It's Monday (sigh) What Are You Reading?

Mentally, it's been an odd week for me. I'm slowly getting over this cold, but still losing my voice when I use it too much - not helpful when I'm supposed to be reading books to library classes. However, those children are so quiet and attentive during the reading that I don't have to speak very loudly, so that's something to be proud of them for. Sometimes I really really like kids. :)

We had Friday off for Veteran's day (just like the rest of the nation) and I really needed the rest. Had the grandchildren over as usual all weekend, but I feel like I slept their visit away, just to be wide awake at night while they're sleeping...but then I've always been awake most of the night - nothing new there. And I've been in a weird reading mode... It's Monday...is a weekly reading meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. There are full guidelines on her blog, but the gist of it is, we share what we're reading, what we've read, or what we're planning to read. It's a fun way to get new book ideas from other bloggers.

My weird book week includes trying to get a hold of a copy of Magic On The Line, by Devon Monk. Not available at Barnes and Nobles, my not so favorite bookstore (I will forever mourn the demise of Borders, no matter how melodramatic that sounds - they don't harass their customers to buy $25 membership cards to save 10% on your purchases, going on and on and on about it if you refuse...) I ended up having to order it from them on my third trip AFTER the release date looking for it. After all of that hassle, when I finally did get a copy Friday night, I wasn't in the mood to read it! I happened to be right in the middle of another book.

On Sunday, I started reading Black Blood by John Meaney (loved the first book, Bone Song - wonderful book). Black Blood is dark, and yet there is some wonderfully smartassed comments between characters. Enjoying it.

Some of the weirdness of my reading mood had to do with buying THREE books from a SciFi series by R.M. Meluch on impulse, because the book blurbs and covers all seemed so very interesting....impulses rarely work well for me. By the time I had read through the first three chapters of the first in the series, The Myriad, I was seriously bored with the narration, the inflections, the dialogue....and the way one character is pretty much called a whore by all the other crew members in their friendly "and we love her" manner. Gag. I can't make up my mind to be incensed for her or irritated by the character. However, I am bored so I put the book aside, and unfortunately have two others by the same writer...and I'm wondering if they'd be any better or more of the same drivel (oops - did I post that out loud?) I'm looking for SciFi adventures along the line of Tanya Huff, Ann Aguirre and Elizabeth Bear's writing. Elizabeth Moon - although not as sophistacated a narrator as the others, was way more interesting than what I've read of this series. Maybe it's my mood.

So then I picked up the third in the Sandra McDonald series, The Stars Blue Yonder....and couldn't get into it, even through I loved the first two novels. Something about this one, with the SAME characters taking place when the main female character is 70 plus years old. Not in the mood to read about sore, achy bones and old age, when I feel like I'm aging prematurely with all this arthritis and yaddablah etc. health problem shit (see what I mean about being in a weird mood?) I'll come back to the third novel in a while. I do intend to finish the series.

I also spent hours looking for a book that I had bought and accidently shelved with my already read books - Deadworld. It was promising, but for some reason I couldn't focus on it and ended up only reading the FIRST page. Another one I'll go back to later when I'm not in this weird mood...
Oh yeah - another book I wanted to get but Barnes and Noble DOES NOT HAVE (last time I looked) - and by the way, it's a teen book, and they've moved their teen section UP on the Mezzanine - or OPEN LOFT upper floor, where I feel like I need to HOLD ON TO THE SHELVES to keep from falling down to the floor below...seriously - I was having issues, trying to walk around up there. Didn't stay long. Won't try it again. Thanks B&N! And on that wasted fearful dizzy trip, I couldn't find a copy of Reckoning by Lili St.Crow, the LAST in her Strange Angels series. Now I'll probably have to order it online (I HATE that Borders has closed, HATE IT)
I feel like I'm coming across as bitter and cranky - sorry, sort of.

On a happier note, I did manage to finish reading TWO NOVELS!

Yes, I finished The Stars Down Under, by Sandra McDonald (surprise ending, very good read)
and Snuff by Terry Pratchett. Started out not quite like his other books, in that the first half seemed to focus on one character (Vimes), and then the second half read more like his other novels, with the action going back and forth between a few areas - one of the things I enjoy about his narration style. Wonderful novel. After finishing it, I looked for Unseen University (which I haven't yet read, don't know why) and CAN'T FIND IT! I feel like my book life is a complete mess right now. Arrggggh! (That's pirate talk for DAMNIT!) After finishing Snuff, I really wanted to read Unseen University. But I'm now going to concentrate on Black Blood... or Magic On The Line...or maybe a Jennifer Cruisie book for a complete change. Yep - no problems making up my mind here.....lol