Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Reading List

Time for another installment of What I've Been Reading:

High Heels are Murder by Elaine Viets: This installment of the Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper series really made me laugh! Recommend it! These are cute books.

The Order of Things by Lynne Hinton: A depressed librarian and a prison inmate end up next door to each other at a mental facility and spend the night talking through an air vent. I had trouble getting through it. Others say it's, "pitch-perfect, endearing and above all entertaining." --shrug--


Thanks for the Memories
by Cecelia Ahern: One of my very first blog posts was about a Cecelia Ahern book! A common thread in her books is an element of whimsy. She asks you to believe something completely impossible...and you do! I tore through this one in two nights. (I thought the gallery of book covers at her site was pretty neat!)





The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz: Imagine something like the Royal Tennenbaums as private investigators. A different kind of mystery book, trust me! Lisa's "unprofessional advice" column at Ask Lutz is a fun read as well.

Secrets to Happiness
by Sarah Dunn: Okay, I was sucked in by the cute doggy on the cover. The book itself didn't blow me away. I liked parts of it, but it didn't flow for me.


Journey to the South: a Calabrian Homecoming
by Annie Hawes: An account of her first trip to southern Italy to meet her fiance's family. Great descriptions and characterizations--made me feel like I was along for the ride.







Tea Time for the Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith: What can I say? I love this series for its simplicity and its optimism. If you're not familiar with McCall Smith, give his site a visit. It's well done, and the music makes me happy!

Chill Factor by Sandra Brown: Yeah, yeah, trashy stuff. Not a whole lot of subtlety here, but perfect for reading at the gym!


A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg: This is a book which grew out of a cooking blog called Orangette. Well, to call it a cooking blog isn't completely accurate, because the recipes are embedded in reflections and recollections which are lovely to read. Even if you can't boil an egg (that would be me), you'll be mesmerized by this book.

2 comments:

Diane said...

Thanks for alerting me to the Alexander McCall Smith. I managed to request it as number 91 on the list. Not too bad since there are 48 copies in the system which covers pretty much all of the RI public libraries. I know that some people find his depiction of the people of Botswana condescending but I think he admires them and at worst oversimplifies. Do you read his other series?

Darling Petunia said...

Diane, I've read other AMS, yes, with mixed results. Love the 44 Scotland Street books; can't get into the Isabel Dalhousie books.

It's never crossed my mind that the No. 1 books could be condescending. I think the characters are way more evolved than most people I know!