SERIOUSLY?!

What is wrong with me?!  I've just been through my genres (i.e. "labels") and realized that I have only ever once mentioned the Alienist and its sequel, the Angel of Darkness.  I must be mad.  They are by Caleb Carr, the wonderful author who brought Holmes and Watson back to life so well in the Italian Secretary.  Both the Alienist and Angel, or the "Kreizler books" as I'll probably start calling them from now on, pre-date the Secretary and are by far superior.

The two books, if you have not read them, center on the adventures of Dr. Lazlo Kreizler and his friends and colleagues as they solve turn-of-the-century New York's most baffling serial crimes.  I shan't give away too much, because you must read them.  They are fast-paced, highly entertaining, and very thought-provoking.  I've read both repeatedly -- as in more than four time a piece -- and never tire of them.  Once I pick up the Alienist, and I cannot put it down until I have finished it.  READ IT!  You must!

THANK YOU, MR. CRICHTON

I learned today that Michael Crichton has passed away from a battle with cancer. I think few of his fans even knew he was ill. And while I don't necessarily count myself among die-hard Crichton fans, I have to admit that I truly enjoyed a number of his books. The two most prominent books were Jurassic Park and the Lost World. I read them after seeing the movie, and I must say I did enjoy the movie. It scared the crap out of me when I was a teenager. But the books were incredible, and I read them when I was staying in Belgium and was a little on the homesick side. The homesickness didn't last -- at all. But the adoration of Jurassic Park and the Lost World did. I have since read Eaters of the Dead and Timeline, the latter being by far my favorite Crichton story. I've also read Disclosure, which was good, but a little too mature for me when I read it.

Timeline will forever be my favorite Crichton book, and I have refused to watch the movie adaptation because I read the synopsis of it, and it totally screwed up the storyline. This is saying something because I am a die-hard Gerard Butler fan (I would marry him tonight if he asked me). Ask any of my girlfriends, and they'll tell you its a big deal if I refuse to watch a movie with him in it.

Anyway, with his passing, I think the majority of readers my age will be sending their thanks for thoughtful, gripping stories with him wherever he decides to rest.

SLEEPY HOLLOW

Not only is it one of my favorite movies, but it's also one of my favorite short stories. Every year that I taught, I read the Legend of Sleepy Hollow to my classes on Halloween, or whichever day we celebrated it. It was always a big hit. I would turn the lights off and sit in the middle of the room with just a flashlight. It was just spooky enough not to scare anyone.

Still, if you are reading that story in the dark, it is creepy enough to make you sit on the edge of your seat. If you've never actually read the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, you really should give it a read tonight. It's fantastic!

READING IN THE BATHROOM

Admit it. You do it. We all do it. We're taught to do it. Society teaches us to do it. Hell, Pottery Barn sells magazine racks designed specifically for the bathroom. The other night, at my birthday party, my friend's wife went to the bathroom and was gone for a little while. When I asked him if she fell in, his reply was, "I don't know. Are there books in there?"

I live alone, so go ahead and make your own assumptions about my mental state after a week of work and not seeing anyone outside of it but my reflection. What else am I supposed to do but read in the bathroom? I even have specific books for the bathroom. Yes, books. I don't even bother with magazines anymore. I just take a book into the bathroom to read when it's necessary. For all you know, I'm reading in the tub, which a dear friend of mine does every morning.

What kind of books do I read in the bathroom? Usually nonfiction, oddly enough. Don't ask me why. It makes no sense. I just read history books in the potty room. What can I say? Right now, I'm reading Sea of Faith by Stephen O'Shea. I bought it a couple of years ago and read the introduction before moving onto something else -- which I do, as you know. I doubt O'Shea would ever make it onto my blog, but if he did, I would hope he doesn't take offense to the fact that his book is my bathroom read. It's just where I decided to pick it back up again. And now that's where it will remain until I finish the other book I'm reading. Then it'll graduate to bus read!

So now I want to know -- which book/genre do you read in the bathroom? And you can't claim you don't read in the bathroom. Like I said, it's ingrained.

By the way -- this is my 20th post on this site! Woo-hoo!