All That Sparkles: Hallelujah.

November 20, 2008

Hallelujah.

Congress extends jobless benefits, stocks sink
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 27 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Jarred by new jobless alarms, Congress raced to approve legislation Thursday to keep unemployment checks flowing through the December holidays and into the new year for a million or more laid-off Americans whose benefits are running out.

The economic picture was only getting worse, if Wall Street was any indication. The Dow Jones industrials dropped more than 400 points for a second straight day, reaching the lowest level in more than five years, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index fell below lows established six years ago.

The Senate's vote followed Thursday's government report that laid-off workers' new claims for jobless aid had reached a 16-year high and the number of Americans searching for work had surged past 10 million.

The White House, which had opposed broader legislation containing the benefits extension, urged passage of the new version and said President George W. Bush would quickly sign it.

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Reading List

Karen Miller: The Innocent Mage (Kingmaker, Kingbreaker)
Very fun. I did not guess the direction the story took me, and that is exciting for an English major (who can generally figure out the end of books or movies). I can't wait to buy book II: Awakened Mage.
George Orwell: 1984 (Signet Classics)
Prescient.--"It was possible, no doubt, to imagine a society in which wealth, in the sense of personal possessions and luxuries, should be evenly distributed, while power remained in the hands of a small privileged caste." --Sound familiar?
Julie Powell: Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously
Hysterical. Often profane and foul, sometimes disgusting (kidneys?), the closer to the end the book came, the more anxious and nervous the author made me with her constant freaking out. Unfortunately I can relate. But that's what vodka's for, n'cest pas? Looking foward to the movie with Meryl Streep as Julia Child.
Jeffery Deaver: The Broken Window: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel (Lincoln Rhyme Novels)
Deaver's mysterious are so intricately plotted that they leave me breathless and craving more. This was no exception. Quite the wild ride!
Kim Harrison: White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows, Book 7)
I've read more than one bad review on Amazon regarding this book, and I'm not sure what everyone was complaining about. This book is for sheer relaxation/entertainment purposes. Harrison delivers. I love the world and characters she's created and wish I could visit a place where vampires, witches, pixies, fairies, etc., co-exist with humans. Fortunately I can in this series. My one complaint? The heroine keeps digging herself into a bigger and bigger hole. Not sure where the author is going with this, but hey, it's not rocket science, just for fun. I'll be reading the next book when it comes out.
S. M. Stirling: Conquistador: A Novel of Alternate History
Stirling's alternative history time/travel/portals stories are always engaging and well-conceived. This one, however, is uber-heavy on the military stuff and less on character development and plot. Not bad, not my fave.
Dana Stabenow: Whisper to the Blood: A Kate Shugak Novel (Kate Shugak Novels)
I adore Kate Shugak. So nice to visit with an old friend, like a comfortable pair of shoes. Keep 'em coming, Dana. ;-)
Brandon Sanderson: The Hero of Ages: Book Three of Mistborn
Extremely dense. Very intricate. Philosophical. And unnecessarily long. It felt like he took forever to get to the point. Eh.
John Sandford: Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport)
Always entertaining, even though I guessed the killer and then thought, "nah, that's too obvious," but it wasn't. I just like Sandford's Davenport character. Lot's of fun.
Markus Zusak: The Book Thief
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Brandon Sanderson: The Well of Ascension (Mistborn, Book 2)
Sure there's magic and super-powers, evil kings and monsters, but most of all there is politics, lots and lots of plotting, intrigue, and double-crossing. Excellent. I've already ordered Book III, Hero of the Ages, from Amazon.
Brandon Sanderson: The Final Empire (Mistborn, Book 1)
Incredible. Sanderson answers the question, "what if the good guy lost?" in this tale, and it is brilliant. The cosmology S. created is fascinating and fully formed. I've already moved on to book II. Big thumbs up.
Kelley Armstrong: Made to Be Broken (Nadia Stafford, Book 2)
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Gordon Dahlquist: The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, Volume One
This is a truly strange novel. I had no idea what was going on until about page 100. By the end of this volume I had slight empathy for only one of the characters. It's just...weird. Despite that, I was intrigued enough to continue to Volume II, someday.
Harlan Coben: The Woods
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Diane Setterfield: The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel
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Alexander McCall Smith: The Miracle at Speedy Motors
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Patrick Rothfuss: The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, Day One) (Kingkiller Chronicles)
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Brandon Sanderson: Elantris
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John Hart: Down River
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Stephenie Meyer: The Host: A Novel
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Jim Butcher: Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, Book 1)
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S.M. Stirling: The Scourge of God: A Novel of the Change (Change Series)
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Kelley Armstrong: Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld, Book 9)
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S.M. Stirling: The Sunrise Lands: A Novel of the Change (Change Series)
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Stephenie Meyer: Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, Book 3)
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Stephenie Meyer: New Moon (The Twilight Saga, Book 2)
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Stephenie Meyer: Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
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S. M. Stirling: On the Oceans of Eternity
Barack Obama: Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance
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S. M. Stirling: Against the Tide of Years
S. M. Stirling: Island in the Sea of Time
S.M. Stirling: A Meeting at Corvallis: A Novel of the Change (Dies the Fire)
Kate DiCamillo: The Tale of Desperaux
Jonathan Stroud: Ptolemy's Gate (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 3)
Jonathan Stroud: The Golem's Eye (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 2)
Jonathan Stroud: The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1)
S.M. Stirling: The Protector's War: A Novel of the Change (Protector)
Sherrilyn Kenyon: Dark Side of the Moon (A Dark-Hunter Novel, Book 10)
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Stephen King: Duma Key: A Novel
S.M. Stirling: Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change
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S.M. Stirling: The Sunrise Lands: A Novel of the Change (Change Series)
John Sandford: Heat Lightning (Virgil Flowers)
David Baldacci: The Camel Club
Dean Koontz: The Darkest Evening of the Year
Jim Butcher: Small Favor (The Dresden Files, Book 10)
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