very simple

I finished reading Angels & Demons last night, and all in all, it was pretty good. It started out kind of dumb – I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I find it annoying when people who are supposedly geniouses do dumb things in order to maintain suspense, and that’s how this book started out. But starting in the middle, the book took a few turns that genuinely surprised me, and by the end, I was really glad to have stuck with it. I mean, it was fluff, but it was pretty enjoyable fluff and Brown did a pretty good job of laying the groundwork for but not giving away the ending.

I also finished reading The Partly-Clouded Patriot, by Sarah Vowell. Very funny – I’ve heard some of her stories on This American Life on NPR, so I could "hear" her telling these in that particularly singluar voice that she has. She’s part of that group of essayists that includes David Sedaris and David Rakoff, both of whom I also adore.

In preparation for my trip, I’ve been putting together a pile of books to bring with me. I’m up to seven. I usually can get through at least one book a day when I’m sitting on the beach, so this should be enough to keep me busy. Some of these are books that I bought a while ago, and have never gotten around to reading, and others I’ve been picking up in various trips to the bookstore. I would love to also bring some of the other books I haven’t been able to finish, like Wolves of the Calla and Constantine’s Sword, but they’re both really thick and in hardcover, so not really optimal for packing.

Tags: books