I've bought a ton of books these past few weeks. I hate finishing a book on a Sunday afternooon and not having another one available to carry me through that darkness before the bookstore opens again. Now I've got a whole stack of books available. Choice is good. Darkness
bad.
I'm just finishing a novel now called "Carter Beats the Devil", by Glen David Gold - a clever, funny, romantic, exciting, and extremely well-written story about a stage magician in 1920s San Francisco, where facts mix with fiction. The protagonist, Charles Carter, was a real-life magician, and the major events of the novel - including, early on, a president's mysterious death - are true. But the details are mostly fictional, and the history is simply a canvas for Gold to paint on, which grounds the novel in a reality that's unique and refreshing. At least for me, because so much of what I read is pure fantasy. Of course, Gold's novel is also fantasy, but it's believable and accurate fantasy, which, quite often, is a lot more impressive than
fantasy fantasy. If you get my somewhat convoluted point. Research, boys and girls, ain't all that easy.
At any rate, it's an excellent novel, and most certainly worth reading - even if you're the sort of reader who usually sticks to genre fiction. You'll like this one.
I've also just started reading Michael Moore's "Stupid White Men", which is filled with satirical social commentary about post-2000-election America - it's funny and bold, and definitely smart and important (especially since it's sold surprisingly well, considering it was published after 9/11), but sometimes it plays perhaps a little too loose with the facts, just to make a
point. Like the section about the New Beetle in the introduction. Michael had problems with it. He makes it sound as though his problem was a widespread one, and that VW had sloppily introduced, and ignored, the problem simply because this is how corporate America works today, and people just lie down and accept it. Nope - you cannot generalise like that, based on a very personal, and very subjective, situation. And people certainly don't just lie down and accept poor quality or bad service - least of all in the US. While I agree with a lot of what he says, arguments like that one just turn me off. But for anyone who lives in the US today, or is interested in US politics - foreign or domestic - ought to check it out. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you go "what's up with that?", and it'll make you deeply suspicious - even more than before - of George "Dubya" Bush and his corporate cronies. And that's always good.
Next, I'll be stepping back into George R. R. Martin's new fantasy universe, with book three of the A Song of Fire and Ice cycle - "A Storm of Swords". The first two novels in the series were amazingly detailed and original - and
huge - fantasy epics, and I'm confident that the third one will live up to the standard set by the series so far. Worth catching if you're into the genre, especially if you've enjoyed Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. It's different - darker, more medieval, with much less focus on magic and more focus on politics, family, and the neverending struggle between powerful men - and women - for power, money, and land. This is about swords, blood, castles, titles, and an approaching winter that will last decades. Book four is on the way, so start reading now.
More book recommendations soon. Now - bedtime. For Bozo. Which is me. Bozo, that is. Bozo = Ragnar. Yes.
