Believe it or not, I'm slowing down some on the reading. The last couple of days I haven't felt much like doing anything except lying in a dark room. I guess maybe because I'm desperate for sleep and desperately hoping to be somewhat rested before labour starts.

I did finally manage to finish book thirty three. I had a hankering for some Stephen Lawhead. Funnily enough, I've been wanting to read his book Patrick for quite some time. Several months ago I discovered it on our bookshelves and decided that since we owned the book, it only made sense that I must have read it. And so I never even picked it up. When I decided a few days ago that I felt like reading something by Lawhead, I did finally have a look at it. Glancing through the first few pages I really couldn't remember having read the book. So I decided that either I had read it but enough time had passed that it would be like reading it again for the first time, or else something very bizarre must have happened that we owned the book and I hadn't read it.

Turns out I bought it as a stocking stuffer for Andrew and graciously decided not to read it until he had...and then promptly forgot ever buying it. Yikes. Pregnant brain gets me BAD.

Lawhead tends to follow a set pattern in his books. Young, headstrong youth with oodles of potential is kidnapped by barbarians. Becomes slave. Meets the Cele De, and is obviously destined for great things within their group. Something happens and he is enslaved by Moors/Romans/vikings Many people die and he loses faith in God and humanity. He reaches bottom and cries out to God. Becomes priest/missionary/monk/saint. Despite this, he is an amazing story teller, and his books make me long to visit Ireland, Norway/Denmark, Italy, Byzantium (funnily enough, my mum just got some brochures on cruises that visit all of these areas. I'm so dying to go!)

Until this point, Byzantium had been my favorite book by Lawhead. I think Patrick has just equalled it in my estimation. Looking forward to his new trilogy which is coming out soon.

As a point of interest, Stephen Lawhead is most famous for his Arthur/Merlin series. I've tried reading several books on the whole Arthurian legend. For my taste, Lawheads stories were definitely the most readable.