Two More Down
I wiped out two books last weekend. One of them was The Dogs Of Riga, by Henning Mankell, a Swedish mystery writer who also runs a theater company in Africa. He's very popular in Europe. As with most detective novels of reasonable quality, I enjoyed the atmospherics, but didn't really care about the plot, which stopped being interesting or relevant about two-thirds of the way through. If you've ever wanted to read about Latvia during the fall of the Soviet Union, this is your dream book.
The other book is Zioncheck For President, by Phil Campbell, which is one of the best books I've read all year. The book, about an eccentric Seattle city-council race, perfectly captures the joys and frustrations of left-wing politics, yet unlike most lefty books, doesn't preach and doesn't leave you feeling hopeless. A truly fine nonfiction book that reads like a good novel. Check it out.
I've got two months and six books, and I'm moving cross-country in about six weeks. Do books on tape count? I may not make this goal. I have, however, been reading a lot of screenplays, which may give some clue about where I'm headed. Let me tell you: Nothing makes less sense than a bad screenplay. You really appreciate the good ones.