Scardown

Well, instead of reading one of the many other books I have out, I decided that I needed to read the rest of the Elizabeth Bear trilogy with Jenny Casey. "Scardown" is the second book. The story picks up where "Hammered" left off. But where "Hammered" was about a few people, "Scardown" is revealing that there is a much larger, global problem that needs to be dealt with. I am about half way through it and loving every bit of it!

A fun book

This weekend I finished Secrets of a shoe addict by Beth Harbison. It was a 7 day book, but quick and fun to read.What happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas, when 3 PTA members pay a visit. The women bond over the situations that arise, like excessive shopping, gambling and unknowingly hiring a male prostitute. And how they get themselves out of trouble is even more interesting. It's a fun summer read. Enjoy.

Don't Stop the Carnival

Two years ago a really good friend of mine moved to the Cayman Islands to work and live. Naturally being curious (and insanely jealous), months ago I asked him what life is like on the island. He tried to explain, as best he could, the differences between the Cayman Island way of life and the pace of life he left behind. Finally he said "if you really want to know what it's like here, read this book". The book he mentioned was Herman Wouk's "Don't Stop the Carnival". While this fictional novel was published in 1965, it still details the carefree goings on within the Cayman Islands of today. Of course I said I would read it right away (which I never), but I finally got around to it and read a truly humorous story surrounding a New York publicist who gives up New York and becomes a hotel owner in the Caymans. After purchasing the hotel, the publicist soon learns that running a resort on foreign soil is not all it's cracked up to be. With truly colourful characters and hilarious situations, the hotel soon becomes a money pit. Will the publicist gain control and make a go of becoming a successful hotel owner in the Caymans? Well, it's up to you to find out.

Hammered

"Hammered" by Elizabeth Bear was recommended to me last week along with three other books. Having finally finished "The Weekend Man," I was looking for something a bit more fun to read; "Hammered" sold me with the cover quote: "Very exciting . . . very impressive debut" - Mike Resnick (I'm not going to lie - I didn't even bother reading the back of the book before starting it!). And even though I just started it today and am only about 50 pages in, I have to agree! There's already so much going on that I need to know what happened in the past and what is happening now. "Hammered" also has a rather unique aspect: anything written from Jenny ("Watcher") Casey's view is in the first person, while the other couple of character's have been written in third person. This is the perfect book for following up "The Weekend Man" - it's faster paced, has lots of dialogue, and insists on being glued to your hand!

The Weekend Man

I started reading "The Weekend Man" by Richard B. Wright right before the long weekend; I was planning on having a nice leisurely read at camp. Sadly, I barely read anything, and so "The Weekend Man" has come home with me. Part of the problem is that the book is not a super easy read. I think the problem is that it has lots of description with very little dialogue. The book appealed to me because it is about a man, Wes Wakeham, who has no idea what he wants out of life. I'm also not entirely sure what I want out of life, so I thought this would be an interesting read. Instead I ended up with a dry, sort of dull book. I'm planning on finishing it though, just to see how it all ends.

My Meaty Read

I just finished The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, it was the book I chose to read on my holiday at camp. I loved the intertwined characters and the medieval setting. It is such a grandiose undertaking to build a cathedral and this book captures the span of time required to finish erecting such an edifice. It reminded me of Sarum, because of the setting and topic. I would recommend it to those who love writings of medieval England.

To Die For

This morning I finished "The Garden of Shadows," so I started reading Linda Howard's "To Die For." I've seen this paperback going through the Circulation Desk many times, so I decided to try it. The first line didn't really catch my interest, but by the end of chapter one I was hooked! "To Die For" tells the story of Blair Mallory, and how she was the witness to a murder. There is already so much intrigue going on, and so many questions that need answering! Plus there is the beginnings of a romance (which is very typical of her books). I am hoping it will remain interesting, and that it won't be too over the top in the romance department.