Snow Flower started

I decided to start Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

So far I'm enthralled. I'm only a couple of chapters in but it's hard to put down and does remind me of how I felt reading Memoirs of a Geisha. I really enjoy getting to know new people that have such different lives than I do. It's a learning experience as well as an enjoyment!

Audio books:
Well I finished Imitation in death a while back and then listened to Remember When which is a crossover between Nora Roberts and JD Robb, short but very enjoyable. There was some confusion in the beginning with ordering of events but I ignored it.
Now I've started Divided in Death and it as always keeping my commute very enjoyable!

We Need to Talk about Kevin

by Lionel Shriver.

Finished Sunday morning. Well let's see - it was a good book, I'm glad I read it. The author pulled out the thesaurus a bit too much for my taste and a lot of the passages rambled on, but I tend to just glaze past that kind of thing (my fiance who also read this complains about that a bit more).

The story was a good one, with the almost constant school shootings of the 90's (probably still going on but I was in school at that time so it was closer to home) it brought a real perspective to things. I thought the end was very well done, predictable (more so by my fiance again) but well done. It is not a book to read if you want to sympathize with someone, I basically disliked/almost hated both parents and can't feel much sympathy for the boy either but I'm glad I read it (almost a "what not to do" type book).

I haven't decided what to read next, I have a nice new pile of books by my bedside after a run to Borders this weekend - lots of discount and on sale books! I can't wait to pick!

Sense & Sensibility

Oh it was delightful! I finished it wednesday night. Not as good as P&P but delightful in deed! I also just purchased the A&E special on it to watch (hopefully it comes today or tomorrow?).

I really loved a lot of the book, the development of the characters was great, I think part of what set it below P&P is that the building of the male characters was very light, it was very hard to get excited about them when there was so much doubt. With P&P there was such a buildup with Mr. Darcy, knowing so well the struggles both he and Eliz. went through. That sets it apart.

But I thoroughly enjoyed S&S and I'm very glad to have finally gotten to read it. I can't wait to watch it too!

Back to "We need to talk about kevin" now!

One Month Later

Let's see where we're at one month later...

We Need to Talk about Kevin - about half way through, I switched books so my fiance could read it (he needed something to read labor day weekend) and he's finished it but now I'm engrossed in the new book and will get back to this for sure.

New Book - Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen, of course I love it, not as much as P&P but I really look forward to it each night and even stayed up late (till 2:30) last night to get a little in after watching P&P until 2am.

Audiobooks:
Finished Purity in Death right away. Also started and finished Portrait in Death which I really enjoyed.
Now I'm on Imitation in Death and it's really captured my attention with some of the references in there.

Vacation Reading

Well vacation is always full of reading! In the book world I finished up the Cell.

The Cell by Stephen King. I really enjoyed this book, it was gruesome which is to be expected but it flows along nicely and you really get to know the characters. That being said I hated the ending! It just ended ubruptly. I honestly think more could have been done at the end, some sort of epilogue, anything.

Next up I started "We Need to talk about Kevin" by Lionel Shriver. I'm not very far into it and it was recommended to me by multiple people. It's captured my attention so far so we'll see how it goes.

Audiobooks:
Well the JD Robb In Death series continues, I finished up Judgement in Death and Betrayal in Death (as well as Interlude in Death) before going to Maine.
In Maine we listened to Seduction in Death and Reunion in Death.
I enjoyed them all and I'm thoroughly enjoying the current one Purity in Death.
This is a fun easy series and it's always fun to guess "who did it".

That's my book progress so far. Reading is really slow these past few months but that's not surprising with everything else going on.

JD Robb Update

I've been on an audio book kick lately and finished off Witness in Death and Interlude in Death. I've just started Judgement in Death, I think that's number 11 in the series if you don't count the two mini novellas.

Witness in Death was even better than Conspiracy and Interlude was quick and dirty, which is always fun. No twists and turns because it was so short.

Judgement is very good so far and I'm sure there will be lots of twists and turns in this one.

In the regular book world I'm now reading Cell by Stephen King and enjoying it. It's my bedtime reading and so far isn't scary, kind of morbid at times but nothing I can't sleep after. It sure makes me think twice before using my cell phone though!

2 Finishes

Well I finished Kalahari Typing school for Men. It was very good but I find that this series is not very captivating. It's a nice enjoyable read but as soon as something more interesting comes along my attention is distracted. It has been really good for car rides when I drift and think of other things but don't end up missing anything (I do this while reading sometimes as well but always have to re-read the section).
I started on the next in the series but I may interrupt that to switch ...

Because I finished "Conspiracy in Death" by JD Robb - I really think this was the best one in the series yet and that's not because I was reading it versus listening to it. I actually prefer listening to these because the reader does an amazing job with the characters, really bringing them to life. I have no borrowed the next 7 or so from my mom in this series (audiobook form) and I think I will be switching to those for my car rides starting tomorrow.

Next up next to the bedside is Stephen King's - Cell - i do believe, my fiance just finished it and I've been waiting to start it!