A bit of a reading slump.

I'm in one.  Mostly because I've recently become addicted to Xenosaga II.  I have a couple of books going at the moment, but even though I'm really enjoying both of them, neither of them is going particularly quickly.  My "walk to work" book is Strega, the second of Andrew Vachss' Burke novels.  (While you're walking, it's easier to read Vachss than Fitzgerald).  I came across this bit today:

The "third shift" means eleven at night to seven in the morning, just like it is in prison.  When you're doing time, you learn that each shift has its own personality.  The first shift, the joint is on its best behavior; that's when the visitors are allowed in and that's the only time the Parole Board comes around.  The jerkoff therapists and counselors and religious nuts all make their appearances on the first shift too. The second shift is where you settle all your disputes, if you're serious about them.  Prison fights only last a few seconds--someone dies and someone walks away.  If the guy you stab lives, he's entitled to a rematch.  And the third shift is where you check out of the hotel if you can't stand the room--that's where the young ones hang up in their cells.  Prison's just like the free world: bullshit, violence, and death--only in prison it's on a tighter schedule.

He's so fabulous.  Obviously, this book should not be confused with the Tomie dePaola.  I have a short vacation coming up at the end of the week (four days) so I'll get a lot of reading done then.