i know you’ve been on the edge of your seat. “what is she reading?” you’re wondering. it’s been months, hasn’t it?, since i gave you the big book update. well, take a breath, here we go.

i finished sarah willis’s newest novel, the sound of us. verdict: utterly disappointing. everything charming and delightful about her first novel was missing. and, to top it off, it had one of those here’s-what-happens-in-five-years and everyone is unbelievably happy and doing really well endings. too easy. i hate it when it’s too easy.

next, i tried to read some karen joy fowler. i met her at the imagination conference last summer and found her writing tips profound and her sense of humor keen. i picked up a few of her books. couldn’t get more than fifty or so pages into  sweetheart season. the second book must have been equally forgettable. i find this frustrating because i really really wanted to like her books. but i haven’t given up. i’m going to try something else, like the jane austen book club or sarah canary.

i finished listening to the prydain chronicles read by james langton. brilliant brilliant brilliant! it’s a wonderful audio production. these are perfect YA fantasy thriller adventure novels and james langton does all the voices with wonderful flair.

wallowing in booklessness, i did something i never thought i would do. i picked up the massive lord of the rings trilogy.  i tried reading it in high school, but plodded my through part of the two towers and gave up. i found it utterly ponderous. but some family prodding gave me renewed vigor. i attacked these books, starting with the introduction. and now i can’t believe that i ever found them boring and difficult to read. i have to admit that the movies gave me that little imagining boost–i finally had enough setting that i could actually picture what tolkein was describing. and i’ve been flying through! i’m nearly finished with return of the king and i am stunned. the characters have so much depth and each scene is so beautifully rendered. (i’m so in love with these books that i’ve even read the songs!)

if you haven’t ever tried to tackle this 1000+ page masterpiece, hesitate no longer. it’s worth it.