What's on Your Bedside Table? | Kylie Purtell - Capturing Life

Tuesday, 11 August 2009

What's on Your Bedside Table?

Blog This: Challenge 11 -

down at Dymocks on release day?Write all about the last book you read or the one
you're reading/struggling to read!

Well, the latest Blog This: Challenge is about books, and I LOVE books, for those who didn't know. What's on my bedside table? A lot of dust and junk. It's currently in the hallway while I re-paint our bedroom. So my books are on the floor!
I try to read at least 2 to 3 books a week, and I get this done by reading for about 2 hours each night.
The last book that I finished reading was Demolition Angel by Robert Crais. I rescued this book from a cull at the chain bookstore I used to work at (see About Me) as I thought it might be a good 'fill-in' read, a book I could read when I have nothing else to read.
I have quite a few books like that, and this one was ok, a little hard to like the main character, who i should have felt sympathetic towards. Starkey is a former bomb squad technician who has been moved to another dept within the police after surviving a bomb blast on the job that killed her secret-lover and boss. The reason i couldn't really like her is because she was a drunk and pill-popper (understandable, given the fact she had died and come back to life and lost her soul-mate), but she was so crusty towards the other charcters that i just couldn't like her, or the other main character, a medically (forced)retired ATF agent on the hunt for a serial bomber who may or may not be after Starkey. For him it's personal, he's slowly goining blind as a result of one of the serial bomber's devices.

The writing is ok, but the plot twists are a little obvious and familiar, the suspense never really builds. If you're looking for a great thriller-mystery, this isn't it. If you're looking for a 'fill-in' read, this will do.

If you want a good 'fill-in'read, in the crime fiction genre, then try Karin Slaughter. She's written quite a few books now but I've only read two and both have been pretty good. Easy to read, good plot lines, neat little endings, and characters I liked. She can be a little gruesome (but then I have a weak stomach so you may not call it gruesome at all!) but I don't mind them, and they are a nice change to Kathy Reichs, who's last few have felt a little same-ish.
Anyway, I'm on a mission to read 200 books by the time I'm 30. I started on my birthday just gone (21st June...27!), so I've got a little under 3 years and I've read 9 books so far. Really it's about 12 but only because I had to read the Twilight series a second time to give it another chance (and it still didn't impress me...except for the last half of the last book...I wish I'd only spent my time on that!...but that's for another post...sorry if I've offended any Twi-hards...aka Twilight die-hards!)

So, I need to read about 2 and a half books a week at least to reach my goal. I better get cracking!

Wonder if I can include kids books and picture books in that?


  1. 1. D-Day---Anthony Beevor
    2. The Iron Kingdom---Christopher Clarke (about Prussia)
    3. The Information Officer (Mark Mills -set in WW2 Malta)
    4. The Girl Who played with Fire---Stieg Larsson
    5. Donna Leon... The Girl of his Dreams.
    6. A Most Wanted Man.... John LeCarre
    7. The BLood Detective....Dan Waddell.

    I get this books in gobs. I live in the French Part of Switzerland so I order in my books from Berne and if I order enough I dont hae to pay shipping.....I cant resist opening them all at once so they are always open and unfinished....

  2. Oh, my "to read" pile stretched from floor to ceiling at least. Although I can read online articles all day, I find I need total peace of mind to be able to sit down with a book. I've always aspired to be one of those people who never goes anywhere without a book, even if it's on the off chance of having a spare two minutes while the coffee brews, but I'm not even close to that.

  3. Wow, two hours a night! I am jealous. I waste too much time at night.

    Have you read any Jeffrey Deaver? I do the fill in thing as well, and he had one out a little while ago called The Sleeping Doll that I actually really liked. He also wrote that one that they turned into a movie with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie... Cannot think of the name now...

    I've been trying to get through the Kathy Reichs books as well, but am still only up to about number 5! I will keep an eye out for Karin Slaughter though, I haven't heard of her.

  4. Garry: I do that too, I'll buy a bunch of books, can't decide which to read first so start them all and don't finish any!

    Bill: I am sadly one of those people and drive Mr.P nuts! I will even take a book with me on a milk & bread run in case there's a line!...lol!

    Kayla: I'm usually extremely tired in the mornings as I tend to read when I should be sleeping! I think I'll just read a few chapters and inevitably(sp?) the next time I look at the clock 2 hours have passed! Can't help it!

    I haven't read any Jeffrey Deaver but i really liked that movie, I think it was called the Bone Collector? I'll have to grab The Sleeping Doll (I can actually picture the cover in my head I've seen it on the shelf so many times!) I hadn't heard of Karin Slaughter either but I was pleasantly suprised with the $4.95 copy of Fractured I picked up in Target on impulse...I couldn't pass up a (RRP)$30 for $5 book!

    Thanks for stopping by guys!


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