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memorial day reading

Finally finished reading Dick Francis "Odds Against". For not being a big book (186 pages) it took me a lot longer to read than I had planned. At least I learned some things that I did not know having started reading the series in the middle. I look forward to reading the next book in the series of Sid Halley. He is a delightful character and very inspiring considering is tremendous loss.

I've been spending way too much time on the computer and accomplishing nothing else. I started reading Dean Koontz "Odd Hours" last night. Odd Thomas is another delightful character, a younger man with special abilities. This is the closest I get to reading books about the super natural. You almost wish you could see ghosts too. Well, not the kind Odd does, but I'd give anything to visit with my Mother.

successful visit

It was a very successful visit to the library today. I brought home six books, all from my list of "Want to Read". Since I was having difficulty which book to read first, I chose the one with the fewest pages.

Dick Francis has been around for a long time. I only recently started reading his books about a former jockey, Sid Halley. Sid Halley was once one of England's greatest jockeys until he ran into some bad luck and crippled his hand. Now as a detective, his luck is hasn't changed much. A thriller to read with subtle British humor.

"Odds Against" was first published in 1965. The book from the library is an original. The pages have yellowed over time, however, but it's not in bad condition considering it's been around for 34 years.

nothing to read

It has been awhile since I read one of Catherine Coutler's FBI thrillers. I had forgotten with all the suspense there is romance and humor. It really makes of an enjoyable read. I finally finished "Tail Spin" this afternoon. As with some books (movies too), I wish they would not end quit so soon. Sometimes I imagine more to the story. "Rachel and Jack are engaged and planning a December wedding . . . " fill in the blanks.

It's a good thing I recently cleaned up my book lists. I have my list printed, ready for a trip to the library. In the meantime I have nothing to read! A trip to the library first thing tomorrow morning is in order. Looks like I need to find something else to do this evening.

organization

What did I say about being organized, keeping lists of books I've read? It's all for not if you don't use them! Within the first paragraph of 'Long Time Gone' (J.A. Jance) I knew I had already read the book. Since it was published in 2008 it was still fairly fresh in my memory. If it hadn't been, I just might have re-read the book.

It's a good thing that I had another book in the wings. I go nuts when I don't have something to read. Anything won't do either. I know some people that can survive on reading just any old thing. Humph! Not moi!

So, I'm into Catherine Coulter's "Tail Spin" from her FBI series which I have been reading in order, but of course. You can't help but love Savich and Sherlock. Besides being a thriller, there is always romance involved.

Stormy weather makes for good reading today.

Introducing

As a young child, my parents encouraged me to read. I was a slow reader and found keeping up with the required reading in school was enough. About 15 years ago I finally got 'the bug'! I'm through reading Danielle Steele. I've had my fill of all that mushy stuff. I'm not ready to give up on Nora Roberts just yet, but it's been a while since I've read anything of hers.

I'm terribly anal about a lot of things. I once picked up Sue Grafton's "R is for Ricochet" only to discover it was a series. I located "A is for Alibi" in a used bookstore and caught up quickly. It just doesn't seem right not to start at the beginning. Every once in a while I get a book out of sequence. If I have something else to read, I'll put it down until I read the older books first.
I don't do that very often anymore since I now keep track, by author, of all the books I have read and those I still want to read.

With the economy such as it is, I am finally taking advantage of the library. Even spending a penny for a used book gets expensive when you add shipping. I'm reading suspense novels now. I just finished "Critical" by Robin Cook. You don't want to read one of his books if you are scheduled for surgery anytime soon. His books take me longer to read with all the medical terminology. I try to skip over it since I can't even figure out how to pronounce it.

I'm looking forward to starting "Long Time Gone" written by J. A. Jance. It's one of her J. P. Beaumont series. It takes place in Seattle which I'm familiar with having lived there years ago. He's such a delightful fellow.

I don't read Sci-Fi or scarry books about vampires, etc.