Don't quit the gym!

Last week I was talking about reading resolutions, and apparently I'm not the only one that makes them. This writer for the Guardian made a resolution to quit her gym membership, and with the money saved, she is going purchase a subscription to an audiobook service so she can download books to her MP3 player, and then walk to work while listening to books. Apparently this writer does not have access to a library-or maybe her library just isn't as cool as ours. The Deerfield Public Library has a subscription to NetLibrary, which allows you to download books to your MP3 player for free! There is a wide variety of books-from classics to all the latest in fiction and non-fiction. So you can still keep your gym membership, and have books to listen to while working out! We also have plenty of audiobooks on CDs, for those of you still lugging around a portable CD player (like me). And, keep your eyes out for an ingenious little device called a Playaway, that should be arriving in the library very soon. A Playaway is a small device-about the size of a small MP3 player- that has one audiobook preloaded on it. There is no downloading required. Just pop in a battery and your headphones and press play. It's very easy to use and very portable-I absolutely love them and cannot wait until they arrive!

The Venetian Betrayal

Steve Berry's latest thriller The Venetian Betrayal is his sixth novel, and the third in his Cotton Malone series. I hate to say this, but I didn't love this book. I thoroughly enjoyed his first three novels, which were stand-alones, but the Cotton Malone series he has been writing lately is not growing on me, and I think this is the worst. First, and I know I've said this before, but the name Cotton drives me nuts. I don't remember if Berry ever explained where the name came from, but it just doesn't fit. But mainly I just felt this novel was quite convoluted and often confusing. Berry typically incorporates a mystery involving some historical figure or artifact and some kind of conspiracy to keep it hidden. This book is no exception, but it just got a little carried away.

The countries of the former Soviet republic have consolidated into the Central Asian Federation, which is led by a woman named Irina Zovastina. Zovastina is obsessed with Alexander the Great, and is searching for his hidden tomb. She believes that the tomb will contain a mysterious draught that will cure any illness. She is also amassing biological weapons in hopes of overtaking the Middle East. An Italian is working with her to develop the biological weapons and their cures. I'm not sure if she wants this draught as a cure to her biological weapons or to cure her girlfriend, who is dying of AIDS. Anyway, the Italian has discovered the draught (although he doesn't realize it's the same draught Zovastina is searching for) and has discovered that it can cure AIDS, but has been hiding it from Zovastina. He is about to release the cure and make himself very wealthy. She's killing everyone that gets in her way, Cotton's trying to stop her, there is a double double agent involved.

The search for the tomb of Alexander the Great is an interesting concept, but there is just too much going on here. Too many plot lines. The short chapters and fast pace make it a quick read, but sadly it falls short of my expectations.

Thomas Jefferson has a LibraryThing account

I love LibraryThing and have been using it for a while to keep track of the books I read. LibraryThing is also a social site that allows you to join discussion groups, chat about books and look at what everyone else is reading. A group on LibraryThing that calls itself the "I See Dead People ['s Books]" group has created an account for Thomas Jefferson. They have cataloged 4,889 of the books in his own personal library, as well as added his comments and tagged each item using his own classification system. They have also completed libraries for Tupac Shakur and Mozart and are building libraries for Ernest Hemingway, Benjamin Franklin, and William Faulkner. It's pretty neat. LibraryThing even shows you what books you share in common with other members. Sadly, Thomas Jefferson and I have no books in common. I do have books in common with Ernest Hemingway, though! He and I both have Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights in our libraries. I feel so literate.

Love Over Scotland

The Miami Herald called Alexander McCall Smith a "wry but gentle chronicler of humanity and its foibles." I think that is right on the mark. His latest book, Love Over Scotland, is the third in his 44 Scotland Street series. I absolutely love this series, which features the residents of Scotland Street. Pat, now an art history student, works part-time at Matthew's art gallery, while Matthew harbors a crush on her. Big Lou is upset when her fiance Eddie plans to open a strip club with the money she lent him. Domenica, the anthropologist, is now off studying pirates in the Straits of Malacca, leaving Angus Lordie (and his dog Cyrus) missing her companionship. Bertie, the 6 year-old prodigy is dreading a trip to Paris with the Edinburgh Teenage Orchestra, while his parents are trying to sort out their stolen car. There are no major dramas here, no mysteries, just the everyday lives of these fascinating characters. It's a gentle, but intelligent story, with interesting characters and everyday life in Scotland. A great read.

Chicago Ranks 40 as Most Literate City

That heading is not meant to be boastful. The recent study of America's Most Literate City ranked Chicago as #40 (out of 69), down from #39 in 2006. The study ranks cities with populations greater than 250,000 by their support for and commitment to reading. Indicators used in ranking cities are newspaper circulation, number of bookstores, library resources, periodical publishing resources, educational attainment and internet resources. Minneapolis was ranked #1. We were even beat by Milwaukee. Come on Chicago! Get it together!

The Fifth Vial

Remember that urban legend about the guy who gets drunk in Vegas, passes out, and ends up waking up in a bathtub full of ice with a huge scar, only to find out that he was drugged and his kidney stolen? You've probably heard some version of that story. Michael Palmer's The Fifth Vial is a sophisticated take on that story. A young medical student, Natalie Reyes, travels to Rio de Janeiro to attend a medical conference. While in a cab, she is kidnapped. As she tries to escape, she is drugged and shot. When she wakes up, she finds that she has been unconscious for days and has lost a lung from the gunshot. Upon returning to the states, she begins to suspect something is amiss and as she begins to investigate her stay in Brazil and uncovers something much more sinister.

This is a fast-paced, action-packed story that should satisfy fans of medical thrillers and those who enjoy a good conspiracy. I listened to this book on CD and really did not like the narrator. His accents were terrible and I had some trouble distinguishing the characters. Despite this, I did listen to the entire book, which says a lot for the book. Normally, if I don't like a narrator, I stop listening within 10 minutes. But the book held my interest enough to overlook the narrator. A few aspects of the story seemed a little absurd and the Epilogue wrapped things up a little too neatly for my taste, but it's a good thriller nonetheless.

Reading Resolutions

Happy 2008! I don't really make New Year's resolutions anymore. No more resolutions to exercise, eat right, take vitamins, less road rage, etc. They never last long and I end up feeling like a failure. The only resolutions I do make have to do with reading. It's the only thing I have a chance at succeeding at. My resolution for 2007 was simply to read more (duh). After reviewing my reading list for 2007, I found that I read 125 books over the year! My first successful resolution! I also resolved to read more in genres I don't normally read, which I accomplished (sort of) by reading two science fiction books by Isaac Asimov. So, for 2008 I'm going to:
1.) renew my resolution to read more and try to top 125
2.) read the books that are already on my shelf instead of buying more books
3.) read a challenging book that I've been putting off, such as Rushdie's Satanic Verses, Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, or anything by Hemingway
4.) read a James Patterson book (I've never actually read any of his books, and I feel like I probably shouldn't poo poo him until I've actually read one of his books)

What are your reading resolutions for 2008?