I gave up on The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. It is so incredibly boring I couldn’t even write an entertaining bad book reviewof it. I can’t stand books where people do nothing and let things happen to them.
It’s been a weekend happily filled with reading for me. I finished Stephen King’s 1975 vampire novel 'Salem’s Lot, and enjoyed it quite a bit. It holds up well after all these years, and some scenes still pack quite a wallop. I also finished, at long last, Roy Jenkins’s witty, big but readable bio Churchill, and would recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the great British leader.
For my book club, I tried but couldn’t get into Alice Munro’s recent short story collection Dear Life. I read the first and second stories, and then the last one, and none of them made me terribly eager to read the others. So I’ve started the finale of Joe Haldeman’s Mars trilogy, Earthbound. So far, so good, although I don’t really like the premise, which is that
ultra-powerful aliens have confined humanity to the Earth, and have turned off all forms of electrical power, causing the deaths of billions as starvation and anarchy sweep over the planet, while the protagonists try to find safety.
Just finished Malcolm Lambert’s Medieval Heresy: Popular Movements from the Gregorian Reform to the Reformation in preparation for my research seminar this coming term in one of my complementary fields. Getting ready to start Aleksandr Klibanov’s History of Religious Sectarianism in Russia (1860s-1917), a rather major work within my own research field.
I got Robert Goldsborough’s Archie Meets Nero Wolfe this morning, and I’ve already zipped through the first quarter. After 18 years, Goldsborough, the designated new Nero Wolfe writer, has returned to write a novel about how the two met, with the blessings of the Stout estate. The book came out last year, and has been woefully underpromoted. It’s not really in Stout’s style (Goldsborough’s earlier books were), but it’s well-written and faithful to the series.
Got Stephen King’s Doctor sleep for Christmas. Just starting it but seems ok so far.
Finished Rich Man, Poor Man by Irwin Shaw. Haven’t decided whether to go on to Beggar Man, Thief. The character I liked best is gone.
It was a good read though. Not something to read for style or phrasing and not very “deep”, but still compelling for story.
Polished off The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy last night. Ends rather abruptly, doesn’t it? Particularly when you’ve got a kindle edition that was tied in to the movie, so that roughly half the book is interviews with the cast and whatnot. 
Anyway, I’ve moved along to something I heard about on NPR: The Squared Circle: Life, Death, and Professional Wrestling. While I don’t currently follow the WWE (I can’t stand John Cena), I do get a kick out of wrestling’s history and colorful characters. Should be a fun read.
Finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by NK Jemisin and really enjoyed it. Also read Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan.
I’m presently working on an ARC called Rough Passage to London which is so-so. Also rereading Flicker.
Since the last book in the Wheel of Time is almost released on paperback, I’m going to reread the series. That’ll kill a couple weeks…
I just finished The Rocky Mountain Motion Picture Companyby Loren Estleman and was very pleased with it; a story of the early days (1913) of the movie industry in LA.
I finished Joe Haldeman’s Earthbound this morning and, sure enough, as he too often does these days, the author stumbled badly at the end. Too bad. He’s a good writer but often (not always) has problems figuring out to wrap up his books in a satisfying way.
Also enjoyed two quick reads - the Grumpy Cat book and a collection of then-and-now Cleveland, Ohio photographs from the late 19th century to now.
Aw, they say that about Stephen King too, but he’s okay by me.
Started on The Forever War this morning. 
My paperback copy of THHGtoG ends at the bottom of a right-hand page… I’m always caught a little off-guard, even tho I’ve read the novel many times (In fact, I think the increasingly-misnamed trilogy is due for a re-read)
I didn’t get around to reading Tinsel: A Search for America’s Christmas Present by Hank Steuver until after the holiday, and perhaps it’s just as well; the hyper-consumerism of the subjects of the book combined with the author’s snark might have made it harder to get into the spirit of season. The book comes off much better post-Christmas, IMHO. Serendipitously set during the holiday seasons of 2006-2008, Hank Stuever visits with three families of Frisco, Texas - an up-and-coming exurb of Dallas - to examine their holiday preparations from a semi-sociological viewpoint.
Starting with Black Friday thru the first week of January, Stuever spends time with the Trykowski’s whose extravagant exterior Christmas lights (and yes, in Texas it’s “Christmas” not “holiday”, bless your heart) have turned into a side-business for the husband; as has Tammie Purnell’s penchant for interior Christmas decorating. He also spends time with single mother Carroll Cavasos who provides entry into the megachurch Christmas phenomenon.
And while I mentioned snark earlier, Stuever at no time makes fun of the individuals he interacts with; his sharpened pen treats them almost more as victims of the larger Christmas/Giftsmas madness. As balance, he spends time with the volunteers at Frisco Family Services, helping organize and hand out the donations received as a part of their Angel Tree Drive, as well as picking out gifts for a few angels on his own. Stuever is quick to point out the foibles of his fellow man (and woman), but admits to his own flaws as well, regarding the expectations of the season, both past and present.
It was an interesting read, both in its sociological and personal insights; plenty of human interest without being too glurgey. I’ll have to check out more of Stuever’s work.
Despite my most heroic efforts, staring at this is getting me no closer to the answer. What is an ARC?
Don’t worry, The Forever War ends very well. So do Tool of the Trade and All My Sins Remembered, off the top of my head.
The new thread is up and running; its link is here.