A mixed bag_90 to 97

So much reading, so little blogging. I've wolfed down a smorgasbord of books without even tasting them; all calories, little goodness. For the record, I note: The really dreadful 'Parting the Veil' by Paulette Kennedy—what a muddle. American heiress marries rich but psychotic English Lord in haunted mansion, with lashings of sex, grief, PTSD and Jungian psychology. 'Model Home' by Courtney Sullivan features universally awful people living in US home re-modelling reality TV-land. I felt mean and stupid reading it, but thankfully it was short. Matthew Fitzgibbon's 'Constance' is a near-future sci fi cloning thriller. 'A Day Like This' by Kelley McNeil has a solid premise: Annie wakes up from a car accident remembering a daughter who doesn't exist. 'The Colour of Law' is a wannabe John Grisham; perfect beach reading, thanks Mark Gimenez. James Patterson's 'The Noise' starts well—a very loud noise destroys a town, 2 kids survive—but I have already forgotten how it ended, which isn't a good sign. 'Challenger's Hope' by David Feintuch is solidly good far-future sci fi. Commander Nicholas Seafort is driven by duty and his oath, making him heroic and cruel and absurdly self-critical, and he's only 21. Published in 1995, the Seafort Saga series is uncomfortably dated (women are mothers or whores, men are heroes or bullies) but I'm fond of it. 'Jane and the 12 Days of Christmas' is Stephanie Barron's 12th book imagining Jane Austen as a part-time detective. Delightful.