Put in an application for another Exec. Dir. job. This one would be bigger but it's been open for a long long time so maybe they're desperate. :) I spoke with JodyB last night as we were leaving; I can't get out of my mind what she told me someone said. I can't go into detail publicly, sorry. I started the second of six in the Arthur Bryant and John May, detectives in the Peculiar Crimes Unit, in London, England series by Christopher Fowler, THE WATER ROOM. Here's the blurb:A former colleague asks the eccentric Bryant, whose lack of polish coupled with a razor-sharp mind will remind many of Carter Dickson's Sir Henry Merrivale, to investigate his sister's death. Incredibly, the victim was found dead in her basement, apparently drowned, despite the absence of any moisture on her body or her surroundings. Bryant rapidly loops in his more down-to-earth partner, May, who has also been looking into a mystery with a personal connection—the unusual nocturnal ramblings of a disgraced academic who has begun probing London's underground rivers. More strange deaths follow before the unmasking of the surprising murderer.
It has 356 pages and here is the first couple paragraphs:Chapter One
A change in the weather
Arthur Bryant looked out over London and remembered.
Fierce sunlight swathed Tower Bridge beyond the rockeries of smouldering bomb-sites. A Thames sailing barge was arriving in the Pool of London with a cargo of palm kernels. Its dusty red sails sagged in the afternoon heat as it drifted past Broadway Dock at Limehouse, like a felucca on the Nile. Dairy horses trotted along the deserted Embankment, empty milk cans chiming behind them. Children swam from the wharves below St Paul’s, while carping mothers fanned away stale air from the river steps. He could smell horse dung and tobacco, meadow grass, the river. The world had once moved forward in single paces.
The vision wavered and vanished, displaced by sun-flares from the sealed glass corridors of the new city.
Tonight I'll walk Tug, dinner, I've got Fringe to watch and then I'll read...either this book, the nonprofit nonfiction, or the WSJ. Happy reading,PK the Bookeemonster
Sometimes I feel this war inside me. I love being very business like: reading the Wall Street Journal and understanding world topics, working on grants, start a business, and so forth. The other part of me wants to completely give in and live the life of a creative: to write books or at least write reviews of books that I read, be a film critic, sing, knit, etc. And there isn't enough time in a day after the job takes a chunk of your awake time to indulge in trying to make both happen. Or maybe I'm just not coordinated enough or just plain too lazy to make it all happen. But then I have this other problem: I don't follow through. That one is a biggie and always happens. I may even get started on a project but within a couple days I've gone off on another urge, another mood, and I just cannot make myself finish when I'm not feeling it anymore. It is very frustrating.Work: oh I dunno, maybe I'll keep going on the PVP annual report and do things for the upcoming concert. Reading: about halfway through THE BLACK PATH by Asa Larsson. It is good and actually flows pretty well for a translation. I don't know if I mind the flashbacks within the flashbacks of the background of the victim and who I suppose is the main suspect. There is actually less narrative of the police procedural than the background meanderings of some characters. Does this make the book more meaningful? More like literature? It is definitely a crime story: a woman is killed and the police are attempting to find whodunnit and motive. It doesn't seem that big but it is almost 400 pages in length and I haven't exactly been devoting a lot of time to reading lately. Also listening to SECRET SERVANT by Daniel Silva in the car. The deed has been done: the operation that Gabriel was uncovering just happened -- they got the girl. This will probably take some time to get through since I only listen to it while driving which is a little less than an hour a day. I suppose I should be glad that we live on the other side of town from where I work so that I have 25 minutes at a go to listen to the story. TV: has some possibilities but I don't know if I'll commit. PBS's Frontline has an interesting documentary it looks like about the Iraq war. AMC is showing The Magnifient Seven, a great classic movie. A&E has The First 48 which I like because it is real crime solving. We'll see; I should read.Otherwise, not much on the schedule for today. I'd like to stop by the library to pick up a hold and just get a being-surrounded-by-books fix. I have to have to have to work on the presentation for the MNA conference. Back to reading: Once I finish the above, the next few up to read are all library books (oh my poor personal TBR that I want to read, they get so ignored). Michael Harvey's second in his PI series, THE FIFTH FLOOR, is due back the soonest. I've got another 14-day book that would probably come next if I read it, a debut called A CURE FOR NIGHT by Justin Peacock -- a legal crime fiction getting good reviews but who knows if I'll be in the mood? Then the next in a few series I'm following: SHADOWS IN BRONZE by Lindsey Davis, THE WATER ROOM by Christopher Fowler, and ALL SHALL BE WELL by Deborah Crombie. Of course, I'm following a LOT of series so that could fill out the year I'd bet. Ha! Yeah, I should read tonight; two solid hours would do wonders, 8 to 10 (if Tug settles down with me instead of against me).
Much love,
PK the Bookeemonster
Saturday! Had lunch with JodyO at PitaPit and talked for a couple hours. Very very nice. Stopped by the library to pick up holds -- more in a bit. Now working on laundry of towels and bedding and finished vacuuming upstairs and down. Last night we went to the Madsens to visit with family members visiting. Wasn't bad but they're trying to get together again today and tomorrow as various people show up and I think that's a little too much for me. I encouraged Steve to get together with his cousins by himself as I have done with my visiting cousins but so far they haven't been in contact. Makes me a little nervous for impending phone calls. I don't really want to do anything with them tonight. I have to take advantage of down time to read. :)Reading. About to finish LAUGHTER OF DEAD KINGS by Elizabeth Peters. Fluffy but nice to visit. From the library I have four new ones: SWEETHEART by Chelsea Cain - her second after the fabulous HEARTSICK; a historical by Louis Bayard called THE BLACK TOWER; the lastest from William Kent Krueger's series called RED KNIFE; and Michael Harvey's second of his PI series -- his first one was called THE CHICAGO WAY which was really good -- this one is called THE FIFTH FLOOR. So for the next week and a bit I'll be working on these. I also picked up the next in the Lindsey Davis Roman hystmyst series and the second in the great series by Christopher Fowler. So I'm not hurting for reading material just from the library alone. (sigh) Wonderful but daunting. TV: I don't think there is anything really pressing tonight. TCM is featuring Katherine Hepburn movies but I'll not take advantage (see above paragraph). Today is supposed to be hottest of the week at around 95 and then drop like a stone for the next couple. I need to walk Tug here pretty quick. Steve didn't go work today because Pacific was closed for the holiday so I'm glad he wasn't out in this. I haven't had the need for a nap yet today but I'm thinking it will hit after the walk. I woke at 5:30 and tried to sleep some more; finally got up a little before 7. Got my copy of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATOO by Steig Larson back today from Texas. I haven't missed it but I'll get to it eventually, maybe even this year. :)Can't think of much else right now. Later if it happens...Much love,PK the Bookeemonster
