Still reading... blogging, not so much.

I was (and am) determined not to let this blog fall by the wayside when I started it. However, the actual reading of books is much more interesting than writing about reading them, which sort of takes the joy out of it. Also, I've been helping my aunt polish her first novel up and start on her second, which is actually taking up more of my creative juices than what I thought it would. It's a fun process, but extremely time consuming, even if it's not actually your book that you're writing.

Anywho... all excuses aside, let's get this show started.

So what have I been reading lately? Well, in the comics, manga, and graphic novel category: a little of this, a little of that. Mostly my newest passions, which are Preacher, Lucifer, and Locke & Key. If you've never picked up any of them, I highly recommend giving them a go.

Lucifer picks up almost where Sandman left off, only following the story of the baddest of bad boys, Lucifer, the fallen angel. Lucifer has an agenda of his own (imagine that) throughout the entire series that he employs any amount of plots, counter-plots, agents of destruction, trickery, and deception to accomplish. The story is well drawn, cleverly told, and keeps the reader wanting to know what happens next.

In the realm of non-fiction, mostly my usual fare of history and the occult. I've also been heavily reading Jung and Simone de Beauvoir, who are both still very relevant today. Simone de Beauvoir is (or should be) required reading for anyone who considers themselves a feminist. Jung has made the best connection between psychology and symbolism to date, inspiring people like Joseph Campbell and George Lucas with his work.

Fiction series that I've gotten into lately are the Jill Kismet series by Lilith Saintcrow and The Hollows series, by Kim Harrison. I enjoyed the first of Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series, but thought the rest of the series devolved into a horrid muck of selfish, infantile behavior on the part of her heroine. Which was a pity, since I enjoyed her male demon character so much. The Kismet series doesn't suffer from the same failings- Jill is a likable character with a lot of spunk and bite.

As for Kim Harrison, she's rapidly becoming one of my favorite new authors. I think she's sadly under-appreciated for her work, which has any number of supernatural baddies to choose from.

Notable mentions of one-offs that I've read lately: Fear of Flying, by Erica Jong; Good Omens, or The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett; Darkmans, by Nicola Barker; and The Mount, by Carol Emshwiller.