My favorite new author, Stephenie Meyer

It's Sunday evening and I've just finished reading Stephenie Meyer's newest book, Host. I've been on quite a reading jag lately, probably mostly trying to escape from the noise and confusion in my own head, and Mrs. Meyer has featured prominently in this.

Two weeks ago, I decided to catch up with what my daughter was reading. She had just finished Twilight, so I picked it up. That was Thursday night. By Friday morning I was completely engrossed in the story. I finished the story Saturday morning, and was reading the included prelude to the sequel, New Moon, when Bailey called to tell me she had just bought a copy of it at the garage sale she was working. She brought it home and I inhaled it, reading it Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Monday morning we had a minor crisis, Bailey had misplaced a book she needed for school. We had been going through a rough patch, so I let her off the hook and took her to buy another copy of the book before school. While I was at the local Barnes & Noble, I picked up a copy of the third book in the series, Eclipse, wanting to find out what would happen to Bella.

I was disappointed that we don't really know Bella's fate yet, but excited to see that Stephenie has written a more adult book. Looking around her web site for news about Host, I found she's going to be here in San Diego this week. Last Friday I escaped from work in time to drive to Warwick's in La Jolla and pick up two copies of Host and two tickets to the book signing.

So now it's Sunday night and I've finished Host and am once again in a book hangover. This book was as quick a read as the Twilight series, but the adult characters have more complex and nuanced lives. Her character development is as good as I've ever read, her characters are fully formed, even the less likable ones. The story line in Host is a good, simple science fiction theme, set in contemporary time and on familiar (to me) territory.

At times the story seemed almost familiar; Stephenie lists Orson Scott Card as one of her major influences and I see echoes of his writing in this plot. That's quite alright with me, I've always enjoyed his writing, and his book The Folk of the Fringe had quite an effect on me earlier in my life.

It's getting late and I have an early call tomorrow, I'd better sign off. I'll write more about favorite books and literary influences, I just needed to shout out about this fine new author sooner rather than later.