daydreaming of the deli girl

Happy Monday everybody! How was your weekend? Mine was good. Really productive. I wrote five thousand words, did a bunch of copyediting, got most of my handwashing done, practiced clarinet both days, watched Easy A, which I loved, and finished two of the books I've been muddling through!

Without further ado, the last couple of books I read:

40) City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. This is book four of the Mortal Instruments series, and it was a lot of fun to delve back into the world of the Shadow Hunters. I enjoyed getting to know Simon better as a character as he struggled with his new identity. It's definitely worth reading, and definitely a keeper, but I didn't feel like it was quite as good as the first three. There was a lot more teenage emotional angst in this one. And while I really like where the story is going, and understand that some of the angst really is necessary to the plot, I had a couple moments when I wanted to grab the characters by the shoulders and shake them. that said, Cassie is a consistently good urban fantasy YA author, and I definitely recommend her.

41) Territory by Emma Bull. I love everything I've read by Emma Bull, to be honest. Her books blow me away. This one is Tombstone, and Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday, plus magic. What's not to love? I don't want to be any more spoilery than that, for those of you who haven't read it, so I'll just say that I love the slow build-up with the magic. I adore the characters, especially Mildred Benjamin. And I could easy hang out in this world for a few hundred more pages!

42) Live Nude Elf by Reverend Jen. This is basically a memoir of the two years she spent writing a sex column for Nerve, and all the crazy things she did so she could write about them in said column. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would; Reverend Jen is a quirky, candid narrator with a good sense of humor. However, I don't think I'll be revisiting this title. I only need to read about violated jars of mayonnaise and seventies-inspired key parties once, really.

So, think I'll make it to fifty titles this year? I'm sure I will. I don't think I'll match last year, though. How on earth did I read seventy books last year? Maybe I'll aim for fifty-five this year. That's not a bad number.

There's a deli I go to every morning to buy my coffee before I start my work day, and the girl who works the cash register is great. Quirky, slightly retro sense of style. Tattoos on her hands. Amazing jungle green nail polish that inspired me to go find a bottle in that color. She's always friendly. But she's not there on Mondays. Somehow I never remember this, and am always saddened when I enter the deli to discover that my deli girl isn't there behind the counter.

Ah, well. On to my Monday. There's a lot to do at work today, and freelancing and band rehearsal after. Ta!