Return of the Wayword Blogger.

I've been feeling the need to get back to blogging, and recently was tasked with doing it (for work) from an upcoming national conference hosted by my employer. The timing on the work request is pretty good in the grand scheme of things, I think. In a motivational way, I mean.  As I was wanting to start blogging again anyway, well...I guess I just figure that if I can blog for them, surely I can get back to blogging for myself.

Let's start by throwing out a few of my most recent reads:

• 11/22/63 by Stephen King (actually, this was a second readthrough; still as fantastic as it was the first time)
• The Host by Stephenie Meyer (...yeah...I resisted...but my sister convinced me, and I'll just say that, for various reasons, it was worth the read)
• Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston (three words: could.not.finish)

Current reads are Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin and Time and Again by Jack Finney.

Reading; Not Writing.

Clearly, I've not made a priority of posting here on the blog in a good many months. My bad....

So, instead of setting expectations about how often I'll write and/or what I'll (allow myself to) write about, and thereby intimidating myself into not writing, I'm just going to wing it. The only goal of this particular post is to list some of the books I've read in the past few months.

• The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King
• Sway by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
• White Horse by Alex Adams
• Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Must say I've found inspiration for my own writing (potential/possible/plausible writing?) in all of the above -- some more than others, of course.

Late to the Party. As Always.

I have this penchant for ignoring my friends' (and now my son's) reading recs, until something like the last book in the series (Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling), or an impending movie release (The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins) spurs me into action.

I read all of the first six Harry Potter Books in the six months leading up to the release of Deathly Hollows. Finished Half-Blood Prince a week before DH came out and was standing in line at midnight to buy it. (For the record, my receipt says I purchased the book at 12:07.) Then I did go ahead and read that one in 24 hours.

Cut to last night, when I stayed up until the crack of dawn to read The Hunger Games all in one go. My son has been raving about the series for ages now, and since I want to take both of my boys to the movie next week I decided to get with the program and at least see what the fuss is all about.

And that fuss? Well-warranted. And then some. I've got the Kindle Fire all charged up and am planning to start Catching Fire on my lunch break this afternoon.

And Also...

...am reading Amanda Hocking's Switched...at the same time that I'm plowing through Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.  Must say, the juxtaposition of those two storylines in my mind is a rather odd one. 

Reviews on Tap.

Have read several books recently that I've not got around to reviewing.  (Will get to that as soon as I can make the time.)  The books (in the order I read them) are:

• Breaths in Winter: Three Tales of Ghostly Horror, by Donna Burgess
• Midnight Palace, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 
• Inherit the Stars, by James P. Hogan
• The Adjustment Team, by Philip K. Dick

Reviews coming (hopefully) shortly.

Currently, I'm reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke.  I actually began reading this one some time ago, but got distracted and haven't decided to pick it back up until now.  (Am thoroughly enjoying it, and plan to finish it this time.)