Have to say my guiltiest New York pleasure thus far is Strand Books. This week and last week I caught a matinée then walked over to peruse the $1 carts. Been picking up anthologies or collected works as reading them is inspiring writing of my own. Also found a used copy of someday this pain will be useful to you that called to me. Read it in two ( Read more... )

This meme is popping up everywhere and I felt like it was worthwhile to do. There's way too much Thomas Hardy on here for my comfort (I added strike-thru for books that I will never be read) but I was pleased to see a number I've never heard of. About to finish the original three of Brooks' Shannaras so I should work on some of these next.

( The Good Books )

My “Must Read All Terry Pratchett Books” goal got derailed when I finished the third book and didn't have the fourth. Needed something to read so I decided to reread Dune. Herbert was such an amazing author and so far ahead of his time. I'd seen the movie so often that I'd forgotten how many differences there were. Finished Dune Messiah last week ( Read more... )

Just finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha while taking a bath. Arthur Golden did a remarkable job. I was most impressed with the continuity and fluidity of the main character, Sayuri; it is impossible to believe that it is a work of pure fiction. There's so much humanity-even in the first few page. The simple nature-based similes and metaphors were ( Read more... )

Two-thirds the way through Clash of Kings. I so love Martin's character descriptions, such as this one:“Lancel had thick sandy hair, green Lannister eyes, and a line of soft blond fuzz on his upper lip. At sixteen, he was cursed with all the certainty of youth, unleavened by any trace of humor or self-doubt, and wed to the arrogance that came so ( Read more... )