Most recent book thrown across the room

One of my reads lately was A Conspiracy of Tall Men by Noah Hawley. As some of you know, I love me a good conspiracy theory. This was a little bland, as these things go, but was gradually picking up.

• Strike one was the author deciding part way through to really pick it up with the literary thing. 
• Strike two was the author being lazy. The two sidekicks drive into a desert town beset by conspiracy bad guys, or so they believe. Just by accident they run into the one person who has the info useful to them, and in one huge bad conversation barfs it all out, even though he doesn't know them from Adam, has no reason to do so, and I suspect good reason not to.
• Strike three was shortly after that, when the conspiracy bad guys kidnap the sidekicks, chain them to some chairs in the back of a truck trailer, and prepare to torture them for information they know the two sidekicks don't have. That was enough for me, and back to the used book store it goes.

Once upon a time, if I started a book I finished it, even if I was cursing and swearing at the author along the way. Now I just stop. Life is too short to clutter up with characters or stories you don't care about. What really drove it home with strike two above is that I was working on my novel, with my protagonist learning about a deeper level of reality. It's quite interesting to structure a book so that things take place in the right order, and that characters meet up in a natural way. The drive in and meet the right guy in a breakfast cafe might as well have had an announcement, "Flight 6, Deus ex Machina airlines, arriving now, meet your party at the cafe with the bad coffee".

I'm still working on The Swerve: How the World became Modern, by Stephen Greenblatt. It's a bit heavy going in places, but thoughtful reading. I'm no scholar of the Middle Ages, and I'm no fan of the Catholic Church, but Greenblatt certainly takes an over the top approach to some aspects of it. I can appreciate that Greenblatt needs to place the original manuscript in it's time and place, and the copy he discovered in that time and place, in order to help the reader to properly understand the impact it had on the world. But good golly he sometimes takes the long way around the barn.

I'm not sure of my selection which will be next. I suppose I should round up our book club selection, since that isn't one of the assortment. Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon. I have no idea what it's about. In other news I finally got my ticket for When Words Collide. It should be fun and I'm looking forward to it.

Much of my weekend was spent sitting right here, writing. Lots happening. Visited friends for a BBQ. Lots of time working on the flower boxes. Linda moved a bunch more stuff in. I did some weeding, and spent some time hanging out in the patio. A three day weekend sure disappears quickly when you're having fun.

I was a bit sore after the bike ride Friday, and have had a couple good stretching sessions. Today I'm feeling much better, and am just about ready for another bike ride. Talisman still isn't open, and I'm missing my swim. There are other places that will accept a Talisman card, it's just that none of them are as convenient. 

There's a reason I'm showing you this photo. Look how much the siding on the house has faded compared to some left over siding that has been sitting in the garage out of the sun.

I set up a time lapse movie hoping to capture clouds rolling into form a thunderhead, but no such luck. Lots of interesting boiling and dissipating but it isn't that interesting. Oh well. You never know what you're going to get.