The geek shall inherit the earth

Ready Player One
by Ernest Cline

• Are your action figures in their original packaging?
• Can you mix a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster?
• Have you spent more than eight hours at a stretch playing World of Warcraft?
• Do you speak Klingon or Elvish?
• Have you seen Return of the Jedi more than 12 times?
• Have you attended Comic-Con?

If you said “yes” to any of these questions (and quite possibly if you didn’t), then you need to read Ernest Cline’s debut novel, Ready Player One. Trust me on this. The novel opens in 2044. Things aren’t looking too good in the real world. So much so, that much of the population spends the majority of their time in the OASIS, “the massively-multiplayer online game that had gradually evolved into the globally networked virtual reality most of humanity now used on a daily basis.” People hold jobs in the OASIS. There are marriages that exist only in the OASIS. It’s more real than reality, and certainly preferable.

The OASIS had been created by an inventor named James Halliday. When the reclusive multi-billionaire died without an heir, a challenge was set in motion. Halliday had hidden an “Easter egg” somewhere in the OASIS, and had left behind fiendishly difficult clues. Whoever solved the clues to complete three virtual challenges and find the egg would win his vast estate. In the five years since the challenge began, much of world has become consumed with the hunt. It’s the ultimate golden ticket. Many people are professional egg hunters, or “gunters,” as they are known. They spend their days and nights immersed in the popular culture that made up James Halliday’s formative years—primarily the 1970s and ‘80s—as it is widely believed that knowing what he knew, loving what he loved, will be the path to winning.

The story is told in the first person voice of Wade Watts, an 18-year-old gunter. Wade was brought up in a world far different from Halliday’s idealized youth, yet he too sits around watching re-runs of Family Ties and obsessively playing Atari and Intellevision video games, hoping this knowledge will give him the edge in the hunt for Halliday’s egg—and it just might, because after five years with zero progress, Wade Watts is the first person in the world to solve one of the clues. Readers get to follow Wade on an epic adventure.

I’ll be honest; I’m not the person I described in the opening of this review. I’m not a big fan of science fiction. I don’t dress in costumes. I’m just not that geeky. I am, however, a mere three years older than the fictional James Halliday, and his formative years were my own. And I have to tell you that I LOVED this romp through the pop culture that has formed my world! Ernest Cline’s debut is funny, thrilling, adventurous, and more than a little thought-provoking.

As I read, I found myself reflecting on Gary Shteyngart’s Super Sad True Love Story. It’s not that the two novels are alike exactly, but like Shteyngart, Cline has looked at elements in contemporary culture and extrapolated a disturbingly… I don’t want to say “plausible,” but, yeah, kinda plausible future. An exaggerated future based on certain trends in our use of technology today. Cline exaggerated different social elements than Shteyngart did, but the outcome is just as entertaining, disquieting, and funny. Wade is a tremendous, likable guide through this future/past world and Cline does an amazing job creating a cast of characters that transcend the avatars that represent them.

In short, this middle-aged, not-so-geeky girl can’t say enough good things about this paean to pop culture. Do yourself a favor and check Ready Player One out! In a word, it is AWESOME!

Catching up with David Liss

I met David Liss in a Walmart in Phoenix, but he didn't make a big impression on me until we got into an argument in the back of a limousine a couple of hours later.  It was the first day of the very first Thrillerfest, and I have considered David a friend ever since.  I am not even gong to ask what he considers me, because he is a very snarky man.  You should know that about him.

He does a good job of hiding his snarkliness in the interview below.  Nor does he fully demonstrate his sense of humor, but he's a delightfully funny guy.  What does come through loud and clear is just how smart and knowlegeable he is.  "Smart" doesn't seem to be a word he wants to be tarred with, but I can't help it.  I've only read one of his novels, The Whiskey Rebels.  It knocked my socks off!  There was nothing overly challenging or inaccessible about it, but the novel had a deeply satisfying complexity.  The headline of the review linked above was "Absolutely the best mystery I've read in ages!"  Several years later, it's still high on the list, and I'm still hoping for a sequel.

I had the pleasure of catching up with David last month in New York.  It was T-fest time again.  I hadn't realized that a new book was on the way, but the minute I heard about The Twelfth Enchantment, I wanted to get my hands on a copy.  Somehow I failed to do so, but it goes on sale today, so at last the wait is over.  Not to be completely superficial, but I love the title and I love the cover.  And after talking with David about the story, I seriously can't wait to dive in!

