So now I'm definitely up to date with Harlan Coben, having finished the final in the Myron Bolitar series. Now I'm waiting for the paperback of Gone for Good. The Church of Dead Girls (by Stephen Dobyns) is great. I was expecting a typical gross thriller, but it's brilliantly written, sad and suspenseful without resorting to blood and gore. The two Irish books I'm currently reading are excellent too. Lamb by Bernard MacLaverty, another writer I have yet to be disappointed by, and Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams. I think I'm going to give up on Strangewood by Christopher Golden. It's not a very bad book, but it's not enough to hold my interest right now. I'm also reading Crooked by Louisa Luna, which reminds me of Right Man for the Job by Mike Magnuson. Both are harsh and human stories, set amongst po' folk in San Fransisco and Columbus respectively. I've been listening to the fascinating memoirs of Robert Evans - The Kid Stays in the Picture - and to Dean Koontz's Mr. Murder. I'd forgotten his suspenseful his books can be. If you ever get a chance to hear Dark Rivers of the Heart, or Intensity, don't pass it up! I'm sure reading them can be enjoyable too, though I've found it difficult in the past to get through some of Koontz's books.

Anyway, moving on to movies, we watched Life or Something like it, and Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, both of which were disappointing, though the latter prompted me to order the soundtrack during a recent BMG sale. It features Macy Gray singing a Billie Holday song rather well. Did anyone see Ms Gray on Mds last night? One of the more bizarre guest appearences I've seen. On TV, I've been enjoying The Sopranos and South Park. I had been watching Felicity reruns, but am now caught up to the episodes I saw when they ran originally. I'm kind of relieved not to have the 7-8 time slot filled every day! Maybe I'll get some more reading done. I've been enjoying reading and music so much recently and TV so little.

Music... listening to the verve collection 'A Jazz Romance' and to a jazz christmas compilation called 'Yule Struttin.' Also been listening to Miles Davis and the soundtrack to Sweet & Lowdown. And here are the track listings to the themed mix tapes I've been obsessively compiling recently:

People

Victoria - John Mayer
Ben’s Song - Sarah McLachlan
Luka - Suzanne Vega
Nikka Who? - Nikka Costa
Fred Astaire - Dayna Kurtz
Ariel’s Song - Stoa
Tango Maureen - Cast of ‘Rent’
I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen- Elvis Presley
Danny Boy -Elvis Presley
Kathy’s Song - Eva Cassidy
Hey Joni - Spek
Lissa -Craig Armstrong
Laura’s Theme - Craig Armstrong
Adonic Angela - Willem Dafoe

B

Ben & Sera - Mike Figgis
Max & Karen - Mike Figgis
Meet Virginia - Train
My Michelle - Guns n Roses
Little James - Oasis
Polly - Nirvana
Clementine - Mark Owen
C’mon Billy - PJ Harvey
Carmella - Beth Orton
William & Davy - Kate Rusby
Kitty’s Waltz - Elliot Goldenthal
Santiago’s Waltz - Elliot Goldenthal
Christina Eliza Waltz - Patrick Doyle
Lolita - Ennio Morricone
Grace - Ennio Morricone








People Too

Buddha For Mary - 30 Seconds to Mars
Mary - Sarah McLachlan
Proud Mary- Maura Carey & Bruce Lash
Mary - Tori Amos
Mary-Jane - Alanis Morrissette
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
Amie - Damien Rice
Mulder & Scully - Catatonia
Muhammad Ali - Faithless
Lullaby for Cain - Sinead O’Connor
Dianne & Camilla - Angelo Badalamenti


B

Laura Palmer’s Theme - Angelo Badalamenti
Arthur’s Theme - Christopher Cross
Open the Door, Richard - Jack McVea
I Wanna Be your Joey Ramone - Sleater-Kinney
Joey -Concrete Blonde
Nicole - Ash
Hailies Song - Eminem
Oh Marie - Sheryl Crow
Miss Kathleen - Fisher
Ophelia - Natalie Merchant
Danny Boy - Diana Krall
Theme from ‘JFK’ - John Williams



Time


A Week in January - Seamus Egan
February 1994 - Fisher
Blues March - Art Blakey
April in Paris -Count Basie
Wish I May - Ani DiFranco
4th of July - Aimee Mann
Cold Day in July - Dixie Chicks
Come September - Natalie Imbruglia
Pale September -Fiona Apple
October Swimmer - JJ72


B

Air of December - Eddie Brickell
A Long December - Counting Crows
Stay Another Season - The Avalanches
Summer Son - Texas
Fall - Victoria
Your Winter - Sister Hazel
Sunday, Bloody Sunday - U2
Monday, Monday -Mamas and Papas
On a Tuesday - Linoleum
Wednesday - Tori Amos
Precious Time - Van Morrison




Places


Drinking in LA - Bran Van 3000
Leaving Las Vegas - Sheryl Crow
Carolina - Sheryl Crow
San Andreas Fault - Natalie Merchant
Maryland - Vonda Sheperd
Baltimore, You’re Home To Me- Dave Hardin
New York, New York - Ryan Adams
Arlington Girl - Shivaree
Detroit Rock City - Kiss
California Dreaming - Mamas & Papas
Metarie - Brendan Benson
LA Song - Beth Hart
New Orleans - Elvis Presley
Buenos Aries - Madonna
Summer in Siam - The Pogues
N17 - The Saw Doctors
Dublin - The Chieftains
Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day - Morcheeba
Waltz in the 4th Dimension - Michael Andrews