Reading and writing
I read books and then write about them for Myshelf.com. I tell you
what my thoughts are and what I liked about the book. Because many
of the books I read are uncorrected proof copies, I stay away from
picking them apart on technicalities. It wouldn’t be fair
because it’s not the finished product. But the story is there
and that’s what we all care about anyway.
The people at Myshelf send me many review
copies but sometimes I choose a book that I just want to review.
I get a wide assortment of novels from a wide assortment of authors
and a wide assortment of writing styles. And some of them stay in
my memory for a long time.
This year I had the chance to read
a lot of fairly new authors and it’s downright encouraging
to see the talent that’s out there. There were veterans in
the group too like Walter Mosely whose The Man in My Basement
is an absolute masterpiece that leaves the reader questioning civilized
morality.
Michael Allen Dymmoch can hardly be considered
a new author but her White Tiger just
might make her a household name. She just gets better with every
book.
Nancy Mehl’s Malevolence
could easily be her breakout novel. The pace is perfect, the characters
intriguing, and the plot extremely provocative. And I might add
that the writing is absolutely top notch.
I’m going to reach back a year for this
one. The Butterfly Game by Gloria Davidson Marlowe
is a gripping story told by a natural story teller. It’s been
over a year since I read this book and I can remember almost every
detail. That should tell you something right there. As murder mysteries
go, it’s somewhat low keyed but there’s just something
about the way it’s presented that screams “Perfect!”
Bullets by Steve Brewer offered
a light hearted change of pace in a story where it seemed everybody
was trying to kill everybody and most succeeded. “Some people
are ridiculously easy to kill.” has to be the best opening
line I’ve read in decades.
Another name to watch for is Peter Pavia.
I read his Dutch Uncle and it has that staccato
tempo of a Mickey Spillane and the gruff resolute tone of an Elmore
Leonard. Great book.
All in all it’s been a fun year of
reading and writing and I’m hoping for many more.
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