For my inaugural addition to The Sunday Salon, I’ll be posting about the current book I’m reading, the books I’ve already read and are still in need of reviews, and the next books on my reading list.

I’m easing into the second chapter of The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle and I’m enchanted. The prose is lyrical and reminiscent of the old world fairytales; it’s difficult to believe this was written in the 20^th century.

This is one book that I’m anxious to finish and I’ll be snatching as much time as I can to do so.

Reconnecting with childhood has never felt so good.

Completed and In Need of a Review

The Tales of Beedle the Bard arrived in the late morning on December 4 and I finished it in the early afternoon on the same day. I find it rather humorous that it’s taking me longer to write the review than it took me to read the book. My problem is trying to trim my review down to the best, most important elements because there’s quite a bit that I wanted to address. Surprising, when you consider I’ve not even read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. (Update: The review is now online.)

I finished The Lady Flees Her Lord by Michele Ann Young and I’ve many notes on that book that need to be addressed in a proper review, but I’ve been unable to actually sit down and write it. Part of the reason has been my schedule and another is simply how to untangle my thoughts on the book. I enjoyed the story, it wasn’t bad, but there were things that bugged me. (Well, one thing really, but it was a big thing to me.) Overall, though, the writing was good–descriptive and lush. (Update: The review is now online.)

Next on the Reading List

As soon as I finish up with The Last Unicorn, I plan to open up my copy of The Reluctant Widow and see what lies in store. It will be my first Georgette Heyer novel, but the synopsis just sounded a little too good to resist.

Somehow, Eleanor is talked into marrying Eustace on his deathbed and thus becomes a wealthy widow almost as soon as the ring is on her finger. What starts out as a simple business arrangement soon becomes much more complicated as housebreakers, uninvited guests, a shocking murder, missing government papers, and a dog named Bouncer all contribute to this lively, frequently hilarious tale of mistaken identities, foreign espionage, and unexpected love set during the Napoleonic Wars.

The other book I’ve been itching to read ever since I picked it up at Wal-Mart is Duma Key by Stephen King. I’m not anxious simply because I love Stephen King (and I do love him), but because the book is set in Florida and I want to see how he handles it. Plus, from the first few pages that I read (and I almost didn’t stop), it sounds compelling.

And at the risk of sounding completely random, I also love the size (i.e. dimensions), binding, font and line-spacing of this paperback; it’s perfect for toting around and easily read with a single hand despite its semi-massive page count (769).