One more thing...  Remember that month of kvetching about having no voice?  It started in NY.  (David was like, "No, Susan, your voice sounds totally normal."  Snarky!)  So, I'm just going to mention that I do not sound like this, and I truly apologize to all listeners.  But David does most of the talking, and his end of the conversation is well worth listening to.  It's a casual discussion between friends, not a formal interview, and I hope you enjoy it!

Mailbox Monday: Dead tree edition

If you guys even suspected how much time I spend looking at photographs of mailboxes, you'd be rightly appalled.  Still, the photo above is a striking, huh?  It was shot in Santa Fe, NM by a guy named Randy.  Technically, I don't think that tree is dead, but I was being clever.  The Mailbox Monday photos have been pretty stunning lately, but next Monday I'll have a fun theme post.  Come back, you'll like it.

So, remember my tantrum last week about the weather?  It went downhill from there.  Today is cold, damp, foggy, cloudy and in the 50's.  I'm freezing and don't know what to wear.  UGH!  Jimbo and/or Nicole, I'm coming to visit very soon.  What are you doing this weekend?

Also, I forgot something very bookish from last week--after having attended the very first preview of the stage musical of Armisted Maupin's Tales of the City, Jon and I and our friend Mike attended the closing night performance ten weeks later, last Sunday.  What a difference!  Everything had pulled together so terrifically during the course of the run!  And, Armisted and Christopher were there, of course, so I got to say hello to them.  They're always lovely.  I swear, I will blog about the show some day.  Last night, Jon and I caught the Turtle Island String Quartet at Yoshi's.  Not bookish, but very entertaining!

This week I'm looking forward to seeing my friend David Liss come through San Francisco on tour for his new novel, The Twelfth Enchantment, which goes on sale tomorrow.  I haven't read it yet, so no review, I'm afraid.  But once I've purchased a copy, I'll try to get to it fast.  I've been looking forward to this one for a while!  And I had the pleasure of chatting with David about the novel while we were both in New York last month.  I'll be posting that interview tomorrow.  For local readers, David will be at Book Passage on Wednesday, August 10th and M is for Mystery on Thursday, August 11th.  I haven't decided which to attend.  Anyone want to come with? 

Did you see the video I posted of Chris Moore and Ian Corson last week?  Chris posted a link on Facebook and suddenly hundreds and hundreds of people swung by the blog.  Thousands of page views.  Oh, so that's what it's like to have readers, LOL.  David Liss, please send your rabid fan base over here tomorrow.  I'll be waiting.

And, I don't want to get you guys too excited, but I'm posting a review of an AWESOME debut novel on Wednesday.  It's something completely different.  Should I tell you?  Okay I will.  It's Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

On a personal note, so many of you have kindly inquired about my sister.  She finally seems to be recovering from her surgery, and there will be no follow-up operations.  This is excellent news!  Thanks to all for your very kind concern.  And on that note...

The Leftovers
by Tom Perotta
Release date: August 30, 2011
Source: Paper galley, gift from Nicole

Talk about leftovers--this book is a leftover I forgot to include on last week's list.  It's one of the buzzier books of the fall, and I'm quite curious to read it.  I'm just not sure what I'm going to think of it.  We shall see.

Zone One
by Colson Whitehead
Release date: October 18, 2011
Source: Paper galley via Amazon Vine program

For a girl who "doesn't like zombies," this will be the fourth zombie novel I'll have read in the past year.  But I'm quite excited to read this one!  I love the current trend of major literary novelists taking on plot-driven genre literature.  This is another buzzy fall title--and it will be out just in time for Halloween.

The Accident
by Linwood Barclay
Release date: August 9, 2011
Source: Paper galley via Amazon Vine program

I've been wanting to read a Barclay novel for a while now.  This one seems to have had a "ripped from the headlines" inspiration.  From what I've read, the plot seems reminiscent of that tragic accident when a woman killed herself and several children in the car while drunk driving, but her husband and people in her life were unaware of a drinking problem.  Of course, in a thriller writer's hands, I'm sure there's more to the story than a domestic tragedy.

