Humor, Writing, and Reading

Yesterday I was seriously under the weather, so I didn't post the review I had intended to, my apologies…

I also didn't write today's post at Mad Genius Club, that would be my First Reader, who brought his wit and humor to the topic of… humor in writing.

The spark for that came partly from this article, which while it isn't about humor, employs it powerfully in discussion of what publishing really is. Did Mark Twain really write books?

Finally, yesterday, while I was sick, I couldn't sleep, so I did what I always do to escape from the pain of our world: moved into alternate universes for a while, in the form of books. I read Nocturnal Serenade, and Nocturnal Haunts, both excellent paranormal police procedural works by Amanda Green. Only problem with them is that now I have to wait for the next one in the series!

I read The Western Front (part 1) by Archer Garrett, who may be the closest thing to a successor to Tom Clancy I have read yet. He is bringing plots together like weaving a tapestry, just like Clancy does in many of his earlier (and better) books. Sadly, this was only the teaser for the rest of the book. I dislike this new style of writing only part of the story, then stopping so the reader will buy more. Part 1 was free, but I will look closely before I buy another one by him to make sure it is a complete story arc.

I was also reading *mumble* which is like bon-bons for the brain, and I'm not going to admit to in public! The book I was reading in the evening, and had to make myself put down once I was finally able to sleep (but, but, one more chapter!) was Sharper Security by Thomas Sewell. Near-Future thriller, action, it was amusing and makes me want to find out more about this world he's speculating on.