reading lately....
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2003
I�ve been buying lots of books lately. I have found some great thrift shops here in FL that sell books, great titles in great shape for cheaper than used book stores sell them. Here�s a list of the books I�ve bought recently. (I�m sure I�ve left some out�.but �yah well..here goes)
1. Neverwhere � Neil Gaiman
This book�hmm�I started to read it and I was engrossed until the rat comes out from under the couch and is talking. Now c�mon. I just lost it there. I know this is supposed to be a great book and perhaps one day I�ll go back to it, but for now�I haven�t picked it up since page 78 and about 3 weeks ago.
2. Lithium for Medea � Kate Braverman
I started to read this book in the bookstore and maybe it was the double shot latte, but I thought it was great. Then I got home and couldn�t get into it again. I hate that. Sometimes books are better if you�re reading in the bookstore�.and then later they fizzle out. I still intend to read this book as it looks interesting as hell and should be a breeze to get through as it�s not loaded down with difficulty or with words for that matter. So far it hasn�t happened.
3. Comfort Woman � Nora Okja Keller
On the contrary to above, I read this entire book and there are scenes within it that are still haunting me. There are things about this book that make me wish I hadn�t read it because parts of it haunt me. Still. I read this book over a month ago and bought it at a used book store for $4.99. I bought it because the author also wrote another novel called Fox Girl that Tod Goldberg highly recommends. I haven�t read that book because I have yet to find it at a used book store.
4. Save Karyn � Karyn Bosnak
I bought this book not because I wanted to contribute to her financial success but rather because I picked it up last week at Borders one night after a particularly stressful day at work and I was engrossed within minutes and laughing within the first chapter. I bought it, paid full price and went home and read it religiously over the next week as if it were chocolate and I couldn�t get enough of it. There are plenty of things I could say about the real life Karyn and her story but mostly I will never forget that she made far more money than I ever have and yet it took going into debt to realize that normal Dove soap was just as good as the expensive stuff. I knew that all along. Good book though, she�s funny as hell.
5. Quietus � Vivian Schilling
The first two chapters of this book are amazing. Then something bad happens and it�s all freaky weird and I lost interest. I haven�t picked it up since, but I intend to because the reviews of this book are amazing. Some night I�ll be bored and missing Rick and I�ll pick it up again.
6. Fat White Vampire Blues � Andrew Fox
I read this entire book and I love this book to death. I swear it�s to die for. The things that he writes about possible vampire life are ingenious. The main character is so true to life and written so well that I wish I could sit a spell and drink a glass of blood red wine with him. The way Mr. Fox describes Jules Duchon is beyond excellent characterization. The tricks this vampire can do are amazing. Furthermore Jules is a man that loves plus size women and it�s about damn time we have a character, even if he�s fictionalized, that loves chubby chics. This is a book with an excellent cover, a great fast paced story line and some awesome supporting characters to boot. Of all the books I�ve read in the past few months, this one is way up there on the scale of supreme oreo yumminess. Thanks Andrew, can�t wait to read the sequel due out soon.
7. Caramello � Sandra Cisnero�s
This is the book I�m technically currently reading full force. I�m on page 64 and I wish I could just crawl into this dang book and become one with it. The stories this author includes in the big picture of the main story are amazing and so true to life that you are there. I didn�t grow up in this sort of happy zany family and this book makes me wish I had. So far�I absolutely love this book. The cover got me. This is the same author who wrote �The House on Mango Street� of which I haven�t read but know got great reviews. I say skip the house book and get sweet on Caramello right away. Ms. Cisnero�s, so far your book rocks.
8. Sweet Remedy - Linda Phillips Ashour
I bought this book last week at a thrift shop and have only read two chapters and can�t wait to read it all. I�m stuck on Caramello for right now, but this one�s in the pile to be read next. So far the characters are real and the writing flows very well. This is an older book and I don�t know how readily available it is but it�s great stuff. It�s about Polly Harrison shortly after her husband leaves out on her and how she copes with the aftermath. So far I�m finding it to be true to life and interesting. Well worth the $1 I paid at the Salvation Army thrift store last week.
