Reading

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson -- Most of this stuff in this book I'm aware of. I know it sounds highly conceited to say this, but I've taken serious courses in physics, chemistry and biology. Still, I'm thoroughly enjoying thinking about everything -- life, cosmology, dinosaurs, inventions. This is a lucid account and the the extensive bibliography means that if I really want to get into a topic, I only have to look in the back.

Hermux Tantamoq mysteries by Michael Hoeye -- The first one, Time Stops for No Mouse, was an absolute delight. Hermux is a watchmaker who inadvertently falls in the middle of a mystery. The writing sparkles with wit and humor and the pacing is pitch perfect. I'm a wee bit disappointed in the later books. Too much going back and forth between the main characters. I like staying in one person's (or in this case, one mouse's) head for the whole story.

Which brings me to point-of-view or POV for short. I tend to prefer single POV stories. There are very few writers who do multiple viewpoints or omniscient well. Books that were good in multiple POV or omniscient that I've read in the past few months:

Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Flipped by Wendelin van Draanen
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsberg

What do you prefer to read and write? Single POV? Multiple POV? Omniscient?

*