Finished THE INITIATION by L. J. Smith

Well, of course, The Secret Circle is a coven of witches who Cassie meets and comes to know.  Combining good and evil, her new friends are both comforting and terrifying.  This is the first of at least three books in the series.  I have no idea how many books there are since the author is still alive and will probably live longer than I will...so, I suspect, there will continue to be a new supply from her, if not in this series, in many more.



I have now started A Man Rides Through, by Stephen R. Donaldson, the second (and I think last) in the Mordant's Need series, the first of which was The Mirror of Her Dreams.  I have only just started (p 20), but already I am into it.  It starts with a first battle in a war, which would usually be off-putting for me, but, again Donaldson's characters and environment are so quirky, I am draw in in spite of myself.

Finished IF YOU ASK ME by Betty White

Pithy and sweet.  It is rather like reading a real life version of #1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  Of course, there are no mysteries to solve, but the outlook on life is similar.  Betty likes everyone and loves all animals.  She shares her outlook on growing old without giving advice.  Though she never really mentions it, I couldn't help being struck by the fact that she is far from lonely even though she has outlived most of her contemporaries, certainly most close friendships from earlier projects in her life.  But, because she always related well to colleagues of all ages, she continues to have close friendships and a full social as well as professional life.



I have now started The Initiation, the first book in The Secret Circle, by L. J. Smith.  I find her books page turners and fun.  It is she who wrote The Vampire Diaries.  This is about a circle of teen witches.  There are forces of good and evil here, and the counterpoint is quite interesting, especially since proponents of both are actually both good and evil within themselves and respect each other even while disagreeing--at least so far.  I am enjoying it.

Finished FEVER by Robin Cook

If not the best of his books that I have read, it comes very close.  High action; high intensity; serious drama.  Could not put it down...literally.  Stayed up way too late a couple of nights.  I highly recommend this book to anyone not prone to nightmares of heart attacks.

I am now reading If You Ask Me, by Betty White.  It is not funny, but recounts very sweetly stories about her most recent work (at age 89) and speaks a bit of her longevity.  It is a welcome break from the high tension of Robin Cook.  This is a relaxing quick reading book.

Finished FINISHED SHADOW OF NIGHT and started two more.

Really loved this one...maybe even more than the first in the series, A Discovery of Witches.  In this they are back in the past of Christopher Marlowe and Shakespeare (which may be why I loved it so much).  Now they have come back to the present, and problems are seriously shaping up for them.  And who knows how long I have to wait for the third book in the series to be written!!!  Let alone, in paperback!!



I then switched to this.  I read the first part of this book a long time ago, The Sword in the Stone, thinking I might want to read it with my students.  I got a classroom set and waited to get a class of good enough readers to handle it, but I never did---or at least I never did after I'd read it and prepared.  I had lots of individual students who could have handled it, but never a classroom set...  So, I have just finished the second book--the Queen of Air and Darkness.  I thought it would be Morgan Le Faye, but here, it was her sister, Morgaise,  daughter of Igraine and the mother of Gawaine, Agravaine, Geharis, and Gareth.  This book centers mostly around her family, with Arthur's battle against Lot (Morgaise' husband) running a counterpoint.  Well written and much more entertaining than Morte d' Artur was.  I will come back to it, but now....



I have started Fever.  I am only to page 7, but it seems like it will be about cancer-causing pollution.  It promises to be good.