but I have one problem.
The heroine is 34 years old. Now I know the "romance industry" like younger protagonists - except for the cougar younger man, older woman - and even those "older" women have to be around 40.
With few exceptions there are almost no books about an older couple finding a passionate romance - an older couple say...in their 60s.
I think I'll write that book during NaNo. It may never get published but at least it will get written.
And I have the "marketing"  platform for it, too.

A Day without Reading

I was so tired that I slept 14 hours - from 8 PM until 10 AM with breaks for bathroom and telephone calls - to call off from work. My cough was worse and I needed some time just to rest.

I didn't read and I didn't write anything except a short blog. I couldn't concentrate long enough.

I just watched hours of recorded X-Files, jotting down story ideas when they came to me. I hardly ate, either - mostly a bowl of cereal and lately a bowl of fat-free, sugar-free ice cream.

Watching another X-File before going to bed - always good to get the creative juices flowing - in my sleep.

Changing Themes

Lately I've been reading books with dark themes. Today I started something different: Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie.

I've been a Crusie fan for years -before she became a big name - even before she began writing with Bob Mayer. Crusie mixes romance with humor and gives the reader a heroine that is feisty, smart and ready to fight for love.

So in addition to listening to Patterson's London Bridges this week, I'll be reading a romance.

It's not I don't have romance or humor in my life - I have my Morgan. I just need a little Crusie.

Quietus by Vivian Schilling

I finally finished Quietus, the very disturbing dark novel about destiny.
One of the overriding themes of the book was the ancient legend of the Nephilim. This morning I found a NaturalPlane blog in my email. The lead-off article was about these beings.

The novel was disturbing because it left one's destiny to fate. Ouietus's story:  If one is supposed to die at a certain time and didn't, then the beings from the underworld would return for you at another time. Kylie O'Rourke's trip through death, life and then another pending death.

Blurbs on the cover and inside the book compare it to King or Koontz.
Maybe.
At 600 pages it was as long as either one of those author's recent books. However, I would have edited this book down. Psychological drama can be more tense when the writing is spare.

Now saying that, I also have to admit that the writing, the characters, the theme caused me several difficult nights - especially if I'd read it right before going to bed.

I could find only one other book written by Schilling, Sacred Prey. Her website states that this book, about a murderer who must seek his own redemption, was optioned by Warner Brothers. Scared Prey was published in 1994 and Quietus in 2002.

I hope we hear more from Schilling. I can stand a few more sleepless nights.

Saying Good-bye to Stockholm

I finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest today and I realized that maybe it was Blomkvist, the investigative reporter, that interested me. Fifty-some years ago I wanted to be a reporter. As a teenager I wanted to go to college, major in journalism with a minor in political science. I remember reading the Washington Post before going to school, thinking I wanted to be one of its writers. Sometimes I joke that I could have been Woodward or Bernstein.

Was the Blomkvist character autobiographical for Larsson? After reading articles about Larsson's own crusading journalism, I would have to say yes.

So maybe it was Blomkvist, the journalist, not Lisbeth, the computer-savant. Maybe Blomkvist represented a lost dream - what I once wanted to be.

Maybe it's Blomkvist I'll miss and not Lisbeth.

I loved Lisbeth but I wanted to be Blomkvist.

The Book I'm Not Reading....

Right now it's Quietus.
I'd actually forgotten about it and found it in my suitcase from last week's business trip.
The theme disturbs me. The writing is good enough to move the story along, but the theme...
I have nightmares and wake up in the middle of sleep after reading it.
Maybe I'll go back to it this evening or maybe I'll just stay in Stockholm.
I hate not finishing a book when I'm 3/4 of the way through it. So I'll take a deep breath and dive in again and wait for the bad dreams.

Reading as a Writer

Yesterday I mentioned that Suzanne Collins' series, The Hunger Games, began with a Shirley Jackson-type lottery.
That got me to thinking about how kernels of stories get implanted in one's brain to grow into a story.
I've been listening to Patterson's London Bridges and had a brainstorm for a long short story. I immediately wrote the thought down, not wanting it to escape into the dark reaches of the inner space of my brain.

