Here's to the New Year!

And to reply to eyeball's question- The answer to life the universe and everything is.... (drumroll) 42! Or so says Google (and Douglas Adams ) - and if Google says so, it must be true!

And in asnwer to his other question - yes the Christmas shopping is done- it took until after New Year because its not just pre-Christmas shopping, but the Post-Christmas sales, returns and exchanges as well... and now 'm all shopped out(or my bank account is anyway).

Speaking of shopping, I was very appropriately reading Sophie Kisella's 'Shopaholic' . I first read this about 4 years ago, when I didn't have a credit card, and was unlikely to be tempted by any sale but a book-sale; and I found it hugely funny then. This time though, I could relate. It was almost alarming, as I giggled my way through Becky's adventures from the Shopper's Hell to Heaven (shopaholic gets multimillionaire boyfriend), I was thinking, "This happened to me!' (not including the multimillionaire boyfriend).

I also got done with 'Ink Exchange' by Melissa Marr. Its the sequel to 'Wicked Lovely , which was a bit edgy and dark, without totally tipping over, and that I had enjoyed a lot.

'Ink Exchange' isn't as good though. For one thing it's written from the point of view of a set of different characters, with a decidedly different set of agendas, and the old heroes come off looking 1)incompetent 2)manipulative, neither of which are very heroic qualities. None of this would be a problem, if I was able to feel very sympathetic to the protagonists of this book, but well, I didn't really. The plot's just getting further complicated, and its all set up for yet another sequel, so obviously, that it's annoying. Why can't a book just be complete in itself?