The holidays included a lot of travel and therefore, lots of reading. There are a few books I’ve wrapped up in the last few weeks that I don’t want to break down into individual posts, so I’m just going to do a short reading update.

First up: A Storm of Swords

This is the third book in the George RR Martin series that begins with Game of Thrones. I think the series is called “Song of Ice and Fire”. I have to say, this one might be my favorite of the three so far. It was full of all kinds of crazy twists and turns. I couldn’t put it down. If you haven’t read the series, I highly recommend it. The characters are well developed and get into more trouble than you can imagine.

I think the thing that I like most about his books is that it isn’t always very clear cut as to who the good guys and who the bad guys are. There are characters you love to hate and characters that you love until they decide to do something terrible and there is always the chance for a bad guy to turn his life around. And one of the most original things about his writing is that he has no qualms about killing off people that you think may be the hero of the story. The good guys do not always win and the bad guys are not always defeated. It keeps the books interesting and keeps the readers always on their toes. It is impossible to predict what will happen next, and I think that might be the best part.

This was a great read and I have just started the fourth book and can’t wait to get into it next.

Wyrd Sisters

I recently wrote a review of “Thud”, the latest in the Terry Pratchett Discworld series. I believe that I mentioned that it restarted my passion for his books and that I wanted to do some rereading. And so I have.

I purchased a few of my favorite from the series and gave them another go. This one is probably my favorite. It follows the story line of some of the witches on the Discworld, Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat. This book is all about theater. And as a theater geek, it is pretty awesome. The witches and a local traveling theater troop fall into a situation much like Hamlet. It is full of parody and hilarious references to the play and theater in general. It was a ton of fun and an excellent book for my plane ride. I think this would be an excellent starting point if you wanted to jump into the Discworld series.

Explosive Eighteen

Speaking of plane rides, I read this entire book on my flight to Seattle from Arkansas, after finishing Wyrd Sisters. I’m a fan of the Stephanie Plum series and have been reading the books since Janet Evanovich first started publishing them. They are perfect for plane reading, as they are light and fun. Each book is utterly hilarious, a little sexy, and full of action and adventure.

The books follow Stephanie Plum, a woman who works as a bounty hunter and is really terrible at it. She is clumsy and always getting into the worst situations. She has a number of crazy sidekicks and an insane grandmother that carries a large gun and loves going on the adventures as well. Wackiness happens around every corner. She also has two ongoing love interests in the books, the sexy cop Joe Morelli and the dangerous bounty hunter, Ranger. Which will she choose? Well, we are 18 books in so far with no end in sight so I imagine we won’t find out anytime soon, but it is certainly fun to follow her dilemma.

Oh, and in just about every book, she gets her car blown up.

The first time I read one of her books on a plane, it made me laugh so hard that tears were falling down my face and I had to hold my hand over my mouth to muffle the giggles so people would stop looking at me. If you’re looking for a fun time, Janet Evanovich can hook you up.

I’m also excited to see that apparently they have finally made a movie from this series. Can’t wait to see it.

And finally: Soul Music

This is another that I read in my “getting back into the Discworld” kick. I love this book because it parodies Rock and Roll. The one liners are priceless and the story is really fun. I’m not sure it is the best place to jump into the series, as it is one of the books that follows the character of DEATH, and “Mort” would be a better place to start in his storyline, as it is referenced in this book. However, this book is an absolute ball and would be a really fun read for people into music and humor.

And I have to say, DEATH is one of my favorite characters in the Discworld. He tries so hard to understand humanity and he tends to get close, but always ends up just a little bit off from whatever the point was. It is entertaining to follow. Check it out. This is a great read.

Hope you had a chance to read something fun this holiday season as well!