Monday, May 24, 2010

Books in Waiting (or the pile on my sofa)

Some of you know I just had eye surgery on both eyes. It's been a long six months of weaning myself off my gas permeable contact lenses so that the eye surgeon could figure out what strength of corrective lens to implant. During this process, I haven't had great vision and haven't read very much for pleasure. But now the surgery is over, my eyes have healed, and I can see again!!! I'm ready to dive back into the wonderful world of reading.

I have a nice stack of books on my sofa. These are the books I have just read, or I'm currently reading, or I intend to read over the summer. Of course as soon as I pick one of them up, I feel guilty for not spending the time writing. Oh, well, I'll just have to deal with the guilt.

Damaged by Alex Kava
I had never read any of Ms. Kava's novels before but I really enjoyed this advance copy. Wonderful characters and lots of excitement as the serial killer is tracked. I love the female Coast Guard rescue swimmer character and hope this wasn't her last appearance.

Rules of Betrayal by Christopher Reich
I'm hoping to read this thriller soon. The plot involving a Doctors Without Borders surgeon and his double agent wife sounds great!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest – all by Stieg LarssonI may be one of the few who haven't read these books, but I'm determined to cure that oversight this summer. I'm just a few pages into the first of the three, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I'm hooked.

Last week I went shopping in a real brick & mortar bookstore for books for my Dad's birthday gift. I found him a non-fiction book about George Custer's last stand and two thrillers whose titles escape me at the moment. The important part of this story – (insert smile) is that I also found a couple of books for me. Isn't that amazing the way that works? I encourage everyone to shop for gifts in bookstores. I purchased The Ark by Boyd Morrison – a mystery concerning the search for Noah's Ark. I'm about a chapter into it. So far someone has tried to kill the heroine twice in three days. I'm seeing a pattern and suspect foul play. I also bought the wonderful Nancy Pickard's The Scent of Rain and Lightning. I read her last one set in Kansas and loved her writing. I'm anticipating great things from this new book!

How about you? What are you reading? What do you plan to read this summer?

Rhonda
aka The Southern Half of Evelyn David

6 comments:

  1. I'm exploring the library at the moment. We've just moved, and all my books are in boxes -- LOTS of boxes -- and we don't have any bookshelves yet, so I'm trying to hold off on buying.

    My last library batch was Smash Cut by Sandra Brown, Almost Like Being in Love by Christina Dodd, Hour Game by David Baldacci, and Winter and Night by S.J. Rozan.

    I did use a Border's Gift Card to order Laura Griffin's backlist after reading Untraceable

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  2. I'm so glad your eyes are better. Horrible for writers and readers not to be able to use their eyes.

    I loved Nancy Pickard's The Smell of Rain and Lightning.

    I'm headed for Mayhem in the Midlands where I'm participating in an author talk with Ms. Pickard and Radine Nehring. Should be exiting, though I'm a bit nervous.

    Glad you're better.

    Marilyn
    http://fictionforyou.com

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  3. Hi Terry,

    Once I lower the height of my book pile, I'll check out those titles you mentioned. I've read books by S.J. Rozan and David Baldacci in the past. Very good authors.

    Rhonda
    aka The Southern Half of Evelyn David

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  4. Hi Marilyn,

    Have fun at Mayhem in the Midlands. Wish I was going this year. Sigh. Next year for sure after I've paid for my new eyes.

    Rhonda
    aka The Southern Half of Evelyn David

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  5. I've got a huge pile of books I'm hoarding for my summer vacation. I'm taking 3 weeks off in a row this year and I'm so looking forward to it. I've got Elizabeth Peters "A River in the Sky" and Iris Johansen's "Eight Days to Live." Lionel Shriver's "So Much for That" and Sandra Lopez’s "Beyond the Gardens." Heather Graham's "The Killing Edge" just arrived and Elizabeth Lowell's "Death Echo" is on order.Janet Evanovich's "Sizzling Sixteen" will be out in June, as will Allison Brennan's "Carnal Sin" and C.E. Murphy's "Demon Hunts." Oh, and Laurell K. Hamilton's "Bullet," and Ilona Andrews "Magic Bleeds," and Phaedra Weldon's "Revenant," and Dean Kootnz's "Lost Souls." And we can't foget E. Cooperman's "Night of the Living Deed." There's so much reading goodness coming up that I can barely stand it =).

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  6. You're the fourth person in as many days to recommend the Stieg Larsson books - guess I have to get them! :grins:

    P.C. & Kristin Cast's "Burned" is one of my current reads - as well as book 1 of Maya Banks' Colter series, and "What Kind of Nation" by James F. Simon.

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