Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman

I just had a discussion last night about Neil Gaiman, and how he started out writing graphic novels. I know him from the book Good Omens, which I highly recommend, especially to anyone who enjoys Hitchhiker's Guide sorts of books.

This one was really delightful. Sort of a contemporary take on traditional African animal-based folktales, with plenty of magical realism and clever dialogue. A lot of fun.

Apparently, he also writes children's books, and I can only imagine how much fun that would be.

Denial, by Keith Ablow

Not great. Easy and quick, but not believable enough to really make it thrilling. I grabbed two of his books off the paperback shelf, so we'll see if it's just this one.

Requiem for an Assassin, by Barry Eisler

Not bad. I will probably grab a few of his earlier books featuring John Rain. Vaguely reminiscent of Gabriel Allon, though less fully-realized, I think.

Dark Gold, by David Angsten

Another disappointing thriller. Good idea, but it goes horribly astray in the execution. Why do I even bother finishing these books? I think it's because I am an optimist and I keep thinking that the author will redeem the book somehow.

The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

There is an accent mark in the author's last name, but I've never mastered that, nor do I have the inclination to do so, so you'll just have to trust me. Chris has been reading this to me and the baby over the last week or so, a little bit at a time. Very sweet, wonderful story, and Chris' delivery was excellent.

One Last Scream, by Kevin O'Brien

The only reason I would recommend anyone read this book is to wonder at the extreme stupidity of the main character. I realize that for thrillers to work, people can't be making the right decisions all the time, but this woman really takes the cake. She veers from being wildly intelligent and analytical (she's a therapist!) to completely hare-brained and clueless. The story itself was kind of neat, just poorly executed. The characters were all a little unbelievable and inconsistent. It went quickly, anyway.

Baby Bargains, by Denise and Alan Fields

We (mom and I) used the wedding version of this book planning my wedding, which was very helpful. This book initially overwhelmed us, and we had to put it down for a while. Once we got serious about picking things for the baby, and actually buying stuff, it was great to have as a reference for specific items. Overall, it's a lot of information, and very useful.

The Ghost, by Robert Harris

A pleasantly diverting sort-of thriller, very British, very quick read.

A Crib Is A Very Big Thing

We bought a crib this week. It's nice, clean lines, a stain so dark it almost looks black. I really like it. And for some reason, this, unlike any of the other baby stuff we've amassed so far, really got to me. As we were driving out of the parking lot after loading it, my hands were shaking a little. And after our wonderful friend Will helped Chris put it together (and in combination with a few other irritants that evening), I had a very brief, minor breakdown. Tears, irrational talk, etc. I felt a lot better afterward, though.

In retrospect, I think the crib is the biggest thing we've gotten so far. It takes up a huge amount of space in our nursery/guest room. Likewise, the baby will take up a huge amount of space in our life. Thus, the minor freakout. We've got about 6 weeks to go, give or take. Unbelievable.

In other baby-related news, we had our one-day intensive labor-prep class, which was mildly disappointing (very talky, not much hands-on), but did feature a minor celebrity! "Angela," from NBC's The Office, was in our class with her husband. They've just started filming again after the strike and she's spending a lot of time behind copiers and cubicle walls.

We also had an excellent meeting with our doula after the class, and she did a bunch of hands-on stuff with us, and I am more confident than ever that she is going to be a huge help to us. I really like her.

The Unlikely Spy, by Daniel Silva

Silva's first book, and so different from his others. I've now officially read everything he's written. This one is set in WWII, though is follows along the themes of his contemporary series: espionage, war, secrets, assassins, etc. It strikes me, reading this, how well Silva nails the language and cadence of many, many nationalities. He must either have had an interesting life, or one so boring that all he did was read.

In The Woods, by Tana French

This is the most engaging, can't-put-it-down book I've read in a while. Set in Ireland, it follows a pair of police detectives through a murder case with ties to one of the detective's childhood traumas. The relationship between the detectives and the third detective assigned to help them nicely parallels the childhood relationships of the traumatized one. The mystery is thick and full of twists and turns, and while it doesn't answer every question, is ultimately satisfying in the end, even if I felt a little sad not to know every secret at first. Really fascinating.

A Place Of Hiding, by Elizabeth George

I really love her books, and I picked this one up to reread when I was between library visits and only had a bunch of baby/birth books, which are not exactly escapist. I do have to say that I generally enjoy the books featuring Lynley and Havers a bit more, but this one was fun, too. Dense, and very, very English.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume

More blasts from the past. I can't remember what age I was when I read Judy Blume, but I'm amazed how little I remember from these books, and how entertaining they are to read now.

Stuart Little, by E.B. White

A classic that I had forgotten so much about. Clever, clever writing. I was moved to read several parts aloud to Chris as I worked my way through it. I wonder how White thought of it?

Sunstroke, by Jesse Kellerman

I'm assuming a connection to Jonathan and Faye, though I could be wrong. It was a pretty good book. An odd mix of thriller/mystery and an almost magical realism thing. Enjoyable. I will read some more of his and see what's what.

Muse, by Michael Cecilione

Pretty good thriller. Fun read. The main character's actions are a little hard to buy, but if you suspend your disbelief, you'll do fine.

Playing Dress-Up

So, things have been slow recently, and so I'm extra pleased to be doing some additional work this week. A massage client of mine who has become a friend has become an independent seller for Worth, a clothing line out of NYC. It's high end, designer-inspired clothes made from truly exquisite fabrics. They get their textiles from the same mills as Chanel, Armani, etc. And the leathers! Oh, my goodness, you could put these leathers on your bed and sleep in them, they're so unbelievably soft. It's a really easy line to sell.

Anyway, my job is general assistant, gopher, computer-wrangler, etc. and while it is wiping me out physically, I am really enjoying it. The clothes are so much fun, and it's really nice to get to play with them. I wear gym clothes (nice, coordinated stuff, but still) all the time for my regular work life, and I dress up so very rarely that it's even fun to dress other people up.

For instance, dressing our first client today (a former Miss Some-State-That-I-Forget who was a runner-up for Miss USA) was like playing real-life Barbies. She had a perfect figure, and everything looked amazing on her. So much fun. My friend will do a show each season, and I hope to get to participate further. I'll be missing the summer show, most likely, as it begins 2 days after my due date.

The Suspect, by John Lescroart

More of the same from a great legal thriller author. Good read.

Jacob Have I Loved, by Katharine Paterson

I don't think I ever read this as a kid, and what a shame. A really lovely book that I would have related to as a pre-teen, I think.

Twice Kissed, by Lisa Jackson

Blah. Convoluted, dull thriller with overly long sex scenes. Wouldn't recommend it.

High Profile, by Robert Parker

I can't say that I find that there is much difference between the Jesse Stone/Sunny Randall novels and the Spenser novels (except for Hawk, who is one of my favorite characters ever), but I always enjoy reading them, and they always go very quickly, so it's good that Parker turns them out at such a speedy rate.