Before Sherlock Holmes...

...Wilkie Collins wrote The Moonstone, which is considered to be the first detective novel written in English. I'm listening to the audiobook, and while it had a slow start, the story's pace has picked up a bit. I have grown to like the first narrator Gabriel Betteredge, too. Other narrators will follow, so I've heard. I'm a member of a "Classics" book club that chose The Moonstone as one of their book picks, along with other notable literary classics. Edith Wharton's Age of Innocence, for instance, is one of my favorites on our list because it won the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1921 - the first time the prize was awarded to a woman. I liked The House of Mirth by Wharton, so I'm looking forward to another of her books. Now... back to The Moonstone!

Under the Dome

So awhile back, I posted a reading recommendation on Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I made it through 6 of 7 books, and sort of lost interest as I started the 7th. I have every intention of finishing the series, but have had some other books closer to the top of my list to read. One that snuck (why is "snuck" not recognized by spell checker?? Turns out that "sneaked" is the preferred past tense of sneak... Who knew!) to the top of the list was Stephen King's newest novel, Under the Dome. I'm listening to it on audiobook, all 35 hours of it. So far it is reeeeeeally good. I love how the creepiest parts tend to jump out of nowhere to doubly scare you - it's scary enough to read a scary part, but to have the scary parts sneak up on you - yikes!

Parts of the Dark Tower series really seemed to draggg on and on. Not so with Under the Dome - I'm half way through and feel like I just started reading yesterday. It really clips along at a quick pace. Here's hoping the second half is as good as the first!

Back to the books

I've been reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series and am finally back on track to finish sometime during this decade. My goal was to finish by the end of 2008, but by that time I kept a pretty consistent bedtime of 8:30 or 9pm. Although reading went by the wayside, I have now restarted the sixth installment (Song of Susannah), this time by audiobook. (No, this is not cheating.) In one afternoon, I caught up to where I had left off after months of attempting to read the physical/paperback edition!

I can't believe it has taken me so long to get through this book - it is FANTASTIC. Sort of like the time I fell asleep in the theater watching "The Bourne Identity," which I have now seen and loved. Is the Dark Tower series for everyone? Probably! It's all I can think about. I have to get back to listening!

The Library

Bookshelf by Shelby
(photo by me with my new iphone!)

We only have a few short weeks before Josie's arrival, so we're putting the finishing touches on everything and getting things in order. Shelby's latest project was to build a bookshelf in the nursery, which turned out to be great! My mom blessed my brother and me by saving all of our children's books, so after we divvied them up, baby girl Josie has quite a library started already. Back when they were still MY books, I implemented my own version of the Dewey Decimal System - my handwritten numbers on the spines of some books have survived as proof. Now my library has one patron, and I'm working to expand the collection for her. Just this week I ordered James Marshall's Complete Collection of George and Martha. (Do you know George and Martha? They are terrific.) What's next?? Time will tell!

Notes on what I'm reading

My life in Kentucky is usually equipped with an audiobook to keep me entertained during laundry, driving, or other mundane chores.  I started listening to The Pirate Queen by Susan Ronald this weekend, mainly because I like the time period and it wouldn't be something scary to keep me awake at night.  I had my doubts, however, about listening to non-fiction, which could turn out to be rather boring.  Should have gone with my instincts - The Pirate Queen is a SNOOOOOOOZE.  I listened for about 3.5 hrs before I gave up.  Now I'm listening to a Dean Koontz book, but am still not impressed.  This book, Strangers, seems very similar to another of his books, False Memory, the only other Koontz I've read.  Maybe all of his books are similar, and that's what people like about them.  I have awhile to go yet, so it might get better if there are twists to the story.  For entertainment value, it's already way better than The Pirate Queen, so things are looking up.

A Reading Recommendation

One of my goals for 2008 is to finish Stephen King's Dark Tower Series, which I started in the fall. Shelby recommended this series to me and at first I was very skeptical. I hadn't read anything by Stephen King and the covers of the books looked very sci-fi, which I don't find to be very interesting. (Just goes to show, don't judge a book...) The fact that I was very wrong in my initial judgment of The Dark Tower Series warrants this post -- I would recommend these books to anyone. Although I'm only on book 4 of 7, I present...

Reasons to Read The Dark Tower Series:

1. Stephen King's first work. I'm told that he actually threw away the first book and his wife picked it out of the trash to save for him. He owes her, big time. Many of his other books reference this series, so I think it's a good introduction to the author.
   
2. Better than Harry Potter. Each book in the HP Series had large chunks of text that I would skip just to get to the exciting parts. I can't skip anything in these books because I will miss something for sure. Also, the Dark Tower Series is complete, so I don't have to wait years for the next installment to come out (I should have waited until this year to read HP when all 7 books were out!).
   
3. Not currently on a best seller list. I couldn't finish The DaVinci Code - too much hype for mediocrity. I barely cracked Purpose Driven Life - why do people like this book, anyway? I love that I'm reading a book that's not only terrific, but also is not on everyone's bookshelf collecting dust.
4. Not scary. After seeing a Stephen King TV miniseries and watching The Shining, I thought reading Stephen King would leave me frightened to be alone for the rest of my life. Not so. The Dark Tower Series is very intriguing, not horrifying.
5. New perspective on the world. The characters in these books experience something sort of like time travel, which is better explained in the books (so read them). The similarities and differences between the characters experiences in the same place but a different time really gives a fresh perspective on my own view of the world.

You can keep track of what books I'm reading, books I'd like to read, and reviews of books I've read by clicking the "Good Reads" link.