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And that was just the start, too. Because the next section examined in loving detail just what this woman, this one of the city's fifteen Cassandras, would do for a buck. "Massage," "Sex," "S&M, "Anal." And coyly tucked in the middle of the list: "Kiss." I think it was that "Kiss" that broke my heart.

-- "Songs of Innnocence" by Richard Aleas

The weekend is going according to plan and is satisfying expectations. Yesterday, I finished part two of "What It Takes", which is about halfway into the narrative, leaving a little more than five hundred pages to go. I also finished a chapter of "Secular Age". I was feeling hungry for a novel, some hardboiled noir, and the weekend is a good time to break away and indulge.

I went with another Hard Case Crime book, Richard Aleas' "Songs of Innocence". Aleas wrote "Little Girl Lost", which I count as a rereadable that is almost on par with "Fade to Blonde". Aleas uses the same John Blake protagonist with that aww-shucks-reluctant-detective romanticism; it's a winning formula. Using whores as central characters cannot hurt.

The weather helps, too. The sun broke out early, breaking the little frigid spell we were in. I'm sure the cats appreciate it even more. I'm still not able to take my afternoon nap, but I'm still calling it a good day.

xXx