Packing

We're heading to my 10 year high school reunion shortly and I'm trying to figure out what to pack. Every time we go somewhere I tell myself I'm not going to bring half of my books with me again and every time, I end up bringing no less than 6 titles -- one for just about every genre I might possibly want to read.

You can imagine how overloaded the bags end up being with books. I'm a sad case of indecision and overstretched reading goals! I always say, worst case scenario I need one for the plane, one in case I finish that one -- I've been stuck with an 8 hour delay before and finished my book before we even boarded -- so then I need two more for the plan ride home. And then you figure I probably need two books for the actual days there.

Except that I never get anything read because I'm actually doing stuff! It's like I think I'm going to some remote island where I'll be lounging on a beach all by my lonesome (hm, doesn't sound bad). Instead I'm going to visit my family and hang out with my teenage sisters, who I haven't seen since Christmas. The only time I read is before I hit the sack at night.

So again I'm trying to prepare myself to limit the amount of books I bring and I think I'm already failing : )

One of the books that will definitely make it to the bag is Alex Bell's debut, The Ninth Circle. I'd heard about this one after watching an author video from Gollancz featuring some of their sci-fi and fantasy authors. Their a UK publisher and I was curious as to whether some of the authors were being published here in the States -- well, the female authors, cause the men actually are published here already.

Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though a US publisher has picked up Bell yet, but her books are available to order. And, Ninth Circle was reviewed in PW a couple of weeks ago, which of course prompted my spontaneous buy need, so I ordered it that day.

It arrived on Monday and I've been salivating over it since. Here's an excerpt of the description from Bell's official site:

A man comes round on the floor of a shabby flat in the middle of Budapest. His head is glued to the floorboards with his own blood. There’s a fortune in cash on the kitchen table. And he has no idea where, or who, he is...

Something dark and disturbing in Gabriel’s past is trying to resurface. And as he pieces the clues together and fumbles his way towards the truth, segments of his past begin to fall into a sinister shape and events around him become increasingly dangerous. Gabriel Antaeus has a question to answer: is it really better the devil you know?

You'll have to check here for more, but doesn't it sound utterly fantastic?! I'll be checking out some of the other authors as well, but I thought I'd tell you about this one for today.

Bell is described as a horror/fantasy author, a perfect combo in my reading world. Her second title, Jasmyn, is also on my To Buy list, but I'll have to control myself for a while. Till then, this one will be on the plane alongside me!

PS, don't you just adore the cover? I do.