Cheryl Truman on books

This comes from someone who wants to remain anonymous, and while I wouldn’t normally publish, even in blog form, the work of an anonymous contributor, I have to say: Kate Atkinson, people! At one time it was my cherished small ambition to bring her to Lexington. This contributor, at least, would have come to that event.

And about Anthony Trollope: Anyone out there got an Anthony Trollope title with which to start?

From ‘Anonymous’:

I work on the circulation desk of a public library and, like you, I frequently suffer from book overload. New books come in every day, some trash reads, some with appealing covers and exciting reviews. Patrons frequently recommend books they enjoyed (“You simply MUST read this. I couldn’t put it down.”) I usually have five or six books out at once, one on CD in the car, and one in my locker for lunch reading. Nine times out of ten I am disappointed. It sounds snobbish, but I almost never read anything on best seller lists. They seem to appeal to readers with a high tolerance for poor writing, overblown, hackneyed plots and pages of supposedly snappy dialog. Not to mention the sex, violence, and foul language. I can almost hear an editor telling the author to “spice it up so it’ll sell.”

My latest discovery is British author, Kate Atkinson’s series of mysteries featuring ex-cop Jackson Brodie. For years I didn’t read any mysteries—-burned out I suppose, and soured on the genre. Then I either heard a review of Atkinson’s books on NPR or read it in the paper. I began with Case Histories, am almost finished with One Good Turn, and looking forward to When Will There Be Good News? There is some sex, violence and foul language in these books, but it doesn’t bother me because it fits, it’s appropriate and it moves the plot. The characters are so intriguing and appealing that the crime itself just a small part of the puzzle.

When I’m considering a book, I always read the reviews on Amazon.com and can usually get a feel for whether I’ll enjoy it. These pulled me in right away.

When all else fails, go back to Anthony Trollope! He never disappoints.