Wouldn't you know it, Just this month I started reading (or rather listening to) the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (real name James Oliver Rigney Jr.), and he dies of a rare blood disease a couple of days ago.  Since the announcement, I've been reading other fan postings and news articles around the world, pondering the fact that the series I just started may never be finished.  He was working on the 12th and hopefully final book of the series when he died. 

 I'm in a quandary.  I have the last Harry Potter book on order, but I'm reluctant to read it.  The book is usually better than the movies, but in the case of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling has done such an excellent job of overseeing the production that the movies match the quality of the books.

Now I've read all the past books prior to seeing the movie version, but with the hints from J.K. Rowling that two characters will die and one will get a reprieve, I'm wondering if my enjoyment of the future two movies will be hampered by that fact.  I wish the movie release time-line had kept up with the book releases.

Fortunately the movie release of "The Order Of the Phoenix" is only 12 days away as of this writing and the last book due to be released on July 21st.  The movie may turn out to be better than the book.  "The Order Of the Phoenix" is my least favorite book of the series so far in that Harry Potter was such a whiney git as he experienced typical teenage angst.

Now if you haven't read the Half Blood Prince, stop reading further.    I'm sure I'll be giving some thought to the traitorous Professor Snipe and the death of Dumbledore as I watch the new release, but that will not even compare to what I'll be thinking watching the final two movies if one of the three protagonists (Harry, Ron, or Hermione) dies in the final book.

 I just finished reading "Animals in Translation" by Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson.  Temple Grandin is an animal behavior expert who specializes in humane slaughter systems, but don't let that specialization turn you away from the book.  Ms. Grandin has a unique insight into the way animals behave and think in that she is autistic and draws many parallels between autism and animal behavior.  The book covers the gamut from personal pets to domestic livestock as well as personal insights on her autism.  The book also touches on evolutionary brain development, examples of cognition in animals as well as issues related to selective pressures in pet and livestock breeding. I found it to be a thought provoking and stimulating book

 I just finished reading Chatter by Patrick Radden Keefe.  Chatter is an in-depth look at the U.S. intelligence gathering system known as Echelon.  Patrick has done a remarkable job in gathering information and presentation of the facts regarding the secretive world of SigInt (Signal Intelligence), where the only official responses range from silence to denial.   The book also points out that Echelon isn't just a U.S. system, but more than likely an unacknowledged agreement between the U.S., Britain, Canada, and Australia, where listening outposts are manned by cross-government teams and information is shared between the members of the agreement.  The book is an excellent read.

I read to my two little girls on a regular basis, hoping to instill in them the same love of books that I have.  I also happen to have a rather large commute time to work so I'm also a big fan of audiobooks.  With the new movie  "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" coming out, I've decided to give the series a try and (ahem) preview it for my kids.  For some reason, that's one series I never picked up as a kid, being far more into Sci-Fi than Fantasy.   So far, the series has been a pleasant distraction.