I just finished Orange is the New Black and am about to pick up something by Jonathan Carroll. His stuff can be really creepy. Maybe I should wait for a sunny day. Nah.
Just went out and bought a whole shitload of James Patterson (and “guest” writers) “Private” books. Private LA, #1 Suspect, Down Under, India, and a couple others.
Reading Donna Andrews’ mystery The Nightingale Before Christmas.
i do enjoy ms andrews’ series. they are fun. have you read her turing hopper series?
I’m still in the middle of Rebecca, but I just picked up Fight Club and Choke. I haven’t decided which one I’ll read first/next.
I’m reading The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert, which I heard about on NPR last year. It’s quite interesting and the author’s writing keeps pulling me along. I have more than half of the book to go and keep wondering how things will turn out.
Talk about Firestarter upthread reminded me that I read an excerpt of it back in 70’s in Omni Magazine. I wasn’t much of a fan of King’s scary stuff back then but found that excerpt interesting enough to remember it all these years later. I think I can handle it now so I’ll put this book on my short list of things to read next.
My slog through Shakespeare has brought me to Romeo & Juliet at the appropriate time, holiday-wise. I’m not entirely convinced this isn’t a subtle parody. It’s just over-the-top enough to make me do the Mr. Spock eyebrow raise. Juliet really needed a sassy gay friend, either way.
Wouldn’t surprise me, Will had an eye for the sarcastic…
Finished The Nightingale Before Christmas. Currently reading E.M. Delafield’s novel Diary of a Provincial Lady and John Scalzi’s Mallet of Loving Correction.
Woefully, behind in updating, so this may be a long post:
Being a fan of the author & the prevous 2 books in the series, I picked up The Eye of Zoltar, Jasper Fforde’s latest in his Chronicles of Kazam YA series, from the local library.
Jennifer Strange, indentured orphan and de-facto head of the Kazam consortium of sorcerors and mages, guardian of the two remaining dragons and companion of at least one Quarkbeast, has been summoned to the palace to assist in converting the heir apparent from spoiled princess to wise and just ruler. The Mighty Shandar then sends Jennifer on a quest (not a Quest, as they haven’t filled out the paperwork) to find the titular Eye of Zoltar; she complies, on pain of death to the aforesaid dragons. This quest involves traveling to the neighboring Cambrian Empire, whose economy is based on Perilous Tourism.
This novel is very typical of Fforde’s offbeat (and rather British) humor, with a good dose of derring-do. The characters are well-written and quite memorable; the world-building continues from the previous two novels, and character motivations continue to evolve. Note that this novel does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, and it seems the next installment of the series isn’t due until sometime this year (possibly 2016 for those of us in the USA).
I recommend the series, starting with The Last Dragonslayer & will probably look at picking up copies for myself at some point.
I also read Dodie Smith’s The Hundred and One Dalmatians to help prep for a podcast discussion of the 2 Disney versions of the film. I vaguely remembered reading the story as a child & recalled some of the differences (Perdita being the stray dog adopted by the family as a wet nurse for the puppies, with Pongo’s wife being named Missis; Jasper & Horace not being in the book, Cruella being married, etc.) but I had forgotten (or not realized) how Missis is portrayed as a bit weak, both physically and mentally.
Though probably simply a reflection of the 1950’s, it smacks of casual sexism nowadays; however, I was pleased to see that those traits were not brought forward into the Disney film. Rather, Perdita was as intelligent and capable as Pongo; traveling cross country, facing off against the Baduns and shepherding all the puppies back home.
While it’s still an enchanting story, with memorable characters and some good lessons to learn, if I were reading this aloud to my nephews (or especially, my nieces), I might do some judicious editing, or have a discussion about how her character is portrayed.
On the non-fiction side, I checked out Damn!: A Cultural History of Swearing in Modern America by Rob Chirico after spotting it on the New Books list. It was a relatively easy read on the history of cursing, obscenity and profanity (with definitions and examples of each), focusing mostly on the last half-century or so, with occasional forays further into the past.