Pigeon English
by Stephen Kelman
Release date: July 19, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

So, did anyone notice that the Man Booker longlist was announced a couple of weeks ago?  So I thought I'd read a couple books off the longlist, starting with this one.  God, I hate written dialect.  Seriously, if you choose to read a novel called Pigeon English, you just have no room to complain.  Full review soon.

LA Mental
by Neil McMahon
Release date: September 27, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

James Rollins sez: “As much a mind game as it is thriller, a scientific puzzle buried in a murder mystery, all set against the surreal world of Hollywood filmmaking. . . . I can’t wait for the next book!”  Well, that's enough for me!  (No it isn't.  But I got the straight dope from that well known blurb 'ho Rollins, and he said read it.)

Showstopper
by Abigail Pogrebin
Release date: May 31, 2011
Source:  Kindle purchase

This isn't a book, it's what's called a "Kindle Single."  It's basically a really long magazine article and it generally costs about $2.  This was an example of Amazon doing brilliant targeting on me.  Once I saw the cover, I couldn't resist.  Today, Abigail Pogrebin is a respected journalist, but 30 years ago when she was 16, she was one of the teenagers in the original Broadway cast of the much maligned Sondheim flop Merrily We Roll Along, which closed after 16 performances.  This is not only her recollections of the show, but how the experience effected her, and much more.  Very interesting!


Books finished this past week:

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
LA Mental by Neil McMahon


Currently Reading:

As yet undecided...


So, what have you guys been reading?  What books have you acquired this week?  I'd love to hear in the comments!

Christopher Moore & Ian Corson converse about The Griff

Christopher Moore is one of the more entertaining people to spend time with.  He's great in print, but there's nothing like seeing him speak live.  You never know what will come out of his mouth.  I've been a fan of his novels for years, but his latest release is something different.  For a start, it was a collaborative effort, written with screenwriter and director Ian Corson and illustrated by Jennyson Rosero.  That's right, it's illustrated.  It is, in fact, a graphic novel entitled The Griff. 

I was fortunate to catch Chris and Ian on their limited California tour promoting this book.  This conversation took place at the lovely Booksmith in San Franciso's colorful Haight Ashbury neighborhood.  It was recorded on July 29, 2011, and the video is done with a hand-held flip cam.  It's a limited tool, but I did the best I could.  The video is cut into You Tube-friendly chunks, but I've captured the entire event with the exception of a very slickly managed battery change at one point.

In all, the authors spoke for nearly an hour and ten minutes, and it turned out to be a substantive interview. Below Chris and Ian discuss Hollywood, the publishing industry, working in a new medium, communicating with an artist, the characters of The Griff, Chris's other novels, and more. Watch them squirm in the face of MFA questions! Honestly, I was just supposed to quickly cut and paste this video into my post, but I found myself rewatching every last minute of it.  (There's a distinct possibility that I have no willpower.)  I may have enjoyed this event even more the second time around.

Oh, and if anyone wants to order a copy of this book signed by both authors, I'm pretty confident that The Booksmith will be happy to hook you up.  So, without any further chatter from me, here are Chris and Ian on The Griff...

"Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." - C.S. Lewis

The Woodcutter
by Reginald Hill

Despite his long and flourishing career, The Woodcutter was my introduction to the work of Reginald Hill. This is probably due to the fact that he is best known for a crime series with a daunting backlist. However, among his stand alone novels, Wikipedia tells me that he "frequently selects one writer or one oeuvre to use as a central organizing element of a given novel, such as one novel being a pastiche of Jane Austen's works, or another featuring elements of classical Greek myth." And that describes perfectly what he's done with The Woodcutter! It is a contemporary thriller without any fantastic elements, but it is dressed up in fairy tale tropes, making for an unusually interesting, layered read.

From the opening pages:

"Once upon a time, I was living happily ever after. That's right. Like in a fairy tale. How else to describe my life up till that bright autumn morning back in 2008?

I was the lowly woodcutter who fell in love with a beautiful princess glimpsed dancing on the castle lawn..."

The speaker is Wolf Hadda--Sir Wolf Hadda. He may have started life as a lowly woodcutter, but he's a self-made success story. Having prevailed at "three impossible tasks" to win the hand of his princess, in early middle age he's sitting on top of the world. On the above-referenced morning, when the police raid his home, as absurd as it seems, he's being accused of being a child pornographer! Things go from bad to worse, unbelievably worse, for the once high and mighty Wolf. In fact, much of the novel is comprised of sessions between himself and Elf--AKA prison psychologist Alva Ozigbo--as Wolf recounts the tale of his fall from grace.

