The last book I read before the one I’m reading now (The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry) was one of those you just don’t want to end. It sucked me in from the first words & kept me entertained all the way through. I love when I find books like that it does sort of set me up for failure though. Because as good as the next book it- it never seems to be quite as good as the one I last read. Which is partially why I didn’t read the second book I have in my posession by the same author. I was afraid it would be good but not as good & because it was by the same author & written in the same or similar style it would drive me nuts!

One odd thing about me – one which used to drive my mother nuts when I was a child & teenager & she still had some sway in my life – or at least felt entitled to judge me- is that I have no problem reading 3 or 4 or 5 books simultaneously I routinely have 2 or more non-fiction books on my bedside table & one in my bag which I carry back & forth to & front work daily. Plus a book on CD in the car. I’m listening to Duma Key by Stephen King in the car right now & am in a bit of a funk because although I am very glad to have the next 4 days off I have a CD & a half left to listen to & I really want to know what’s going to happen next.

I suppose I could go out driving over the next few days (I am also somewhat motivated by the fact that if I’m not done with it by 10/30 I have to renew it) and listen to it. Gas is down to $2.27 tonight in the lowest priced gas station around – down a dime since I was on my way to work this morning as a matter of fact. People tell me it’ll go back up after the election. I can’t remember how high or low gas prices were before- during & after the last election. I do know they were nowhere near what they are even today.  As one of my favorite bumper stickers says- “when Bush took office gas was $1.43 a gallon”. And I know even in 2004 it wasn’t this high.

Chrissie has re-awakened my love for the PaperBackSwap site & I posted some new books- 3 of which were on other people’s ‘wish lists’ so I earned myself 3 credits almost immediately.  So I’m trying to decide what books to order next. I was thinking about replacing my copy of Nightmares & Dreamscapes because while I love Stephen King I really believe where he shines is in his short stories if I had to downgrade the amount of best loved books on my shelves the King short stories would stay- the super long ones (like Pet Cemetery -which now that I have kids & since my brother died-  I know I will never be able to read again I have seen firsthand what the death of a child does to families & I live in irrational fear most of the time that I will lose one of my kids) For fairness I will admit that not a single one of Tabitha King’s books would be off my shelves in a space saving measure though.

That got me thinking of all the Stephen King books I haven’t read- although looking over the list there’s really only a few- I don’t do the Gunslinger series- I haven’t read Lisey’s Story or the Green Mile books (I have the Green Mile set though- stole them from my ex husband’s ex girlfriend- now there’s a story for another day) I went over almost all my favorite Authors searches & was thrilled to find that one of my favorite authors (not a prolific author but she is hilarious) Florence King (yeah-odd huh?) had another book available (at least in the system it was/is available- you’re limited by people willing to give up their books of course)

And in searching Ghost Stories as a genre I found a good sounding New England Ghosts book. I have a couple of similar books already (yes- I try to collect such things) and so I’ll be looking forward to getting that one in the mail (the fact that it is undoubtedly going to arrive after halloween doesn’t bother me in the least) I’m saving my last credit for who- knows- what- book may catch my fancy next!

On a side note- I had occasion to be driving a back road last night on my way home from work due to a neccessary detour & was slightly annoyed to see about 8 houses on a very out of the way back road all with McCain signs in the yard. About a mile further down the road I saw not one but 2 houses with handmade Obama signs two people next door to each other & they obviously had been victims of the same person because- as I said both signs were handmade & both along with stating “Obama for President” said Sign Damaging is Un-American in big bold letters. Saturday morning on my way to work I saw the opposite side of the coin on my way to work as I spied a very large 5×4 foot sign for McCain which was in shreds by the side of the road.