Wednesday, September 22, 2010

House of Leaves, by Mark Z Danielewski

 
I haven't posted anything in a while, not b/c I'm not reading, but b/c I've been trying to read/study my latest purchase:  The New Annotated Dracula, edited by my favorite footnoter, Leslie Klinger.  I've been working my way through this book for a long time now, since the start of September, and I've barely scratched the surface.
 
But this update isn't about that book.  I was headed out to the beach with my wife for another long weekend at our Ocean City condo.  I didn't want to lug Dracula (a beast of a book) out to the sandy beach with me, so instead I opted for a book I've been wanting to read for quite some time:  House of Leaves.
 
Holy crap, this book was fantastic.  First on the most basic level as a haunted house (type) story, it scared me and I was afraid to walk around my house alone at night.  It invaded more than one dream and had me holding my bladder at night rather than go to the bathroom alone at 4 am.  But more than that it was a great read all around, getting past the main haunted house story, into the various annotations (you know how I love those), numerous authors voices, side stories, etc.  I mean this whole novel is just a work I hated to put down, I'd have taken days off to read it if that were an option.
 
So this was a great book to take to the beach, but now I'm back to Dracula.  I'm taking the train to NYC this weekend and can't decide if I want to bring Dracula (heavy as hell) since I'll have 3.5 hours each way to read.  Tough call.
 
 

Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

  • Title:  The Shadow of the Wind
  • Author:  Carlos Ruiz Zafon
  • Purchased from Borders Bookstore
  • Started:  9/2/2010
  • Finished:  9/5/2010
This was a random purchase from a going out of business sale for our local Borders.  My wife thought the description on the back of the book sounded good so she bought it and read it while at the beach.  I read it after her, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Doghead, by Morten Ramsland

  • Title:  Doghead: A Novel
  • Author:  Morten Ramsland
  • Received as a gift
  • Started:  8/31/2010
  • Finished:  9/2/2010
This was a strange, and somewhat enjoyable book.  I say somewhat because there is a lot of humor in it for sure, and the book is written excellently.  But the protagonist (or at least narrator) isn't a particularly likable character, and some pretty nasty things happen to people.  Overall a book I'm glad I read, but I'm not sure how many people I would recommend this book too.

The Left-Handed Policeman, by Robert Westbrook

  • Title:  Left-Handed Policeman
  • Author:  Robert Westbrook
  • Found At Take One/Leave One Bookcase At Ocean City Beach Condo
  • Started:  8/28/2010
  • Finished:  8/31/2010
I really like Robert Westbrook novels, but I'd held off on reading this one which has been in our OC condo ever since we bought it.  Finally read it on this vacation and overall liked it.  Wasn't crazy about the ending, but the rest of the book was really enjoyable.

The Westend Horror, by Nicholas Meyer

Another of Meyer's Sherlock Holmes stories, this one was a fun read but not nearly as good as his first, the 7 Percent Solution.

Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse, by Victor Gischler

In my never ending quest for apocalyptic literature I stumbled across this book, which wasn't bad.  A fun story, well told, and not really all that much about go-go girls (somewhat to my disappointment).  A great beach read for sure.

Devil On My Doorstep, by Stuart M Kaminsky

The second (and final) Rockford book, this is one that seemed very familar to me as I read it.  I suspect I'd read this one before, just prior to my having started this site so I had no record of it.

The Green Bottle, by Stuart M Kaminsky

I don't like doing this, but I haven't updated this site in a while so I'm having to guess at the dates for the next 5 or 6 books that I'm posting about, as I've blown through most of htem on my two week beach vacation.  Two of the books were Kaminsky's Rockford Files books, which were entertaining enough for fans of the show (of which I'm one), but not spectacular otherwise.