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May. 30th, 2006 02:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
saoneThe one bad thing about a long holiday weekend, is going back to work. Four times today, all three phone lines rang all at the same time. I've lost count of how many times I've had to do the Hello/Please Hold thing today. Multiple phone lines should never ring all at once.
*sigh*
Did the family thing part of the weekend. Went... okay. I ended up having to take a Xanax, but no one burst into tears, so, yay.
Managed to get two books read from the ever growing stack beside my bed.
A House Divided by Deborah Leblanc. Ha! Yes! Finally a ghost story with actual ghosts! You'd think that those would be the norm, but oh, no. I can't begin to count the number of supposed ghost stories I've read over the years, where at the end the author cops out and reveals that the 'spirits' are really just part of some ancient force from another dimension. o.O Okay, if I wanted to read something Lovecraftian, I'd read Lovecraft. Yeesh. All in all, A House Divided is not a great book, IMO, but it is better than average, and better than average ghost stories are hard to find.
The Loch by Steve Alten. I've been waiting to read this for almost a year now. I've loved Nessie ever since I was a kid. My first Big Book of Monsters was pretty much always open to her entry. My mom even made me a huge, stuffed Nessie for Christmas one year. It still makes quite an awesome body pillow. Er... anyway... since I'm such a huger sucker for The Loch Ness Monster, I was pretty positive I was going to like this book. The fact that it's from the author of the Meg giant shark series was just icing. Steve Alten writes a good monster. Now, if he could just lay off trying to write interpersonal relationship type stuff, and female characters you want to personally feed to the deep sea beastie of the moment. Oy.
Putting aside all that, I did like the story. It was different, and interesting, though, with all the bisected bodies, I'm pretty sure Alten must have watched Quagmire more than once. *g*
In other news, it's 93 degrees here. *points to icon* Argh. :P
*sigh*
Did the family thing part of the weekend. Went... okay. I ended up having to take a Xanax, but no one burst into tears, so, yay.
Managed to get two books read from the ever growing stack beside my bed.
A House Divided by Deborah Leblanc. Ha! Yes! Finally a ghost story with actual ghosts! You'd think that those would be the norm, but oh, no. I can't begin to count the number of supposed ghost stories I've read over the years, where at the end the author cops out and reveals that the 'spirits' are really just part of some ancient force from another dimension. o.O Okay, if I wanted to read something Lovecraftian, I'd read Lovecraft. Yeesh. All in all, A House Divided is not a great book, IMO, but it is better than average, and better than average ghost stories are hard to find.
The Loch by Steve Alten. I've been waiting to read this for almost a year now. I've loved Nessie ever since I was a kid. My first Big Book of Monsters was pretty much always open to her entry. My mom even made me a huge, stuffed Nessie for Christmas one year. It still makes quite an awesome body pillow. Er... anyway... since I'm such a huger sucker for The Loch Ness Monster, I was pretty positive I was going to like this book. The fact that it's from the author of the Meg giant shark series was just icing. Steve Alten writes a good monster. Now, if he could just lay off trying to write interpersonal relationship type stuff, and female characters you want to personally feed to the deep sea beastie of the moment. Oy.
Putting aside all that, I did like the story. It was different, and interesting, though, with all the bisected bodies, I'm pretty sure Alten must have watched Quagmire more than once. *g*
In other news, it's 93 degrees here. *points to icon* Argh. :P
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 07:48 am (UTC)Sorry about the 'phones . . . 'join the club' is all I can say!!!!! *breaks off to answer two together*
Well done on getting some reading done though - it's so nice to find some space and time to do that. I've not read either of these, but maybe I'll try now - "Finally a ghost story with actual ghosts!" sounds great!
93 degrees? *fans you and offers cool drink immediately* I'd love to send you some of our most unseasonal cold (yes - that's cold not cool!!!) weather . . .
(Will write later in the week).
no subject
Date: 2006-05-31 11:49 pm (UTC)Sometimes I just put everyone on hold and glare at the damn thing.
I'd love to send you some of our most unseasonal cold (yes - that's cold not cool!!!) weather . . .
Ooooh... *checks the outside temp* can I come visit? ;D