Finished SWALLOWING DARKNESS

Fans of this series may be surprised by the meaning of this title.  She did finally get around to the sex, but not until the end, after which there was still more problems.  It ended well, though, and I very much enjoyed it.



Now I have started Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.  All I have finished at the moment is the forward by the translator, which I found quite interesting.  A little biographical material along with a description of how and why he has abridged it (which I believe I will be quite grateful for.)

Half-Way Through Swallowing Darkness

Since I couldn't get this picture off Goodreads.com (they seem to think this book exists only in a brochure about all of Hamilton's Meredith Gentry books), I took it off of Amazon, which explains the graphics on top.  I am now on page 191 (a little less than half-way through) of the book and am enjoying it more than I have enjoyed the last three or four books.  There has been more adventure in this and less sex...  We are now about to go back to L. A., which makes me happy because they were working with the police there, solving mysteries and well as being fantastic creatures.  Less court intrigue and more being helpful and productive...in a real world kind of way.

Finished The Silmarillion

It read like a biblical history of Middle Earth starting in the beginning (and Iluvatar created Middle Earth) and carried us just about up to the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring.  For those who have heard it is dry and slow-going, I must agree.  However, the language is beautiful and I found myself interested in the origins of dwarves, elves, and men--as well as Sauron, the wizards, and the hobbits.  Very little was said about the latter, unfortunately.  But, I did enjoy it.s

I have now started Swallowing Darkness by Laurell K Hamilton, one of her Meredith Gentry books.  I welcome change from the Silmarillion.  I continue to enjoy this series.

Got a new 'puter and it has taken me two books to get this far to being able to use it.

Finished Ava Gardner, My Story.  It is kind of sad that these people who seem so glamorous and rich and famous are just not as happy as we expect. 

I did note that she really never badmouthed anyone (well, maybe one exception--but I forgive her that.)  She did seem, for the most part, to just simply accept and enjoy the people around her.

After that, I read the eighth book in the House of Night series, Awakened, by P. C. and Kristin Cast.



I really enjoy this series.  It is quite inventive.  In this one, I learned not to worry, no one really dies in this series, so I don't have to be angry with her for killing off a favorite character two books ago.

I have now started The Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien as edited by Christopher Tolkien.  I've been warned against this is long, boring, and not the adventure his other books are.  But, the first of Peter Jackson's movie installments of  The Hobbit  introduced  me to Radagast and made me want to find out more about him.  All the warnings I received about the book appear so far (I am on p 68) appear to be true, but his language in this book has a beautiful flow...I can hear in it the voice of water so beautifully described toward the beginning...water flowing over rocks in a small stream.  I love the sound of the words and find that alone worth the price of admission.  So far, I have learned the lineage of Elrond and Galadriel as well as Sauron...so, it is fun.

Finished THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES

I hate that this series is over.  After the first book in the series, The Clan of the Cave Bear, each subsequent book book has been like an adventurous but mostly peaceful camping trip through what might as well be (to me) a fantasy world of great beauty.  I love camping and I have loved these relaxing, insightful, informative books.   Whenever life or reading had become intense, I could melt into this other world.  After checking Jean Auel's website, I discover no new books either in print or coming.  I figured out she is 77 years old...probably in need of a break.  But still, she should have another book or two in her, don't you think...even at her 7-10 year a book rate?  I wouldn't mind knowing what happened to Durc....

 

I have now started Ava, My Story by Ava Gardner.  I've read the first three chapters where she describes growing up dirt poor, the youngest of 19 children, and the death of her father.  Knowing a little about sharecropping in the 20's and 30's in the south, I don't think she exaggerated one bit...if anything, she seems to be sugar coating it a bit.  I think I'll be enjoying this book.