Recent Reads

I love shopping for books in thrift stores, Good Wills, what have you. Sometimes I'm on the hunt for something I've been interested in or heard about and other times I just look for something that piques my interest. My wife will hunt for books for me too, just things she thinks might be up my alley. Here's just a few recent things I've read. You might wanna check them out.

The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories by Henry James - this was a wife pick but I'd always heard about it. It's one of those 'could be a ghost story but maybe not'. It's about a governess caring for two children who seem a little off. There's a running theme of questions throughout about "are the ghosts being seen real or are the children just crazy." I gotta be honest, it was kind of a hard read. It builds mystery but doesn't really do much else. Due to its style and wording this novella seemed a hell of a lot longer than what it is. It left me thinking about it so that's always good. It's weird, it's like I enjoy what it is but not really the experience reading it. I haven't read the short stories included but I'm sure to fo so soon.

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke - I had heard about this for so long. I had seen the miniseries adaptation a while back and enjoyed it but had forgotten most of it when finally reading the book. I loved the book. Just wonderful. The jumps in time were actually really fun and it makes it unpredictable. Aliens dubbed The Overlords come to Earth and slowly make it a peaceful planet. However with all conflict gone, all creativity and yearning for further knowledge is gone. The utopia for some is a hinderence to others. It takes place over a lengthy periods of time jumping decades to the next part. It left me thinking about it and smiling back thinking 'damn that's genius.' I can't wait to read more of Clarke's work.

You Will Pay by Lisa Jackson - this is another one my wife picked up for me on a recent outing. It's a mystery involving something sinister that had taken place 20 years ago at a camp, as all the counselors have to deal with the case coming to light again. I'd never heard of Jackson before but after reading You Will Pay I'm definitely interested in checking more out. It focuses on many characters, going back and forth between now and 20 years ago. It's sharply written. It takes a couple of chapters to get the hang of it because of all the moving parts but once in, you're along for the ride. Great mystery novel.

Currently I'm reading The Giver by Lois Lowry. Another one where I'd seen the movie adaptation some time ago but didn't think much of it. Only a little bit in and I'm thoroughly enjoying the book. I think it's richly textured with great world-building. It's a lot of fun but also has this great scifi technical side to it.

So there you go. What have you guys been reading? I'd love to hear some recommendations.