A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones

It's not my first time through A Game of Thrones, not by a long shot. But I recently watched the Game of Thrones TV Series Version on DVD, and that reminded me of how much I love the series. I'm on my fifth trip through the first book, but by the time I get to the last one it will only be my second reading of that. (I kept rereading the series every time a new book was about to be released -- or I thought one was about to be released. That George Martin -- quite the tease, isn't he?)

As far as the TV show goes, I liked it, but I feel no compulsion to watch it again right away. The thing about the Song of Ice and Fire series is, the books are so incredibly good that's there's not really much a film version can add to it. (If you've only seen the TV version, waste no time -- read it today. You won't be sorry!)

The Writer

The Writer

The Writer is probably my favorite magazine on the topic of writing. I admit -- I'm too cheap to actually spring for a subscription, so I get them from the library once they reach circulation status. (Generally, the most current issue of a magazine has to stay in the library.) I like this magazine much better than Writer's Digest , although I read that one regularly, too.

The Wind Through the Keyhole

The Wind Through the Keyhole - Stephen King

If you're a fan of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, you won't want to miss out on his latest, The Wind Through the Keyhole. I enjoyed the series greatly -- in fact, I was just thinking it was time to read it again -- but you don't need to remember all the details in order to enjoy this book.

In his foreword, King places The Wind Through the Keyhole as about Volume 4.5 out of the 7-volume series. It's a tale within a tale -- within another tale, as a matter of fact. In it, Roland Deschain and his ka-tet -- Suzsannah, Jake, Eddie, and Oy -- have taken shelter from a killing storm and the group wiles away the hours listening to story Roland tells of his youth. That story involves shape-changers, an ancient evil, and a frightened boy, and to that boy Roland tells another story, one that he had heard from his mother's lips in his own childhood.

I found the book entertaining and a good use of my reading time, although it certainly doesn't have the depth of some of his greater works. In general, Amazon Readers seem to have come to the same conclusion. They've given it an average rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars -- you can read all 76 reviews here.

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection

The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection is the most recent addition to the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. Like all the other books, it is charming. In this one, Precious Ramotswe finally gets the chance to meet one of her idols: Clovis Anderson, the author of the book that launched Mma Ramotswe's career. The results are not quite what either of them anticipated.

Along the way, Mma Ramotswe and her friends deal with all the little issues that make life so interesting. Mma Potokwane has been removed from her post at the children's orphan farm. Fanwell, one of the mechanics at Speedy Motors, faces some serious legal difficulties. And Grace Makusi and her new husband have to deal with an unscrupulous contractor while getting their new home built.

Of course, all ends happily for all of our favorite characters, and life goes on pleasantly in Botswana.

M is for Magic

M is for Magic

M Is for Magic is technically classed as Young Adult fiction, but really, it's appropriate for anyone who loves a good tale. It's a collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman, all with a somewhat magical theme, and some of them are pretty darn good.

I'm sort of on the fence as far as Neil Gaiman is concerned. I first discovered him with Good Omens, a wonderful book that he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett. (I'm a huge Terry Pratchett fan.) From there I tried American Gods and Anansi Boys. Although I normally like books in that genre, I found his just a little too grim for my taste. Later on I discovered some of his children's works, and especially loved The Graveyard Book. So, I don't know -- let's just say I love some of his books.

Twitter Power 2.0

Twitter Power 2.0

Twitter Power 2.0: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time is a book specifically about using Twitter for business purposes. I'm pretty new to the field, but I'm not sure I totally agree with everything the author has written. For sure, I'd want to learn more before following his precepts.

All a Twitter

All a Twitter

I don't know a whole lot about Twitter. I've tried using it from time to time, but I've not had a lot of luck making sense of it. I found All a Twitter: A Personal and Professional Guide to Social Networking with Twitter to be a tremendous help in figuring out how to go about learning more and participating more. A good book for a beginner.