There is so much more to this story than I possibly could or should summarize. Above is the merest tip of the iceberg of the tale being told. The novel switches back and forth between the perspectives of these two characters, and gradually, gradually, a major conspiracy unfolds. And were this simply a conventional thriller, it would have worked just fine for me. The plot was delightfully complex and chock-full of twists, turns, and jaw-dropping shockers. The characters were deftly-drawn and genuinely interesting people. The novel even has a well-developed sense of humor. Reading The Woodcutter was great fun.

And like a cherry on top of this excellent thriller, there were the fairy tale elements. Don't be confused, it IS a sometimes gritty thriller, not a fairy tale. Still, I had such a good time catching the many fairy tale references! It's really an achievement in creative writing. I will definitely be investigation some of Mr. Hill's backlist. Oh, and if anyone knows the title of his Jane Austen novel, please leave a note in the comments. That's exactly where I plan to start!

HUMPDAY GIVEAWAY: The Magician King by Lev Grossman

I sincerely hope that it is no secret that I'm a big fan of Lev Grossman's novels.  I absolutely loved his 2009 novel, The Magicians.  And I was delighted by the sequel, The Magician King.  I'm not the only one.  Amazon.com picked it as their spotlight Book of the Month for August, where they wrote:

The second volume in Lev Grossman's celebrated series picks up just after the events of its 2009 prequel, The Magicians. Quentin, Eliot, Janet, and Julia are now the High Kings and Queens of Fillory, a fantastic realm not unlike Narnia, where they pass their days "deliquescing atom by atom amid a riot of luxury." To ease his royal boredom, Quentin embarks on a quest with Julia. Despite his romantic visions of heroic feats and easy accolades, the quest goes horribly awry, and they find themselves back in the depressingly real world of Chesterton, Massachusetts. With the help of seedy underground magicians, a dragon, and a young boy named Thomas, they undertake a desperate journey back to Fillory. Grossman's writing is sharp and self-aware, and the characters feel like people you actually know, but cooler: they are delightfully profane and dripping with irony, arrogant and shallow, finding their way in a magically perfect world that somehow still lets them down, and learning to fight for the things they love. The Magician King is a triumphant homage to modern fantasy writing, and a must-read for grown-up fans of Narnia and Harry Potter.

I couldn't have said it better myself, but, you know, I tried.

This book doesn't go on sale until August 9th, but I'm giving away a gorgeous trade paperback galley right now!  Listen, I hate to beg people to let me send them a free bestseller.  If we have less than five entrants, I'm afraid this galley is going straight to my face-to-face bookgroup.  I've been holding all my hottest titles for you guys, and that's not fair if there's really no interest.  But I hope there is, because these books are AWESOME!  I stated a caveate a couple of weeks ago, and I'll state it again here.  This is the second book in a trilogy.  Do enter the contest, but please don't try to read The Magician King before reading The Magicians.  And that's all.  Normal rules apply.  Good luck to all!

• The giveaway is open to anyone with a U.S. mailing address ('cause I'm footing the postage).
• To enter, all you need to do is post a comment below by Wednesday, August 10, 2011.
• At my discretion, if there are less than five respondents, I can cancel or extend the giveaway.
• Winner will be chosen by me with the help of a random number generator, and will be announced in the comments section of this thread.
• Please check back to see if you've won. If you have left a way to contact you, I will do so.
• The winner has one week to respond to me at suetu@yahoo.com with a mailing address, or I will choose a new winner.
• If a second winner fails to respond, the book automatically goes to the lovely members of my face-to-face book club.
• Previous giveaway winners are welcome to enter.
• Finally, if at all possible, please comment below only if you're entering the giveaway.

The break is over…

Fever Dream
by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

While I have been a fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, individually and collectively, for nearly two decades now, I’m the rare fan that feels a little Agent Pendergast goes a long way. A few years ago, I began to feel, well, Pendergasted-out. I needed a break from the series and I took it.

As the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Knowing that there was a new Pendergast novel about to be released, I decided to get back up to speed and reenter the series. And reading Fever Dream at this time worked out perfectly. It’s the first novel in the so-called Helen Pendergast Trilogy, and it feeds straight into their latest release, Cold Vengeance.

