You would think that weekends mean lots of free time. Time to do all the things that you wanted to do during the week, but couldn't fit in. I'm not sure if it is just me, but in my case, oftentimes it is the reverse. I do have more time on weekends, but that time always seems to be filled with errands and laundry and other boring activities that I wish I could ignore. Mostly on weekends I always think I am going to have extra time to get in more reading, but that doesn't always happen either. So I drag a book around with me in the hopes of squeezing in an extra page or two while I am waiting for other things to happen.
Mostly I have been concentrating on Joanne Harris's Gentlemen and Players. Can I tell you have much I am enjoying this book? It is one that I started some time ago, but then got lost in the shuffle of other books. I have to say, once you get into the story, it is really a hard book to put down. It is set in a British boys public school (I believe public schools in Britain are actually the equivalent of our private schools). The story is told from the perspective of an older Latin teacher, who has spent more than half his life teaching at St. Oswald's and another younger, new teacher. The new teacher has a hidden past tied up in the history of St. Oswald's that is slowly revealed through flashbacks. The thing is this new teacher has a grudge against St. Oswald's and is trying to bring the school down. I wish I new more about chess as the chapters are all titled with the names of chess pieces and chess moves. I don't think my lack of knowledge however is ruining the story in any way. Harris definitely knows how to tell a good story. The Latin teacher has a dry sense of humor and it is amusing to read his comments and thoughts about the school and the other teachers. Harris has that feel of academia down perfectly. I can't decide how much I dislike the other teacher or pity him. I'd love to spend the rest of the afternoon finishing the book, but I probably won't get to do that. Definitely in the next couple of days. Not knowing the outcome, I still recommend this book (but I will let you know what I think after I've turned that last page).
I'm also half heartedly reading The Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin. Please don't get me wrong, I am in no way saying this is a bad book. I always hate reading Amazon reviews when the reviewer tells readers "not to pick up this book". I don't know why, but I figure readers can decide on their own whether a book is a worthwhile read or not. The book is well written and I was very into the story at first. I am somewhere 170 pages into the story. But things have just fizzled. In my case it is a matter of timing and mood, I think. I'm just not in the mood to read a mystery set in 1100s England. So, what to do. I have invested precious reading time into the story. Do I push myself to read to the end? Do I write down how far I've gotten with the intention of checking it out later and finishing (and how likely is that)? Do I stop reading and cut my losses. Now I am much more in the mood to read an Agatha Christie mystery instead perhaps. Or maybe I should pick up Consequences of Sin by Clare Langley-Hawthorne, as I have it out from the library as well. It is an "Edwardian" mystery--the first in a new series. Too bad there wasn't a new Maisie Dobbs mystery out. I am pretty tenacious when it comes to finishing something I've started, though I'm not always sure that is a good thing. I would feel less bad if I was only 50 pages into the story and it wasn't grabbing me.
I have also been dipping into the delightful (yes, another "delightful" book) Mariana by Monica Dickens. If I wasn't so completely into Gentlemen and Players, I would be reading Mariana non-stop instead. No doubt another strike against The Mistress is reading other books that have stories that I really don't want to put down.
I am trying hard to think about what I already have started rather than books I want to start, but there are two books that I will definitely be reading next month. I have been eying Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes in anticipation of reading along with the Tilting at Windmills group. I've been looking forward to reading Cervantes. I only hope to stay on track and start and finish the book within a reasonable amount of time (unlike poor War and Peace that took me a while to get through--no setting the book down and letting months pass this time around!). And the Slaves of Golconda will be reading The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford next month as well. This is a book I have wanted to read for a long time, and I'm glad I will finally have the impetus/excuse to pick it up!