The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Okay, it was free. It came with my Palm Z22. I was stuck in a lab in Mexico with nothing to do, my books were elsewhere, my internet connection failed… it was just me, a Palm Z22, and several guys who didn’t speak english.

So, I read a romance novel.

It started off a little Jane Austinesque, sort of, but then deteriorated. My expectations were low, and they were met.

But it was a little interesting to think about what makes a book “bad”, aside from an uninteresting plot. This one was a textbook example of constantly, constantly telling instead of showing.

“Really?” Violet asked, trying not to look interested.

And how, exactly, does one try not to look interested? Show me.

Though, I supposed the author simply doesn’t have the motivation to work at it. I mean, apparently this book has 6 sequels or something like that, so Julia Quinn ain’t hurtin’.

Now, I’ve got to figure out how to get some more eBooks on my Palm, ’cause all that’s left is the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Superheroes Edited by John Varley and Ricia Mainhardt

Like most folks of my ilk (and here I mean geeky), I’m a sucker for superheroes.

Not all, but most. I don’t care for the Green Lantern¹ or The Hulk.

I was optimistic but ultimately disappointed by Mystery Men, as I like the idea of alternate superheroes. So this book, purportedly a series of essays about alternate superheroes, sounded good to me.

It was okay. As an Amazon reviewer noted, a couple sharp pieces, and the rest just so-so, one-joke stories.

She Who Might Be Obeyed was so convoluted as to be almost unreadable.

Truth, Justice and the Politically Correct Socialist Path the story by the editor that hypothesized Superman’s life had he landed in the USSR (which served as the inspiration to do the collection) was somewhat predictable but very witty.

Others were arty and pushed the margins of what one would define as a superhero.

But, all in all, fine mind candy.

¹ My sole contribution to Free Parking, a Dad’s Garage sketch show of some years back, was a piece called The Green Lantern Buys A Stamp where I itemized the lameness of GL when he fails to convince the citizenry that he needs to cut in line at the post office as a matter of life or death. He ends up being bludgeoned by the crowd, saved from death only by the sudden appearance of the Wonder Twins.

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman

The first point I should make is that I read this on my new (refurb) Palm Z22. It came as a sample book with the eReader software, along with Never Eat Alone and some romance novel. I used to read stuff all the time on my old Palm IIIe, and it’s nice to always have a book or two on me, wherever I go. The interface is greatly improved as well.

Previously, I’ve read a Sandman, Good Omens (with Terry Pratchett), American Gods and, recently, Neverwhere. Good Omens is much beloved by many and I am no exception. But the other three works, done solo, were just OK by my estimation. I didn’t plan on going out of my way to get another Neil Gaiman piece.

But there it was in the Palm. And I’m glad it was.

I really enjoyed these short stories. In fact, the shorter the better. He had a whole collection of two paragraph stories about vampires that were very funny.

Honestly, though, I skipped most of the “poetry”. If it didn’t grab me in the first couple stanzas, I was off to the next thing. I’m a plebe that way.

There’s a funny story about a woman who finds the Holy Grail in a junk store. And one about a guy who looks for bargain priced assassinations. All very creative and fun.

The Book That Changed My Life: 71 Remarkable Writers Celebrate the Books That Matter Most to Them Edited by Roxanne J. Coady & Joy Johannessen

71 essays about life changing books. Many were interesting, some were funny, some I just skimmed. Several folks mentioned To Kill A Mockingbird and Catcher in the Rye. Amy Bloom cited The Most of P.G. Wodehouse, which I dearly love and read again and again, so I shall pick up some of her stuff at some point.

If the internet comes back. Where is it tonight? Livejournal is working. Lots of other major sites aren’t. Weird.

But I digress.

This is one of the Xmas gift books, for which I thank her again, as it helped pass part of the time happily on my 3.5 hour flight back and forth to El Paso.

Jennifer Government by Max Barry

This book went on and off my wishlist a couple times. I heard about it somewhere as a witty Orwellian satire, and I added it. I later heard there was an online game based on the novel (http://www.nationstates.net/), which I signed up for and was bored by, and thus later I took the book off my wishlist. Then, it cropped up somewhere else as a recommended novel for its smart wit and satire, so I added it back.

I dunno. It was an okay read. There was not a lot of depth or originality to any of the characters. The alternate future was a bit outlandish (Privatizing the government? Just how would that work, and how is that not a paradox?), but with a bit of effort I was able to suspend my disbelief… like Cars: accept the premise, don’t think too hard about it.

I wasn’t bored by it, and early on I knew there wasn’t going to be any big payoff, so the ride was fairly enjoyable. Though I can’t figure out what some of the reviewers “laughed out loud” about.

Max Barry’s other books (Company and Syrup) look like more of the same. As one Amazon reviewer put it, “knee-jerk anti-corporate humor is occasionally funny…” I probably won’t bother.

Aliens in America by Sandra Tsing Loh

I heart Sandra. I really do. I get all sorts of excited when she does commentary on Marketplace or some other NPR thingy. She reads her stuff like Meryn Cadell (especially The Sweater) who I also love and whatever happened to her anyway¹?

And I have enjoyed all of her books,this one being no exception.

Except that… well… “book” is a strong term. How about four short essays? They are funny and well-written, and an enjoyable peek into Sandra’s upbringing. But there was oh, so little of it. I hadn’t expected to add another book to the 2006 log, but this one is read almost by accident.

Ah well. Every little bit counts.

¹ Well, for one she apparently has a LiveJournal, and she is now a he, or in the process of becoming one. I must reads further!