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The Wed Reading Meme...
Feb. 5th, 2014 05:54 pmWhich I actually appear to be doing on a Wed, shocking.
Before I go into the Reading Meme. Weather is nasty here. We had snow, followed by sleet, followed by freezing rain. I decided we (myself and my coworkers) should get hazard pay for walking the four-five blocks from the train station to my work place - which is an obstacle course. It's hazardous on a good day. Today it was treacherous. Between navigating wayward buses, pedesterians, cars, and icy puddles..plus carrying an umbrella to fend off freezing rain..I'm amazed I made it intact. Did use the subway tunnel to get across one major intersection.
What I just finished reading
The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan - which I've already reviewed here.
What I'm reading now
I'm still reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood - a chapter or two before bed. It's not something I can concentrate on effectively commuting, too many jumps between trains. Plus too noisy. I need peace and quiet to fully appreciate it.
It is rather good. I can see why it won the Booker Prize. (I don't always...there are books out there that won awards that frankly bewilder me, but this is not amongst them.) Atwood seamlessly jumps between three separate narrative styles, and presents a sort of intricately layered puzzle of a novel - that focuses on the familial relationships of two sisters and women's rights in Canada during the 1930s-1990s.
Also reading, for the commute, the page-turner: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, which needless to say is no where near as well written as The Blind Assassin. Or for that matter The Countess Conspiracy. The characters are rather shallowly drawn and it feels like a "chick-lit novel" attempting to be well "deep" and not quite cutting it. (Most chick-lit novels make me want to re-read Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones, which is the novel that started this whole genre. Mainly because whatever the other novelists do, they can't quite figure out how to do achieve that specific brand of snarky ditzy banter, without coming across as well bland.) I get what Ms. Moyes is attempting, but I'm not sure it is working. I may change my mind - I'm only 20% of the way through.
The book's about a 26 year old, somewhat wet-behind-the-ears, British woman, who after being laid off at a cafe, takes a job as a caregiver to a 30 something quadripelgic. He's wealthy,
and prior to being hit by a motorcycle, which severed his spinal cord, he was quite the adrenaline sports fanatic. Also had the model girlfriend. And the hot job - with a million dollar company. Then kablooey, he lost it at all, and is stuck living in a nice apartment on his parent's estate. Suffice it to say, he's miserable. Enter Lou Clark, the 20 something caregiver, who talks a bit like Bridget Jones, but not quite as funny. I'm curious to see where the writer is going with this - even though I more or less already know the ending via Good Reads reviews.
What I'm reading next?
Eh...I never really know this far in advance. After Blind Assassin - most likely 1Q84 by Haruki Marakumi, or Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - both look like good bedtime books. Also they are both Xmas gifts from my brother.
And after Me Before You? Either another Sherry Thomas, or something fluffier, possibly Judith Ivory's The Proposition. Or I'll read Kim Harrison's latest Rachel Morgan urban fantasy thriller The Undead Pool which will be released February 25. But after Me Before You, I'm guessing I'll need fluff again. This is a bit on the angsty side. And I may be nearing the end of my angst kick.
The foul weather is giving me allergies. Sneezed and sniffled most of today. At least I hope its just allergies. Do not want a cold. Been cold free a long time - let's keep it that way.
Before I go into the Reading Meme. Weather is nasty here. We had snow, followed by sleet, followed by freezing rain. I decided we (myself and my coworkers) should get hazard pay for walking the four-five blocks from the train station to my work place - which is an obstacle course. It's hazardous on a good day. Today it was treacherous. Between navigating wayward buses, pedesterians, cars, and icy puddles..plus carrying an umbrella to fend off freezing rain..I'm amazed I made it intact. Did use the subway tunnel to get across one major intersection.
What I just finished reading
The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan - which I've already reviewed here.
What I'm reading now
I'm still reading The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood - a chapter or two before bed. It's not something I can concentrate on effectively commuting, too many jumps between trains. Plus too noisy. I need peace and quiet to fully appreciate it.
It is rather good. I can see why it won the Booker Prize. (I don't always...there are books out there that won awards that frankly bewilder me, but this is not amongst them.) Atwood seamlessly jumps between three separate narrative styles, and presents a sort of intricately layered puzzle of a novel - that focuses on the familial relationships of two sisters and women's rights in Canada during the 1930s-1990s.
Also reading, for the commute, the page-turner: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, which needless to say is no where near as well written as The Blind Assassin. Or for that matter The Countess Conspiracy. The characters are rather shallowly drawn and it feels like a "chick-lit novel" attempting to be well "deep" and not quite cutting it. (Most chick-lit novels make me want to re-read Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones, which is the novel that started this whole genre. Mainly because whatever the other novelists do, they can't quite figure out how to do achieve that specific brand of snarky ditzy banter, without coming across as well bland.) I get what Ms. Moyes is attempting, but I'm not sure it is working. I may change my mind - I'm only 20% of the way through.
The book's about a 26 year old, somewhat wet-behind-the-ears, British woman, who after being laid off at a cafe, takes a job as a caregiver to a 30 something quadripelgic. He's wealthy,
and prior to being hit by a motorcycle, which severed his spinal cord, he was quite the adrenaline sports fanatic. Also had the model girlfriend. And the hot job - with a million dollar company. Then kablooey, he lost it at all, and is stuck living in a nice apartment on his parent's estate. Suffice it to say, he's miserable. Enter Lou Clark, the 20 something caregiver, who talks a bit like Bridget Jones, but not quite as funny. I'm curious to see where the writer is going with this - even though I more or less already know the ending via Good Reads reviews.
What I'm reading next?
Eh...I never really know this far in advance. After Blind Assassin - most likely 1Q84 by Haruki Marakumi, or Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - both look like good bedtime books. Also they are both Xmas gifts from my brother.
And after Me Before You? Either another Sherry Thomas, or something fluffier, possibly Judith Ivory's The Proposition. Or I'll read Kim Harrison's latest Rachel Morgan urban fantasy thriller The Undead Pool which will be released February 25. But after Me Before You, I'm guessing I'll need fluff again. This is a bit on the angsty side. And I may be nearing the end of my angst kick.
The foul weather is giving me allergies. Sneezed and sniffled most of today. At least I hope its just allergies. Do not want a cold. Been cold free a long time - let's keep it that way.