It is a rare book that is written so well that I don't act as an editor...at least at times.
I even find myself editing Stieg Larsson at times. But I must admit that if the story moves and moves me, I ignore some things that could throw me.

One of the differences I've noted between most male and female writers is head-hopping: going through at least two different points of view without a transition. Nora Roberts can do it, but she does it seamlessly and you're not left wondering who's talking/thinking. Some male writers, not so smoothly. I'm not sure why that happens, unless many female writers have been taught certain "rules" of writing as professed by the educators in Romance Writers of America - make sure your reader can tell the POV.

I want to finish The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and the first book of The Hunger Games this weekend - two very unusual and disturbing books - but two books about strong women.

And I want to start on that short story.

The Future...

A couple of weeks ago I started Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games.  I wanted to read the much bally-hooed The Mockingjay, the third in the series and thought I should began at the beginning. So I started Collins' futurist YA novel. Unfortunately I then got involved with Lisbeth Salander in Stockholm. But as Lisbeth's story is winding down, I returned to Collins' futuristic world and I'm very disturbed by it.
Collins' future is not rosy. It's bleak and divided into "Districts" - some wealthy and others poor - very poor.
These Districts run a Shirley Jackson-type lottery to determine what two teenagers will be sent to The Capitol to via in The Hunger Games - to the death. The winner's district and, more importantly his/her family, receive benefits, including food.
So that's Collins' future in The Hunger Games series, a future where people fight to the death for food.
Anyone remember Les Miserables or any of Dickens' darker stories?  Is this really "back to the future"?
Collins' heroine, Kasnip" is well-rounded and at a young age works daily to put food on her family's table. She volunteers to be the District's entrant into the "Games" so save her younger sister, who had "won" the lottery.

 Image from www.blingcheese.com

Collins takes Shirley Jackson's story to the max in this well-written and exciting series - as many YA novels are these days. This is a great lesson for writers - take a classic and stand it on it's ear.
I will be going back to the future as soon as I can get myself out of Stockholm.

Sunday was a day to rest...

Well, that's my excuse for missing a day.
But I did read. I immersed myself in Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest again. I'm beginning to understand Lisbeth and why I'm drawn to her - why Larsson is drawn to her.
To be blunt: "She takes no s--t from no one."
Even when she had little money she didn't bow to anyone for a job.
She does what's right for Lisbeth; not only because it's right for her, but it's what's...well...right.
For Lisbeth Salander there is no gray - only black or white,
She's a vigilante in the purest sense of the word. In Larsson's books she becomes a vigilante because her world is violated. In another time, in another country, I can see her being a gunslinger roaming the West, making wrongs right.
I admire another thing about her - her computer abilities.
Even in my dotage I love my electronic toys - my Blackberry, my Kindle, my laptop.
I love Skype and seeing Heather 3000 miles away.
I would love to have Lisbeth's computer talents. I don't know what I would do with them - maybe just exactly what Lisbeth does.

And then there's Blomkvist, the crusading journalist, who may be fashioned on Larsson himself.
Fifty years ago I wanted to go to college, to major in journalism with a minor in political science with my teenage goal to write for the Washington Post.
We all know that didn't happen. I went to nursing school and the "rest is history." Well, maybe not big history, but my history. That could be another reason why I'm drawn to these books, not just Lisbeth but Blomkvist.
Once upon a time I wanted to be him.
Now I want to be her.

My next book to finish for September will be The Hunger Games....disturbling.

Saturday Evening

The TV's turned off.
The laundry's done.
The cats have been fed.
The garbage has been gathered for the dumpster.
It's quiet and calm...
It's time for me to return to Stockholm and Lisbeth.
Maybe it's time for me to really think about why these books resonate with me so much...why Lisbeth seems so real to me.
Maybe that's the sign of a great story - a plot, a character, a theme that haunts you even when you're not reading the book.
Larsson had ideas for at least ten books in this series - or at least that's what's been reported. I would have read every one and one right after the other.
Such a loss.  I wonder what other themes and characters are now lost to us.
Don't worry - next month I may be on to another author, another series.
But Lisbeth will haunt me always.

Too Tired to Read?

