NUMBERS

I was going over my bookshelf this weekend and made a list. I now own 114 unread books. That is not mentioning the 4 books that came into the post office today and are now in the car so I guess I own 118 I have read 34 books this year so far but have bought 58. Of the 58 I have read 18 the rest I already had. I'm not sure if I am making progress or not. I have been swapping books recently on paperbackswap which is a great site in my opinion and an easy way to trade off some books for credits. I have tried to keep track of the prices of the books I have bought but I didn't have the guts this weekend to find a total. I do know that a lot of the books on the list were bought used or swapped for free. I'm pretty sure that my overall total is going to rise soon because I have several books on the way as we speak. Hello...my name is Kathy.... and I am an addict.... If only we could get a support group together. Not only would a group provide moral support it could also triple as a book club and swap meet. Keep reading and I will do the same. I accept that I will never be one of those people to own or borrow one book at a time. There are just to many books and not nearly enough time.

Patterson

I have recently taken up James Patterson novels. Mass market thrillers are not my usual read and I don't often spend time on authors that crank out several books a year. Sure I read an occasional King book but for the most part mystery/thrillers aren't my think. I actually got Honeymoon on audio cd to start. I have a 40 minute commute to work and thought an book might be nice for a change( I live in Maine and good radio stations are hard to come by). I found myself almost to engrossed in the story to drive. Later a coworker who is a big fan of Patterson's claims that is one of his best books and I was glad to start with that. I decided to sample more and picked up 1ST TO DIE which is the first in his women's murder club series. I enjoyed this book almost as much as Honeymoon. I still have small problems with the cop thrillers as a whole. Some plot points seem a bit contrived but I was kept guessing to the end although I don't think the story itself was very probable. I am going to continue reading his books. I have ordered the second women's murder club series from paperbackswap.com and am going to slowly work my way through his other series. The problem I have with authors like this and the entire genre itself is that if I read to many in a row they all seem so similar and formula driven after awhile. I'm certain that as long as I mix in a good portion of my regular fiction and non-fiction choices I won't get bored to easily with his work. It certainly is easy to locate especially in used form. The most appealing thing about starting his work from the beginning is the amount of mass market paperback editions available will save me a bundle. I definitely think his works are worth reading. I have to hand it to Patterson because they all seem to be engrossing page turners and with short chapters its double easy to keep squeezing in a few more pages and chapters.

Manic

I just finished the book Manic by Terri Cheney. It is a memoir of manic depression. I enjoyed the writing but most of the stories revolved around seducing men in a manic state. I really wish she would have gone into her family background a little better. I breezed through the stories though and really feel for what the author went through. I am not manic depressive myself but have met a few people who are and some of her stories are simply heartbreaking. I will say that certain parts of her story started to depress me greatly. I need to read something more uplifting because a lot of this book ends with despair.
I just started the book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. I recently started reading Vonnegut and am very interesting in getting to know his work better. I began with Cat's Cradle and it is a kookie story but so inventive. My friend Carol has really become a fan and she says for her it all started with Galapagos. I have ordered this book and a few others as per my book shopping weakness. I don't have the heart to recount my bookshelf yet but feel the need to do so soon. I started out the year so good but am starting to feel I am spiraling out of control. I think it is probably time to clean out some shelves and re prioritize my reading collection. I currently have 4 books on order. I have signed on to a 50 books in a year reading blog and I have currently gone through at least 30 this year but I really need to get ride of some books to make room on the shelf.

Summer Reading

As crazy about reading as I am I agreed to read my daughters summer reading books along with her. As it just so happened I already owned copies of both books. She must finish A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN and A SEPARATE PEACE. Now as it so happens I have read Separate Peace twice before(I didn't enjoy either time). Once in high school and once when it was assigned reading for my son's English class. (I read all the books my kids read for summer reading and book reports in order to make sure they have read them and can answer common questions)
I recently finished A Tree Grows (my daughter is still in the process) and I have to say it is one of the most enjoyable reads I've picked up in awhile. I loved the old black and white film when it was on in my youth and I watched it with my parents. I'm not sure I haven't read it before but even so it was wonderful. Especially owning to today's economic times it is interesting to revisit this depression era novel. Poor but happy is the outlook of the characters despite a pretty miserable existence. I would truly love to sit down with my 14 year old and get her heartfelt impression of Francie and the times she lives in but I doubt my daughter will be a moved by the story or as willing to share her thoughts with me. Hopefully she will share them in her English class. My grandfather was a product of the depression and this story brought back fond memories of the kind of man he was and the way her viewed life. I do wish I could peek inside my daughters teenage mind and really peer at her thoughts having no previous experiences to relate to the era. One thing I do know is that this story is truly timeless in its way. It is a fantastic journey for readers of any age and I can't wait till she finishes and I hope she appreciates the story half as much as I do.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I just finished the book Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. When I first heard about this book I was mildly offended. Pride is one of my all time favorite stories. The buzz about how popular the Seth Grahame Smith reboot was convinced me to give it a shot. I wish I had stayed with my first instinct. This book was a complete waste of my time. I realize it was written in fun but the addition of zombies has done nothing but make the story ridiculous. The author stumbles through the story giving vicious ends here and there. The banter about balls and soiling oneself I could have done without. I believe that if this story had been rewritten by a women who loved Pride, then great things could have been achieved. Don't waste your time with this one. The original story is a thousand times more enjoyable the way it was originally intended.