This Week in Books, 3rd Ed.

TBR had a relatively easy week.

After driving back from St. Louis, where TBR attended a lecture and signing by the great Welsh writer, Jasper Fforde, it was time to actually start reading his latest book, Early Riser. So far, it's a good one, dealing with a world in which humans hibernate during the winter months (well, most of them; this is about those who don't).

First though, TBR had to finish up All the Light We Cannot See, which took a while -- not because it isn't good (spoiler alert: it is) -- but because of its subject matter. It's a tough book to read.

As for next on the list,TBR is looking forward to reading  The Bees, about a resistance movement in a beehive. Seriously. Listen to this blurb:

 "Then (Flora) finds her way into the Queen's inner sanctum, where she discovers secrets both sublime and ominous. Enemies roam everywhere, from the fearsome fertility police to the high priestesses who jealously guard the Hive Mind. But Flora cannot help but break the most sacred law of all, and her instinct to serve is overshadowed by a desire, as overwhelming as it is forbidden."

Sounds delightfully weird, doesn't it?

TBR stayed out of bookstores this week, so did not buy any more books. But the need-to-buy list is getting lengthy, and TBR is feeling a bit antsy and a growing desire to add to the stack. Must resist. The Stack needs to shrink, not grow.

This Week in Books, 2nd Ed.

It's been a busy week at the TBR blog. I've finished a couple of books, bought a few more, and just returned from St. Louis, where I attended a book signing.

< One book read-and-reviewed came from a friend (it was a good book, though, so no conflicts), and the second > came after seeing and reading a play.

Still, the TBR Stack expanded, after I strolled into a local used bookstore -- in the case, Half Price Books -- and found three books I had to have. Two of the three already were on the TBR list, so that did not expand too much.

The finds included Mr. Fox, by Helen Oyeyemi. Her latest, Gingerbread, which is recommended reading for Black History Month, was not available, but her first novel was. Also put in the stack was The Woman Who Died a Lot, the (as of now) final book in the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. The Bees, by Lline Paull, has long been on the TBR list. It is literally about in-fighting in a colony of bees.

Now we get to the high point of the week: A visit to St. Louis to hear Fforde speak about his newest novel, Early Riser, and have him sign a copy. Fforde talked about developing and writing his stories, starting with a "narrative dare." This time around, it was to "write a thriller in world where humans have always hibernated." So that's what he did.

"Fantasy is the sandbox of fiction"

The author and me