Yes - that was me last night.
I was exhausted from work and just vegged in front of Law and Order and Bones.

However, the drive across Pennsylvania back home today was made better by listening to James Patterson and Andrew Gross' Judge and Jury. I enjoyed the story - not as predictable as some of Patterson, et al's other mysteries, although I am getting a bit ticked off with the Italian-as-mob stories - even though I loved The Sopranos. Maybe it's just that I've reached a saturation point.

Judge and Jury encouraged me to go right to London Bridges, another Alex Cross mystery by Patterson, one I haven't "read".

So even though I was too tired to read last night, I still got my book fix for today.

The Sinister Pig

I finished Tony Hillerman's Sinister Pig.  I'd missed this one in my "reading" of Hillerman's Navajo mysteries and didn't know how Bernie and Jim finally, finally got together - this book explains it. Luckily Bernie did not need rescuing from a dangerous situation; she'd done that herself. The only thing she needed was to know that Jim really loved her.

I can relate. Some of us have a hard time saying those words. I think it's because it's admitting that you're turning over part of your life to someone else, making you vulnerable. Opening yourself up to another, to give your heart to someone and ultimately give your life over to someone can be a difficult thing to do.

I know. After many many years, I'm doing it.
Did Jim Cee have trust issues?
Did Lisbeth Salander?
Did Mitzi Flyte?

Count...so far...

I'll do another one at the end of this month. But so far, I've listened to/read 16 books since the beginning of this countdown in July - a bit less than I have to do in a quarter to make my 100 book goal.

Lisbeth and Me

 (Picture from the Swedish film: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

I admit it: I'm fascinated with Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander.

Do we have anything in common?
Lisbeth is Swedish, thin to the point of anorexic and petite.
I'm from an Italian background, chubby and tall.
Lisbeth is bisexual.
I'm heterosexual.
Lisbeth has abilities that make her an invaluable investigator.
I have none of those abilities.
Lisbeth trusts no one.
I trust everyone.

Maybe she fascinates me because of the differences...maybe.
But even more than that I love the fact that she's been independent and fought for her rights since she was 12. She bowed to no one. Larsson writes her as a person with a strong sense of who she is and how she fits into a world that gave her no reason to trust anyone; therefore, leaving her to live a life alone.

The life alone has always been a favorite theme of mine. I've written several short stories about it: a man living on the median of a highway, a woman who lives in a secret room under a library, a woman who walls herself into her apartment to keep herself safe from the outside world. In fact Larsson has Lisbeth do just that metaphorically - wall herself away from others, keeping her distance - because of the lack of trust.

Maybe I secretly long for that room lined with books, an easy chair and a good reading lamp. No one to bother me; a cat on my lap. But is it more than that?

Maybe if I was in my twenties now, I would be more like her and less like...well...like me. Maybe if I'd had the abusive family life...well, more abusive...like Lisbeth. My rebellion in the middle 1960s was to be a Beatle fan. My rebellion if I were in my twenties today? The piercings, the tattoos, the solitary life.

The solitary life? Living inside one's head, inside a computer, inside books.
Even now, at 63, I can see how enticing that can be...

Lisbeth has a dragon tattoo.
I have a tattoo but of the Triple Goddess.
Okay - similarity.
 And I can see myself living inside my head...

What Stieg Larsson is Teaching Me about Sweden...

I'm half-way through The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I'm devouring it. I love the action and suspense and I bonded with Lisbeth 2 books ago. (More on that in a later post). But I'm also learning about Sweden - something I wouldn't have spent time doing if not for Stieg (and yes, I can call him by his first name - I feel I know him that well now).

Stieg's descriptions of Sweden, specific neighborhoods in Stockholm and vacation areas in the countryside, make me want to visit. I've never had a desire to go to Sweden. I mean like I'm a chubby dark-haired old second generation Italian. Do I really want to be walking around among tall, blond, good-looking Swedes? Uh...like..no. But now....I would love to spend time in a cabin in the Swedish countryside. Besides, I now know how to use a compost toilet (one of the appliances mentioned when Stieg writes about the cabins).I want to walk through Lisbeth's neighborhood, Blomkvist's neighborhood, see the building that houses Millennium magazine - all fictional, of course but the neighborhoods are real.

