Finished three books and Started Another

Finished A Dance with Dragons.  I love these books and hate that I have to wait for another to come out--this will be The Winds of Winter.  However, I notice it is very difficult for likeable people to remain good or even alive in this 'verse.

Then I read Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton, another erotic fantasy in the Meredith Gentry series.  Meredith continues to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, but, at least she manages to have a good time in the midst of turmoil.



I have also finished Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie.  The knowledge needed to solve this ahead of Poirot was not in my repertoire, but I had it about as solved as I was able.  However--not until just before Poirot told us, and after he had figured it out.  I enjoyed the book immensely.  Christie often makes me laugh out loud--especially with Hastings observations.



I am now back to Les Miserables, reading part 2.

Finished DARK VISIONS

Actually, I had read this before, but so long ago that I only remembered certain high tension moments--and not all of them by any means.  I went ahead and read it again because it was a good premise and because I find L. J. Smith very readable, pleasant, easy, interesting, and creative.  In this, five psychic high school seniors are rounded up (all with different powers) ostensibly to be studied and then get rewarded for their hard work with full college tuition paid for to the college of their choice.  A formidable incentive.  Of course, things will inevitably go downhill from there as they discover exactly where they are and who their benefactor really is.  I love stories about powerful young people motivated by love and a strong sense of right and wrong.  A worthy read.



I have now started George R. R. Martin's A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, fifth book in the Song of Fire and Ice series.  It starts with characters that we left at the end of A CLASH OF SWORDS, the early action running concurrent with the events of A FEAST OF CROWS, but in a different locality.  And at some point the author promises that we will pick up characters from A FEAST OF CROWS.  Then, the action will continue beyond the time slot that fourth book ended at.  However, this is not the last book of the series.  The next, THE WINDS OF WINTER, has not been published yet.

This starts with a prologue in which we meet a "skinchanger," a person who can enter animals' psyches and travel with them for awhile.  Though this person had used his powers completely selfishly, I look forward to seeing both Bran and Jon soon and learning more about how they are doing and what they are up to.