Going to the beach tomorrow and plan to bring I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, the biography of Warren Zevon, as told by his friends and acquaintances.
Into Temptation: Penny Vincenzi
The Traveler: John Twelve Hawks
Black Swan Green: David Mitchell
On Beauty: Zadie Smith
A Field of Darkness: Cornelia Read
The Boy Detective Fails: Joe Meno
The Annotated Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen
Strange Things Happen: Kelly Link
Crime in the Neighborhood: Suzanne Berne
The clear winner was the annotated Pride and Prejudice. I love Jane Austen and the notes made rereading Pride and Prejudice even more fun. Black Swan Green
was also excellent. On Beauty was my biggest disappointment. I thought I would love it because Howard’s End is one of my favorite books. Instead, I could barely get through it. The rest were all pretty meh.
Next up is the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan and a reread of the Deptford Trilogy.
The Coming Fury, the first of Bruce Catton’s three book set about the Civil War. I’ve started the next one, but put it off for a couple of lighter things. Hp7, since I didn’t want to wait and have it spoiled. A Play of Lords by Margaret Fraser. And the ultimate summer/beach/vacation book, Undead and Unpopular, by Mary Janice Davidson. So now I’m probably back to the more serious things, like the second Catton, and a biography of Tsar Alexander II. (Which earned me a “You’re such a nerd,” from my daughter.)
It’s just hard to stick with something serious in the ten minute break at work. So sometimes I get sidetracked.
I was at the beach last weekend.
I read Pro Football Prospectus 07.
Might I also add, it was one of the most gorgeous beach days I’ve ever seen Saturday. Warm, but not too hot. Breezy, but not too windy. Perfectly sunny. Warm water, long waves, perfect for body surfing.
You may equal that beach day, but you will never surpass it. We stayed on the beach for about 6 hours straight.
I liked Margaret Frazer’s Dame Frevisse books, but I haven’t gotten around to the Joliffe series yet. And I am vastly entertained by MaryJanice Davidson, too.
I re-read all of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander books over the summer, along with a bunch of fluff - Davidson, Laurell K. Hamilton, Janet Evanovich, Harry Potter, etc. Tanya Huff’s new Valor book was good.
I have the new Joe Haldeman book waiting, and Bernard Cornwell’s newest Sharpe book, and there’s a new Gabaldon releasing next week. So the rest of August looks promising.
Some light, fluffy reading - The Mark by Pinter, Eclipse ** by Meyer, Circumference of Darkness ** by Henderson, and Category 7 by Evans and Jameson.
We spent a couple of days on the beach at Hua Hin last week, a little ways down the peninsula and about three hours from Bangkok. I was reading the new Harry Potter, which I hope to finish tonight; the wife was reading The Big Mango, an excellent book by local author Jake Needham.
Isn’t it? I was almost apprehensive about reading Cloud Atlas (also by David Mitchell) because I’d compare it to BSG and it couldn’t be as good, could it? But it was. Yummy author, he is.
Hm, I loved “Cloud Atlas” and have been apprehensive about checking out his other stuff. “Coming of age” novels aren’t my favorite genre… Whaddya think, worth a read?
My wife and I have been trading a series of travel essay books edited by Jennifer Leo. We’ve read:
Sand in My Bra
More Sand in My Bra
Who’s Panties are These?
The Thong Also Rises
and
What Color is Your Jockstrap?
All of the first four contain terrific essays by female travel writers. The last on throws males into the mix as well.
Perfect reading for sitting by the pool or on the beach. Breezy, quick, very funny, and disposable.
Oh hell yes. I do like coming of age novels, but Black Swan Green is more than that, and it’s not sappy.
Unfortunately due to an odd sick-day policy at my work, I had to burn all my vacation for an operation… so I wasn’t able to go anywhere.
However, I am in the middle of The Testament by Eric Van Lustbader. It is a Davinci Code knock-off, but Lustbader is a better writer. I’m not hating it.
After reading Black Swan Green, I’m definitely going to pick up Cloud Atlas in the next month or so. I know the two are very different subject matter wise but I really enjoyed Mitchell’s writing style. If that carries through half as well as in BSG, I’ll be happy.