update...

I finished Sarah Dunant's Birth of Venus last night, and I haven't enjoyed reading a book so much in a while. Great story, good writing, compelling and likeable (or compellingly unlikeable) characters. There were some mildly unbelievable bits but for the most part, it was very aware of the times in which it is set (Savonarola's Florence - a period of history that does especially interest me) and that worked for its believability.
I remember, about a year ago, waiting for the infernal elevator in Pitt's IS building and watching a woman with her nose in a book walk smack into the UPS box. She was reading Birth of Venus. As good a book recommendation as any, I think. I filed the title away and finally picked it up last weekend. I'm not sorry.

I also wrapped up Minette Walters' Disordered Minds which was pretty much a redux of her earlier novels. Disappointing. I expect more from Walters, who is usually clever and psychologically complex. It probably suffered from being read on the heels of Denise Mina's Deception, however.

I dropped The House of Dies Drear. It's a YA novel, so my expectations were (perhaps unfairly) not as high, but I still wanted it to be more believable.

What's up next? The family St Pat's party this weekend, and then I can worry about what to read. Probably April Fool's Day. (The pressure to read a book increases when a friend gives it to you - in this case, a friend who was a teacher of mine in junior high. At least I don't have to write a book report on it. Do I?)