DONE!

I had all these grand plans for going in-depth about one particular section of Catch-22 that caused me to break down into inconsolable weeping, but more on that later, because I actually manage to finish one of the ten or so books I've been trying to read simultaneously since this summer.

My future home.

I always have such an undeserved sense of accomplishment after I've finished a book. I mean, honestly, all it really says is that I've managed to sit still and run my eyes back and forth across a page for several hours. But lately college isn't giving me much to feel accomplished about, so I'll take every small victory I can get.

The book in question was the third in Clive Barker's Abarat series, which I may have mentioned in here before. It manages to combine an intriguing story and a frankly totally bitchin' fantasy world with absolutely gorgeous art. I can't even imagine the amount of effort that goes into each book since I'm pretty sure all the pictures are actually paintings (as in the images in the books were originally paintings, not Barker hand-paints each and every book). This particular installment, entitled Absolute Midnight, was a bit of a behemoth at 569 pages, but Barker knows how to move a story along pretty well, and most of my delay in finishing it was due to being distracted by other books. I don't want to say too much because the series really is worth reading for yourself if you're into the fantasy genre. Barker does a great job of creating genuinely likeable characters, and the world he's created for these books really is fantastic. The art does a great job of really pulling the reader into the story. And I love to look at pretty pictures anyway, so the story is almost just a bonus for me. I will say that I think the first book is probably still my favorite, but it's a good enough story that it deserves more than one book. I just hope it doesn't get dragged out too long, because I would really love to see some sort of conclusion.

I'll leave you with this instead of further plot summary.

Anyway, now I can get back to dividing most of my reading time between Catch-22 and The Border Trilogy. Or I would, if I hadn't accidentally bought a copy of Stephen Fry's new book. Plus I've still got MetaMaus and Best American Comics of 2011 sitting on my shelf. Oh dear.