You're Ruining My Life, Charlie Huston

It all started so harmlessly...

A few weeks ago, Daphne suggested I stray from my nonfiction comfort zone and check out Pulp writer Charlie Huston.  Crime thrillers have never been my cup o' tea, but I recently read (and loved) John Connolly's The Reapers, so I figured I'd give Huston a shot.  She lent me a copy of Caught Stealing and that was that. 

Or so I thought.

Less than a month later, I've come to the realization that I'm now a Charlie Huston addict.  Not just because I've torn through the entire Hank Thompson trilogy (Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things, A Dangerous Man) AND the stand-alone The Shotgun Rule, but because of the crazed way I devoured each title.

The need to satisfy my Huston fix gave birth to duplicitous behavior, as I literally couldn't put these books down.  Their action-packed narratives made it impossible to find a stopping point, as Huston refuses to ease off the gas until the final page has turned. 

As a result, here's just a sampling of what I've resorted to over the past week alone thanks to Charlie Huston: 

• Reading in our dark garage after telling my wife I was fixing a broken lawnmower
• "Accidentally" taking the wrong bus home so that I could sneak in a few more chapters with a longer commute
• Faking a stomachache in order to crash on the couch with Six Bad Things
• Downing four-shot lattes each morning to compensate for a late night spent reading

And I'm not even bringing up the planned-but-not-executed "I'm going for a jog" scheme.

Thankfully, I've broken this vicious cycle and am back on track with a fantastic bio on Roald Dahl, but that doesn't stop me from sneaking glances at the copy of Already Dead on my bookshelf.

Maybe just one chapter before calling it a night tonight?

*Sigh*

--Dave

Comments

[Paul Sparks on July 09, 2008 at 08:29 PM]

He started ruining my life awhile ago. I began with Already Dead. And now Caught Stealing is on my shelf. The good thing is you burn through them so quickly, you can get back to your life.

[Paul Sparks on July 09, 2008 at 08:30 PM]

He started ruining my life awhile ago. I began with Already Dead. And now Caught Stealing is on my shelf. The good thing is you burn through them so quickly, you can get back to your life.

[Paul Sparks on July 09, 2008 at 08:30 PM]

He started ruining my life awhile ago. I began with Already Dead. And now Caught Stealing is on my shelf. The good thing is you burn through them so quickly, you can get back to your life.