....yeah, it's been a while.
As you can see from my stats posts, I have been reading. I have a book on the go constantly, and generally dip into it throughout the day, whenever I'm not focused on anything else. I read while level grinding in games, or during ad breaks, or while travelling. So I've been reading. I just haven't been writing about it.
I recently discovered a new author - well, new to me. Sophie Hannah. I found a copy of the other half lives in a charity shop six weeks or so ago, but I only got around to reading it the other night. I literally couldn't put it down. I read the 550 page novel in two days. That's not terribly fast for me, but it is unusual for me to sit still for that long in one go. Afterwards, I went to the library, and borrowed the point of rescue. That was yesterday, and I finished it at 5am this morning. Then I read some of The Witcher, because I am a cowardy-custard, and I was nervous of going to sleep.
Hannah has written general fiction novels, one children's novel, and several volumes of poetry, but what I've read so far are her crime/psychological thriller books. In an interview printed at the back of the other half lives, Hannah talks about her method. It seems she begins with a scenario that intrigues her, that throws up a lot of questions, then slowly begins building answers. The other half lives, for instance, begins with a man confessing to the murder of a woman who's still alive. What I really liked about that book was how secrets were continually revealed, but there were still mysteries to solve, right to the end. I also rather liked the fact that everything was neatly spelled out in the last chapter, since I'd gotten a tad confused by that point, and wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything.
I kind of want to buy Hannah's entire bibliography, but I've had to settle for borrowing them from the library. I've got two of her books reserved at the moment.
I've bought quite a lot of books over the last few days. The Last Wish and Blood of Elves for a start, both by Andrzej Sapkowski, in the Witcher series, and two Stephen Kings - On Writing, and Just After Sunset, a book of short stories. I love King's short stories. Actually, I love short stories in general, particularly those inspired by fairy tales.
As you can see from my stats posts, I have been reading. I have a book on the go constantly, and generally dip into it throughout the day, whenever I'm not focused on anything else. I read while level grinding in games, or during ad breaks, or while travelling. So I've been reading. I just haven't been writing about it.
I recently discovered a new author - well, new to me. Sophie Hannah. I found a copy of the other half lives in a charity shop six weeks or so ago, but I only got around to reading it the other night. I literally couldn't put it down. I read the 550 page novel in two days. That's not terribly fast for me, but it is unusual for me to sit still for that long in one go. Afterwards, I went to the library, and borrowed the point of rescue. That was yesterday, and I finished it at 5am this morning. Then I read some of The Witcher, because I am a cowardy-custard, and I was nervous of going to sleep.
Hannah has written general fiction novels, one children's novel, and several volumes of poetry, but what I've read so far are her crime/psychological thriller books. In an interview printed at the back of the other half lives, Hannah talks about her method. It seems she begins with a scenario that intrigues her, that throws up a lot of questions, then slowly begins building answers. The other half lives, for instance, begins with a man confessing to the murder of a woman who's still alive. What I really liked about that book was how secrets were continually revealed, but there were still mysteries to solve, right to the end. I also rather liked the fact that everything was neatly spelled out in the last chapter, since I'd gotten a tad confused by that point, and wanted to be sure I wasn't missing anything.
I kind of want to buy Hannah's entire bibliography, but I've had to settle for borrowing them from the library. I've got two of her books reserved at the moment.
I've bought quite a lot of books over the last few days. The Last Wish and Blood of Elves for a start, both by Andrzej Sapkowski, in the Witcher series, and two Stephen Kings - On Writing, and Just After Sunset, a book of short stories. I love King's short stories. Actually, I love short stories in general, particularly those inspired by fairy tales.
