Audio Book- Inferno by Dan Brown

Audio Book- Inferno by Dan Brown read by Paul Michael

This is the first audio book I've listened to in a long time and I forgot how much I like them. I used to listen to them all the time when I lived about 40 minutes from work during my daily commute but last year I moved a lot closer and now only have a 5 minute commute. Overall I enjoyed the book, Paul Michael did a fantastic job especially mixing between the different characters voices & accents. The story itself was fast paced and fun focusing with Robert Langdon searching to find a secret that was tied to the classic book Inferno by Dante. Like The Davinci Code and Angels & Demons (I haven't read Lost Symbols) the story revolves around classic peaces of art and historic landmarks that I enjoyed googling while listening to the story. Like a lot of mystery stories the plot twists tend to take over the story at some point and got a little ridiculous but I think that's kind of expected so I was ok with it. The best thing I can say for the audio book is that I couldn't stop listening to it, I'd find excuses to drive or walk more so that I could finish chapters and honestly, what's higher praise than that?

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules edited by David Sedaris

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules edited by David Sedaris

This book is a collection of short stories chosen by Mr. Sedaris just because they're some of his favorites. I don't think I've ever read an anthology linked together solely by author's taste and it resulted in an extremely varied group of excellent authors/stories. The stories included are;

"Oh, Joseph, I'm So Tired" by Richard Yates
"Gryphon" by Charles Baxter
"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
"The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield
"Half A Grapefruit" by Alice Munro
"Applause, Applause" by Jean Thompson
"I Know What I'm Doing About All the Attention I've Been Getting" by Frank Gannon
"Where the Door Is Always Open and the Welcome Mat Is Out" by Patricia Highsmith
"The Best of Betty" by Jincy Willett
"Song of the Shirt, 1941" by Dorothy Parker
"The Girl with the Blackened Eye" by Joyce Carol Oates
"People Like That Are the Only People Here: Canonical Babbling in Peed Onk" by Lorrie Moore
"Revelation" by Flannery O'Connor
"In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" by Amy Hempel
"Cosmopolitan" by Akhil Sharma
"Irish Girl" by Tim Johnston
"Bullet in the Brain" by Tobias Wolff

Quite a few authors on the list I've enjoyed reading over the years like Charles Baxter, Alice Munro, Joyce Carol Oats, Lorrie Moore, Flannery O'Connor, Amy Hempel and Tobias Wolff but I'd only read 2 of the stories before which was nice. Great book and I love how it ended with Bullet in the Brain, it's one of those stories I've probably read a half a dozen times in different collections and appreciate it a little more with each rereading.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

I was pretty excited to find this book at a local book store used for only $0.50 as I've enjoyed reading Alexie's short stories as part of anthologies for years. I'm not sure if it's exclusively true but everything I've read by him has dealt with his Native American roots/culture and that was true with these somewhat interconnected stories. Some of the recurring themes dealt with isolation, alcoholism, love, depression, basketball & story telling. They were often sad but always enjoyable and the writing so beautiful it sounds like poetry. I often found myself stopping to appreciate his prose and profound insights that popped up throughout the book. Personally I like readings collections of short stories by a single author slowly without reading too many stories back to back in order to keep them from blending into each other and did so here although there were times where it was hard to put down. Great book and highly recommended.

The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan

The Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan
Book 8 of the Wheel of Time series.

Unless whoever is reading this has read the earlier books a plot summary isn't going to make a ton of sense so I'm leaving it out of this review. As I continue to read this series I'm enjoying it but have a few minor critiques. The pace of the books are really slow. I believe the biggest reasons for it are the sheer number of characters, plot lines and Jordan's writing style. As a contrast, The Song of Ice and Fire series has the same issues with characters and plot lines but always felt fast paced and exciting. For me it helps that I'm reading the series now that it's completely published so I can just right from book to book making it feel more like series in a huge book. I can only imagine fan's reactions after anxiously awaiting each book to be published only to have the plot move along in small steps.

While I like where the series is going some character development or lack there of is a little concerning. Rand, the main character, is turning into someone who's a little hard to like. There's literally the weight of the world on his shoulders so I understand why he's not exactly happy go lucky but it would be nice if he was slightly more endearing. Hopefully this will change soon but at least he's an interesting character so we're not in real trouble yet. Oddly enough there doesn't seem to be a ton of other character development, most of the characters haven't really changed a ton from when they were introduced. It just might be that the series will end up being mostly plot driven which is fine but interesting to see how it plays out.

I'm also starting to get a little concerned that the final battle that the series is building up to can't possibly live up to the hype. I mean 14 books all building to 1 final battle of good v. evil? That's a lot of pressure! One of my most frustrating reading experiences was being left so unfulfilled at then end of Shogun by James Clavell. Really hoping it's the most epic of all epic battles.

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

I think this is the 36th book in the Discworld novels that I've read over the years, I've been reading them since the 90's and going back to it is like going home.  The book like all the other ones is a fun quick read with a lot of jokes and sneaky social commentary.  This book primarily revolves around the wizards at Unseen University, an interesting youth Mr. Nutt's journy to self discovery and football (American soccer).  Personally I would have like a little more of the Librarian and for Death to make a cameo and while it wasn't my favoite from the series it was definitely worth the read.  If anyone's going to start reading these books, I strongly suggest starting at the beginning.