However, Sweden, as viewed by Stieg Larsson, seems to be a hot-bed of political intrigue - more so than the US, even today. This could be a result of Stieg's many years of political activism and journalism. The books do express his political ideals.

Still, I would like to eventually visit Sweden - maybe even take one of The Girl Who tours.

Now...just what do Lisbeth and Mitzi have in common...lots.

A Quick Note

I sat in a rest stop on the PA Turnpike reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest on my Kindle!
I was so absorbed in the story and my neat device that I almost forgot to get back on the road.
Now I'm reading on it in the hotel.
I LOVE it!

Traveling with a Kindle

I'm on the road today - to the Pittsburgh area for work.
I'm almost packed but need to gather up all of my chargers for what Heather calls a "bag o' cables." I have two Blackberrys - work and personal just because I like keeping that separate. Now I have the Kindle charger.
When I travel for work, I also travel with two laptops, for the same reason I have two Blackberrys (even more so because of potential HIPA violations if something untoward from work goes out to my private list) - so I have those cables, too. I'm going to put all charging cables in my personal laptop bag, except for the work laptop - will keep all of that together.
Geesh - you think I was working for national security with all of this stuff.
But back to the Kindle: I'm looking forward to traveling with my new flat friend. I love the idea of having many books at my fingertips while I'm 300 miles from home.
If I want to be serious, I'll go to Pride and Prejudice. If I want to see what's happening to Lisbeth, I'll click on The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. If I want a bit of romance, I have Maybe this Time. If I want something entirely different and I don't have it...well, I just go online on my Kindle.
BTW: Morgan's is on its way. Soon my cowboy, shootist will be reading Louis L'Amour on his own Kindle. I have a picture in my head of a cowboy on his horse, Kindle in hand.

The Problem with Books....

What problem could there be with books- especially for a constant reader?
Well, the problem is: What to do with all of them....
Morgan built book shelves on his sun porch to move books from his den. He also bought a bookcase...er...another bookcase. He's been finding more and more books, books he doesn't want to give up...give away.
I know his pain. I purged bags and bags of books before I moved two years ago and I still have four large bookcases and several smaller bookcases - full bookcases. One bookcase is dedicated to books of my friends - of course those will never be given away. I tend to keep my hardcovers and give away my paperbacks, unless they're research-type, nonfiction books...those I keep.
At a mystery writers conference I met a couple who said their home looked like a library - not bookcases against the walls - bookcases in rows in the middle of the rooms. Sometimes I don't think that's such a bad idea. Rows of books, several comfy chairs and good lights. What's wrong with that? Really?
I love genre fiction, almost any genre. Morgan loves westerns and historical fiction.
I just gave myself a Kindle (my birthday present to myself).
Morgan said, "If all of Louis L'Amour's books can be found on Kindle then I'll get one."
Well, sweetie, guess what?
They are and guess what you're getting for YOUR birthday. Your very own Kindle.
Our Kindles will, hopefully, keep our home from looking too much like a library, at least not like a library with ROWS of bookcases.

The Meaning of Today

I had an idea for a blog post today when I woke up but when I remembered what today was, I decided to change my idea.

As you probably realize, gentle reader, I have a home full of books. Many of those books are esoteric, unusual subjects. Many are about an ancient religion with a new name, Wicca. My Wicca books sit alongside my Bibles. I don't find that at all a problem. The religions of Jehovah were based in the very beginnings of my religion, many thousands of years ago.

I firmly believe in many paths to a Single Source. I believe that you can be lead along that path by The Great Spirit, Grandmother Spiderwoman, Jesus, Jehovah, Goddess, Mohamed, Buddha.... It makes no difference; as long as you follow the teachings of that belief. All of these religions honor life, nature and family - is there anything else?

Sometimes when I need a reminder of my beliefs, I go to one of those books.

This morning, I went to my Bible (a witch who reads the Bible - who knew?) and just opened a page in the New Testament:

My doctrine is not mine but he who sent me.*

John 7-16

And then I opened another book: Apprentice to Power: A Wiccan Odyssey to Spiritual Awakening by Timothy Roderick:

Chaos: From immediate experience comes powerful knowledge.

