Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Ahh, to read...

True to my word last Saturday, I buzzed over to the library and checked out Rebel Angels, the second in Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle Trilogy, and I confess, I've been shamelessly neglecting housework to work my way through it. Trouble is, once I finish it, I don't know how long the wait will be for book three: A Sweet, Far Thing. It was published relatively recently, and the library hold times look quite daunting. I could buy it--I saw it at Target earlier this week...and I have a Borders coupon, but then I have Book 3 in hardback, but not Books 1 or 2. To me that's just weird. If I was going to buy Books 1 and 2, I'd likely buy them in trade paperback, and then I'd have two trade paperbacks and one hardback. Odd. These are the things that fill my mind...

After this I have a little stack of books to get through, including the upcoming release of a fellow RWA'er, Sophie Jordan, for whom I will post a review. Rumors: A Luxe Novel is on hold at the library for me, and I'm trying to work my way through Sense and Sensibility for the very first time. Jane Austen is not an author I can real casually in little snatches. Some of the sentences and paragraphs are so long and intricately involved that I need to secret myself away and read with my full concentration. For me, it's high maintenance reading, but that doesn't mean I enjoy it any less.

My lowest maintenance reading--my comfort reading--comes in the form of Anne George's Southern Sisters mysteries. There's just something about these six or seven books that calm me down. I've read them all--many times--but when I just want a quick, funny gulp of a book, I pick these. The amateur sleuths are two spry sisters just a little past their prime, and they're always tumbling into things (trying to elbow their way out) while having Cokes and stopping for dinner fixin's at the Piggly Wiggly. Maybe I'm just envious, and I want to be sitting at my own kitchen table eating pretzels and drinking Cokes and logically thinking through a mystery

Rather coincidentally, I was standing at my kitchen island yesterday, drinking RC and downing pretzels... Now I just need a mystery. Like what my next book should be about... I also need a Piggly Wiggly.

Anyone else have a comfort read?

4 comments:

Gregory Anderson said...

You will find many mysteries at a Piggly Wiggly.

The person behind the counter, for example.

mslizalou said...

I love Anne George's Souther Sister books. My comfort read is To Kill A Mockingbird. I read it at least once a year. My TBR pile is so out of control right now, I don't know if I'll ever catch up. Seems so many of my favorite authors keep putting out new books. I really haven't been able to read much this week. My nieces are in for a visit and we have been so busy that reading has been pushed to the side. I will have to play catch up once they leave on Saturday.

Stacy said...

Low maintenance reading? I like to go back to my favorite books from my early teens: LJ Smith's "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Secret Circle." I have no idea how many times I've read them in the last 15, 16 years. "Vampire Diaries" is a bit like "Twilght," but with better character development. :D

Unknown said...

harry potter is my comfort reading (only books 1-3 though...after that they get much darker so not really very comforting).