"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." Groucho Marx



Friday, June 15, 2012

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison


Upon the recommendation of a new friend, I am giving this series a try. I love to keep a smattering of novels produced by writers like Charlaine Harris, Janet Evanovich, or Lisa Lutz. They prevent my reading list from getting too serious! While this novel certainly fits that express requirement, it didn't regale me with, well, anything really. It wasn't particularly funny, exciting, well-written, or clever. I finished it without forcing my way through it but I didn't log right on to buy the second installment of the series. I am going to try one more and if nothing registers by then I'll move on to funnier vampires and clumsier detectives :0).

You will find an official description of the plot line at:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30264.Dead_Witch_Walking.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

11/22/63 by Stephen King


I was enjoying this book immensely and then.... I stumbled across an intriguing review that grabbed my attention and held it-right down to the spoilers. Dang it. Drat the dedicated reviewers who forget to warn about spoilers... After that it was hard for me to get engaged in the plot because I already knew what happened at the end. From that ruinous moment on, I continually tried to figure out how George/Jake got from point A to what I knew was going to happen down the line at point B. Until I knew how the ending was going to present itself, I was completely caught up in the story.  I can't fathom the amount of research that went into this work! That alone is an incredibly impressive authorial feat.
This novel is Stephen King's way of saying that everything happens for a reason. Spoilers be damned, I enjoyed the story and then I enjoyed imagining how things might be different with even the slightest change in the past. It's interesting to contemplate how our lives are built on moments. One second sooner, two minutes later, one inch to the left... All things perfectly timed.


You will find an official description of the plot line at:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10644930-11-22-63.

Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian L. Weiss


This book has come up in conversation or just popped out at me on a shelf multiple times. Finally taking the hint, I read this short volume over a few short days. Despite its fascinating premise, I didn't enjoy it very much. It seemed redundant and a little boring. I'm fascinated by the concept and I'm certainly a believer in the theory of past lives but I couldn't get into this book. There wasn't anything in it that created an attachment to either the author or his patient. It's a little like reading chart notes.

You will find an official description of this book at:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34452.Many_Lives_Many_Masters.