Do we really know who sent the Teacher Jesus, or the Prophet Mohamed for that matter? The American Indians call him/her The Great Spirit. I call her/him Goddess. Others call him Allah. The important thing is the message. 

Belief in a higher power. Love each other. Respect the earth and those on it.

I pray that we can learn from our "immediate experience".

* The word "he" was not capitalized in my Bible (The Holy Bible, Illustrated Rainbow Edition I received in Sunday School many, many years ago.)

Reading with My Ears

Years ago I started driving across Pennsylvania for my job as a quality assurance nurse for a company that owns nursing homes throughout the state. I discovered that driving on the PA Turnpike and Rt. 80 was mind-numbing and after several hours, even listening to my beloved Beatles got boring.

I decided to start listening to books on tape (and now CD) while on my business trips. I've even collected audio books of a mystery series: Lillian Jackson Braun's The Cat Who...series.   My darling daughter started me on this series, usually read by George Guidall. I fell in love with the characters and they helped me survive five to six hours of driving. The Stephanie Plum series by Jane Evanovich also became a favorite. I remember listening to one book right after breaking up with my long-term boyfriend and laughing out loud for the first time in days.

Tony Hillerman's Navajo/ Four Corners books became favorites, too. Morgan just gave me The Sinister Pig and I'm having a great time listening to the trials of Bernie Manuelito as a Border Patrol officer chasing down "coyotes" and illegal immigrants - very timely. I've been following the lives of "The Legendary Lt. Joe Leaphorn" and Jim Cee and learning about the area of the Navajo rez and the Navajo way for many years. I mourned Hillerman's death (like I'm mourning Larsson's) - I wanted more stories; selfish of me, I know.

Audio books helped me discover Lisa Scottoline, Linda Fairstein, J. A. Jance, three of my favorite mystery authors. Scottoline's themes are close to a woman's heart and Fairstein gives you New York City politics and history along with mystery. Many of Jance's mysteries are set in the Seattle area, a place that I've come to love.

As a writer I found that listening to books imprinted (almost magically) on my brain plotting, dialogue, pacing. The best audio book for writers, one I listen to at least once a year, is Stephen King's On Writing. This book, audio or print, should be required reading for every would-be-writer.

When I no longer have to drive across the state, I'll still be "reading with my ears."

Note to Self...

Do NOT read Shilling's Quietus before going to bed.

I did it last month while staying at the cabin with Morgan and again last night. And during both nights I hardly slept; I tossed and turned, woke up frequently; and did not get that deep refreshing sleep I needed.

The word quietus means a finishing and that's how Shilling uses it in the title. This is a book about finishing something that wasn't completed. The thing not completed was death. But there is another underlying theme, connection. We are all connected and what happens to one, ultimately affects us all. Shilling notes this idea with the quote:

  

There is not any present moment that is unconnected with some future one. 

The transition from cause to effect, from event to event, 

is often carried out by secret steps, which are foresight cannot divine

and our sagacity is unable to trace.

Joseph Addison 1723

(I'm watching the news while writing this and there is an outcry about the burning of the Qu'ran and I'm reminded of the sense of connection - what that act will do to all of us, either now or later.)

Shilling uses the finishing and the connectivity in a very personal sense. What would happen if one was supposed to die, but didn't. If during that time right before "death" we would have a vision of those that come for us. However, when we are brought back from the brink, those "watcher", guardians, earthly angels, may still hover, waiting or working for the finishing, the quietus, that was denied them - our death.

And what about the connection? If those who are supposed to have died still live and connect with others, does that connectivity cause problems? What are the results of those unintended-by-fate problems? Have we changed the world just because we survived?

Shilling's prose is vivid, at times a bit purple but mostly effective in telling the story of several people who cheated death in a small plane crash.

But the varying themes of connection, death, loss, along with passages about medieval death art can lead to sleepless nights.

Although I'm also reading The Hunger Games (more on that in a later post), I think I need a change of pace soon.  Jennifer Crusie's Maybe this Time is waiting in my Kindle. Time for some romance.

