Reading about reading? Eek.

Book update. Just finished Kisser by Stuart Woods. Good book, another page-turner by Woods, with lots of twists and turns and several crazy people sprinkled in. What I learned...Drama in life: BAD. Drama in fiction: FUN.

That makes 8 books in 27 days. 2,361 total pages. Pace holding steady and increasing slightly. Just over 87 pages per day thus far.

Next selection: Run Before the Wind - Stuart Woods

This is much older than the last few I've read [it's Woods's 2nd novel--written in 1983]. Hoping to finish in 4 days, to complete 9 books in 31 days [1 month]. Ten would've been cooler, but I suppose nine is nothing to sneeze at. This one, 337 pages.

Other notes:

- Had a real good run yesterday. 6 miles, 110 degree heat index. Not exactly what you would call 'safe' but it was effective.

- Recently attended a birthday party for my 90-year old friend and neighbor, Margaret Albright. One of the coolest people ever. Seriously, if you don't know her, you're missing out. Drives a red sports car, plays golf at 6 AM. We talked about the football team--she's excited, thinks we'll win state--I agree. Love that lady.

- Here's a funny video clip. It's hilarious and so worth your time. It was on during the ESPYs the other night. Classic.




Cheers,
Derrick

Poll: Nerd? Result: Yep.

Book update again. I promise I'll stop this when my pace starts to slip. Just finished Loitering With Intent by Stuart Woods. Good read, another quick page-turner, even whilst taking longer breaks between reading. Couldn't find a good review for this one, some of these are hard to find.

Good story, in which the protagonist Stone Barrington [my favorite and the most prevalent of all Woods's main characters] ventures down to Florida in an attempt to locate a client of his business partner. All hell [and confusion] breaks loose, and there are plenty of twists and turns to constantly pique the interest level.

That now makes 7 books in 24 days. 2,070 total pages. The pace just keeps increasing. I am such a nerd.

Next selection: Kisser - Stuart Woods

The Woods path continues. No idea what this one's about yet, but the title [and cover] intrigues me--albeit sounding kind of girlie. Another Stone Barrington tale. He's an intriguing character, let me tell ya. This one, 291 pages.



Results from most recent poll:
Question: Favorite summer activity?
Swimming: 4 votes (21%)
Camping: 4 votes (21%)
Fishing: 4 votes (21%)
Drinking: 3 votes (16%)
Running: 2 votes (11%)
Tanning: 2 votes (11%)
Farming: 0 votes (0%)
Working: 0 votes (0%)

I'm actually kind of impressed that drinking didn't rank #1. Safe to say, that's not what I voted. To be fair, most my friends don't read these things, let alone vote...so these polls are hardly representative of any type of consensus.

Oh well, I take what I can get.
- Much love to those of you who vote! And especially those who comment--either on here or via links on Facebook.

New poll is up! Go vote.

[I suppose it's not much of a "vote"--more of a Q&A--but still] :)

See you soon,

Derrick

Good books, good players, good friends.

Book update again. Sick of these yet? Just finished Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Woods. I love Stuart Woods. I turn pages faster in his books than with anyone else I've ever read. I was unable to find a legit review for this one, so forgive me. It's a great read, though.

Very interesting book, in which the protagonist Holly Barker takes a break from her CIA job to return home to Florida for a vacation, where she finds herself entangled in a unique criminal investigation--just like old times. Ending was a Whoa! ending. Not disappointing, but very...you know, Whoa!

That now makes 6 books in 21 days. 1,777 total pages. Approximately 85 pages per day for 3 weeks.

Next selection: Loitering With Intent - Stuart Woods

The last of the 3 books I checked out from the library this past week. I'd like to finish this one by Monday sometime, then go pick up another 2-3 books. Didn't think I'd keep this up like I have. This one, 293 pages.

Other notes:

- My good friend Katie Hill [hi, Katie] told me about a website by way of commenting on my last blog. You can track the books you've read, have yet to read, ones you own, etc. I've checked it out and so far it seems pretty cool. If you read at all, give it a look-see: [http://www.goodreads.com/]

- Bulls signed Utah Jazz shooting guard Kyle Korver today--he'll re-unite with former teammate Boozer, who I mentioned recently. The. Dude. Can. Shoot. And the ladies usually like him, too. [jealous]

If you're not a basketball fan, but think he looks a little familiar, you're not crazy...

