I finished reading Owen Wister's The Virginian this morning. Post to follow soon on what I thought. I am happy to finally reach the end of a book. The problem with juggling several at once is it feels like it takes forever to finish anything at all. Now it is time to prioritize my reading pile. Several of the books that I had going are for online bookclubs (The Virginian, Snow, and Middlemarch). While Middlemarch is an ongoing (though I am behind in our schedule) read, discussion of the other two books begins this weekend. I knew I wouldn't get them both read in time, so I had to pick the one I was most likely to finish quickly. I still plan on continuing reading Snow, though, as it is quite good (though not fast reading).
Onward to my next "commitments". I was approached by an author and an author's agent about the possibility of reading their books and sharing my reviews of them on my blog. The closest I have ever come to doing this is trying my luck at HarperCollin's First Look Program. The first time I put my name in for a drawing for a title, I got not one but both of my choices. Never again have I been chosen, though. Luck of the draw I guess--literally! Not that I have any problems finding plenty of books on my own...So when the opportunity arose for me to read these books I thought they both sounded interesting and now here they are waiting for me to crack them open and begin reading (actually I have already peeked at the first chapters). I know there are bloggers who accept advance readers copies of books and will review them on their blogs, but I don't think I will endeavor to do this as well. Besides the fact that I am not a "writer", I am also not a very good critic (only inasmuch as any of us are). However, both of these books piqued my curiosity, so I will give it a try this time around.
And the books, you ask? Wolf Boy by Evan Kuhlman is a combination of novel and graphic novel. I have never seen a book before with this sort of a mixture (usually it is one or the other it seems). It is written from the perspective of a 13-year old boy whose older sibling dies in a car accident. He creates the comic book character, Wolf Boy, to help deal with his grief. The Priest's Madonna by Amy Hassinger is a historical novel set in 1890s France. It sounds as though it is a love story (an illicit one between priest and his housekeeper), rumination of faith, and maybe even a little bit adventure story. So, into the reading fray these two go. I also have those library books (with impending due dates!) to think about, and Middlemarch is always so patient....