Well, I’m back.  (Gold star if you can tell me what book this line is from.  Hint: it’s the last line.)

Last week turned out to be a bit of a debacle in terms of blogging.  I had no intention of leaving things blank around here but a work conference took up a big part of my life and I couldn’t find the energy to do anything so Just Book Reading went quiet for a week.  Not the end of the world I know but since I do enjoy writing, it was a bit of a disappointment on my end.

While work did manage to suck the energy out of my writing, it didn’t do the same for my reading.  Conference work is boring with a decent amount of downtime so I did manage to read off and on.  I finished:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen — This one is wicked in terms of the social commentary and very enjoyable.  I only have Lady Susan and Mansfield Park to finish in my Complete Works of Jane Austen book.  And, well, there is Emma but I’ve never been a fan of that one and after several attempts to read it failed, I may skip it once more.

Abandoned by Amanda Stevens — This is a short story prequel to The Restorer which I read over a week ago and liked.  In Abandoned, some parts felt as though they weren’t fleshed out but that also may have been due to the fact that I read this after finishing The Restorer and was expecting it to fill in some additional background on certain characters which wasn’t the point of the story.  Once I got past my expectations, I enjoyed it.

Heat Wave by Richard Castle — I have no idea how this one ended up on my Nook; I think it may have been a recommendation from my uncle but can’t be sure.  After some ghosts stories, a classic take on a gothic novel, and a failed attempt at classic children’s literature, I thought a cop story might just be what I needed.  It was short which was also appealing.  It was goofy, clichéd, I figured out the killer early on, and parts made me laugh out loud, but I found it fun.  Odd how that works some days.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hogdson Burnett — I don’t remember reading this one as a child but I’m familiar with the story from the movie.  I started it earlier in the week but left off on page nine.  I’ll go back but I need to be in the mood for it and wasn’t this week.

I started Poison by Sara Poole yesterday and that will probably be my reading for today.

Some links to peruse:

A peek inside homes of writers.

Culinary book clubs.

People aren’t using the iPad to read.  Not surprising to me.

That’s it for me.  Happy Sunday.

I’m back from my trip to Vegas, and now that I’ve slept a bit and figured out which time zone I’m in, it’s book talk time.  I had this return post pre-planned and then a conversation with a co-worker caused that one to get put back in the thought pile.  Let me explain.

My company has a conference and trade show in Las Vegas each year and the exhibitors offer give aways and prizes to entice attendees to visit their booths.  This year, three exhibitors were giving away Kindles.  My co-worker said she didn’t get it.  I asked what she meant and she said people forgot what books are supposed to be.  Which is an intriguing thought but that’s not where I’m going with this.  What she was getting at was the feel of a book, the smell, the weight of holding a book in your hands.  Knowing that at any moment you could open to a page and read.  You don’t have to wait for it to warm up and find your page.  You can flip back and forth, scan ahead, read the ending; whatever you want because the pages are all right there for you.  She looked at me and said, “You know what I mean.  You always have a book.”  I agreed but then told her that I also own a Nook.  She looked surprised and asked why I had one.  My response: “It’s easy to travel with and my husband likes the fact that no matter how many books I buy or download, the books don’t take up any space.”  I had several books at my finger tips this week and I didn’t have any worries about my bag being overweight.  If I wasn’t satisfied with what I was reading, I knew I could easily find another book without having to leave my room.  But even I have to admit that it wasn’t like having a real book with me.

So, what’s a real book then?  I get the physical experience of reading a book.  There is something very satisfying about turning the page, the feel of the paper, the smell, and the weight.  I like being able to flip to the ending and read the last few paragraphs and pages at my will.  It’s possible to do all these things on a reader but it takes a tad more effort and you have to wait.  I admit to being impatient and waiting for my Nook to load the ending annoys me so I don’t read ahead.  I guess you can say one disadvantage for me is that I don’t read ahead, which is part of my regular reading habit, simply because I don’t like all the flipping and waiting.  I should explain at this time that it doesn’t actually take long for the flipping to happen, I just don’t like waiting the three seconds for it to happen.  And, yes, I’m one of those people that stand in front of the microwave waiting for it to hurry up and finish cooking my food.

I love my little Nook but it hasn’t change the way I read drastically.  I still buy books, I still go to the library, and I still re-read books that are on my shelf.  I’ve just added ebooks to the mix.  I believe that if you’re a reader, you’re a reader.  That won’t change; it just changes the medium in which words are read.

So, what did I read on my Nook while stuck on planes and listening to conference attendees complain about coffee?  I finished The Hard Way by Lee Child, Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews, and started The House on Durrow Street by Galen Beckett.

The Hard Way is a loaner from a co-worker.  I’ve read several Lee Child books now and each time I finish I’m happy to say that I’ve been entertained and slightly annoyed because the main character in these books, Jack Reacher, manages to get involved in situations that, well, just don’t happen.  Once I let go of reality, I usually enjoy the books and this one was much the same.

Magic Bleeds in the fourth book in the Kate Daniels series and can I tell you how much I love these books!  It’s urban fantasy, gritty, the world is phenomenal, and each time I finish one I always want more.  And I’m happy to see that a fifth book is in the works — Magic Slays. These books are like the best brain candy I ever had.

The House on Durrow Street is a little slow for me at the moment.  As the first book, The Magicians & Mrs. Quent, this one is broken up into three books and the first part, while setting the stage for future events, is also slightly boring.  I hope it picks up soon.  I liked the last book but didn’t love it although I did like world and that’s the reason I decided to read this one.

I’m off to take a nap which is my normal routine the weekend after this work conference.  If I manage to keep my eyes open for any length of time, I might also do some reading.  Happy Sunday.