A friend asked what I was reading and what would I recommend. I don’t do that much. Everyone’s taste is so different and mine had never matched someone else’s. She was persistant, so here is a list of the five most recent books I’ve read:
- Sleigh Belles by Beth Albright
- Heirs of the Body by Carola Dunn
- The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane by Kelly Harms
- Lydia’s Party by Margaret Hawkins
- Rosemary and Crime by Gail Oust
Yes and No
The first one was fluff, but without a redeeming quality of interesting plot or fascinating characters. Everything worked out so well in the end there was almost no reason to read it. It wasn’t offensive and I might try another book of Beth Albright’s depending on what else was on the shelves that day. The second was an English cosy, a mystery set in the 1920s. I like Carola Dunn’s style, her characters have a little bite and I did not guess “who dun it” too early. I look forward to seeing her books on the new book shelf at the library. The third one was the middle of the Oreo cookie, a first novel by Kelly Harris with an unusual premise, three dimensional characters and a quirky plot. While the ending tied everything up, it wasn’t saccharine or formulaic. I enjoyed The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane and look forward to more work by Kelly Harris. The fourth book I didn’t care for, but I generally don’t like books where the point of view jumps from character to character to character and back around again. I prefer books that pick a narrator and stick with it. The last book was a bit formulaic, a mystery, a cosy by Gail Oust. This first offering has some promise, the writing and plot may improve as she continues to practice her craft. Her characters were a little too pat, the idiotic ex-husband, the quirky best friend sidekick, the tall strong law officer, only the vet seemed as though he might grow into an interesting three dimensional character.
So two out of five books returned to the library this week, were well written enough to mention in a conversation: Heirs of the Body and The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane.
Do you recommend books you read? What’s your percentage?
