The Gargoyle Got My Tongue

The thing is, when you have a kid, your freedom is severely truncated. When you have two kids, you realize just how much freedom you had when you only had one. There simply isn't enough time in the day. Something's gotta give.

I have very little free time without a baby in my lap or a preschooler shouting (happily) in my ear, and I've found that when I do have free time, I have to make a choice. Do I want to read blogs? Or write in my own? Do I want to clean the house (ha, ha)? Do I want to have a nap? Do I want to write that post for Playdate? It's due Thursday. Oh, and I'm going away for two weeks, and I really should figure out what I need to pack.

So, I apologize for not visiting your blogs lately, and I haven't had much time to write anything of interest (with the exception, perhaps, of my posts at Playdate). You may have been under the impression that I'd already gone on my vacation, but we don't leave until Sunday. What I have been doing with my spare time is reading The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson. You'll remember that everyone attending the BFF was given a free copy thanks to Random House?

Well, I had to finish reading Twilight, but I knew that it was next on my list. A book like that generally pushes through to the top of the pile because it hits all my "must-read" buttons. Historical Romance? Check. Hero overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds? Check. Artist exemplifying their process? Check. Medieval religion? Check. Cool cover art? Check - I absolutely judge a book by it's cover. Great title? Check. I mean, c'mon, "gargoyle" is just a fun word. Not one that you get to use much in daily conversations, either. (Honey, could you take the gargoyle to the curb for me? Who left their dirty socks on the gargoyle? Does anyone know how to take a stain out of a gargoyle?)

Apparently, it's being met with mixed reviews. Some people have suggested that the writing is clumsy, and the author is trying to do too much. Maybe. Fact is, I kind of like that about it. It's the author's debut and he's trying to find out what he's all about. It's not going to be perfect, and nor should it have to be. There were a couple awkward parts, like the "trippy" through the Inferno that I didn't think quite hit the mark. But, there were some brilliant bits too, like the romantic fables from around the world.

Me, I like reading stuff from authors who haven't "made it" yet. It's refreshing. Kind of like watching Brad Pitt in Thelma and Louise - you didn't know who that hot guy was, but you could put money on the fact that he had a future in showbiz. Anyways, I'm not a literary critic, and I don't pretend to be one. I have read a lot of books though, and I know what I like and what I don't like.

I used all my non-existent free time to read this book. Instead of checking emails. Instead of blogging. Instead of napping for God's sake. Every free moment that I had, I used to read this book in (for me, right now) record time. When I wasn't reading the book, I often thought about it. When I wasn't reading the book, I was trying to find time when I could read it. I'm not saying it was the best written book I ever read. It wasn't. I'm not saying everyone would like it. They might not. But I had a really, really hard time putting it down. My absence in the blogosphere (and my dirty house) will attest to that.