Curl Up With a Book Sunday

This week's book is a bit of a deviation for me. Actually, it is more like a trip down memory lane. This one is similar to the books I read for fun when I was in college (when I didn't have my head stuck in a textbook). I belong to a book club at my work and one of the best things that we do for each other is to introduce one another to books that we would never discover without a guide. Each year we have two meetings where we do not discuss just one single book. During one of those meetings, we share what books we are reading now and at the other we share our list of books that we want to read (or a small sample from our ever-expanding list).

At one of our sharing meetings, one of the members brought the first book from The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, Storm Front. I was intrigued, so I looked at it the next time I was in a bookstore. The back further intrested me, so I brought a copy home with me. The series is centered on Harry Dresden. Harry is a wizard. No, not like that other Harry. This wizard is no schoolboy. Dresden has the regular difficulties of a working Joe, but his are compounded by technology that shorts out whenever he is around, a wizard parole officer who dogs his every move, and a demon who is killing people with incredibly powerful magic. This is just the sort of quirky detective-meets-supernatural book that I used to love and am happy to rediscover. Storm Front is Jim Butcher's first novel and I see real promise here. There are some rough edges, but that is expected in this genre and doesn't really detract from the story. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the book and would have been finished by now if other things hadn't come in the way (work, knitting, stuff). It is a quick and enjoyable read. There is some blood, but Butcher doesn't dwell on gore. For that I thank him.

This is just the first of a series that is about to see its tenth entry and I can see why. Wizards, vampires, and a down-on-his-luck wizard detective may interest everyone, but I see more of these books in my future. No, Harry isn't Dirk Gently, but I'll take him for what he is.