Keith Jackson couldn't have said it better himself. My "book diary" is nearing post number 100. At the same time, I'm having book commitment issues.
Since I finished "The Last Child," I have started three books. Three. "They task me. They task me." (You must know why things work on a Starship...)
One was put down after 11 pages. I made it through 70+ of the second. About 20 of the third. I was really enjoying the third, but I tired. Then, I couldn't get excited about picking it up the next day. Or the day after. Or the day after that.
It's not their fault. I keep telling them, "it's not you, it's me." ("Well, what am I supposed to do? You won't answer my calls, you change your number. I mean, I'm not gonna be ignored, Dan")
I hate hitting the dry spots. I really WANT to get excited about a read, but I can't. I've probably got two dozen unread books on and under my night table, and I cannot for the life of me pick which one to read next. Or whether to pick up one of the three I started.
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the lights on for you.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The Last Child by John Hart - A-
I love a good mystery. Always have. First, I read Encyclopedia Brown. Then, I graduated to the Hardy Boys (50+ of them) (Note to readers: In the 1970s, the Hardy Boys were just fine for kids. In the 2010s, not so much. The Tower Treasure did not age well.) I read a bunch of Agatha Christie novels starting in junior high. I have blogged on kids' series before here.
(Short interlude. The scene: a cold February, post-football Sunday afternoon when I was a kid (maybe 15?). An Agatha Christie novel that I did not read was "Murder on the Orient Express." Anyway, not a whole lot to do on this particularly cold afternoon, so I settled in my favorite recliner to watch the movie version of Murder on the Orient Express. Snacks to my right. Drinks to my right. I'm comfortable. My very favorite sister asks me what I'm doing, and I say, "I'm going to watch Murder on the Orient Express." She says to me [SPOILER ALERT!] "Why are you going to do that? You know that everybody did it.")
I had previously read John Hart's "King of Lies." Interestingly, I finished that book on a similarly rustic vacation to the vacation on which I finished "The Last Child." I often tend to remember books read on vacation. I recall enjoying "King of Lies."
That's not why I picked up "The Last Child," however. In fact, I had forgotten that I had read "King of Lies" until reminded by the style of this novel. I picked up "The Last Child" because it had won the 2010 Edgar Award for "Best Novel."
As I said above, I love a good mystery. I don't like it when an author screws with the reader by withholding a crucial piece of information to "solve the mystery." ("Oh, did I not mention or even hint that Mr. Smith was having an affair at the time his wife was killed? You would have found that possibility enlightening? I know I said that 'Mr. Smith had stood behind Mrs. Smith, serving as unfailing caregiver, always there, never a moment to himself.' You couldn't surmise that an affair was a possibility?")
"The Last Child" picks up about a year after Alyssa Merrimon, twin sister of Johnny Merrimon, had disappeared without a trace. Alyssa was 12, and her disappearance literally and figuratively tore the Merrimon family apart. Johnny is both lost without his twin sister and the strongest remaining member of the nuclear family. Johnny's father had fled resulting from the guilt he carried from having been the one who was supposed to pick Alyssa up on the fateful day. Johnny's mother has engaged on a downward spiral into alcohol and drug abuse and pretty much ignoring her remaining family--Johnny.
13 year old Johnny is a marvelous character. Treading the line between adolescence and adulthood, Johnny will stop at nothing to find his sister. With his family gone, Johnny's only caretaker is Detective Clyde Hunt, in charge of the investigation into Alyssa's disappearance. Det. Hunt keeps an eye on Johnny from a distance and seems to be the only character who understands Johnny.
The mystery has a satisfying conclusion. Again, I love a good mystery.
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the lights on for you.
(Short interlude. The scene: a cold February, post-football Sunday afternoon when I was a kid (maybe 15?). An Agatha Christie novel that I did not read was "Murder on the Orient Express." Anyway, not a whole lot to do on this particularly cold afternoon, so I settled in my favorite recliner to watch the movie version of Murder on the Orient Express. Snacks to my right. Drinks to my right. I'm comfortable. My very favorite sister asks me what I'm doing, and I say, "I'm going to watch Murder on the Orient Express." She says to me [SPOILER ALERT!] "Why are you going to do that? You know that everybody did it.")
I had previously read John Hart's "King of Lies." Interestingly, I finished that book on a similarly rustic vacation to the vacation on which I finished "The Last Child." I often tend to remember books read on vacation. I recall enjoying "King of Lies."
That's not why I picked up "The Last Child," however. In fact, I had forgotten that I had read "King of Lies" until reminded by the style of this novel. I picked up "The Last Child" because it had won the 2010 Edgar Award for "Best Novel."
As I said above, I love a good mystery. I don't like it when an author screws with the reader by withholding a crucial piece of information to "solve the mystery." ("Oh, did I not mention or even hint that Mr. Smith was having an affair at the time his wife was killed? You would have found that possibility enlightening? I know I said that 'Mr. Smith had stood behind Mrs. Smith, serving as unfailing caregiver, always there, never a moment to himself.' You couldn't surmise that an affair was a possibility?")
"The Last Child" picks up about a year after Alyssa Merrimon, twin sister of Johnny Merrimon, had disappeared without a trace. Alyssa was 12, and her disappearance literally and figuratively tore the Merrimon family apart. Johnny is both lost without his twin sister and the strongest remaining member of the nuclear family. Johnny's father had fled resulting from the guilt he carried from having been the one who was supposed to pick Alyssa up on the fateful day. Johnny's mother has engaged on a downward spiral into alcohol and drug abuse and pretty much ignoring her remaining family--Johnny.
13 year old Johnny is a marvelous character. Treading the line between adolescence and adulthood, Johnny will stop at nothing to find his sister. With his family gone, Johnny's only caretaker is Detective Clyde Hunt, in charge of the investigation into Alyssa's disappearance. Det. Hunt keeps an eye on Johnny from a distance and seems to be the only character who understands Johnny.
The mystery has a satisfying conclusion. Again, I love a good mystery.
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the lights on for you.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Short Interlude - Rookie Mistake
I'm on a short weekend getaway with the family and another family in Norris Lake, TN. Beautiful country. Nothing to do but boat, lounge and relax.
Anyway, I made a big time rookie mistake. I brought my current novel, The Last Child by John Hart. For a myriad of reasons, I failed to follow one of my own rules. I'll bore you with only a couple of the reasons why I failed to bring a provisional book:
1. Fantasy football season is a'comin', and I brought this most excellent football preview magazine which is jam packed with statistical nuggets. I thought I'd read that if I finished my novel.
2. I'm undecided on my next book. Lots of candidates. The night table pile o' books is overflowing. I suppose that, before I left, I wasn't in a place in my life where I could commit to my next book.
3. I've been on this trip before, and in the past, I haven't done much reading. More on this in my next post.
I know that you're waiting with baited breath for my review of The Last Child. As a preview--good read.
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the lights on for you.
Anyway, I made a big time rookie mistake. I brought my current novel, The Last Child by John Hart. For a myriad of reasons, I failed to follow one of my own rules. I'll bore you with only a couple of the reasons why I failed to bring a provisional book:
1. Fantasy football season is a'comin', and I brought this most excellent football preview magazine which is jam packed with statistical nuggets. I thought I'd read that if I finished my novel.
2. I'm undecided on my next book. Lots of candidates. The night table pile o' books is overflowing. I suppose that, before I left, I wasn't in a place in my life where I could commit to my next book.
3. I've been on this trip before, and in the past, I haven't done much reading. More on this in my next post.
I know that you're waiting with baited breath for my review of The Last Child. As a preview--good read.
Live long, read and prosper. We'll leave the lights on for you.
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