September 8 - Stieg

Sometimes I wake up thinking about Morgan, my significant other, which makes him sound a bit paranormal (not necessarily false).
Today I woke up thinking about Stieg - Stieg Larsson.

I didn't order the biography. I don't need another book to read. But I really wanted to know about the man who'd written so eloquently about violence against women. So last night I decided to Google him.
I found:
A New York Times Article
A Huffington Post Article on the fourth (unfinished?) novel

There's other, many other, articles but I had the time to read these two. I'm not surprised at the intrigue surrounding his estate and the unfinished book. Of course, it's a multimillion dollar venture. I read that Larsson felt he was securing his and his partner's retirement by writing this series (that he'd envision as ten books)*, but I doubt if he thought it would ever be like this. And I doubt if he thought his family and the woman he loved would be squabbling over the money - past, present and future. But, of course, he didn't think he would die at 50.
What does this teach me, another writer, hopefully with a series one day:
1. Don't smoke and eat fast food
2. Try to stay in shape
3. Have a will
What did I learn about Stieg Larsson, the man?
He was someone who didn't compromise his ideals. He made sure he was true to those ideals. He fought for them until his death and wove them into his books.
I should be so good a person.

*Stieg and JK: They both envisioned a series of books with twist and turns. How did they do it? Can I do it? Can I tap into the uncharted territory of my own brain - the area Stephen King calls "the boys in the basement" or my "girls in the kitchen"? I need to think about that some more.

A Change of Pace...

In between The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest and Quietus, I've been rereading Pride and Prejudice.
Of course Jane Austen's P&P is a completely different type of book. Can you say "whiplash"?
I've returned to P&P for a very good reason. The book club at work picked it and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. I'd recently read P&P&Z but wanted to refresh my memory of the original since we'll be discussing both books. And for the third or fourth time I find myself once again drawn into the world of the Bennetts, Bingleys, Darcys, et al.
In the course of reading P&P I found the answer from Charles Bingley when asked by his sister about a ball at Netherfield Park*:

"As for the ball, it is quite a settled thing;
and as soon as Nicholls has made white soup enough
I shall send round my cards."

Just what is "white soup" and why was it important? Well, according to The Jane Austen Centre , white soup was a very fashionable Regency dish served at balls. The Centre's website included the recipe and I considered making it, but I don't eat veal and I'm not that fond of chicken. And besides that would, at least right now, be too much like Julie making Julia Child's recipes. But I did bookmark the site for another time.

And now back to Stockholm...   

* I really must find out the meaning of that name. 

September 7 - Disturbing

I may be using that word frequently this month.
In addition to The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, I've been reading Quietus by Vivian Shilling.
I found Shilling's book while foraging through a used book sale for the Oley Valley Community Library.
There is no Oley Library, hence the book sale. I also bought the memorial edition of Profiles in Courage (immediately borrowed by Olivia). I started reading Quietus in August. I'm still reading it - unusual for me.
It's taken me weeks because the story is...well...disturbing. It's not blood and guts; it's psychological and that's more difficult to get through.
As for the writing: if Shilling were a bit more spare with her words/descriptions, this book would be a literary gothic like The Little Stranger. But even with the small albeit amateurish problems, it's the kind of book that gives you bad dreams.
It gave me bad dreams one night while Morgan and I were staying in the cabin in the woods. I love the cabin. I love the woods and the sounds of the night and the absolute darkness. But this night I'd fallen asleep reading Shillington's book and the disturbing dreams...the nightmares...came. I rarely have nightmares, vivid dreams, yes, nightmares, no.
Quietus gave me nightmares. That's why I'm taking my time reading it.
But I am still reading it before I go to sleep.

The Almost Daily Blog Begins...September 6

September began with The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. I cannot say enough about this series and this author. I read this book in less than a week. I couldn't stop. I've come to love Lisbeth in my own way and understand her, even though she wouldn't like that. I found the premise of this book disturbing - I find violence against anyone disturbing. Lisbeth as vigilante was a scenario that I enjoyed even though it bothered me - how's that for schizophrenia. I could do that, I thought. I could do what she did, out of anger, out of frustration, out of revenge, out of justice.

