Randoms

Today I read, in its entirety, Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. It was fine. Mostly I just had to power through it because I remembered this morning that I had signed up for a book club on it tomorrow evening... The story, about a young woman in the late thirties in New York, was interesting, and the main character and her friend were engaging. Interestingly, the male characters, in this book written by a man, all come across as pretty two dimensional. It's clear the author has a real interest in the culture (literature, art, and music) of the time, and took an interest in working it into the book in a significant but not obtrusive way. He never really explains enough about the protagonist's background, though, to account for her knowledge of the same. At one point near the end of the book a character explicitly says what much of the rest of the tale has been saying, that the main character, a bright, thoughtful, intellectually curious and informed young woman, is unusual in not being a drudge or housewife but pursuing a career instead. It's true, but I'm not sure that the life the author has mapped out for her can come about just through force of character and personality - I wanted to know, at least a little, or even just have acknowledged, how the daughter of a singe, Russian immigrant father is so familiar with some of the cultural aspects she translates into a better life...

The writing was quite good, though; there were some fantastic lines, and overall it was a very clean, bright, sharp prose, if not particularly lean.

I also finished Susan Hill's The Betrayal of Trust, which I read over the weekend. I do love a good English mystery, and this was one; well-written, anyway, for sure, and a decent plot although I did start too feel like there were too many story lines that were twisting around one another but not actually tying together. The "who dunnit" part was also pretty obvious. I picked it up at the Overlook Press table at the AWP on the recommendation of the two guys that were working there, and they said it was their favorite in the series. I am wondering if maybe the author is really just writing a long series about one man, and the people around him, and he just happens to be a policeman who solves crimes...

Grabbed a bunch of books at their table, though, because the guys were friendly and helpful, and the books seemed interesting and for the most part I really liked the covers. This is the first one I've read, and while I do think there were some sad copy-editing mistakes (including one on the back cover - that must EAT at them), I have high hopes.

Speaking of expectations AND English policemen who solve mysteries in series just as much concerned with their personal lives, last weekend I read Elizabeth George's The Edge of Nowhere. Unlike her other books - and what I thought I was picking up from the library - this was not an Inspector Lynley mystery. It was, I guess, a mystery of sorts, but it's also a somewhat paranormal teen romance adventure story? The story is set in the Pacific Northwest, and George does a fantastic job of describing the setting, but she doesn't know how to replicate teenagers' words. I may still read the next ones in teh series whenever they come out, but I hope she gets back to Lynley - and Havers!

Yay, Marla!

Firstly - finished the latest Inspector Lynley novel last night, will talk about it later (and then give it to Mom as a Mother's Day "gift" because I not the awesomest daughter ever - but I am going home a day early to keep her company, and running to the train after work, with just the briefest stop to pack, so I don't have time to buy something new, as planned!).

More importantly, there's a review by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich in the New York Times Sunday book review of Marla Miller's new book, Betsy Ross and the Making of America!  I'm so excited; I've been waiting for her to get that project into print since I was in grad school.  She was such a great teacher, and I loved The Needles Eye, so I'm as excited for her as I am excited to read it.  Not sure how I feel about the review, though.  On one hand, I think it's mostly positive, but Ulrich gets a little snippy towards the latter half, and suggests that Marla got carried away with the whole mystique of the thing.  I will need to read the book for myself of course, and certainly I have no doubt that Marla was mad enthusiastic about (and maybe even somewhat affectionate towards) Ross, but I suspect she didn't go overboard.  And some of it may be Ulrich, too.  She totally has her own slant towards women's history / material culture, etc., and it's not always quite in synch with Marla's, so I wonder if this is just a case of the classic academic "it's not what *I* would have written, so I think you're wrong / I'm going to criticize you" situation.  That said, I am super happy for Marla that the Times chose Ulrich to do the review, because just the name alone lends a certain gravitas to the review and, by extension, Betsy Ross.  Hmm.  Okay, just re-read the review.  And there are some nice bits.  But it's def a little snarky, and I am getting defensive, so before *I* start letting my own ax-grinding needs take over my assessment, I will stop :)

At least I used a coupon...

to buy the new Inspector Lynley book, This Body of Death, since I had just spent way too much money at Ann Taylor Loft (well, maybe not TOO much - I got two pairs of jeans, three sweaters, a dress, and a belt for $150.  Which is a lot to spend in 20 minutes, but I think I totally got good value for money).  I swear, I am trying not to spend money on books, since I work at a library, etc., but the Elizabeth George books are always being checked out of the library (and I should know, because after I stumbled on them, I whipped through evey one Widener had in quick succession), but I had an "additional 15% off" coupon for Barnes & Noble, and then I saw the book in the front of the store with ANOTHER 20% off (because it is a best seller), so...I mean, a really fat, brand-new hardcover for $19?  And one I can almost guarantee I will love AND that my mom will love when I pass it on to her?  I couldn't resist...