Books of January
To the disappointment of nobody, I've been neglecting this little spot on the web for a number of days - and I really don't have time for a decent post now. But I did want to take a quick moment to post, if for nothing more than a later reminder to me, the books I read in January. I'm not sure I remember them all, but:
Predator by Patrica Cornwell. I loved the first couple of Scarpetta books, but I think Cornwell started going downhill shortly after those. I can't remember exactly how many I read, but I do remember finishing the last one and thinking this was written because it was time to publish another book. The entire story could have been told in a couple of chapters, and it really didn't hold my interest at all with what I thought - not to mention the characters seemed to be all headed toward self-absorbed jerkdom. But Number One Brother loaned this one to me (in a stack of others), and I gave it a shot. Same thing. Characters are all full of themselves, the niece is still this super-hotshot-do-anything person who continuously makes obvious mistakes, everyone not a central character is an idiot. The niece (Lucy?)is now wealthy from writing software, yet can't handle computer security issues that a high-school computer gamer wouldn't screw up; she's never been able to get the computer stuff correct. I'll pass for a few more of Cornwell's books before trying another.
The Jericho Sanction by Col. Oliver North is the second of the Newman trilogy, and wasn't all that bad bit really wasn't a page-turner either. Good enough that I'll read the third, but it won't bother me to stick a few books in between.
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz is the second of the Odd Thomas books, and I enjoyed it as well as the first. I'm a Koontz fan and while I wouldn't put the Odd Thomas books at the top of the Koontz list, they're a good read.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire was an interesting take on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but from the Wicked Witch's point of view. A pretty fun book to read, but it didn't make me want to grab any other Maguire books (he has several of similar ilk) anytime soon.
Ukridge by P.G. Wodehouse; I'm a fairly recent Wodehouse fan, so still have a number of books to read before running out. Each book is a gem, and I'll be very disappointed when I've gone through them all -- which I will. The only reason I don't grab them all at once is because they're like a great wine you can never buy again. Once gone, there will be no more.
S is for Silence by Sue Grafton is the latest in the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries, the alphabetical series that started with A is for Alibi. This was another loaned to me by Number One Brother, and it was a good book. I always liked Grafton's books about Millhone and had read through somewhere around "M" or so, but never felt the need to buy them in hardback. I keep forgetting to pick up the paperbacks, but I'll probably go back to my bookshelf and see where they left off and pick up the ones in between.
Other than a couple of gardening books (reread of parts of a couple and read Cubed Food Gardening by Christopher O. Bird) and some magazine articles, I think that's it. Well, there are a few blogs I read as well, and various other ramblings on the net, but I think that covers all the books I've read this month. I could have missed one, but can't think of it if I did.
Currently reading Disappearing Nightly by Laura Resnick, but it'll be a February book.
Predator by Patrica Cornwell. I loved the first couple of Scarpetta books, but I think Cornwell started going downhill shortly after those. I can't remember exactly how many I read, but I do remember finishing the last one and thinking this was written because it was time to publish another book. The entire story could have been told in a couple of chapters, and it really didn't hold my interest at all with what I thought - not to mention the characters seemed to be all headed toward self-absorbed jerkdom. But Number One Brother loaned this one to me (in a stack of others), and I gave it a shot. Same thing. Characters are all full of themselves, the niece is still this super-hotshot-do-anything person who continuously makes obvious mistakes, everyone not a central character is an idiot. The niece (Lucy?)is now wealthy from writing software, yet can't handle computer security issues that a high-school computer gamer wouldn't screw up; she's never been able to get the computer stuff correct. I'll pass for a few more of Cornwell's books before trying another.
The Jericho Sanction by Col. Oliver North is the second of the Newman trilogy, and wasn't all that bad bit really wasn't a page-turner either. Good enough that I'll read the third, but it won't bother me to stick a few books in between.
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz is the second of the Odd Thomas books, and I enjoyed it as well as the first. I'm a Koontz fan and while I wouldn't put the Odd Thomas books at the top of the Koontz list, they're a good read.
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire was an interesting take on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but from the Wicked Witch's point of view. A pretty fun book to read, but it didn't make me want to grab any other Maguire books (he has several of similar ilk) anytime soon.
Ukridge by P.G. Wodehouse; I'm a fairly recent Wodehouse fan, so still have a number of books to read before running out. Each book is a gem, and I'll be very disappointed when I've gone through them all -- which I will. The only reason I don't grab them all at once is because they're like a great wine you can never buy again. Once gone, there will be no more.
S is for Silence by Sue Grafton is the latest in the Kinsey Millhone Mysteries, the alphabetical series that started with A is for Alibi. This was another loaned to me by Number One Brother, and it was a good book. I always liked Grafton's books about Millhone and had read through somewhere around "M" or so, but never felt the need to buy them in hardback. I keep forgetting to pick up the paperbacks, but I'll probably go back to my bookshelf and see where they left off and pick up the ones in between.
Other than a couple of gardening books (reread of parts of a couple and read Cubed Food Gardening by Christopher O. Bird) and some magazine articles, I think that's it. Well, there are a few blogs I read as well, and various other ramblings on the net, but I think that covers all the books I've read this month. I could have missed one, but can't think of it if I did.
Currently reading Disappearing Nightly by Laura Resnick, but it'll be a February book.
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