The reading list

I keep meaning to update with what I’ve been up to but my mind has been jumbled all over the place. I’ve been taking a bit of a break from knitting, and trying to get in a little spinning each week. The biggest difference is that I’ve been doing more reading and writing.

Yes, writing. Just not on the blog. Ouch.

I mentioned previously that I’m trying to do more fiction-reading. I’ve been fairly successful at that. Here’s the most recent picture of the stack o’books:

The stack sits on a side-table in our living room and just seems to be growing as I find new books to add. The Husbeast has not been helping the matter, as he keeps adding more books that he thinks I should be reading (Trainspotting, Raw Shark Texts and The Yiddish Policemen’s Union are prime examples). What the stack doesn’t show is the sheer amount of books loaded on Kobo hiding as an unassuming black book up near the top of that pile.

Since my last post on Ready Player One, I’ve finished the following books (with notes):

The Marrow of the World by Ruth Nichols
— I vaguely remembered this book from elementary school, and somehow managed to track down a paperback copy on Amazon. Good middle-grade book set both in Canada and in a parallel fantasy world. Definitely exceeded my nostalgia-tinted expectations.

House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski
— Finally finished this, and quickly realized that I definitely need to re-read it. Taking time off in the middle of reading made a huge difference in impact. Better to keep reading it and deal with the fear and paranoia the book was giving me than to stop and lose the suspense.

The Dresden Files: Skin Game by Jim Butcher
— Enjoyable escapist lark. Nominated for a Hugo. Not sure how I feel about that. It’s a good book and a fun read, but I didn’t find it terribly world-changing. I enjoy the Harry Dresden series and would recommend it to anyone because it entertains and does it well.

Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse #1) by Charlaine Harris
— I think I maybe saw half of the first season of the TV show before I gave up on it as “not my cup of tea”. I couldn’t get past parallels to a World of Darkness LARP run amok with too many sex scenes and far-fetched plotlines. It definitely works much better as a book for me. I totally enjoyed the first novel and look forward to picking up more in the series.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
— Finished this after a year of procrastinating. As good as The Shining? Maybe not. Entertaining, escapist thriller that I’ll likely read again.

Feast of Fear: Conversations with Stephen King by Stephen King, Tim Underwood, and Chuck Miller
— Interviews with King from 1973 to 1989. Someone on Goodreads criticized this as being repetitive. I can see that, though I prefer to think of it as an exploration of the retelling of stories. Every so often something new crops up to illuminate a point or clarify a fact. Not sure it’s reading that everyone would enjoy, though.

Neuromancer by William Gibson
— Awesome heist story set in a highly imaginative future. A bit dated due to the way that technology has evolved since the book was written, but the story holds up either way. Having been influenced by my Dad’s love of Science Fiction, this is a satisfying read.

Monster by A. Lee Martinez
— A quick read that took maybe a day to get through. I liked the humour and premise, but ultimately thought something was missing. Left me with a vague feeling of “Ok, now what?” I have a couple more books by the same author, so we’ll see if maybe I’m just overthinking things a bit.

The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
— Another quick read, but this one was much more satisfying. I gather it was meant as a middle-grade horror novella, if such things exist. A fun adventure in a wonderfully imagined and realized world. Definitely recommend to anyone who likes fantasy, horror, or a mixture of the two.

That gets me caught up to the present. I have a couple of new purchases on the Kobo that I’m thinking might be the next couple of reads. In the meantime, I’ll try not to take as long between blog updates!