Clash of Kings

Still rereading The Song of Ice and Fire rather than my library books. Today I finished "Clash of Kings", which is book two. Back in 2012 when I bought it and first read it, I remember being up until midnight, reading the ending and going "oh my God, there's no way I can wait until tomorrow to get book three! I have to know right now!". So I went on my Nook and bought the third one and started reading it right then. Thank God for technology, am I right? This book differs slightly from the show (Arya is Roose Bolton's cupbearer at Harrenhal, not Tywin Lannister's, for instance), and Daenerys has some illuminating prophesies, especially in light of what we know now after Sunday's series finale. I really wish Martin would publish the sixth book, though. Seriously.

Meddling Kids; Game of Thrones

I really enjoyed Edgar Cantero's first book, "Supernatural Enhancements", and I was excited for this one, since it clearly is a Scooby Doo spoof. How fun! And it was...but it wasn't as good as I'd hoped. A group of four teenagers (and their dog) solved the mystery of the lake monster back in 1977 when they caught a man dressed up in a monster costume. Thirteen years later, however, the three surviving teens (and the descendant of the dog) are being inexplicably drawn back to the lake to finish what they started. Turns out the monster costume guy was just a front for the real evil going on behind the scenes. It was very cleverly done for sure.

I've been on vacation from work for the last two weeks, and rather than reading the books I checked out, I decided to sit on the couch, rewatch "Game of Thrones" from the beginning, and started to reread the books as well. I finished the first one in the Ice and Fire series, "Game of Thrones". I read them all years ago when the show first started, and it was nice to go back and refresh my mind as to the differences between the show and the books.

Party of the Century

In the early 1960s, author Truman Capote had cultivated friendships with an eclectic array of individuals in all walks of life: artists, politicians, movie stars, and especially wealthy, beautiful socialites, his "swans". After the rousing success of his nonfiction novel "In Cold Blood", Truman decided to host a grand ball at New York's Plaza Hotel. It was the famous Black and White ball, and it did turn out to be a great party, talked about for decades afterwards, which is exactly what Truman wanted. Davis clearly had a grand time researching the effort that went into planning the event, its ultra-exclusive guest list, and the various outfits worn by the attendees. It was a lot of fun to read and I bet it would have been even more fun to have gone.

Final Girls; Marked for Death

Being a horror movie fan, I was excited when I heard about Riley Sager's (a pseudonym for...someone? not sure who) "Final Girls", and it didn't disappoint. If you don't know what a Final Girl is, she's the last one standing at the end of a slasher movie. Think Heather Langenkamp from the Nightmare on Elm Street series. She has to watch all her friends die and be the only survivor. That's Quincy's life. Ten years earlier, her friends were all butchered at Pine Cottage, and Quincy was the only one who made it out alive. Lisa, another final girl who reached out to Quincy over the years, is found dead from an apparent suicide and Quincy's not sure what to think. She's spent years not talking about what happened to her, drinking too much wine and taking too many Xanax, working hard to maintain a "normal" facade. Then Sam shows up. Sam is a final girl, too, she went into hiding years earlier, but now she wants to talk to Quincy about what happened to Lisa. I tried so hard to guess the twist at the end but I failed miserably, which is a good thing, I enjoyed the suspense. You really didn't know who to trust.

After reading "Road to Jonestown" a few weeks ago, I wanted to hear what Jim Jones' personal attorney and right hand man for many years, Tim Stoen, had to say. He didn't really touch too much on what drew him to Jones in the first place, mostly concentrating on what happened when he decided to leave the Peoples Temple. He was marked for death from that moment on, harassed and bullied, in fear for his life. But he was more afraid for his son, John Victor Stoen. He had signed a document proclaiming Jones to be John's biological father, but he says in this book that he was actually John's natural father. He and his estranged wife, Grace, were unable to get John back from Jones before the mass murder/suicide in 1978, John was one of the over 900 victims. You could tell Tim has experienced a lot of guilt and pain over this. It was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time.

Stay Interesting

Who didn't love the Most Interesting Man in the World commercials for Dos Equis? I thought they were funny and clever, and always enjoyed watching them. I didn't know anything at all about the actor who played him, Jonathan Goldsmith, so I almost didn't bother to check it out, but I'm glad I did. It was a quick read, funny and lighthearted. He actually has had a really interesting life! Not quite as much so as the character he played, but it was still pretty amazing.

Silent Corner

I enjoyed Dean Koontz's latest, "The Silent Corner", although I will admit to being perturbed that his leading ladies seem to be getting younger and younger and younger to the point where they are unbelievable. Jane Hawk is no exception. She's twenty-seven (27!!), an FBI agent, skilled and wise and mature, a widow and a mother to a five year old. When did she have time to rise so high in the FBI's ranks? Not that it can't be done but...really? He could have made her 35 or something and I totally would have believed it. At any rate, Jane's husband, another uber-overachiever (full colonel at 32...) committed suicide, and Jane knows damn well Nick would never have killed himself. She takes a leave of absence from the FBI and starts investigating the surprising rise in suicides over the last few years, especially of people who, like Nick, would be the last people to ever kill themselves. The path Jane starts down is dangerous, her life and the life of her child is threatened, and she goes off the grid to continue her hunt. There will be a sequel, so it ended on that note.