Audiobooks

Do audiobooks count? I have an hour commute each way and listening to books is the only way not to slit my wrists while sitting in traffic. Maybe I'll letter them instead of numbering...

A - Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

B - The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

C - Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

D - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

#33-#41

These aren't in exact order but at least I'll be up to date:

#33 - The Terror: A Novel by Dan Simmons (the husband's birthday present that I read first - loved it even though it was a million pages long and set on board a ship stuck in the Arctic ice in the 1700's)

#34 - Every Woman For Herself by Trisha Ashley (predictable, but the characters were a lot of fun)

#35 - The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds (I've always been fascinated by people who are deeply religious and it was interesting to see that world from the inside, even if it was fictional)

#36 - The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier (an interesting idea and enjoyable read)

#37 - The Foolish Immortals by Paul Gallico (started out well but turned kind of odd)

#38 - Houston, We Have A Problem by Erin McCarthy (all sex with a little bit of plot, kind of like a good chocolate chip cookie)

#39 - The Graveyard Game by Kage Baker (love this series and although I'd read this book years ago, found I needed to read it again before moving on)

#40 - The Life of the World to Come by Kage Baker (can't wait to see what she does with these people)

#41 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (you knew that was coming...)

That's all I can remember for now. I'll add more if necessary.

Catch Up

I finally took the time to transfer my book list from my regular blog (tells you how busy I am at work right now...)

Now I have to figure out what I've read since I've gotten home from Phx and put those in the list.

#32 Haunted Places: The National Directory

Last night I finished Haunted Places: The National Directory by Dennis William Hauck. It's a state by state listing of a bunch of haunted sites, sacred areas, and ufo sightings. The husband got it for me because the building in Santa Fe where I was working was listed in it.

It was an ok read; some of the entries were fairly basic and didn't give a lot of detail, while others were more in-depth. They talked about photos that had been taken but didn't reproduce them in the book. It really needed a more careful proofreading than it got - nearly drove me nuts with all the left out words and duplications. And I couldn't believe the addresses that were listed. Seems like a good way to get stalkers and crap looking for ghosts.

I thought about passing it along to N because she likes this stuff as much as I do. If the husband was still coming to get me then I would've traded it in at the bookstore, but I guess now she can read it if she wants.

#31 Faking It

Yesterday I finished Faking It by Jennifer Crusie. It's so friggin' hot in my apartment I can't sleep and I tore thru it. I picked it up at a library sale and wasn't sure if it would be good, but for $1 I gave it a chance. Quite good, with a cast of characters odd enough to make you interested but not so out there to put you off. I hope she brings them back in another book. I should check on that...

Did I mention the apartments suck? They don't turn on the air conditioning until it's 90 degrees for 3 days. Since we're working nights, a lot of our crew was trying to sleep in the hotbox conditions and we got them to turn it on sooner. Unfortunately, the system isn't AC, it's a "chiller" which is akin to having someone suck on an ice cube then blow at you from 4 feet away. Not effective. They bought fans for everyone but I didn't get one until last night when T gave me hers. It was the first decent night's sleep I've had since it started warming up.

#30 Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber

This morning I lolled in bed finishing Confessions of a Sociopathic Social Climber by Adele Lang. It was meant to be a light-hearted bit of chick lit fluff (and that's not an insult, by the way). But the main character is a mean, bitter, self-obsessed bitch that I found annoying after the first 3rd or so. It still had its amusing moments so I kept reading but it really did turn into some sort of pathetic farce. I just don't buy someone being as bad that and not coming to a grisly end. Unless she was just stupid.

Either way, the only thing I'm grateful for is the author didn't have the "heroine" suddenly realize what a monster she'd been and go through some sort of redemption. She kept Katya as nasty as ever to the bitter end. Not a fun read, though.

#29 Impossible Things

Next I read Impossible Things by Connie Willis. I love her work and would read anything she wrote. Have to say the first story, The Last of the Winnebagos, was not a good choice for right after the husband and the dog left. I sobbed as I finished it and had to call the husband to calm me down. I was ready to go home right then. But I stayed and finished the book and it was as good as her work always is.