I've already started The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I'm ambivalent about reading this book. I know it's the last one although I've read that Larsson had notes for at least seven more. I want to keep on reading, but I don't want the book to end. How many books have I read in my life like that? Too many to count. I have found a favorite author and he's dead, too soon.

I hate when that happens. So I'll go to Amazon and get The Man Who Left Too Soon.

August Reads

1. The Lost City - Clive Cussler, et al. This was another NOMA-centered story and Cussler has become a formula-writer, or his partners have. I still enjoy listening to these books and every so often they lead me to a new idea; however, still not as well-written or exciting as the Preston/Child books. (see #2).

2. Thunderhead - Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child. This was the second book I read on my Blackberry - which I found was not a difficult thing to do, especially this book. I've always been fascinated with the Anaszi, the Ancient Ones, and how they lived and then suddenly disappeared in the American Southwest. This book is not an exciting thriller but it shows the reader how an archeological study is performed - from beginning to almost-end. Because of this book, I bought two other books about the Anaszi, one by Douglas Preston and Morgan and I are planning a trip to that area when I retire.

3. The Codex- Douglas Preston. Can you tell I'm a huge fan? This was the third Blackberry book. I picked this one because the plot centers around finding a Mayan Codex that has been reburied. My own book, The Last Prophecy, (which I'm revising) also mentions a Mayan Codex. This is another thriller - a bit of archeology and with a lot of anthropology thrown in. I do pick books that have themes that interest me.

4. Cross- James Patterson. I listened to Cross again. I rarely repeat books, there's just too many. But I fell in love with Alex Cross from the first book and, along with The Cat Who books, reread/listen to them. Actually I listened to this in preparation for Double Cross. I think the Cross series was the best Patterson has done and when he branched out and/or let others "assist" he lost me. I want more of Alex. Heck, if I didn't have Morgan, I would love to have Alex - although it's just getting past NanaMomma that would be the problem.

5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson. I admit that I started this book out of curiosity. I know the man's dead and that gives it a hint of mystery. And set in Sweden? Pfft...boooor-ing. I know it's been on the best seller list for umpteen weeks, so I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Even though I felt the beginning was a bit slow, I stuck with it and boy! am I glad I did. I loved, loved, loved this book. I couldn't wait to get back to reading it. I fell into it - just what I love to do with a book. I found myself admiring Lisbeth, a social outcast (Hmm? Sisters under the tattoo?). I found myself wanting to read more. Damn, the man, uping and dying like that. How many great books have we lost because of that. Damn, you Stieg. You should have stopped smoking years ago! I'm now going to get a biography about him. I may even visit...gasp! Sweden because of him...

Now onto September and The Girl Who Played with Fire (you knew I would HAVE to read that next).

Why I'm a Voracious Reader

I guess I could blame summer heat and my mother.

When I was growing up in Laurel, Maryland in the 1950s not too many places were air-conditioned. The Laurel move theater had a huge sign stating that it was - a great boon to sales. Our little family apartment over the barbershop was certainly not air-conditioned and on hot summer days, Mom would take me and my little sister, Pattie, a couple of blocks up Main Street to the Laurel Library - it was air conditioned.
I still can remember how the library looked and smelled. I remember the feel and the smell of the small red books for children. I still remember exactly where The Witch of Blackbird Pond (my very favorite young adult book when I was in my tweens) was shelved.
Until I was eight years old and we moved away, the library was within walking distance of our apartment and a place I could go any time. I learned to love books. I learned to love reading.

As I grew up (and grew out) books became my friends. I had "real" friends, of course, I was bright and funny. But I was also overweight. My teenage years were not peppered with dates and fun times. I rarely went out with friends. I would stay home and read. I read and read and read. I've been told that my large collection of books could be a form of protection - walls of books to keep people outside.

Or maybe I just love to read and value the books I've read.  I don't read as opposed to having a social life, so I don't believe in the wall of books theory.
I read because I enjoy reading.
I read because books and their authors take me to places and times I've never been to - may never get to.
I read because it's fun.