9. Middlesex � Jeffrey Eugenides
Ok so I bought this book at Barnes and Noble because it was a mere $10.50 with my membership card. I read the first two chapters and it�s not an easy read book. But I can see where the effort would pay off already. I haven�t read much of it yet but I intend to. And besides I got it fairly cheap. I don�t think it�s much like his former novel The Virgin Suicides though. It�s much more crafty in the Jonathon Franzen �The Corrections� sort of genre.
10. Addicted � Zane
Ok so I haven�t read a word of this book, but I paid 99 cents for it at that same Salvation Army store and I have read tons of stuff about Ms. Zane and want to read something of hers. I have this insane idea in my mind always that there are great authors out there for whom I am missing out on. I snatched this book up so fast when I saw a nearly new paperback copy of it and all for the small price akin to a bacon cheeseburger at Wendy�s. I can skip one lunch for the joy of one book�always. I�ll let ya know on this one as I haven�t read one single damn word yet.
11. Plan B � Jonathon Tropper
Another great find at the Salvation Army store. 99 cents for this one too. I�ve wanted to read this book ever since I�ve seen it pop up on amazon along with all the other books I research on there. I read the first chapter of this book the other night to get a feel for it and it reminds me of Lisa Jewell�s work. I read �Ralph�s Party� and �Thirty Nothing� by her and she�s a jewel of a writer for that brit lit with flair thing. I hate all those fluffy books, but her�s are different. Mr. Tropper has the same flair from what I can tell.
12. Blackbox � Nick Walker
I haven�t read any of this book, but I have read the reviews on the book cover and I can�t wait to read it. It appears to be similar to Chuck Palahniuk�s work and I can�t wait to see how a book with 840 chapters works. Yah this book has 840 chapters and only 311 pages, yes this is why I bought it and paid full price. I wanted to check out the only book I know of that has 840 chapters. It reminds me for some reason of Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk.
13. Invisible Monsters � Chuck Palahniuk
Yah this books been around for awhile but I scored a used copy for exactly $3 so I will finally be reading it even though I still haven�t read Lullaby or Diary his new novel�s.
14. X20 � a novel of not smoking � Richard Beard
I recently bought 20 novels in a box from a guy from Tampa off of ebay for $20. This was one of em. It�s no longer available and looks interesting. It�s about a guy who trys to give up smoking and this reminds me of livingwreck.diaryland.com�s recent entries about same. The chapters are broken into days. Day one of not smoking�is chapter one and so forth. This is in my pile of books to be read.
15. I don�t know how she does it � Allison Pearson
I read this book in less than a week. I don�t usually read books that land on the bestseller list and I would call �fiction candy� and this falls into that guideline for me usually. But this was cleverly written and I just enjoyed it from page one to the end. I would highly recommend it to someone looking for an easy read, a fast read and a good read. It rates up there. I can see why so many people have read it. I was just fearful about it because it reminded me of The Nanny Diaries, of which I have my very own copy but haven�t yet thought to read it. I just bought it because I found it used for about $2 and thought it would make a good beach read. Ms. Pearson is funny and very knowledgeable about the guilt associated with having children and having a job too.
Ok now for the list of books I want. Yes it�s a revolving hell of what I have and need to read and what I search for and want to read. I�ll never have enough days in my life to read everything that interests me but I always have a look out for the stuff I want to read and want to find used etc. Of that list�.here we go.
1. Grits � Niall Griffiths
This book is written in the same style as Trainspotting. I have the latter and haven�t read it but I still want to buy the former. Yes it�s a disease I have truly. Below are the other books I am currently jonesing for even though I have a stack to read staring me in the face as I write this.
2. Kelly and Victor by Niall Griffiths
3. Gone � Martin Roger
4. How soon is never? � Marc Spitz
5. The Last Summer � John Hughs Jr.
6. But inside I�m screaming � Elizabeth Flock
7. Lost in translation � Nicole Moris
8. American Fuji � Sarah Becker
9. Almost French � Sarah Turnbull
10. Crazy as Chocolate � Elizabeth Hyde
Yah ok so I love books, I have too many books. I will never have enough books. Buy me some books, send me some books, I can�t get enough��
Happy Reading!
-PoeticaL
