Past Half-Way Through THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES

And at this point, I thought I'd check the internet for pictures of the cave paintings that Ayla is journeying to see in this book.  These were quite old at the time the book is set--25,000 years ago.  Here is some of what I found:

        

Thoughts on Goal-Setting

I set myself the goal on Goodreads of reading 50 books this calendar year.  I probably won't complete it.  The problem is that, although a number of books I read take me 3-4 days, I am reading more and more books that are quite long.  The trend among at least the kinds of books I am attracted to is to be pretty long.  For example:  The Game of Thrones series, Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant and also The Gap series, books by the Gears, books by Ken Follett, and Jean Auel's Cave Bear series (Earth's Children) which I am returning to now.  These books take me 2+ weeks to complete.  I think trying to read a certain goal number of books in a given space of time tends to limit the kinds and depth of the books you read--kind of at cross purposes with what I call "a reader."  So, although I did set a goal of 50 books, I am most okay with not achieving it.  I really like the longer books for depth of character, inventiveness and description of environment, and strength of plots and subplots.  So, take that Goodreads!



I have just begun The Land of Painted Caves by Jean Auel.  It is supposed to be the last book in the Earth's Children series (that started with The Clan of the Cave Bear.)  My friend, Judith, gave me the first three books in a boxed set probably more than 20 years ago, and I kept them in my "to read" pile until I retired, when I started tackling that pile.  I'm now reading the sixth book in the series and am hoping that the author will return to this world for other books in the future (I hope that same for J. K. Rowling--Harry Potter) as well.

This book is a welcome relief from Slammerkin.  I can now relax and trust that my favorite characters are good people and will find ways of solving their problems that will enhance the world, not detract from it.  Hurrah!

Finished SLAMMERKIN by Emma Donoghue

Not knowing anything about this book before I started except that it was enough of a best seller to be in Costco and also what I read in the blurb on the back, I feel really betrayed by it.  I usually quit reading books if I finish the first chapter and just don't like it.  Half-way through the first chapter, I disliked the characters but decided to continue until the first chapter was finished.  By then, I was conned into thinking this would be a redemption story of a girl who grew to value more than arrogance, avarice and anger.  I was wrong.  I hated this book.

Finished My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding

A night-searcher (one who tracks down rogue vampires) and his squire learn the importance of love from a vampire couple getting married in "A Hard Day's Night-Searcher" by Sherrylyn Kenyon.  In "...Or Forever Hold Your Piece" by Susan Krinard, (the last story in the book), a wedding of people with supernatural talents is disrupted by an objection.

More Stories in MY BIG FAT SUPERNATURAL WEDDING

In "All Shook Up" by P. N. Elrod, a young woman gifted (or cursed) with Cassandra syndrome (she can see people's fates), meets an Elvis impersonator who seems to be able to change said fates.

In "The Wedding of Wilda Serene," a very rich and expensive country club is visited by Greek mythological creatures who are a bit bloodthirsty.  I love Esther M. Friesner's writing style which handles the super rich with wonderful tongue-in-cheek humor.



In "Charmed by the Moon," Jessie (a werewolf hunter) learns on her wedding day to Will, a full-blooded Ojibwa indian, that their love has been caused by an Ojibwa spell.  I really enjoyed this story, and may look for books in this series.

"Tacky," by Charlaine Harris, is set in the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) 'verse, but uses none of the familiar characters.   In this a vampire is wedding a werewolf, and mayhem promises to ensue. 

Read the first three stories in MY BIG FAT SUPERNATURAL WEDDING

It was Spellbound by L. A. Banks, and I found it okay, but relatively uninteresting.  The premise is that a Hatfield girl and a McCoy boy have fallen in love in college and, unbeknownst to their conjuring families, are engaged.  I have never been able to be invested in any aspect of the Hatfield and McCoy story, finding feuds fairly stupid.  Given that, the story was well told and a little silly.



The second story was a Harry Dresden story by Jim Butcher called Something Borrowed.  Butcher is somewhat cramped by the short story format (no multiple plots and the world ending all at once), but he makes up for frenzy with sense of humor, which has me giggling all the way through.  A fairy (Jenny Greenteeth) has replaced Billy's fiance and intends to marry Billy.  If Harry doesn't stop her before the kiss at the end of the ceremony, both Billy and fiance are lost.

The third, by Rachel Caine, Dead Man's Chest, involves a pirate ship as the setting for a fairy tale wedding turned deadly, as groom plans to kill bride for her money.

The fourth, by P. N. Elrod looks not to be a Jack Flemming story which has me initially disappointed.

Finished THE GAP INTO VISION: FORBIDDEN KNOWLEDGE

Like Game of Thrones, Thomas Covenant, Lord of the Rings, and others, these books don't resolve themselves to some degree at the end of each book.  They just kind of leave you in the middle of the action.  TR is reading them straight through (5 books at the moment.)  I, however, need breaks and it will be quite a while before I get back.  I love Stephen R. Donaldson's complex and very intelligent characters.  Most of these are victims turned preditors, but their intelligence and complexity makes them very intriguing.  The vocabulary show-off doesn't show up as much in these books as in the Thomas Covenant series, so TR is finding it much more readable.  I love both series...the man can craft a story!  This story is mainly about Morn coping with Nick Succorso and Angus coping with the cops.



I am about to start a collection of short stories edited by P. N. Elrod:  My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding.

Finished People of the Wolf

• I think this was intended to be the first in the series, this chronicles People's first crossing of the ice bridge into the American Hemisphere and the traversing of the glacier leading into what is now the USA.  Most engrossing.  Set 15,000 years ago.

Started The Gap into Vision: Forbidden Knowledge by Stephen R. Donaldson.  These books chronicle piracy in the cyber belt--and, of course, they have seriously flawed and complex characters.  Though there is little to like about some of them, I do enjoy their intelligence and the causes of their flaws.