Thursday, June 25, 2009

Whatcha Readin'?

Every so often I like to inquire as to what you all are reading out there. All right. So I'm downright nosy when it comes to reading tastes and trends and likes and dislikes. I'm sure you will humor me given my streak of recent bad Karma. There's also the fact that any minute some guy is going to go down to the basement and decide where to begin jack-hammering my cement floor so he can install a baffle shut-off mechanism to prevent (hopefully) my basement from becoming a cement pond. Since I kinda, sorta need to be uh, available, my posting ops will be limited until later in the day. Oh the joys of home ownership.

Yesterday the triplets and I traipsed up and down the basement stairs countless times (okay, so I was counting but I stopped keeping track at twenty-seven) to bring ruined items upstairs and out to the garage to await the arrival of a roll-off dumpster. I still need to pull the stinky carpet off the stairs but that will be the very last thing I do since I'll have the plumbing dudes coming in and out over the next several weeks--my basement job being one of those relegated to when it is raining and the workers can't do their outside jobs.

I also need to locate a place to take my old computer monitors for recycling. I'm ashamed to admit how many I had downstairs.

But in between laundry, errands, assisting Mr. Plumber, pulling weeds and sorting through more paperwork, I'm going to read. And what will I be reading?

In the midst of going through boxes in my basement this past week I came across a book written by Ann Rule titled THE STRANGER BESIDE ME. The book is about serial killer, Ted Bundy. There are, I am sure, tons of books written about Ted Bundy but this one is unique in that the author, at the time a former policewoman turned fledgling true crime writer who lived in Seattle, had been contracted to write a book about the recent rash of killings of young women in the area. During that same time she also volunteered at a suicide and crisis prevention center in Seattle. It was at the crisis center Ann Rule would meet and become friends with a young man who worked the same night shift. That handsome, seemingly caring, young man with the engaging smile and quick wit?

Ted Bundy.

Grizzly, disturbing, baffling, yet altogether rivoting, Rule's book offers a rare insight into the psyche of a serial killer. I'm 'this' close to finishing the book but no closer to understanding the compulsions that drove Bundy or the seemingly laissez-faire way he was able to shift so effortlessly and quickly from 'friend' or 'lover' or the 'nice guy next door' to sadistic, remorseless, sociopathic monster venting his rage and playing out his gruesome fantasies on innocent young women. A diagnosis of anti-social personality disorder might explain the traits such an individual possesses but we still don't know why some people appear to never have developed a conscience. As I said, frightening stuff, but a fascinating read.

I also have a 'reader-lite' book at the ready that I read simultaneously with the non-fiction book I'm reading so I can kick back and be thoroughly entertained. I just finished Sabrina Jeffries, TO PLEASURE A PRINCE and enjoyed it immensely. Downstairs I also discovered a slightly damp Stephanie Laurens book, THE REASONS FOR MARRIAGE, and I just started it a few days ago.

Okay. Your turn. What book is keeping you up past your bedtime or has your rapt attention at lunchtime?

Do share.

~Bullet Hole Bacus~

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am reading/listening to Janet evanovich 15 book. I love this series. My sister gave me her first books about 5 years ago and I stayed up for seven days reading through # 10. I have also recently started rereading some old fav.s Rachel Gibson's See Jane Score and alot of Lori Fosters. Although I have many book in my TBR pile I do enjoy going back and rereading books.

KT Cruiser said...

Kathy,

So sorry to hear your summer is being ruined by your basement. I experienced the same thing this spring, and know how disheartening it can be.

As for current reads, I've been fascinated by trilogies lately. Blazed through Nora Roberts' Blood Brothers, The Hollow, and The Pagan Stone last week - they certainly weren't typical fare from NR! Good and evil, gods and demons, light and dark, and fire and blood. Of course love and the good guys triumph in the end, but getting there was definitely exciting.

Started the new week with Tracy Anne Warren's Mistress trilogy, a set of Regency romances that feed my need to escape from the heat and humidity.

