Finally managed to get this written:

( vacation part 2 )

Summary:
Thursday: arrival, Covent Garden (somewhat), Foyles, exhaustion
Friday: The tower of London, meeting Kryptyd
Saturday: Bletchley Park, indian at Paddington, train to BOA, curry at BOA
Sunday: Tithe Barn, Farleigh Hungerford Castle, something like 9 miles
Monday: Portsmouth, HMS Warrior and HMS Victory
Tuesday: walk to Bath 9.9 miles, roman Baths and abbey, walk around Bath 2.2miles
Wednesday: bookstore, clotted cream shake, antique store
Thursday: Market day, teashop, Trowbridge, Sospan_fach & S.
Friday: tea shop, Sospan_fach & S, Cross Guns and cider
Saturday: train to Paddington, tube from Paddington to Heathrow, Heathrow to Logan, Logan to Portland, Portland to home, supper

( Cut for being very long )

I finished The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse this week. I haven't read any Robert Rankin before, but picked this up based on the fact that Foyles has a whole shelf full of his books and the title. Based on the title, I was expecting something a la Fforde or mostly Moore-ish. I mean, a title like that begs mayhem. I found the book to be a bit of a letdown. Though there are clever bits and funny lines, the book doesn't quite jell.

I finished Sense and Sensibility while in England. A lot of this book got read in little bits here and there with lots of distractions. As a result, I didn't enjoy it as much as I probably would have if I was reading it in a more concentrated way. That said, there were lots of wonderful bits, with poking at characters and sarcasm galore. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Pride and Prejudice, but that may just indicate it's time to take a break for a while.

I finished My Man Jeeves just before leaving the house for vacation. This is a collection of short stories, of which only half of which are Bertie and Jeeves stories. The remainder are Reggie Pepper stories. Wodehouse doesn't seem to have as good a grip on the Reggie voice and I don't really think the Reggie character can carry stories as well as Bertie and Jeeves. The stories are enjoyable enough, but this isn't shining example of Wodehouse's writing.

I finished Pride and Prejudice a while ago, but since I was busy getting ready for vacation I didn't take the time to write about it. I really enjoyed the writing and the humor. There were many bits that had me laughing out loud or wanting to share. It's basically a geek romance.

If there is a common theme among these books, it's that when authors have a thorough command of the language and infuse it with wit, the plot doesn't have to be particularly stunning. It's been said that Sean Connery could read a grocery list and it would still be sexy. Austen and Wodehouse prove that you can have a fairly nothing plot and still have a very enjoyable story.

18. Robert Rankin The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse
17. Jane Austen Sense and Sensibility
16. P. G. Wodehouse My Man Jeeves
15. Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice

derien went out with a girl tonight!

"I said, we got a lot in common,
She said more than you know."

Ok, so hers wasn't a date any more than mine was, but it's fun to tease her.

"Just a pair of fallen angels,
tryin' to get through the night,
any way we can."

I'm trying to figure out how to get through the next 8 days before vacation.

Am I the only one who is irritated by Frank Warren parlaying other people's secrets and insecurities into a living? I mean exhibits of submitted secrets in art museums seemed fairly on point, but the secrets should be up front.

"Money, it's a hit.
Don't give me that do, do good bullshit."

So, yeah, I haven't been writing much.

( Cut for navel gazing )

I just finished Northanger Abbey after having started it yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed Austen's use of language and her humor. I was quite smitten. However, this novel felt like three different works. The first portion, taking place in Bath, featured a very naive but sensible young woman. The habits of Society were given a good thrashing. The second part featured and equally naive, but much less sensible woman. The final portion was a brief summary of what might have been the final third of the novel if the author hadn't gotten tired of writing it and didn't want to be bothered to work out the details. Despite this disjointed feel, I enjoyed the writing and the way Austen plays with the medium and the 4th wall.

14. Jane Austen Northanger Abbey

I finished The Swamp yesterday morning. A hardcover with 370 pages of text and another 80 of notes, it is a fairly weighty tome. It is truly a history of the place and of the people who've abused it over the years. It starts with a brief geologic history, then moves quickly into human history. Grunwald intersperses personal history of key players to explain motivation and no doubt give interest. You'd be hard pressed to find a history more filled with con-men, cheaters, graft, and corruption. For one reason, the winners usually pay for the publication. But in Florida history, winning is a temporary condition and the next crook to come along loves to discredit the last crook. To spice the pot there are well meaning fools and some not so well meaning ones. For a history it does stay quite readable.

I think Grunwald would like to think things are going to better, that things are going to improve. A Hollywood ending with our heron, wings outspread, wading in slow motion through a hail of machine gun fire and mortars to secure the beach and rescue a wounded bass. Well, there is a Hollywood in Florida, but it is well paved and no place for our heron. I've seen Florida continue to sprawl and pave and sell its soul for $3.99. There will be no movie ending with triumphant music. "And musak filled the air, from Fort Myers Shores to Royal Palm Beach" -- not exactly The Pretenders

13. Michael Grunwald The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise

The advent of Spring, the impending walking in England, and the slighter further away hiking Katahdin has got me moving. Sunday I walked a mile and a half on the treadmill in my boots. The plan was for 3 miles, but blisters on my heals cut it short. Monday worked in the garden because it was absolutely gorgeous outside. Walked most of the way home (2 miles) on Tuesday then worked in outside after recovering for a while. Today walked almost all the way home.

For the last two days I've been hungry all the time. Really, really, hungry. I guess that's not surprising with a significant uptick in activity.

I've still got a long way until I'm ready for either England or Katahdin. My feet have been giving me minor difficulties, but I'm trying to pamper them enough so they won't get really bad, but exercise anyway.

I finished Harry Harrison's The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat on Sunday. This is actually first three books of the Rat series (The Stainless Steel Rat,The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge, and The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World), though since it's published in one volume, I'm counting it as one book.

Silliness pervades these books, there isn't any other way to put it. Harrison mixes high tech, low tech, and extraordinary luck just because he can. His ovary empowered companion (nee nemesis) is a Heinleinian female of epic proportion. They are a romp, bouncing from adventure to adventure, world to world, and time to time. Character development, well that's basically for other people. I will give Harrison credit in his humor toward his main character. He's often being rescued by stronger and smarter women or coming up short at the critical moment (like Indiana Jones being cocky and reaching for his whip only to discover it's not there). The politic commentary can be pretty heavy handed, if well meaning.

Three books in a row was a bit much and I might be suffering from Rat overdose.

12. Harry Harrison The Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat