I like to browse online, because I find the number of books on the shelves just too overwhelming to sort through. That's what happened today: I dropped off my finished books and wandered into the library proper to see what was available. After 20 minutes and reading the jackets of many books, I left empty-handed. But that's okay because, you see, I have five books at home that I save especially for such a situation.
I have read these books, literally, more than a dozen times each. I know who the good guys are, and who the bad guys are, too. I know when the story comes together in that absolutely perfect moment. And knowing all of this does not diminish my enjoyment of them at all. Quite the contrary!
They are all different. The Ivy Tree, by Mary Stewart, on loan to one of my favourite people at the moment, is a romantic suspense novel set in 1950's England. That Man Cartwright, by Ann Fairbairn, tells of the plight of the migrant workers in California in the 60's. Inferno, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, is a science fiction version of Dante's Inferno, updated to include a whole new set of modern sins and sinners in the nine circles of hell. The Alistair MacLean Omnibus: Where Eagles Dare and Ice Station Zebra contains two of his best action books, full of swashbuckling characters, nasty villains, and lots and lots of explosions. And finally, Riddle-Master, by Patricia McKillip, is an epic fantasy trilogy full of magic and treachery and love.
(Having put these names to paper, I'm remembering that there are several more that should be added to this list. Hmmm ...)
Ahhh ... That's all for now. I have old friends to visit ...
