Thursday 1 March 2012

February books and the Sci-Fi Experience

The 1st. March today and I'm wondering where the first two months of 2012 went. I feel like I blinked and they were gone. And how sad that February should come to a close with the death of a much loved pop idol from the late sixties - Davy Jones. Aged 14 I was a huge Monkees fan along with my best friend, my favourite being Mike Nesmith, hers Davy Jones. Such lovely memories I have of that time - I still have all their albums tucked away - and how much my friend and I adored the TV shows which showed a very different kind of life in Californa. So this is very sad. RIP, Davy.

Anyway, onto something a little more cheerful. Carl's Sci-Fi Experience came to an end yesterday.



It was hugely enjoyable, so much so that I intend to carry on reading the pile of books I took out, and, in fact, added to extensively! I started with 4 or 5 and ended with 13 and that's despite actually reading 3 off the pile. LOL. Books read were as follows:

At Winter's End by Robert Silverberg
Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg
Time for the Stars by Robert Heinlein

I thoroughly enjoyed all three books, but if I had to choose a favourite it would be Downward to the Earth, which had everything I require from a science fiction novel.

~~~~~


Now onto books read for the month of February - seven in all.

Holmes on the Range - Steve Hockensmith
Downward to the Earth - Robert Silverberg
Time for the Stars - Robert Heinlein
Look Back with Love - Dodie Smith
A Cold Day for Murder - Dana Stabenow
Love and War in the Apennines - Eric Newby
I am Half Sick of Shadows - Alan Bradley

It was a good month, I enjoyed everything I read, and there was plenty of variety which is what I like. The two stand-outs for me would be Downward to the Earth by Robert Silverberg and Love and War in the Apennines by Eric Newby. Both of those books were, for me, outstanding.

So now I'm having a moochy few days with reading. I'm slowly working my way through All in One Basket by Deborah Devonshire, likewise America Observed by Alistair Cooke. And the other book I picked up after much deliberation was... At Home in Thrush Green by Miss Read. Starting it was like picking up with an old friend after a years absence... just delightful. It seems I want easy reading at the moment, nothing too stressful, and there's no harm in that in my opinion. Happy reading.
~~~oOo~~~

6 comments:

DesLily said...

geez woman! lol SEVEN?!! did you have time to sleep?? lol

I only read 4. but I'm happy with that.. long as I always have a book to read I'm easily amused lol.

Susan said...

You had a great reading month, Cath! and that you liked all of them is even better. You make me want to read that Heinlein you like so much - and don't worry, the Karen Tavis (sp? - Pearl series you read last year) is on my radar now!

I'm struggling through my book too, which I am enjoying, it's just not getting read fast enough! lol

Cath said...

Pat: Yeah, seven... although they were none of them chunksters and all good so they kind of whizzed by if you know what I mean...

Susan: Do you mean the Silverberg, Downward to the Earth? You'll probably think it's nothing special, LOL. I now have a whole stack of his books to read. I hope you get to the Karen Traviss series too. And I need to get back to those as well!

I've just started Bill Bryson's Aussie book and it's going quickly as it's so good. Curious as to what you're reading at the moment...

Nan said...

'Moochy' - I love that! I also love how you wrote about the books you read. I sometimes feel I go on too much when I might just list them with a few brief words. You inspire me.
Peter Tork was my fave. :<)

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Hi Cath,

It is really sad to hear of one after the other of my chidhood and teenage icons dying, it certainly brings home just how quickly time is passing by and how vulnerable we all are, no matter what our age.

The Monkees were always a favourite of both my own and my then best friend Sharon. I haven't kept any LP's, although I can remember them all with fond memories, together with the television show, which we always watched at my house, after we had kicked my younger brother out of the room.

I finished my last book a couple of days ago and am really struggling to get to grips with the review of it. I can't make up my mind what to read next, so have found myself not bothering with anything, which has to be a first for me.

Maybe I will be able to decide on something later, it is not like I don't have much to choose from!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and have a good week.

Yvonne

Cath said...

Nan: 'Moochy' very much suits the mood I'm in at the moment. I'm just mooching my way through Down Under by Bill Bryson and it's wonderful. I will do a longer post on that as it's worth it. Sometimes though I just feel like a few words will do. Just depends on my mood. I enjoy other people's longer posts, especially the chatty ones. If the post is too academic or analytical I often don't get to the end. Which is shameful thing to admit to but there you go...

Yvonne: I think you're right about the deaths of our teen idols bringing home how vulnerable we all are to the aging process. It doesn't seem five minutes since I was watching that TV show and enjoying their music... and now one has died of a heart attack. It's sobering.

Some books do cause me to struggle with a review... and sometimes I just don't feel like doing it. I think we should feel free not to (unless it's a free book from the author) but it's a hard habit to break. I am getting there though!