Dead again.

I have another review to write beford this one but I wrote this one first so here goes. My latest read in The Southern Vampire Series/Sookie Stackhouse books was Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris. I have trouble with these but I still keep on reading them. I think because they are fun & quirky & easy reads. The stories are crazy & there's something new every time. With that said, I STILL don't understand what all these supernatural dudes see in Sookie Stackhouse. I can acknowledge that my opinion is influenced by Anna Paquin and the other characters from True Blood. I can't read the books without seeing Anna Paquin etc. & I'm not sure I like some of the actors/actresses in their roles.

But back to my issues with these dudes craving some Sookie. There's a very powerful Werewolf, a Lead WerePanther, the Sheriff of Area 5 Vampire, an everyday shifter, and Bill, the very old & powerful vampire...all craving Sookie. I don't get it. Someone please help me, she's just a somewhat ordinary southern girl with a little power & these men HAVE to have her. What's it all about?

Back to the main part of this review... In this story I loved Eric without a memory & I really loved Sookie & Eric without a memory hooking up. So sensitive & caring, Eric. Yum! Bill's arrival back from Peru was a surprise that drew my interest & had me exclaim out loud, even though it was a bit anticlimatic since Bill never confronted Sookie with her relationship with Eric. In this story as in the others I was bored with the continued references to information previously mentioned in the other books or previously in this story. Charlaine could really tone this down. There was a bit of predictability to the story as well & this tends to frustrate me.

In end, it looks as if I'm going to keep reading this series for whatever reason, so it continues to hold my interest but there are these things that get on my darn nerves...so take that with you & try the stories out for yourselves. You may have a better or worse experience than I.

Delicate flowers

Ahhhh, It's been a little while & I have a few posts to write. This last read was Peony in Love by Lisa See. Lately I've been finding reads that pull me right in and make me feel a part of the story and this on is no exception. I felt I was in China and the afterworld with Peony, in her struggle to grow and be the woman she was meant to be. I learned a bit about ancient China and the expectations of women in the world that Peony lived.

There were unforseen twists and unexpected surprises, I always love this.

This, my first read by Lisa See has opened up a new world and a new curiousity for me. It led me to research bound feet and created pictures in my mind that I won't forget for a long time.

Reading this was like sitting in front of and reviewing a beautiful Chinese painting for a few hours. Your eye following the story on the painting around and around because you can't seem to take it all in and you keep finding little gems for your eye to follow.

Sherlock & Mary at it again

I have very happily completed the newest Mary Russell stor, The Language of Bees by Laurie R, King. This one kept me drawn in and wondering what was going to happen, when & by whom! There's nothing worse than a mystery that I figure out too soon. Sherlock's son gets himself into a bad way & calls for his estranged father's help. You know it can't be that simple but I don't want to write much else so I don't give anything away.

This read took me back to the earlier Mary Russell novels, when I was first introduced to her & was instantly drawn into her world. If you love a good mystery, start with The Beekeeper's Apprentice just in case you want to read them all like I did.

To be "in the business" again.

I also finished Waiter Rant by Steve Dublanica on my trip. This totally reminded me of the days when I worked in the restaurant business. It brought back so many memories, the fun times, the not so fun times, the really weird times... There is so much truth in this book I recommend it to everyone that reads my blog (that means you, Tahnia!). It's an easy, light read & I guarantee that you will learn something. When I was in the business my crew swore that everyone, and we meant everyone, should be required to work in food service for at least six months of their lives. Everyone.

I love the explanations of why some people work in this business, especially when they are well educated, there does seem to be a smear on the idea that there's something temporary about working in this business. I felt it after I graduated with my BA & still worked at the restaurant I had been in for 5 years. A certain amount of shame at still working there, waiting tables, for tips, not for a "real" salary like others my age. When I did leave and got a "real job" I took a $10,000 pay cut & worked more hours. Think about that for a minute.

I also really liked what Mr. Dublanica wrote about how people let their guard down when they eat, how you can really get to know someone's true self just by watching them in a restaurant. This is very true. I learned so much about human nature when I worked in the business. Much of my job required that I watch my tables at all times so I could be there when the diners needed me. With this watching I couldn't help but see things that I normally woudl miss. Like the little nuances between partners, how they really treat each other & how they treat strangers, or help (like me).

One of the most important lessons that I learned was that you can't please everyone all the time. This may be the most important lesson learned, this has helped me in my current life and career & helped me with my own trouble with perfectionism. Some people may never learn this lesson which could cause them unending duress in their lives. Work in a restaurant for six months, you will learn to let go & relax a little more, life is just too damn short!

I'm back in Love Again

This summer I was able to read Kanga and Baby Roo Come to the Forest & Piglet is Entirely Surrounded by Water by A. A. Milne. I'm back in love with Pooh! I don't know what was in my corn flakes before but Edward Bear & crew are delightfully entertaining. I took more to our trip to CR but I wasn't able to read them much & sure didn't take them in. I will write more about my travels with Winnie the Pooh later.

The Graveyard Book

I JUST finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaimen! I have two other reviews to write, books I finished on my trip but since I just finished this one and have the time I thought I'd write this one first.

Neil Gaimen is a master storyteller. This one is the story of a baby that ends up without a family & raised in a Graveyard. It's more than that, too. It's a mystery and a coming of age story. A story of longing and maturity. I love how Neil Gaimen can create these magical, extremely creative environments that surround his stories so completely, engolfing the reader in the surreal.

Lovely, wonderful, moving...

I finished this on my trip, sorry it's taken soooo long to post but this is my life, now!

Someone Knows my Name by Lawrence Hill was a wonderful read, so moving and delicious. I could not get enough of it and even neglected my 6 month old child to get to the book. Okay, not really, but I tried. To follow the narrators story was like living in someone's else's shoes. Her spirit was so strong in times that weren't meant for strong women of color, it's surprising that a man wrote this novel.

Read it, and weap.