Happy & Optimistic [Alternate Take] - Updated
or Bookmania!

Having forced my musical opinions on all of you only a couples weeks ago, I decided that I may as well continue the abuse and mention (as briefly as possible) which books I am looking forward to in this year 2005.

~ Robert Jordan has taken a lot of shit for the slow pace of the last four Wheel of Time books, but for fans like myself who are willing to forgive all of his faults just so we can make it to the Last Battle, the anticipation over 2005's release (Knife of Dreams) is building steadily. No official month of release yet, although Tor's website promises "early 2005." Yeah, I'll believe it when I'm holding it in my two hands.

~ Just a few days ago, the official release date for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was announced - July 16th. Very few details have been released as of yet, other than the teaser that the opening chapter of HPatHBP has been brewing in the author's head for fifteen years or so. Sounds like a marketing ploy to me...

~ August should give us the third and final book in the latest Shannara series, Straken. Admittedly, Brooks' books are starting to blur a little in my head, but having come this far in the trilogy, I have to find out what happens to these characters. More news about his latest idea for a Shannara series on his website at www.terrybrooks.net .

~Chainfire, the first of the last three novels in the Sword of Truth series, is out right now! It was released on January 4th - which I learned on the night of the 3rd. Yet I still managed to get an autographed first edition (red ink). Nice.