reading (next three)

I got sucked into E. L. Doctorow's The Waterworks pretty easily. He writes an interesting historic fiction. But as the novel continued on, his style began to wear thin. There... is... such... a... thing... as... a... comma... a semicolon... a colon... anything other... than poorly... placed... ellipses. Maybe his typewriter was broken. But even with the burden of punctuation this story is a good read.

This month's Asimov's was a good mix. On the pure fun side was Steve Rasnic Tem's "The Carl Paradox". I was pleasantly surprised by Aliette De Bodard's "Memorials". When I started reading it I didn't like it all that much, but it won me over and I liked the end.

Tom Bodett's The End of the Road is a fun read. The simple sentence structures make it feel like a kids book, but Bodett does a good job of adding little bits of characterization in subtle ways while you're paying attention to the main plotlines and straightforward characterization. He treats all his characters with an evenhanded gentle mocking and love. As a result the book lacks the bitterness the runs through Garrison Keillor's work. It's much more fun to read. Coming in at less than 300 pages, this is a quick read that will let you while away the time if you're snowed in, or if you're sitting on the beach.

58. E. L. Doctorow Waterworks
59. Asimov's January 2014
60. Tom Bodett The End of the Road