Sunday, December 27, 2009

Dirty Job: A Novel

Moore, Christopher

Amazon link

Borrowed from Erik's coworker

Finished 8 January 2010

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Desert Queen

Gertrude Bell, female Lawrence of Arabia. Recommended by Uncle Bob.

Wallach, Janet

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Year of the Flood

Atwood, Margaret

Amazon link

I waited my turn in the library's 400-person-long hold queue, and now it's in my hands!

Highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed Oryx and Crake.
Finished 25 December 2009

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Invention of Everything Else, The

Hunt, Samantha

Amazon link

Recommended in the library newsletter, so I picked it to revive the book club

Finished 20 December 2009

I enjoy it, but the story got progressively weaker and I wasn't impressed with the ending.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Let the Right One In

Lindqvist, John Ajvide

Amazon Link

Borrowed from a coworker of Erik. We saw the movie before we went to Sweden-- lovely and very dark.

Finished 12 December 2009

Freddy and Fredericka

Helprin, Mark

Amazon Link

Erik bought this for me years ago because Mark Helprin is one of my favorite authors. Chris borrowed it quite a while ago, and I finally got around to it myself. Full of charming banter and puns, not as many of the amazing descriptions for which I fell in love with his writing.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper

Kibuishi, Kazu

Amazon Link

Saw book 2 at PAX and was intrigued, but it was difficult to hunt down the first one-- no comic book stores in Seattle had it (we went to 3 or 4).

Great art, great creatures and imaginative world. It's aimed at kids (put out by Scholastic) but well worth it for us old folks.

Finished 9/13/2009

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

Recommended by Wenchie, for whom I'd swallow any reservations or prejudice.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Girl Who Played With Fire

Larsson, Stieg
Amazon link

Ordered this as soon as we got home from Sweden. Longer plodding section up front, but almost as enthralling latter part. I really dig the main character.

Finished 22 August 2009

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Larsson, Stieg
Amazon link

Erik bought this for me to read during our trip to Sweden. I muddled through the first 100 pages or so, and then suddenly, I devoured the thing-- including spending a whole morning in our hotel room, just to finish it.

Finished 6 August 2009

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

White Out Volume 2: Melt

Rucka, Greg and Lieber, Steve
Amazon link

Recommended by Steven Goglin

Finished 27 May 2009

Sunday, May 24, 2009

White Out

Rucka, Greg and Lieber, Steve
Amazon link

Recommended by Steven Goglin

Finished 26 May 2009

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Bread Baker's Apprentice, the

Reinhart, Peter

Amazon link

Can't remember where I saw this recommended; probably a cooking blog like Smitten Kitchen. I had big dreams but it's pretty impenetrable to me-- I'm terrible at following rules, steps, or recipes. I was hoping for more of a "this is what the dough should feel like" guide. I'm flipping through it now since it's due today (someone else placed a hold).

Fresh Air Fiend

Theroux, Paul

Amazon link

Borrowed from the library because of a mention by the Jenss family travel blog on Intelligent Travel. The initial essay was very self-important and difficult to wade through. I liked the subsequent short travel stories more, but I never got enough into it and now someone else has placed a hold on it, so it's going back unfinished.

Friday, April 24, 2009

On A Pale Horse

Anthony, Piers

Re-read from long ago, after Wenchie and I talked about it. I can't remember how it came up.

Finished 8 May 2009

Monday, March 23, 2009

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Evidence Never Lies, The

Lewis, Alfred

Amazon link

My running buddy, Kevin-- a cop in Vancouver, WA-- loaned me this. Although I had my reservations, it was quite compelling.

finished 3/22/2009

Monday, March 9, 2009

Secret History of the Pink Carnation

Willig, Lauren
Amazon link

Kari's pick for the ladies' book club

Finished 3/9/2009

Monday, January 26, 2009

Tractatus Logico Philosophicus

Wittgenstein, Ludwig

Amazon link

This looks short and fun!

Friday, January 16, 2009

When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes

Block, Lawrence

Amazon link

Erik and I had been on a contemporary film noir streak when we saw an interview with a favorite actor, and he mentioned his favorite book-- in the noir mode. We bought it and Erik devoured the thing. I started it on a weekend trip, since I couldn't take the thirty pound Sacred Games.