Thursday 15 May 2014

Bout of Books 10: Days 3 and 4

Wednesday was another long day at work, slow and quiet, with not a lot of jobs to keep me occupied. I came home tired and grumpy, to which my dad responded by handing me all sorts of cake and chocolate. I think he has the same way of comforting people that I do: someone's upset... give them cake! It certainly helped my mood, and I've felt that bit more able to cope with today, even though I woke in a panic at about 5AM convinced I'd slept through my alarm. (I really hadn't.) This happens on a regular basis when I'm stressed or working long hours. Thankfully I have tomorrow off, which I have booked for reading From a Buick 8 by Stephen King, and generally ignoring the world. (Also chores.)

What I've been reading

I finished The Charioteer last night. Have any of you read it? For the most part, I felt that it was a fairly positive read; Yes, Laurie had his inner battles with secrecy and identity and integrity, but I felt that he was a person who could fight these conflicts and win. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for all of his associates, and I'm not sure what to make of the ending. The last couple of chapters filled me with dread, and at one point I was actually shouting at the book. Thanks to Renault's poetic style that told the story through hints and insinuations, the ending seemed quite open, and I'm not sure whether catastrophe was averted or not. If you read it, what do you think?



I also reread Blood and Chocolate for the first time since I was in my teens. I'd almost entirely forgotten the story, except for one scene which had stuck vividly in my head and turned out to be a combination of two different incidents and significantly tamer than I'd remembered. It's a pre-Twilight paranormal romance, told from the point of view of Vivian, the werewolf, who falls in love with a human.  Vivian is a refreshingly bold and forward YA heroine, who knows what she wants and goes after it. As part of the werewolf pack, she doesn't see her kind as cursed; instead it is the humans who are freaks, incomplete people, stuck in one shape.

Wednesday's stats

Number of books started: 2
Number of books finished: 1
Books read today: The Charioteer, Blood and Chocolate
Number of pages read today:  205
Favourite book so far: The Charioteer
Quote of the day: "He was a human after all, a meat-boy, scantily furred, an incomplete creature who had only one form." - Blood and Chocolate

Thursday's stats

Number of books started: 2
Number of books finished: 2
Books read today: Blood and Chocolate
Number of pages read today:  109
Favourite book so far: The Charioteer

Next up: From a Buick 8 - Stephen King

4 comments:

  1. It sounds like we're all having tiring and grouchy-making work weeks! It's just sod's law that it would be on a read-a-thon week.

    If it's any consolation, you're doing way better than me: a combination of a gruelling week and an interesting book has led to burn-out!

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    Replies
    1. Agreed. I've had two colleagues off - one on holiday, the other sick (again!) - it all seems to happen at once. But I have today off, and I'm getting stuck into that Stephen King book now. Hope you get to have some reading time, maybe with a new book or a reread of an old favourite.

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  2. I hope you have a LOVELY day off today with your book and some much-needed R'n'R time. If the weather's anything like it is up here, you've picked the right day to spend chilling out instead of working! *smushes*

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  3. *smushes Ellie right back*
    It's beautiful down here, and I've spent the morning on a lounger in the garden. Need to head into town for some important shopping/library book return, and chances are I will mooch about the park with an ice cream before heading home. Hope your day is going well.

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