The novel opens with a flashback to 12 years earlier. It returns us to the African hunting trip that cost Helen her life. Hers is a gruesome death, mauled by a lion. In the present day, FBI Special Agent Pendergast makes a shocking discovery. It’s a tiny detail out of place, never noticed before, but it leads Pendergast to the inescapable conclusion that his wife was murdered all those years prior. From that point on, the usually cool and collected agent is a man possessed. His only goal is to find out why Helen was killed and to see her murderer dead.

To that end, he conscripts Lieutenant Vincent D’Agosta of the NYPD as his partner in this cold case. Soon enough, Pendergast realizes that his beloved wife had kept secrets from him. I won’t summarize further, except to mention that Preston and Child manage to again integrate speculative science most entertainingly into their convoluted plot. This plot, being only the first in the trilogy, is perhaps a bit more convoluted than most. The first book completes a satisfying arc of the story, but the larger picture is not yet filled in.

Revisiting with these old friends, I remembered why I sometimes feel frustration with this principle character, with his quirky behavior and situational ethics. Intriguingly, Mssrs. Preston and Child have a significant character in the series, Laura Hayward, who seems to share my opinion. Despite this, there was great joy in returning to their tales. I’ve known these characters for so long, and they do find themselves embroiled in some interesting conundrums. Preston and Child have their formula down to a science. The books move at a lightning pace and the stories are pure entertainment. It seems the trial separation is over. I was fortunate to be able to dive straight into Fever Dream’s sequel, and I will be sure to acquire the last in the trilogy as soon as I am able.

NOTE:  My review of the sequel, Cold Vengeance, follows immediately below.

My on-again/off-again romance with Pendergast continues

Cold Vengeance
by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have been writing tales of Special Agent Aloysius X. L. Pendergast since 1995’s Relic. And I have been a mostly loyal fan in the years since. But I might as well admit that Pendergast and I engaged in a trial separation these past few years. However, I just read Fever Dream, and I remembered why I had stuck with him for more than a decade. You don’t just toss a relationship like that away.

And I’m hooked again. Cold Vengeance is book two in the Helen Pendergast Trilogy, in which the special agent is hunting the reason for and the identity of his wife’s murderers. It begins just a few weeks after the events of Fever Dream. In brief, the novel is a deliciously drawn out cat and mouse game between Pendergast and the only opponent left standing in the last novel. As this pursuit unfolds, Pendergast comes to realize, “that he truly had not known his beloved wife. Like so many other fallible human beings, he had been blinded by love. He had not even begun to crack the ultimate mystery of her identity.”

But he does make progress in that ultimate mystery—with the help of more than a few characters we’ve met in prior novels. Who was Helen Pendergast, and what was her family connected to? At one point, Pendergast’s opponent challenges, “You think your fight’s just with me, but you’re wrong… The fact is you have no idea, no idea, of what you’re dealing with.”

By the end of the book, both Pendergast and the reader will have an inkling, but there’s much yet to be uncovered. Preston and Child are masterful at building suspense, and the end of this novel will be the start of a torturous wait for the final volume in the trilogy. The book ends on more than one huge cliff-hanger. Along the way, there are shocks, twists, and revelations aplenty. This is some highly entertaining storytelling, and my favorite in the series for many years.

I was a fool to leave Pendergast these last few years! I will be waiting anxiously until I can see him again in the conclusion to this most compelling story.

Boyd Morrison and April Smith in conversation

Readers of this blog have probably noticed by now that I love attending literary events: readings, signings, lectures, etc.  I don't think people realise that going out to hear a favorite (or even an unknown) author speak is a terrific form of free entertainment.  I'm lucky to live in San Francisco.  We get a lot of authors passing through on tour every day of the week.  Some people are not so fortunate.  Their city or town might not host the number of events that mine does.  For that reason, I sometimes record events to share online.

So, it's also not a secret to readers of this blog that Boyd Morrison is a good friend of mine.  I've heard him speak on panels at Thrillerfest (In fact, I've got video of one of those panels to post some slow news day.), but this was the very first time I've had the pleasure of seeing him on book tour.  What was even nicer is that he was joined on this occasion by novelist April Smith.  Their tours joined up for this one evening of July 21, 2011 at M is for Mystery Bookstore in San Mateo, California.  And instead of just talking about their respective books, the two were able to have an engaging conversation.  I had not met April before, and she turned out to be a lovely, down to earth, and very friendly lady!  It was a pleasure to be there live, and I hope you enjoy my amateur video.