Chirico gives Lenny Bruce much of the credit (and deservedly so) for the initial forays into breaking the taboo regarding foul language, with George Carlin close behind. A little light on sociology and linguistics ; Chirico’s focus was more descriptive than proscriptive. Not sure I learned anything groundbreaking, but it was an interesting look at the topic. Worth at least a library read if you have an interest in the material.
Let me know what you think, please. I’m a fan of Scalzi.
Just finished The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant and loved it. I didn’t want it to end. Story about an 85 year old woman, born in 1915 to Jewish parents, who is asked by her 22 year old granddaughter, “how did you become the woman you are?” I’m also reading* The Boys in the Boat*, about the Univ. of Washington rowing team who participated in the 1936 Olympics. Fascinating. Can’t remember the author though.
Currently reading Lin Carter’s H. P. Lovecraft; A Look Behind the Cthulhu Mythos. I’d read his book on Tolkien ages ago, but didn’t find out about his Lovecraft book until much later, and finally picked up a copy at Boskone this weekend. It makes an interesting complement to The Annotated H.P. Lovecraft that I recently read.
Also reading Poul Anderson’s Ensign Flandry. I’d read A Bertram Chandler’s The Dark Dimensions, in which e combines John Grimes, his Horatio Hornblower-based space navy guy with Anderson’s Dominic Flandry, Anderson’s Horatio Hornblower-based space navy guy, but never read the original.
Still working my way through King’s Dreamcatcher, but made a good score at the library: I’m first in line for Stiletto, sequel to The Rook, by Daniel O’Malley. Woot! Fist pump, happy dance, etc.
Fun! Thanks for the reminder to put that on my library hold list. 
I read Michael Faber’s new novel, The Book of Strange New Things. It’s getting glowing reviews, but I did not care for it. It’s about an evangelical Christian minister who travels to an alien planet to preach the gospels to a group of primitive, vaguely humanoid aliens who are mysteriously eager to embrace Christianity. That’s an interesting premise, and Faber’s prose is fine, but the implementation is absurd and I found the protagonist infuriating.
Then I read Cinnamon and Gunpowder, by Eli Brown, which I really loved. Set in the early 19th century, it’s about a proper, slightly prudish English chef who is kidnapped by a notorious pirate queen and forced to cook gourmet meals under primitive conditions aboard her ship. It’s very funny, but the story isn’t as frivolous as it first seems - it actually becomes rather dark, as the chef gets caught up in the pirate’s vendetta against a fictional British company engaged in the despicable opium trade with China. The writing is superb, and the chef’s makeshift meals sound more appetizing than anything I’ve ever cooked.
I also very much enjoyed Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel. The writing is lovely and literary, and the book describes my favorite apocalypse scenario: the flu which wipes out almost all of mankind, leaving a few survivors to make a new life for themselves amidst the ruins of the old. They try to describe to the next generation what it was like to flip a switch and have the lights come on; to listen to music on an iPod; to look down at the earth from an airplane window. Despite the subject matter, the book isn’t depressing at all; in fact, it’s about as upbeat as a book can be and still kill off 99.9% of the population.
I just finished The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man, by Bruce Cameron, which was a pretty fun read. It’s decidedly heartwarming, but it’s also funny and suspenseful. It’s more of a comedic crime novel than a mystery, and Ruddy’s repo man adventures are slightly reminiscent of Stephanie Plum’s bail bond escapades, except that Ruddy is actually pretty good at his job. There’s a single fantasy element - a dead man’s voice in Ruddy’s head urging him to investigate a murder - and it works surprisingly well
Ho crap… better go grab it from Amazon!
I would so read this if the Kindle edition didn’t cost ten freakin’ dollars. Daaaghhh.
Looks like it’s Daniel James Brown: Amazon.com
O’Malley hasn’t updated his blog since September 2013! Curse him! 
Thanks for the heads up!!
(Is it June 30th yet???)