It sounded like a good idea...

OK  I went to the library, no this is not a joke, and I decided not to get any mysteries (shocker).  I decided to read a few plain fiction books.  The problem with that is, I keep waiting for someone to die.  No I'm serious.  I keep expecting for someone to drown in the swimming pool or die from strangulation by tinsel.  That's not to say I don't like fiction, I do....but I love mystery.

So I started reading:
Comfort and Joy
by India Knight

Genre: fiction, novel
pages:  230
Rating **

   I never made it past page 8.  The writer is British, I love British mysteries.  This was no mystery.  I read the blurb on the back and it sounded like a really good book.  It may be a good book, but I didn't make it to the end.  I didn't like how it seemed like a total stream of consciousness.  The character kept rattling off about one thing or another.  Then the language was....let's just say there were words in it that made me want to make sure my kids weren't reading over my shoulder.  Which they like to do.  Take this review with a grain of salt, but I didn't like it, so I didn't finish it.
-Caren

Short Stories

The Civilized  World
by Susi Wyss

Genre: Fiction, short stories, novel
Pages: 226
Rating:  ***
Released: 2011

   I have read nothing but mysteries for months.  I am in the mood for something different.  So, this weekend when I went to the library I headed straight for the new releases.  I came home with only two mysteries.

   The Civilized World is something different.  It is a collection of short stories, that also forms a novel.  The stories follow a group of women in Africa and one in America.  The tales weave the women together, mixing them  and moving them around.  It allows the reader into a glimpse of a modern Africa, through the eyes of the native born, recent white arrivals, and long term white ex-pats. 

   When I picked the book out I didn't really read the blurb on the back cover.  I skimmed it and remember it said something about a woman opening a beauty parlor in Africa.  That sounds interesting.  After reading the first story I wasn't sure I was going to finish the book.  But I was curious about the next story, so I read on.  I'm glad I did.

  The stories are bittersweet.  They don't leave you depressed, but like a good blues song they leave a lot to think about.  They actually remind me of southern folk tales.  They are rich in character and each has a nugget of truth about life.

   This is not the type of book I normally read, but I did enjoy it.

-Caren