One more thing...  If by the end of the video, either has managed to sell you on their book, I can guarantee that M is for Mystery has signed copies that they'll be happy to ship anywhere.  ;-)  Enjoy!

Mailbox Monday: The coldest winter I ever spent edition

If you live in San Francisco, you'll frequently hear visitors and locals quoting something Mark Twain supposedly said, "The coldest winter I ever spent is summer in San Francisco."  God, did he get that right!  Today is August 1st, and I've had it!  I'm sick of high temps in the 50's and wind chill factors!  Today's forecast?  High of 61 degrees, low of 53, partly sunny, windy.  Yes, I know the rest of America is burning up.  Please send us some heat!

Okay, I'll try to pull myself together.  So, a thankfully short list of books today, but definitely some good ones.  I can't think of any lit events on the schedule this week, but I did go out to hear Christopher Moore and Ian Corson speak about their graphic novel, The Griff on Friday night.  It was fun, as my friend Nicole was able to join me.  And it's always nice to see Chris and his wife-like girlfriend, Charlee.  And the best news is that I filmed the entire event!  I'll be posting that hopefully in the next few days.

Speaking of posting video, I still haven't posted the video I shot of Boyd Morrison and April Smith on tour.  It's a really nice conversation between two authors, so I shall endeavor to put that up today, 'kay?  And on that note...

Spycatcher

by Matthew Dunn
Release date: August 9, 2011
Source:  Finished hardback from publisher

You know, as many thrillers as I read, I'm not big on the espionage.  Still, this book seems to be written by the real deal, a recently retired MI6 operative.  People are saying good things about it, and I plan to check it out.

Hot, Shot, and Bothered
by Nora McFarland
Release date: August 2, 2011
Source: Finished trade paperback from publisher

Looks cute.  I think there's someone in my face-to-face book group that might enjoy this one.

The Little Women Letters
by Gabrielle Donnelly
Release date:  June 7, 2011
Source:  Paper galley from publisher

Yet another novel that flings the fact that I've never read Little Women back in my face.  I will read it one of these days.  I'm also thinking face-to-face book club for this one, but if anyone's really interested in this (or the novel above) being a Humpday Giveaway, please speak up!

Cold Vengeance
by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Release date: August 2, 2011
Source: Electronic galley from publisher

As much as I love Preston and Child, I have to admit that I sometimes get Pendergasted-out.  I hadn't read a book in this series for a few years, until, feeling nostalgic, I picked up the book prior to this one, Fever Dream, a couple of weeks ago, and then read this one over the weekend.  I have to admit that it's been nice to visit with these old friends.  I'll try to write a review this week.

Survivors (An Aftertime Novella)
by Sophie Littlefield
Release date: July 1, 2011
Source: Kindle freebie

Yes, this is a short novella set in the harsh zombie apocalypse world of Littlefield's Aftertime series.  If you've been curious to give them a try, here's an opportunity to get a taste.  For a limited time, it's free on Kindle.  As a big fan of the series, I'm looking forward to reading this as I wait for the final book in the Aftertime Trilogy to be released this winter.

The Griff: A Graphic Novel
by Christopher Moore & Ian Corson
Release date:  July 19, 2011
Source:  Purchased at The Booksmith on Haight

This is the first graphic novel I've ever purchased and the first I've read.  Chris Moore is always fun, but this art form is not for me.  I could never figure out why anyone would want to contaminate words with pictures.  (I'm not a fan of subtitled films either.)  However, Chris and Ian do get bonus points for trashy underwater fiction elements!


Books finished this week:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - Believe the hype!  This book is so wonderful that any review I write won't do it justice.
Cold Vengeance by Doug Preston and Lincoln Child
The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker
The Griff by Christopher Moore and Ian Corson

Currently reading:
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - I'm back to this debut novel after a few distractions last week, and I'm totally loving it!  Plus, I saw this morning that it was named one of the "Best of the Month" of August by Amazon.com.  It's not out 'til mid month, but look for it.


So, what are you reading?  What books have you acquired this week?  Can't wait to hear in the comments!