An encounter with an annoying noun

I had picked up a couple of "regular" fiction books at the public library, and thought I would read one of them in between some mysteries.

The first one I picked up off the pile was Susan Kelly’s The Last of Something. It’s a fairly typical plot: four old friends, now married, with various levels of successes and problems in their lives, are getting together for their annual reunion. It’s the first time in several years all of them can attend. Early on, as we’re getting to know the players, the narrator notes that “I’ve a prescience of loss” (3). I wasn’t sure which bugged me more: the use of “I’ve” or the use of “prescience.” I wasn’t being grabbed by the narrator anyway, so I put it in my return to library tote bag.

I then grabbed Hilma Wolitzer’s Summer Reading. It’s the other typical plot of women’s fiction: a group of women from different backgrounds are brought together, in this case for a book club. Someone on one of my mysteryfiction online groups had tried to read it but dismissed it as too “highbrow” (the book club’s first read is Madame Bovary). I got toward the end of the first chapter, wasn’t sure I cared for the narrator, but was willing to go on, when I became quite annoyed upon reading the last sentence, in which the narrator notes feeling “a shivery thrill of prescience” (10).

Close book gently. Look for the back to the library tote bag. Insert bag into tote. Go grab another book off the shelf.

Although I had more than a prescient feeling that these two books weren’t for me, I feel so incredibly grateful that I was able to find them at public libraries. I’ve been a fan of libraries since I was quite young, and I don’t know how I would be able to survive financially without being able to score most of my reading material from libraries. I feel really sorry for people who don’t have good access to libraries (or access to good libraries).

July booklist

Louise Perry, A Fatal Grace
#2 in the series set in Montreal, liked the first one a bit better, but very well done.

Maggie Sefton, A Killer Stitch
Latest in the Kelly Flynn series; she solves another mystery connected to the yarn store clientele. Great cliffhanger for the next one, too.

Kate Wilhelm, Sleight of Hand
Most recent Barbara Holloway, another excellent one in this series. Barbara defends an old friend of her father's who is accused of theft, then murder.

Maeve Binchy, Whitethorn Woods
I love Maeve Binchy. This was a really good one, with lots of characters and stories set in a town with a shrine that people visit, hoping for miracles. The multitude of voices made me think of some of her older books that I love, like Evening Class.

Edna Buchanan, Love Kills
Britt Montero and the Cold Case Squad are both featured in this one.

Rob Sheffield, Love is a Mix Tape
See post below. Excellent book.

J.A. Konrath, Rusty Nail
#3 in the Jacqueline Daniels series. I like the humor, but man, he writes the creepiest villains. This one was really over the top, and I had to skim a lot in the last one!

Connie Willis, Bellwether
Willis is mostly known as a sci fi writer, but this one wasn't. A funny story of a woman who researches trends and fads, deals with crazy co-workers, and finds true love. Each chapter begins with a fun little blurb about a real fad.

John Sandford, Invisible Prey
Latest Lucas Davenport, always enjoyable

Earlene Fowler, Tumbling Blocks
Latest Benni Harper, light on the mystery, heavy on the family issues in this one

Nell Freudenberg, Lucky Girls
An excellent collection of short stories, all featuring women dealing with troubled relationships, including mothers-daughters, fathers-daughters, lovers, spouses. Very well written, and all have a connection to India and Southeast Asia, mostly in portraying Americans living there.

Craig Johnson, The Cold Dish
First in a new series about a widowed sheriff in Wyoming, was a very enjoyable read. His sense of humor is great, and I loved the characters. I thought the ending was a bit contrived, but overall this was a very good read.