New Book Day!

In The Walled City by Stewart O'Nan. A story collection. Have read his first two novels: Snow Angels and Names of the Dead and simply loved them. Of course, perpetually behind as I am, he has 5 more novels sitting on my shelves. (See next post for a thought on one of those...)

A bit of a chore finishing Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks (what's sad is I own the next 7 or 8 science fiction books by him!). He also writes straight fiction which I love but this sort of dragged at the end. Could only seemingly read 20 pages a day the last five days of it! (The tunnels, the trains, the Mind.....zzzzzzzz, snort!) I would have loved this book 15 or so years ago. In fact, science fiction like this (mostly by Robert Silverberg) is what made me a reader back in the 80's in my formative years. But now that I'm older, and such a fan, freak, and reader of contemporary fiction, this sort of thing just doesn't seem to work for me.

On to the O'Nan! Ah! Back to the real (fictional but gloomy!) world. (O'Nan's a bit dark.)

New Book Day is a chore for me. It probably takes me an hour to decide what to read next. (The phrase "New Book Day" was coined by an ex-girlfriend who would walk into bedroom only to find me scanning over 40 or so books on the waterbed!) Pretty stupid, I know. If I would read that hour I could read 35 more books a year! That's appalling to think about considering I only read 50-70 books a year and my to read pile grows every year by probably 100 books or so. My To-Read-Pile is not a pile actually. It is stacks and stacks, shelves and shelves. I just love so many authors and love to try new authors also.

Anyway:

Stewart O'Nan! Highly recommended!