"Inferno" by Dan Brown

I enjoyed this book because it was educational, and gave me good context for Dante's Inferno, which I started reading awhile ago. The book also made me nostalgic for Florence and Venice. It's funny. I have never been to Istanbul, so those descriptions didn't do much for me. Travelling really does change your perspective on the world.

At times the book read like a travelogue, causing me to become impatient and read the ending. That, of course, eliminated the element of suspense.

"Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore" by Robin Sloan

I enjoyed this book, which dealt with the intersection between the digital age and old books. It let me experience the joys of friendship, creativity and discovery. The central mystery of encrypted text giving the secret of immortality if decrypted was handled realistically.

"Moonheart" by Charles de Lint

I had been meaning to read this book for years because it takes place in Ottawa and Ray bought it for me. Suffice it to say that I loathed it. The characters are unpleasant and put together with a trowel. The plot is absolutely ridiculous, and grows worse and worse as the book progresses.

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" by J.K. Rowling

Ray and I rewatched the movies recently, which gave me a hankering for rereading the books. I enjoyed this title and gained new respect for J.K. Rowling because of how much groundwork she laid down in it for the subsequent books. It is definitely a well planned series. And being a romantic, I look forward to watching Ron and Hermione's relationship develop.

This is a light read, of course, so I read it simultaneously with other stuff. It's a pleasure to read something joyful and optimistic.

"Sanctuary" by William Faulkner

I disliked this book so much that I ended up skimming it. The subject matter was very ugly, and the writing difficult to follow. This was due to the use of dialect, and the lack of clarity sometimes as to who was speaking. Faulkner was also subtle in describing the crimes, apparently due to censors, so it was difficult to follow in that respect as well. If I hadn't read a summary of the story, I wouldn't have known what was going on. And there was an even better summary at the back of the book, that I wish I had read as well, to give me more understanding of what I was reading. Apparently this book is not representative of William Faulkner's writing, but I doubt that I'll give him another try. I came across this book because it somehow ended up as a freebie on my ebook reader. Good riddance!!

"Turn Coat" by Jim Butcher

I enjoyed reading this book in the Dresden series. It was nice to have Morgan finally admit that he had been wrong about Dresden. And it was nice hearing that Dresden was probably the most talented and powerful wizard of his generation. But I have read so many of these books that I am having trouble keeping track of the traits of minor characters, because they become repetitive after awhile.

"The Bone Clocks" by David Mitchell

This book fulfilled the test of a satisfying read for me because the ending brought tears to my eyes. It described the whisking away of Holly Sykes' granddaughter and adopted grandson to the safety of Iceland from the rapidly and dangerously devolving civilization of Europe, in the safe hands of the atemporal Marinus.

The book told a wide ranging story with some definitely loopy elements, and with a bit too much story telling. I mostly skipped over the part about Iraq because it felt like a documentary, including quite a few political opinions. But other sections of the book were riveting, and I'm grateful to the final section, which dealt with the devolution of civilization. It stressed for me  the tremendous importance of guarding our environment and resources.