It Must Be Getting Warmer
My level of discipline has suddenly plummeted.
Rather than writing poetry on the bus, I’m obsessively completing crossword puzzles. (I bought a book of 500 at the campus bookstore on my Monday.) I can see black and white little boxes in my sleep. I keep itching to do another, as soon as I finish one. I think they could be habit forming.
Of course, I’m also spending more time outside, taking walks and playing catch or frisbee with my husband. When I’m inside, I’m watching TV or watching more TV. So You Think You Can Dance has a two hour premiere tonight, which is practically a holiday in our house.
And my reading habits have changed. In the past three weeks, I’ve read two different mysteries. The first, admittedly, was an assignment for writing a review for the Uptown Neighborhood News. But it whetted my appetite for more mysteries! Unfortunately (or fortunately for my review) the first was way better than the second.
I would highly recommend State of the Onion (325 pages) by Julie Hyzy, especially if you like female protaganists in your mysteries. The second, Simple Genius (420 pages) by David Baldacci is kind of cruddy. That’s the technical literary term. The story is good, but the prose and dialogue is so wooden that I felt dirty for reading it.
Despite these mixed results, I still want to read more mysteries. So, if you have any recommendations for mystery authors that can write well, let me know! I think I need to make peace with my tendencies towards frivolity, at least for the summer.
Total For 2008: 3801 pages
Genres: Memoir (3), Essay (1), Graphic Novel (1), Non-Fiction (3), Poetry (4), Comic Book Anthology (1), Novel (2)
9to5poet
Hi J,
I’ve been on a reading binge for almost two months. I primarily read women leads by women authors. A friend of mine has recommended #1 Ladies Detective by Alexander McCall Smith. The lead character is a private woman detective in Botswana. The series has been on my tbr list for a while and because it comes highly recommended, I’m going to overlook the author is a guy.
Would love to talk about books with you. Have you ever looked at Shelfari? You can view my bookshelf there from my blog. Hope all is well.
Susan
Hey Jessica, have you read Killer Stuff, Dead Guy’s Stuff, The Wrong Stuff, Buried Stuff, and Hollywood Stuff all by Sharon Fiffer?
Dead Guy’s Stuff and Buried Stuff are my favorites. Plus if you get hooked, there will be another one coming out…
Not that I’m biased or anything, but they’re really good.
I have the same discipline problem, and I really need some right now. This is and interesting summer mystery, Last Call
by James Grippando.
I’m with Susan. The #1 Ladies Detective Agency and the series of books following it are wonderfully written! I’ve read them all except the last one that has just come out and I’m looking for it.
Some of my favourites:
Dorothy Sayers, especially Strong Poison and Gaudy Night (she was a contemporary of J.R.R.Tolkien)
Mary Stewart, especially Gabriel Hounds, This Rough Magic and The Airs Above the Ground
P.D.James
Patricia Wentworth (lighter, airplane reading, but still good writing)
Ellis Peters