No recommendations today - just sheer exhaustion, likely due to days of the boy being sick with one of those annoying childhood diseases which result in relatively normal days but nights of coughing, fever, etc. I think as he got better it all caught up with me. Tomorrow we get the Christmas tree and some time Saturday I will sleep for twenty hours or so. (ha)

But back tomorrow with more books for holiday gift giving, I promise.

I'm reading Cherie Priest's new book, Fathom and a wee bit conflicted about it. I'm waiting for the ending (a couple of chapters away) before I form a solid opinion. It reads as if it was rushed though; a good story that is just not as tight as her previous books. More later when I'm done reading.

Also reading Tim Gallagher's falconry memoir (Falcon Fever) which contains an excellent coming-of-age story as well. This is a unique choice for teen boys but a solid one (even though it is not published as YA). He had a very rough start (violence at home, time in jail) but ended up being a well respected ornithologist. He's a great writer and the info on falconry is amazing.

I also just received a copy of Laura Miller's The Magician's Book - completely unrequested. I'm surprised they are sending this one out to bloggers for review as it seems to be picking up a lot of positive reviews everywhere big. Regardless, I count myself lucky to have it and I'm looking forward to reading it. I do wonder though while there are so many people who delight in saying books for children are poorly written or unnecessary (and all those folks who claim they jumped to reading adult books at some absurd age like seven or eight) there are still a lot of people who want to write about the significance of books they read as children. Of course the pool of acceptable books for discussion is small and Miller addresses this in her introduction. (It must always be something impressive you read as a child - whoever says that "Flowers in the Attic" was the seminal book of their lives?) (And yet who the heck can forget reading that thing?) I personally was quite disappointed when I discovered the hidden truth of Narnia so I'm sure I will enjoy Miller's research on that score a great deal.

Also reading the latest issue of Slightly Foxed, a literary journal I adore. More on that when I recommend magazines in the next few days. (Love the magazine subscription as a gift - it's like Christmas every month!)