2012: Book #4

11/22/63

I read Stephen King as a teenager. I was into horror movies (it’s the age) and his books were certainly terrifying. Then I grew up a little, and his stuff no longer appealed. A few years passed, and I read a couple of his books (Bag of Bones, Dreamcatcher) and realized he’s still got it. His talent for story telling has not changed.

This book did NOT disappoint. The main character, Jake, is convinced by his dying friend to use a “worm hole” that deposits you in June 1958. The point of this is for Jake to stay in the past and save JFK from assassination. As with most King novels, nothing is as straightforward as it seems, and Jake’s interference with the past has some scary consequences.

Read it.

2012: Book #3

Catherine the Great

My first historical biography of the year. Well-written, if a bit draggy with details at times. Catherine (born Sophia) certainly took her life in her own hands, a rarity in Europe and Russia in her era.

The one thing I cannot get over, when reading about royal families? Their obsession about having heirs, and their tendency to fuck them up so badly once they arrive. In this case, Empress Elizabeth basically stole Catherine’s first child and raised him herself, thereby completely destroying the potential mother & child relationship. Then, even though she remembered this, Catherine did the same damn thing. I suppose she was slightly better, in that she at least allowed her grandsons to see their parents, and her granddaughters to live with them. Still. WTF!?

Overall, a good read.

2012: Book #2

State of Wonder

Excellent book. It’s full of twists and turns, lies and deceit. It showcases a scientist’s obsession with her discovery in the Amazon jungle, a discovery that has not been fully disclosed to the drug company she’s working for. I enjoyed this one immensely. Read it!

2012: Book #1

Lionheart

I’ve read about Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II before, but not really about their children. This book, while mostly about Richard the Lionheart (Richard I), also details the lives of Eleanor and her offspring, after Henry is gone.

The historical information about the Crusade is fascinating. The Middle East truly has been a region of upheaval for centuries. I’m eager to read the next one in her series!

The thoughts in this post will likely be unrelated.

I am on book 3 of 2012. I blame this pace on the fact that I had to study for two university exams. One of them was Intro to Accounting. My new definition of hell is bank reconciliations and cash flow statements. Seriously, I DO NOT GET IT. Actually, I get the theory, but the reality never seems to match up. Sneaky professor, making me think. The other was Organizational Behaviour. Enough said.

If I pass, it will be by a very thin margin. Math I can do. Accounting? NOT MATH. Evil rules. GAAP. Bleargh.

The first two weeks of this year were strange. January paraded around, acting like March. Mild (above 0!) temperatures, no new snow, and lots of melting. That changed this weekend. During my exams, it started to snow and didn’t stop for more than 24 hours. Then the temps dropped – we’re at -18C and there’s a windchill warning in effect. I knew January would show her true colours.

So much going on these days. Brain is on overload. I have a work conference to attend this weekend, an AGM to plan next week, and the to-do list just keeps growing.