Back again.

Well, maybe this time I can keep up with this thing. Most times I wait to get here when I'm really peeved about something and that's pointless. No one wants to hear me bitch about stuff. Fact, no one probably wants to hear me at all, but that's okay. It's my blog and my one concession to the 'social networking' craze. Facebook and Myspace can both die in my opinion. Oh, not for the reasons most would like, just because I think the concept silly. Anyway.

I figured for now I can talk about the one thing I know well, books. My passion besides all things geek. I love the smell of a room full of books almost more than anything else. Maybe I'm so used to the sterile tech world that old books keeps me grounded. Who knows. Bottom line is, I read constantly. If I'm not reading, I'm sleeping usually. I do watch some TV occasionally, thank god Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters and Doctor Who, but mostly it's books. All kinds. Well, romance novels all suck. But that's just me.

So, I just finished this great series by Harry Turledove. It starts with 'How Few Remain' and ends with 'In At the Death'. It's actually a series of series and I don't think the entire collection has one collective title. However, that's not the point. That is the fact that this was one of the best alternate history series I've ever seen, much less read. Consider this: The South (that's me and MY people!) win the Civil War. Simple enough premise, been done dozens of times with 'what ifs' about Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg and this, that and the other. But what happens after the war's over? Turtledove comes to some pretty plausible conclusions. I won't give away the plot, it's too much fun to read, but let's just say even I was shocked at how convincing (and obvious NOW) our past might have looked. I spent the better part of my adult life anxiously awaiting and reading these books. They are so well constructed and the characters so 'human' that at each turn you really are invested in their lives. When I finished 'In At the Death' last week I sat for a good hour and reflected on the series and how I will miss the characters I've spent a good amount of time reading about.

I've read a lot of books in my day (easily 10,000 and have 5,000 of them at home) and the times I've sat and felt like I lost a very good friend I can count on one hand. I was blown away by the entire series and in most cases my wife would have to scream bloody murder at me to get me to take out the trash while I was reading the latest one.

Mr. Turtledove, I applaud your tremendous series and I hope for several more from you real soon.

Tomorrow, I will probably talk more about the newest series I'm reading, 'The Saga of Seven Suns' by Kevin J. Anderson.