Bookkeeping 2006-January & First week of February
Many years ago, as a New Year's resolution I vowed to read a book a week. (Not a classy book a week mind you, just something with covers and pages in betwixt.) I kept this pledge for many years, however, in 2004 and 2005, due in large part to excessive work habits and traveling that caused/gave me an excuse to veg out in most of my free time, I fell far short of this goal, barely managing a trashy novel a month.
In 2006, I'm climbing back up on that bookshelf of reading achievement. I don't promise any enlightening reviews...but I am planning on keeping track and making notes where inspired. And if I can master italicization and lj cuts at the same time, even better. So without further ado, the first installment of:
Book Log: First week of January--not one, but two novels.
Novel in the first: End in Fire by Syne Mitchell.
Inadvertently rang in the new year with some "hard" sci-fi (according to the book jacket...had never heard this term before.) I read Syne's novel: The Changeling Plague in 2005 and got really caught up in it. That one was about a very rich man who (despite the fact that it's illegal, because it almost wiped out humanity at one point) pays someone to engineer a viral cure for cystic fibrosis. His cure is miraculous, but begins rewriting the DNA of everyone around him...oops. Initially wiping out the people who contract it, and then...something quite different and interesting. So different in fact that I won't say in case you might like to read it. I really like medical thrillers, and this one was that with a nice futuristic twist...However, that was last year. This year was End in Fire. It might surprise you to know (if you're not familiar w/ Robert Frost) that EIF is about the destruction of the world, by fire. In this case in the form of nuclear weapons. Syne keeps trying to kill us all fictionally, but she's a really smart, crafty writer so I won't take it too personally. The story focuses on several teams of astronauts who see the destruction from space and have to figure out how/if to go back. As in The Changeling Plague one of the main protagonists is a smart woman scientist, and I approve of that. Even if Sister Roberta (who later left the sisterhood, not due to me...probably) did ruin Chemistry for me by answering the only scientifically serious inquiry I made in high school with the phrase "I hardly think we have time to listen to your japes in this class, Christine." I wasn't japing (that time.) But I realized that science wasn't for me. I was much more interested in the word "jape", and the rest is run-on sentences. I liked EIF though the characters were sometimes frustrating. I do plan to read more Syne. Plus I like her name.
Novel in the second: Serenity by Keith R.A. DeCandido
This is (from the cover): "A novel...based on the motion picture screenplay by Joss Whedon." Indeed it was. If you've seen the movie, the book is an accurate account there of, with added background, foreground and some scenes/dialogue that presumably were cut/changed from the movie? I'm curious about one or two things in the book and how/why they were included...I've never read a novel based on a movie before, and I liked this one, but perhaps for the same reason that I made my mom read to me from D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths for three years running when I was a kid, because the stories became so familiar and loved to me, I kept wanting to hear them, even after I knew them by heart. I have a loose/unorganized something in mind for a Firefly fanfic this year. I've never tried before, but it might be fun.
Book Log: Second week of January
The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
This one had the DaVinci stink all over it, which is why my mom knew that I would get sucked in and bought it for me for Christmas. It was what I expected, a speculative thriller with chills, spills, gun battles and Borzois (Also called Russian Wolfhounds.) This had some interesting Russian/Soviet historical facts thrown in among the romance/intrigue and villain so obvious the hero and heroine must have been the only people in the galaxy who didn't notice him twisting the ends of his handlebar mustachio and laughing maniacally...
Book Log: Third week of January
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
I wish I could write a line one-tenth as funny as this one, from the story called Six to Eight Black Men: "A Dutch parent has a decidedly hairier story to relate, telling his children [on Christmas Eve], 'Listen, you might want to pack a few of your things together before going to bed. The former bishop of Turkey [Dutch Santa...] will be coming tonight along with six to eight black men [no one in Holland could confirm a more exact #]. They might put some candy in your shoes, they might stuff you into a sack and take you to Spain, or they might just pretend to kick you. We don't know for sure, but we want you to be prepared." The coolest thing is that I've listed to David Sedaris reading so many of his stories aloud (The David Sedaris Box Set was the best money I ever spent) that I now hear his voice whenever I read anything by him. He's beautiful, one of my favorite writers and brother to Amy, so doubly awesome.
Book Log: Fourth week of January (Because as Barbie says, "Math is hard", I'm going to act like each month has four evenly spaced weeks--whatever that means...sounds like more of that "hard sci-fi" to me...)
The Amber Room by Steve Berry
It is with great shame that I report to purchasing and reading another Steve Berry novel. Trashy, yes. Nazis, check. Great gobs of glowing amber, of course!