July's Books

1. Sizzling Sixteen - Janet Evanovich.
The Stephanie Plum series is one of my favorites but by number 16, I'm waiting for Steph to just frickin' grow up and make a choice between Ranger and Morelli. However, I did laugh out loud - which I like while listening to an audiobook. And my very favorite character, the one who makes each book, is Lula.

2. Atlantis Revelation - This is the third in Thomas Greanais' series. I love thrillers (hence my love affair with Preston/Child's books - together and separately) and I loved the first two - but I wanted more Atlantis...well...uh...revelations. It was still an exciting read. I'm hoping for more.

3. Apartment 16 - I bought Adam Nevill's book at Heathrow Airport and read it on a long, boring flight home across the Atlantic. It was scary and at times fascinating but Nevill doesn't yet present the characterizations that make Stephen King's books frighteningly real. I love being scared - especially 30, 000 ft up.

4. Ice Cold - Tess Gerritsen. Tess Gerritsen got me into Cosmos - well, almost. I saw her at an RWA conference and she was carrying this lovely pink drink and I asked her what it was. She looked at me like I was nuts - like: "everyone drinks Cosmos." I had yet to see Sex in the City - no HBO. Anyway, this book was my first to read on my Blackberry. I loved the book - hot murder in winter and I loved the mobility of reading on my Blackberry. I decided on my Birthday present to myself: A Kindle.

5. Blue Medusa - Clive Cussler et al. Back to the thrillers and on audio. I enjoy most of Custler's work, but at times I think: I can draw the map of where this is going. And I'm right 99% of the time. This was no exception. It was fun listening to it but no repeats.

6. Thirteen to Life - Shannon Delany. Shannon's Morgan's daughter, a beautiful woman and a great writer. And no, I didn't have to say that. I enjoy reading what is pigeon-holed as "young adult" - sometimes the stories and the emotions are more real than in the "adult" literary world. In the age of vampires, Shannon wrote (and is writing) a series about werewolves - much warmer than vamps any day. I loved the heroine and the premise for the hero's...er...issue. Something new and something well-written.

7.The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters. Okay, I have to admit it. Nothing suits me like a good old fashion gothic - and this is more than that - this is a good old fashion literary gothic. There's that dirty word: literary. That doesn't mean anything other than this wasn't shelved in the horror section -but it damn sight could have been. It scared me. And Waters scared me without anything showing up - nothing like a ghost, a vampire, nothing...damn good book. How many times can I say damn in this blog? Damn fine book.

8. Horns - Joe Hill. Did I mention that I like to be scared? I also like to fall into a book and have a hard time climbing my way out of it. That's what happened with this book. Joe Hill is his father's son - creatively and skill-wise. I cannot wait to read all of his books as he matures. I read this book two months ago and I'm still thinking about it.

How This Will Work

Actually I have no idea.
I will attempt to blog daily - thoughts on the books I'm reading/listening to at the time and how the book(s) affect my daily life.
I'll warn you, gentle reader, that I am an eclectic sort. I'll read almost anything that looks interesting and in almost any genre. I do get on "kicks" and archeological thrillers seem to be my latest. However, I'm also a member of a book club and I don't get to pick the books, so there should be some diversity.

Since it's September and I started writing down titles and thoughts in July. I'll start with one post to cover July and one to cover August. Then we'll swing into September.

I enjoy cooking and may one day do some of Julia's recipes but reading is my passion, closely followed by writing, and I think writing about books and how what I'm reading is shaping my life is more interesting that whipping up a fondue. No offense to cookbook authors everywhere.

Reviving....

...this blog.

I've given myself a goal - a personal best: to read/listen to 100 books from July 2010 to July 2011.
I must admit I stole the idea from the "Julie" in Julia and Julie, the young woman who blogged about making one of Julia Childs' recipes every day for a year.

I never read the book but I did see the movie and although I loved Julia, I thought Julie was a bit of a self-absorbed whiner who was lucky to have a husband who allowed her a lot...a lot of emotional latitude.

Therefore, I revive this blog with the caveat: I will NOT be lying on the floor in the middle of a dozen books, having an emotional meltdown. I MAY take off June 2011 in order to meet my goal - we'll see.

So...here we go...