I'll be thinking of you and hoping your basement project doesn't drive you batty before it's over!

Kate

Tori Lennox said...

I've been reading the two most recent Meg Langslow books by Donna Andrews. Finished up those last night. Now I'm reading The Wizard of London by Mercedes Lackey.

Kristi said...

I'm reading The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff. I'm hoping it's the first in a new series. I loved her Summoning series. It's kind of urban fantasy.

Suzan Harden said...

I tried someone new (for me anyway) this week - Lori Devoti. Her Amazon Ink is absolutely fabulous!

In my bag to take to work tonight? Kerrelyn Sparks' Forbidden Nights with a Vampire.

Bookmobiler said...

I bounce around quite a bit in my reading genres. I'm currently reading the latest Hamish Macbeth mystery, Death of A Witch.

I've also read Thrones, Dominations a Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane mystery by Dorothy L Sayers & Jill Paton Walsh. Sayers started this book but never finished it. Walsh did with the encouragement of Sayers' son's estate.

I ordinarily avoid books "finished" by other authors but this was a very well done conclusion to a favorite series. (One problem though, now I have the urge to go back and start re-reading the series from the beginning! My TBR pile hates me!)

I also read the most recent science fiction book by Mark L Van Name and Thirteenth Child by Patricia Wrede. The former was the third in a series (do read the others two first) and the latter the start of a new series.

I'm also impatiently waiting for the next book by an author who seems to be having drain blockage issues instead of writers block.

Becky LeJeune said...

I just finished a horror about the Jersey Devil (Robert Dunbar's The Shore) and started Maggie Leffler's The Goodbye Cousins. Also in my stack for this week is Kill Zone by Vickie Hinze. I'm looking for pure escapism these days. Fortunately no flooded basements here, just a general lack of motivation at work and a longstanding sense of frustration about our having to move this month. Oh, and dieting. If I can't eat, at least I can still read. Yep, escapism is on order.

conley730 said...

I can't wait to read the latest Janet Evanovich book. I'm currently reading Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris.

Keri Ford said...

I got a set of ALL of Shakespeare's plays in the mail this past week for some research. Yep, you read it right. I kicked off with Taming Of The Shrew. Am almost done with it. Then I think I'll start MacBeth, but not sure. Am curious about Hamlet and there are the Richard and Henry books that I've heard good things about. Oh, and also Twelfth Night has me interested since it's mentioned at the end of that movie, Shakespeare in Love. though, the story he starts at the end sounds suspiciously like The Tempest. OH the choices!

Terri Osburn said...

Sorry to hear about the bum basement but here's hoping everything is back to normal soon.

I'm reading Gotcha! by Chrisie and yes, it's keeping me up past my bedtime. I should know better than to open it before turning off the light.

♥ Dawn said...

Dorchester is great! They gave books to everyone at the LIRW luncheon, I'm lucky enough to be reading those.

Brandy said...

I'm reading Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster (A Memoir) and The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox.

Cassie said...

Sorry about the basement.

I was in the middle of Christy Reece's "Run to Me," third one of her trilogy, when my order of "I Shot You Babe" came in yesterday. Just finished it. I love Coney and Ronnie, Leslie. When's the next one coming out? :-)

Heather said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Heather said...

Recently finished SOMETHING DIFFERENT/PEPPER'S WAY by Kay Hooper and have now started EVIL WITHOUT A FACE by Jordan Dane.

Estella said...

I am reading The Accidental Human by Dakota Cassiday.

Refhater said...

I've been doing more photography than reading lately. I just finished Gotcha.

You can see some of my photography work at the site listed below.

http://www.puremichiganphotocontest.com/map.php
(Southwest, Michigan- in the Mt. Pleasant area)

Jenyfer Matthews said...

Funny you should ask - I just finished THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA by Michael Pollan and posted a review of sorts on my own blog :)

I have since moved on to Portrait in Death by J. D. Robb and have several Lisa Kleypas historical romances waiting on my e-reader.