- Going to Wichita a little later to meet up with one of my best friends in life, Tausha. Yay! Haven't seen her in about 2 years. Funniest. Female. Ever. Pretty stoked.

That's it for now, y'all. Only a couple days left to vote on the poll if you haven't already. Plan to be back sometime Monday.

Have a good weekend,

Derrick

Books and Booze...r.

Yet another book update: Just finished Bleachers by John Grisham. This one took less than a full day. For a Wikipedia book review, [click here].

Good [albeit quick] story about a former High School football player who reluctantly returns home to attend a memorial of sorts for his former coach. The player has to fight off the bad memories and remind himself of the good ones, while attempting to finally move on.

That now makes 5 books in 19 days. 1,483 total pages.

Next selection: Hothouse Orchid - Stuart Woods

My favorite author. Haven't read any of his stuff in quite awhile. I'll have to make a list of the books of his I've read, but I imagine the count would be somewhere near 40. He's good. This one, 294 pages.



Other notes:
- Bulls agree to deal with Utah Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer.

- Word on LeBron James' decision to come tomorrow night at 8 PM on ESPN. It's a big deal.


- Happy Birthday to my gramps.


That was quick,
Derrick

[for lack of a better...something]

Book update: I just finished The Partner. Apparently, the New York Times doesn't do reviews for all books. Shucks. So this review [click here] comes courtesy of Wikipedia.

Intriguing book with lots of plot twists and well, sneakiness. Another "Really?" ending to this one. You know, not bad, but when you finish the last sentence of a book and all you can say is "Really?" It's like that. Still, cool book.

I finished The Partner in 3+ days. Woo! That now makes 4 books in 18 days. 1,320 total pages.

Next selection: Bleachers - John Grisham

I stopped by the town library today and checked out 3 new books, this being one of them. This book was recommended to me by my Middle School basketball [and football--yes, I once played football] coach. After this, I will [for real this time] take a break from John Grisham, at least for a bit. This one is short, 163 pages. Expect a quick update, since it shouldn't take long.



Other notes:
- Today marks 4 months without pop for me. I get cravings for it every few days or so, but I'm still going strong.
- Houston Rockets beat writer Jason Friedman replied to my email not long ago. Replied to one I sent him last fall, too. Yep, I'm pretty much best friends with a writer for an NBA team.
- Hoping to have a new phone within the next few weeks. As of now, leaning toward a Droid of some sort, but it would be hard to leave the life of a BlackBerry user behind. We'll see...

Keep reading,
Derrick

Reading, running, and rain.

Book update: Finished The Appeal today. I think from now on, I'll provide some info on each book I read. So for a New York Times book review for The Appeal, [click here].

Very good book, with a bit of scary realism as far as politics and the practice of law go. The ending was disappointing for me, but not enough so to ruin the story. [Unlike, say, Dear John].

That's now 3 books in 15 days. 954 total pages. My roll continues. In fact, my pace has increased. We'll see if that lasts.

Next selection: The Partner - John Grisham

This will be my 3rd Grisham novel in a row. At the moment, I'm thinking of taking a break from Grisham after this one, since a few of my other books of his are longer [longest one: 598 pages]. This one, 366 pages.


Other notes:
- Today, my first ever college crush got married. Congrats, Sarah!

I have one picture of Sarah and me, but it's about 6 years old, my hair was super long, and I looked really high [I wasn't]. So I won't be posting it. But still, I'm really very happy for her.

Now...can it be my turn yet? Please? Why not? *Sigh* But everyone else gets to go...[little kid voice].

- Perhaps the hardest run of my life this evening. Already on a sore knee, I was running through the rain [I love it], and mostly on dirt roads. The rain I was running in was manageable, but I didn't take into account how much it had already rained. For a one mile stretch, I was running in mud that came up past my ankles--that was messy. But there's nothing more liberating than a good, long run in the rain.

No one reads these things,
Derrick