Just finished…
Two completely different books, but loved them both. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and Storm Front by Jim Butcher.
The Glass Castle (thanks to Krystal for lending it to me!) is actually a memoir that focuses mostly on Jeannette’s crazy childhood. It was unbelievable and amazing. It had me completely captivated from start to finish and I found my jaw dropping several times as my brain tried to fathom the existence that this family had. Not only were they constantly on the move but they lived in filth and squalor, the kids forcing their mother to get out of bed to go to work (when she was working) and fishing for scraps of food out of the school trash cans (when they went to school). Their father worked odd jobs from time to time but spent most of his time drinking and gambling. Both parents refused to work or accept any help from others, yet became outraged whenever the kids accused them of neglect or irresponsible behavior. All I can say is that Jeannette and her siblings must be some tough people to have survived such an upbringing. This isn’t the sort of book I would normally pick up and read but my friend practically shoved it in my face and swore up and down that it was fantastic. She couldn’t have been more right.
Storm Front is the first of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, an urban fantasy series featuring Harry Dresden, the only practicing wizard for hire in the United States. Dresden is a wonderful character and from the first few pages I was hooked. He might be dangerous and powerful, with a streak of anger hidden just beneath the surface, but he’s got a sense of humor and really he’s just a nice guy. Plus, he wears a duster. That’s just awesome. In the first book he gets caught up investigating a series of gruesome murders that could only have been the work of a sorcerer, while at the same time he’s hired by a nervous wife who wants him to find her missing husband. The two cases turn out to be related and Harry faces a slew of dangers before finally getting down to the bottom of the mystery and facing off with the bad guy. I’ll definitely continue this series and I’d like to check out his other fantasy series as well.
Fiction Fanatic 