Still Working on My Novel

Since my post in January, I’ve read 5 more books! Here’s some quick thoughts on them:

The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

• I loved this book. This is one of the rare cases where both the book and the movie version are wonderful. Much of the dialogue for the movie is lifted from the book. I can’t believe I’ve never read this. You should read it!

The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike

• I picked this up sort of randomly, but I loved it. It’s very soap opera meets witchy drama. The characters are divorcees in New England with powers. A man moves to town who lures them into his clutches, using them for their power, and encouraging them to give into their dark urges. It was very 80’s, and if you don’t understand what I mean, you should read it.

Lirael by Garth Nix

• This is the second book in this series. I loved the first one so much, and I thought the second would be a let down. It was not. It was brilliant and exciting just like the first one. It’s about a world with magic that borders on a world without. There are dark powers that keep coming back from the dead and only a few who can stop them. It’s action packed and fun. The magic system is unique and the world building is phenomenal.

Buffy Season 8 Volume 2

• More Buffy. These books pick up where the show ended. This particular volume is a story mostly about Faith and Giles plus a slayer who has gone dark. It’s fun and just what you’d want from an episode of Buffy.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

• Okay, this book has been on my to read list for a while. I honestly don’t get the hype around this book. It’s supposed to be shocking. I didn’t find it shocking. The narrator reminds me a lot of the narrator in The Catcher in the Rye. The narrator is a teen sociopath. They admit to killing people and they do some very troubling things to animals. Other than that, the narrator is just crazy, as is their whole family. Not sure I would recommend this. I will say that the most interesting thing is when the author describes the actual wasp factory that the characters uses as a fortune telling device. It’s one of those incredibly odd, but fascinating moments in a story.

Whatever you are reading, hope you’re enjoying it! Happy reading and writing today and every day!