Pneumatised!

This past month has been a tad busy for me and also a little trying. I didn’t get as much done as I would have liked to. This past weekend, my 9-year-old cat passed on. We found out back in March this year that she had cancer and that it would only be a matter of time before she would have a lot of difficulties. In March, she already had breast and lung cancer. In the end, it was getting too difficult for her to breathe, so we had to put her to sleep. It was very difficult to do, but needed to be done.

I’m just now getting refocused again. I hadn’t been reading much novels lately since I’ve been studying languages, but because of what happened recently, it was easier to read a novel than to study.

I finished reading The Ghatti’s Tale – Book One: Finders-Seekers by Gayle Greeno, which I started reading off and on since February. It’s a decent novel, though I’m not sure if I’m going to read the next in the series. I found I wasn’t too fond of the main protagonist, and although the story may be captivating to some readers, it didn’t quite enthrall me. The best parts of the novel would have to be the scenes with the ghatti, cat-like creatures. If you love cats and fantasy/science fiction, then by all means read this book. The ghatti are wonderfully portrayed.

I still have a huge pile of novels I’d like to read, some books I’ve picked and some books Nathan has read that might interest me.

Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time – A Crown of Swords (Book 7) (Just about getting back to this series, I think…)
Always Coming Home by Ursula K. LeGuin (I’m not quite sure what to make of this novel. It seems to be comprised of short stories, poems, and fictional lore about a people called the Kesh. The novel is science fiction as it is set in the future at a place on the Northern Pacific coast.)
Dhampir by Barb and J.C. Hendee
Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley (I didn’t think I would read the rest of Bradley’s novels in this series, but something keeps drawing me back to them. Having read Mists of Avalon and The Forest House already, the next in the series are Lady of Avalon, Priestess of Avalon, Ancestors of Avalon, Ravens of Avalon, and Sword of Avalon (to be published in 2009). The last three books in this series are written by Diana L. Paxson rather than the late Ms. Bradley. I’m thinking if I like Ancestors of Avalon, I’ll continue reading the rest of the novels written by Paxson, but I’m sure I’m going to read up to Ancestors of Avalon.)
The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (I plan on reading this and comparing it to the movie. I’ll probably love both the book and the movie just as much.)
Crisscross: A Repairman Jack Novel by F. Paul Wilson (A selection from Nathan’s library.)
Foucault’s Pendulum by Umberto Eco (Another selection from Nathan’s library. I am highly amused that the sections of this novel are dividing into the separate sephira of the qabala starting from the top sphere Kether (Keter) and ending at Malkhut. Supposedly, Eco’s books are well researched for fiction.)
Gormenghast and Titus Alone by Mervyn Peake (As I said previously, the first book was intriguing enough that I decided I’ll read the rest of the series.)
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Dispossessed by Ursula LeGuin
Vampire Hunter D by Hideyuki Kikuchi (Ever since I read Battle Royale, I have no hesitation about reading another Japanese novel. This book can also be found in manga.)
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (Book 3) by Eoin Colfer (This is such an amusing children’s fiction series. You can’t not like it. 😀 )
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (Yes, I’m a little slow. Haha. Actually, it’s more that I’m not overly excited about the rest of the serial and I also don’t like reading hardcover books if I can avoid it. It’s an amusing children’s fiction serial and since I started it I thought I’d finish reading it. When the last book in the serial is available in paperback, I’ll read this one.)
Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon (a recommendation by Nathan (see his blog))
The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko (If you haven’t seen the movie yet, you should. Day Watch is the sequel.)
Imajica by Clive Barker
Baudolino by Umberto Eco
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
King Rat by China Miéville
Brother to Shadows by Andre Norton
The Diamond Throne and The Ruby Knight (books one and two of The Elenium) by David Eddings (Not sure now if I’ll actually finish reading this. So far, I don’t like the protagonist. He seems a tad immature for his age in the book, and that’s being nice.)
The Tower on the Rift (book two of The View from the Mirror) by Ian Irvine (Nathan read both books one and two and lost interest because Irvine’s writing isn’t the greatest. I have to agree. The story sounds interesting, but I found it hard to finish the first book. I may read this book at some point, but I’m in no rush too. Maybe if I really, really want to know what happens to the main characters…)

All in all, what novel I read is highly dependant on my mood, and I’m known to switch between novels now and again. Eventually, what happens is I either get completely absorbed by the novel or I decide I just want to finish it and thereby get completely absorbed by it.

I’ve been waiting for the next Fables and Buffy: Season 8 graphic novels to come out. They are supposed to be available in June so hoping in the next few weeks I can pick those up. Angel: After the Fall (Season 6) should be out at the same time. In the meantime, I sucked it up and started reading Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus. It’s not the same as the TV series or even the season 8 comic, but it’ll do if you’re desperately looking for something Buffy-like but nothing is really better than Buffy. I’d say the Buffyverse is as intriguing as The Wheel of Time universe. I’m in the middle of volume 3 of the Buffy Omnibus. I’m having trouble finding the fourth one and the fifth one remains to be published. Hm… thinking I’ll read the next story in the Buffy Omnibus while I try to decide which novel to read next. After that, I should be able to get back to studying languages again.

This week, I’ve spent time consoling my other cat, who is missing his companion. He just needs lots of love and attention now.

~~~C