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listersgirlApparently I forgot that I read anything last week, because I have 2 lists. Oh, and excitement: my tiny little library has been renovated. I haven't seen it yet, but hopefully it's all pretty and new looking.
Steven Brust The Book of Jhereg
This is a collection of the first 3 (by date written) books in a series. I read the first story a while ago, and enjoyed it, but wasn't overwhelmed. By the time I finished this collection, however, I was totally enthralled and now I can't wait to read the rest. Brust has created interesting characters that don't always fall into our preconceived notions of how they should behave, and I particularly liked the way the books were written as though the narrator was telling a story, or maybe a confession. Of course, like most fantasy novels there were too many names (of people and places) that started to sound alike, so I did spend a fair amount of time doubling back to check who or what someone was, but it was worth it.
Augusten Burroughs Running With Scissors: A Memoir
There's a point, when you're reading about the horrific, ridiculous events of someone's life, that you just have to give up and admit that yes, it's sad, but dude, so funny. This guy had the craziest childhood I have ever read about: his parents split up, his mother went crazy, he ended up living with his mother's therapist (who was crazy himself) and family (who were absolute wackos), and that's just the start. I would never have survived a childhood like that, but it makes for a car-crash-can't-look-away book.
Ethan Mordden Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s
This was a great book: informative and entertaining, with some nicely opinionated discussion of both hits and flops. I particularly enjoyed Mordden's thoughts on why certain shows died a quick death, and his explanations of how the economics of theatre were changing so dramatically in the 60's. I've read a couple of his others before (I think the 20s and the 50s), but this one was much better, because it focused on common themes rather than just a few big shows. And a couple of shows that I'm not too familiar with he described so well that I need to hear them now.
J.D. Robb Naked in Death
Why is it that so many of these popular writers (this is Jayne Ann Krentz in one of her many incarnation) like to write just that little bit in the future? I'm going with the theory that in this case it's so that she can make up new police procedures and weapons. Not that I'm really complaining -- the book was fun, and very light, and fit into my bag easily.
I also read another of the Neil Gaiman Sandman stories, but I don't really have anything to say about it that I haven't said before. I guess it didn't grab me much.
Steven Brust The Book of Jhereg
This is a collection of the first 3 (by date written) books in a series. I read the first story a while ago, and enjoyed it, but wasn't overwhelmed. By the time I finished this collection, however, I was totally enthralled and now I can't wait to read the rest. Brust has created interesting characters that don't always fall into our preconceived notions of how they should behave, and I particularly liked the way the books were written as though the narrator was telling a story, or maybe a confession. Of course, like most fantasy novels there were too many names (of people and places) that started to sound alike, so I did spend a fair amount of time doubling back to check who or what someone was, but it was worth it.
Augusten Burroughs Running With Scissors: A Memoir
There's a point, when you're reading about the horrific, ridiculous events of someone's life, that you just have to give up and admit that yes, it's sad, but dude, so funny. This guy had the craziest childhood I have ever read about: his parents split up, his mother went crazy, he ended up living with his mother's therapist (who was crazy himself) and family (who were absolute wackos), and that's just the start. I would never have survived a childhood like that, but it makes for a car-crash-can't-look-away book.
Ethan Mordden Open a New Window: The Broadway Musical in the 1960s
This was a great book: informative and entertaining, with some nicely opinionated discussion of both hits and flops. I particularly enjoyed Mordden's thoughts on why certain shows died a quick death, and his explanations of how the economics of theatre were changing so dramatically in the 60's. I've read a couple of his others before (I think the 20s and the 50s), but this one was much better, because it focused on common themes rather than just a few big shows. And a couple of shows that I'm not too familiar with he described so well that I need to hear them now.
J.D. Robb Naked in Death
Why is it that so many of these popular writers (this is Jayne Ann Krentz in one of her many incarnation) like to write just that little bit in the future? I'm going with the theory that in this case it's so that she can make up new police procedures and weapons. Not that I'm really complaining -- the book was fun, and very light, and fit into my bag easily.
I also read another of the Neil Gaiman Sandman stories, but I don't really have anything to say about it that I haven't said before. I guess it didn't grab me much.