A quick read

Well, I finished the Shadowfall book (soon to be removed from the sidebar) and then read another book so fast it didn't have time to shop up on the blog. The book was Steven Brust's Jhegala. I'm not going to go into a book review of Brust's books, aside to say that his sci-fi/fantasy books are truly excellent. But I am going to comment on how refereshing it was to read a book I really really liked. The Shadowfall book took about a week, and while I didn't hate it at all, it was definitely a book I could put down. I had to remember what was going on every time I resumed reading, and the characters never really stayed alive for me. So even though I liked it, and I may even read the rest of the series, it's the kind of book that I know I will not remember in a year. There have been a lot of those.

The Brust book, on the other hand, took 2 days and 1 night to read. I didn't plan to read it that way. I didn't even want to read it - I just felt compelled because I had bought it. It had been so long since I read a Brust book I forgot what it's like. I started it, and then 3 hours later put it down. Then I went back. And I found myself speed reading because I just wanted to know what happened. And then just like that it was done. It was like a tiny roller coaster built just for me. After I finished, I wanted more (and it'll be a long while before he writes the next I assume, so I'm bereft). The funny thing was, it wasn't even the most exciting book - it was just so engaging that I got sucked in.

It's probably a good thing that not every book does that to me. I have enough Time Wasters in my life as it is (work being a big one *sigh*). But it's always a pleasure to find a book like that.