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Very quickly jotting down recent books, because I find myself forgetting what I've read since last time I made notes:

9. Lord John and the Private Matter, Diana Gabaldon. One of the Outlander characters gets the lead in this mystery, the first book of a planned trilogy featuring Lord John Grey.


10. Perdido Street Station, China Miéville. Good lord, did this take me forever to finish. It wasn't because it was overly long or overly complicated (it was neither, although there are plenty of storylines to keep up with), but because I wanted to make sure I didn't skim over any of his descriptions.


11. Close Range: Wyoming Stories, Annie Proulx. I'd been wanting to read "Brokeback Mountain" again, so I picked this up rather than shelling out nearly the same amount for just the one story.


12. Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book #4, Terry Moore. One day I'll catch up with the story, I'm sure. I'm guessing it'll be sometime right around May 2007 when it comes to an end.


13. Coyote Blue, Christopher Moore. Christopher Moore and Coyote seems like it should be an inspired combination, but this doesn't come close to topping "Lamb" as my favorite of his books. Given that one of the characters in this one (Minty Fresh) reappears in the new book, A Dirty Job, I think it was accidentally good timing on my part to pick this up when I did.


14. I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away, Bill Bryson. This is a collection of columns for Night & Day magazine on readjusting to life in the US in general and Hanover, NH in particular. Some are screamingly funny while others, like the one lamenting the death of Main Street, address more serious topics.

I also caught up with "The Book of Lost Souls" and picked up the first three issues of "Paris".

Oh, farm boy!

This post, particularly the story of one of the local New Money trophy wives and even more particularly the third paragraph from the end, had me howling.

Another choice quote: "Those that live in homes that sit on concrete blocks often name their homes as well. Sometimes, the homes are guarded by stone lions or concrete gargoyles. The grander the name of the home, the more likely it is to be mobile."