I’ve been away for the better part of three weeks. You might think I would use that time to read new, just-released books. Wrong. I packed my bags with a bunch of oldies — including one that was first published around 250 years ago.

Anytime I travel I follow a “read and release” policy: After finishing a book, I leave it behind for someone else to enjoy. My office closet has a whole area devoted to books I pick up at secondhand stores or other discount sources. One of my favorite parts of packing is selecting my reading material — there’s much to chose from and variety is key.

This time I selected:

“The River King” by Alice Hoffman: Very typical of her work — which you either love or hate. I just really get into the way she uses natural imagery of flora and fauna in such an unnatural and magical way. Men beware: her books are very girly. (Sorry, Amazon offered no link for this book.)

“Shadowfires” by Dean Koontz: I get more comments from fellow travelers when reading Koontz than any other author. They always want to know if I have read some other book of his. Unfortunately I have a hard time remembering the titles. In fact, once I started this thriller I had a sneaky suspicion I had read it already. Nothing was familiar however — until the end. Oops. I need to start a “previously read” list on Koontz. Problem is, I’ve read so many but am not sure exactly which ones those are.

“Original Sin” by P.D. James: Another “previously read” mistake. But I recognized this mystery from the first sentence. Oh, well, someone else will get to enjoy it. I do keep a list of previously read P.D. James books, but hadn’t written this one down. Any list is only as good as its maintenance. I do love P. D. James, however. Her mysteries are so smart.

 






“The Secret Supper” by Javier Sierra: I had heard it wasn’t very good. It wasn’t. This is a genre I enjoy, too. Maybe a lot was lost in translation.

“The Mysteries of Pittsburgh: A Novel” by Michael Chabon: Interesting, but not near as good as his more recent titles.

“The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling” by Henry Fielding: Actually, I haven’t finished this one yet — it has close to 900 pages long in my 1950s era paperback edition. Small print to boot. This probably wasn’t the best choice for vacation reading, but it is a major hoot. Very, very funny in a low key, satirical way. I know I’m missing a lot of the humor involving other authors of Fielding’s time and it is easy to get impatient with the constant digressions into philosophical discussions, but it’s well worth the time invested.




I brought a couple of others just in case — I can’t abide being without a book. They’ll go back into the closet for another time. 

And now it’s back to reviewing new books. I’ve got one all ready to go up in a couple of days.

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