Continuing Unusual Suspects

I am really enjoying this book.  I've read two more stories:  In The House of Seven Spirits, by Sharon Shinn a young woman who moves into a house haunted by ghosts has to figure out how the first three ghosts to die were murdered in order to bring all of them peace.  In Glamour, by Mike Dougan, a demon has to figure out who has been stealing high magic which has hurt some of the townsfolk.  In Spellbound, by Donna Andrews, which I am reading now, a magician's apprentice and her mentor must figure out who has magically murdered an unpopular wizard.

What is new is the true mystery genre using the deductive reasoning of mystery novels with supernatural characters.  Quite refreshing.

Reading Unusual Suspects

The second story in this book was Bogieman by Carole Nelson Douglas.  The title is a play on Humphrey Bogart's nickname.  The story was very inventive.  I am now reading the third story, Looks are Deceiving by Michael A. Stackpole.  The main character, Min, reminds me a bit of Tyrion in Game of Thrones, but Min speaks in first person, tells the story, and has command of very powerful magic.  I'm drawn to the character and would like to read more of him.

Finished 2010 Odyssey Two

I haven't posted for a week, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading.  The epilogue of Adam, Eve and the Serpent gave us a little of Elaine Pagel's experience.  She started researching early Christian thought because she wanted to find the "true Christianity."  Unfortunately, she found more variety of thought among early Christians than we even find today.  It seems, anyone can find support for anything in the Bible and that was more true before the "orthodox" church around 3-400 a.d. declared the apocrypha heretical and weeded through Paul's letters (many of which were spurious, some of which made it into the final form of the Bible anyway) among other writings and texts.  The book was enormously enlightening, but I don't think it helped me find "the right interpretation" any more than all that research helped Pagels. 

I then read 2010, Odyssey Two.  It was a great sequel.  Clark is wonderfully readable, even when he gets technical or waxes poetic.  He would have been a fabulous teacher.  I absolutely recommend the book if you haven't read it.  I am now half-way through the series and I must say, I am looking forward to the next.  One interesting note--in the Author's Note at the beginning, Clark points out that, in the book 2001, the Discovery had gone to Saturn, but in the movie, they had reached journey's end in the space above Jupiter.  In this book, the Discovery is still in orbit above Jupiter--sorry, Saturn.  :-)

I have now started Unusual Suspects, a book of fantastic short detective stories.  It started with a Sookie Stackhouse story by Charlaine Harris in which Sookie and Amelia solve a mystery for their local insurance salesman.  It was cute.

Nearly Finished Adam, Eve, and the Serpent

I have just the three-page epilogue left to read in this book.  It is basically a history of Christian thought/ opinion/ dogma about this story from Christ through Augustine (about 500 AD.)  I find the seriousness which this obviously ludicrous myth is debated amazing, but completely astounding is that the interpretation  Augustine came up with became the one the religion went with.  Over the 500 years, almost every interpretation imaginable was offered by learned theologists, some of which were very reasonable.  But it was Augustine who came up with the idea of original sin and the fact that neither death nor sex are natural, but are punishments for Adam's sin.

Finished What Child is This?

Just a short 150 page book, it was a serious tear-jerker.  Loved it!  A great Christmas story.  It started pretty slow, but I enjoyed the characterizations, especially of the teens.  Caroline Cooney is a master.

The next book in my pile is Adam, Eve, and the Serpent, by Elaine Pagels.  I found The Gnostic Gospels by her readable and insightful, so I am hopeful I won't quit this next one after the first few pages.  We shall see.

Finished Changes

As the book ends, the world is better off, but Dresden appears to be dead...however, this is only appearances and there is another book in the series.  Dead or not, he is definitely worse off than he was at the beginning of the book.  Dresden books are roller coasters and I am reading for a lighter, slower moving break.

I am starting What Child is this?  A Christmas Story by Caroline B. Cooney.  It is short and will hopefully be a slow down for a day or two...

Finished The Double Comfort Safari Club

Again, light fare quickly read.  But, for only the second time in the series, this had a real villain who created a situation most satisfactorily resolved, as well as a couple other smaller problems resolved in Mma. Ramotswe's most calm and intelligent manner.  I love this woman!

I have now started Changes, by Jim Butcher, the twelfth novel in the Dresden Files series.  Harry is a wizard who is also a detective in present day Chicago (the only wizard detective in the phone book.)  He deals with supernatural problems and mysteries.  The temptation is to draw parallels between him and Jack Fleming (P. N. Elrod's vampire detective, ) but they could not be more different.  Harry's escapades are infinitely more complicated and dangerous and Harry is much more dangerous (to himself as well as others).  The writing of both is sort of "film noir," though P. N. Elrod's books fit the genre better, since they are set in the '30s.  Jim Butcher sprinkles his books with Buffy-like quips, though, and he is eminently readable.

Another adventure awaits....  I must get to it.

Finished Mistral's Kiss

Two day fluff--I finished it last night.  I was really expecting better.  But the ending makes me happy.  I'm hoping for more interesting things for the next book.

Have now started The Double Comfort Safari Club (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 11.  It will be nice to sojourn with Mma Ramotswe in her gentle world awhile.  She is looking for a tour guide who treated an American woman very well during her visit and has bequeathed him a small sum.  Mma Makutsi's fiance has had a disfiguring accident...  The world, though gentle, is always interesting.