angela_o: (blue snowflakes)
angela_o ([personal profile] angela_o) wrote2006-12-29 10:39 pm

Books, books, books

Ah, I've finally reached what feels like real vacation time. My mother-in-law left yesterday morning. Christmas is successfully wrapped up. And, both boys birthdays have been duly celebrated. Anything that I do now is because I want to, not because I'm obligated to do so. Can you see me smiling?

Anyway, I've had fun reading the last few days. Here's the latest.

#132 is New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. The sequel to Twilight. A very satisfying follow up in the series. Although vampires are still crucial to the plot, we now get a werewolf story. I really like this writer. J is dying at the thought that the next in the series isn't set to publish until fall '07. She's learning the perils of falling in love with a series and I admit that it's a little amusing to watch from this side. Nine months doesn't seem nearly as long to 41 as it does to 13. It's fun to share them with her though.

#133 is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I'd heard this one recommended in a variety of places and my hold at the library finally came in. I read it yesterday and found it thoroughly engrossing. Any Anglophiles on my FL will particularly love it, but I recommend it to anyone who's in the market for a captivating yarn. Plus, the writing itself is beautiful. Setterfield's prose occasionally reminds me of Atwood's and that's high praise indeed.

#134 is The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. The second in the His Dark Materials trilogy. I was right in thinking that I'd missed things in my initial reading of the series and I'm glad that I decided to reread although they do get more painful the further you delve into them.

[identity profile] mockingbird39.livejournal.com 2007-01-03 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm glad you liked The Thirteenth Tale. I read it on my train ride home and loved it. You're right -- her prose is captivating and beautiful. I also didn't see the twist coming until maybe 25 pages before it happened, and I liked the surprise. I haven't given it back to the library yet because I'm hoping to read it again this weekend.

[identity profile] angela-o.livejournal.com 2007-01-03 05:35 pm (UTC)(link)
It was lovely. I was somewhat surprised by the twist as well. I'd wondered about the possibility of another, but not in the way that it came about. Plus, the uncertainty as to the true identity was almost chilling. Very enjoyable read. Did you get any good books for Christmas?