The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: The Second Summer

Friday, I needed another book to read and went straight for The Second Summer.  I couldn’t wait to read it and find out what happened next in the girls’ lives.  I was just as enthralled with this book as I was the first one.  I read it just as fast trying to figure out what was going to happen.  I love the interaction between the characters and the closeness they share.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

I was housesitting Thursday night and had brought a book along to read, but it wasn’t doing the trick.  I skimmed the bookshelves and found The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I read this book in one sitting!  I thought it was great.  I loved how the story followed the four characters, separately, but they were really together at every turn.

Sex and the City

I know, can you believe it – Me, the self-proclaimed Sex and the City know-it-all had not read the book.  I saw it and thought , “What the Hell?”

What the hell is right.  This book sucked.  Sucked.  If I had read it first I would have never watched the series.  I ended up skimming the book and only reading the parts that had to do with Carrie and Big.

All I can say is that Carrie Bradshaw was a way better writer than Candice Bushnell!!!

The Fourth Bear

The second in Jasper Fforde’s Nursery Crime Series, The Fourth Bear was a great book.  The Nursery Crime division, headed by Detective Jack Spratt, investigates all crimes that could possibly relate to a Nursery Rhyme. 

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, The Big Over Easy, was good, but this book passed it by leaps and bounds.  I think that Fforde hit his stride with this one and now weaves the nursery characters and their stories together with ease.  Don’t think this a story for kids – this a thinker with lots of adult humour!

First Among Sequels a Thursday Next Novel

Okay we already know that I love the Thursday Next series.  I have been waiting for First Among Sequelsto come out in paperback.  This may surprise you because I love my hardbacks, but the rest of the series I have in paperback and since I a little, okay a lot, OCD I crave uniformity over my hardbacks!

The waiting did not disappoint.  I loved this book.  In some ways I think it may be the best Next book so far.  I say this because of the story line and the way in which it was told.  There were great dynamics between the characters and Fforde’s humour did not disappoint.  The only thing I felt like I was missing was the play on literature.  Unless I missed it, which is possible given the speed at which I read, there was not as much of the play on literature in this book as in others.  However, I still love it terribly!

Reading like crazy!

I have been out of control with my reading.  In the past week I have read 6 books, not to mention the book that I finished to start this roll!  I think I am going to give each book its due and put them in separate entries.  I’ll start with Lord John and the Hand of Devilsby Diana Gabaldon.

This was a great book.  It is actually 3 short stories – LJ and the Hellfire Club, LJ and the Succubus, and LJ and the Haunted Soldier.  I really enjoyed these.  I think that these were my favorite LJ books to date.  I am not usually a fan of short stories because I feel like things are either wrapped up too quickly, or you are left dangling and wondering what came next.  I didn’t get that with any of these. 

Kudos to Ms. Gabaldon!

The Pig Did It

I finished The Pig Did It and all I really have to say is, “who cares?”  I was starting to enjoy the book, but it wrapped up with no real excitement and kind of ended like a short story.  Do I recommend? NO.

I started Lord John and the Hand of the Devils.  This is actually a compilation of three short stories involving Lord John.  The first one is actually the very first story involving Lord John (prior to his first book being released.)  I have finished that one and it was pretty good.  I believe the next two short stories take place between the 2nd and 3rd books.  Should be good. 

I am still not getting a whole lot of reading done – mostly at the doc appointments and those are getting ready to drop to once a week.  Guess I need to start reading before bed again!

The Big Over Easy

I finished The Big Over Easy a few weeks ago, I just haven’t written.  It was excellent and I am looking forward to reading The Fourth Bear.   I can’t reccommend Jaspar Fforde to you enough!!!

I am currently reading The Pig Did It.  It’s okay.  Not a re-read.  But it’s okay.  It is my doc’s office book right now. 

Velocity by Dean Koontz

I finished Velocity by Dean Koontz this weekend.  I had been taking this book to the allergist with me.  I have to sit there for 20 minutes (at the very least) so it was a great opportunity to get some reading done.

The book was pretty good.  It had me intrigued with in the first 50 pages and kept it through the end.  My one complaint – The story was properly stretched out through the whole book, but the ending was wrapped up in less than 25 pages.   All of sudden everything happened and it was pretty anti-climatic.

Much like the first Dean Koontz book I read, The Watchers, I enjoyed the book, I just don’t see me re-reading the book.

I think that must be one of things I look for in a book – the ability for the book to be read and read again, new things discovered each time and yet still intriguing. 

I started The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde today.  It’s my book for the doc’s office right now.  I might start another one to enjoy at home! 

Gift Card Day

I went to B&N today and spent the gift card that C gave me!! Loads of fun! Here’s what I came home with:
1. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde – It’s the first book in his Nursery Crime Series.
2. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare – I read this book in middle school and recall absolutely loving it. It is a Newberry award winner, too. Misha and I were talking about The Crucible the other night, thanks to Jeopardy!, and it made me remember this book. I got it to read again and find out if it is still as great as I remember!
3. A collection of Alexandre Dumas novels – The Three Musketeers, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Man in the Iron Mask. – I have read The Three Musketeers, but not the other two. I have seen all of the movies and have wanted these books for quite some time.
4. The Canterbury Tales – Another collection that I have wanted for a long time!
5. Two gardening magazines
6. A Mother’s Day Tote – which I am not sure I am really going to give to my mother, or keep for myself. I LOVE tote bags!

I’d say it was a good day!