Update!

So neglected this blog is...

Here's a list of finished books to liven things up a little:

The Road -- Cormac McCarthy

Logs of the Dead Pirate Society -- Randall Peffer

The Knife Thrower: and other stories -- Steven Millhauser

Dangerous Laughter: thirteen stories -- Steven Millhauser

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass -- Lewis Carrol

A Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley

The Westing Game--Ellen Raskin

I've been meaning to read this one since I was about 8. It always seemed like this puzzle filled mystery would be right up my alley. Fifteen years later, I can tell you it definitely is.

A winner of the Newbury medal, this novel goes beyond your basic juvenile fiction. The scores of characters each play a role in solving the mystery in a manner reminiscent of a Christie work. While there's the cliche smart and rebellious tomboy (Turtle Wexler) that every young female bookworm aspires to go on adventures with, equal time is paid to the other characters many of which carry very mature themes along with them.

There's the middle-aged secretary (Sydelle Pulaski) who realizes over the course of the book that she doesn't need to marry up to improve her social status. Or the Wexlers (Grace and Jake) who save their marriage by remembering their individual passions... over too much wine. Or Sun Lin Hoo who stays in America only to support her son, that over the course of the book learns english and discovers her talents extend beyond cooking in a Chinese restaurant.

In the final graphs of Mr Westing's will (or are they?) he writes, "Death is senseless yet makes way for the living. Life, too, is senseless unless you know who you are, what you want and which way the wind blows." While true to the book, many of these words are clues to solving the final puzzle, they also drive home the book's theme: self discovery. Overall, not a bad theme for a 20-something without a job.

the birth of the book hoard

Hello Hello! I've added this new hoard to keep track of my literary conquests. Between my recent 45 minute commute to a temp position and my upcoming trip to Germany, I will be doing quite a bit more reading than usual, so now seems like the perfect time to start this online index. This is more for me than for you, but if you are among those anonymous masses looking on... enjoy!