Book Log: First week of February
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Technically a novella. Surprisingly sweet, lyrical even in some respects. Definitely a love story. I feel kind of teary eyed just thinking about it. I haven't seen the movie, but plan on doing so when it comes out on DVD.
Stay tuned next week for details on: The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg...
In 2006, I'm climbing back up on that bookshelf of reading achievement. I don't promise any enlightening reviews...but I am planning on keeping track and making notes where inspired. And if I can master italicization and lj cuts at the same time, even better. So without further ado, the first installment of:
Book Log: First week of January--not one, but two novels.
Novel in the first: End in Fire by Syne Mitchell.
Inadvertently rang in the new year with some "hard" sci-fi (according to the book jacket...had never heard this term before.) I read Syne's novel: The Changeling Plague in 2005 and got really caught up in it. That one was about a very rich man who (despite the fact that it's illegal, because it almost wiped out humanity at one point) pays someone to engineer a viral cure for cystic fibrosis. His cure is miraculous, but begins rewriting the DNA of everyone around him...oops. Initially wiping out the people who contract it, and then...something quite different and interesting. So different in fact that I won't say in case you might like to read it. I really like medical thrillers, and this one was that with a nice futuristic twist...However, that was last year. This year was End in Fire. It might surprise you to know (if you're not familiar w/ Robert Frost) that EIF is about the destruction of the world, by fire. In this case in the form of nuclear weapons. Syne keeps trying to kill us all fictionally, but she's a really smart, crafty writer so I won't take it too personally. The story focuses on several teams of astronauts who see the destruction from space and have to figure out how/if to go back. As in The Changeling Plague one of the main protagonists is a smart woman scientist, and I approve of that. Even if Sister Roberta (who later left the sisterhood, not due to me...probably) did ruin Chemistry for me by answering the only scientifically serious inquiry I made in high school with the phrase "I hardly think we have time to listen to your japes in this class, Christine." I wasn't japing (that time.) But I realized that science wasn't for me. I was much more interested in the word "jape", and the rest is run-on sentences. I liked EIF though the characters were sometimes frustrating. I do plan to read more Syne. Plus I like her name.
Novel in the second: Serenity by Keith R.A. DeCandido
This is (from the cover): "A novel...based on the motion picture screenplay by Joss Whedon." Indeed it was. If you've seen the movie, the book is an accurate account there of, with added background, foreground and some scenes/dialogue that presumably were cut/changed from the movie? I'm curious about one or two things in the book and how/why they were included...I've never read a novel based on a movie before, and I liked this one, but perhaps for the same reason that I made my mom read to me from D'Aulaires Book of Greek Myths for three years running when I was a kid, because the stories became so familiar and loved to me, I kept wanting to hear them, even after I knew them by heart. I have a loose/unorganized something in mind for a Firefly fanfic this year. I've never tried before, but it might be fun.
Book Log: Second week of January
The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry
This one had the DaVinci stink all over it, which is why my mom knew that I would get sucked in and bought it for me for Christmas. It was what I expected, a speculative thriller with chills, spills, gun battles and Borzois (Also called Russian Wolfhounds.) This had some interesting Russian/Soviet historical facts thrown in among the romance/intrigue and villain so obvious the hero and heroine must have been the only people in the galaxy who didn't notice him twisting the ends of his handlebar mustachio and laughing maniacally...
Book Log: Third week of January
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
I wish I could write a line one-tenth as funny as this one, from the story called Six to Eight Black Men: "A Dutch parent has a decidedly hairier story to relate, telling his children [on Christmas Eve], 'Listen, you might want to pack a few of your things together before going to bed. The former bishop of Turkey [Dutch Santa...] will be coming tonight along with six to eight black men [no one in Holland could confirm a more exact #]. They might put some candy in your shoes, they might stuff you into a sack and take you to Spain, or they might just pretend to kick you. We don't know for sure, but we want you to be prepared." The coolest thing is that I've listed to David Sedaris reading so many of his stories aloud (The David Sedaris Box Set was the best money I ever spent) that I now hear his voice whenever I read anything by him. He's beautiful, one of my favorite writers and brother to Amy, so doubly awesome.
Book Log: Fourth week of January (Because as Barbie says, "Math is hard", I'm going to act like each month has four evenly spaced weeks--whatever that means...sounds like more of that "hard sci-fi" to me...)
The Amber Room by Steve Berry
It is with great shame that I report to purchasing and reading another Steve Berry novel. Trashy, yes. Nazis, check. Great gobs of glowing amber, of course!
Book Log: First week of February
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Technically a novella. Surprisingly sweet, lyrical even in some respects. Definitely a love story. I feel kind of teary eyed just thinking about it. I haven't seen the movie, but plan on doing so when it comes out on DVD.
Stay tuned next week for details on: The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg...