Books I've Read This Week (June 30)

When I left you last week I had just started "P" is for Peril in my quest to read all Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries in order. I succeeded. I finished "S" is for Silence by Tuesday evening and now have to wait along with the rest of her legions of fans until "T" comes out next year. It will be a long wait.

These books are so unique. I don't know of any other mystery series that takes place in the '80s. I like how Kinsey is stuck in the pre-cell phone and internet era. Her life and work would be so different if she didn't meet people face-to-face. She certainly wouldn't get into as much trouble!

Things Kinsey and I have in common: single, live alone, like living alone, live in California, no pets, no plants, eat the same things all the time, don't wear make-up, don't wear dresses (she has to sometimes but doesn't like it), don't like having people tell us what to do.

I wasn't sure how to move on from a singular diet of books of such quality but Joanna had recommended the Miss Julia books by Ann B. Ross so I tried the first two in that series: Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind and Miss Julia Takes Over. I think I should've read something else. These books generally annoyed me. I gave it two books worth of a chance though since they were so highly reviewed. I didn't mind the stories so much or the characters, it was the writing of the dialect. They take place in the South so the author decided she had to write the dialog with the usual interruptive apostrophes and misspellings. I'd rather not have to muck my way through it.

On to another new cozy mystery I had picked up, Moving is Murder by Sara Rosett. I'm about half way through this "Mom Zone" mystery. The main character is a new mom who just moved with her Air Force husband to Eastern Washington and is immediately immersed in a murder investigation. She has highly evolved organizational skills picked up from her numerous moves as she and her husband have been transferred from base to base. There are moving and packing tips at the end of each chapter. So far it seems rather boring and unbelievable. I mean, who wants to read about babies crying all day and who would believe the murder victim was killed by wasps in a paper cup? I'll finish it to find out whodunit but I don't believe I'll be reading another selection from the Mom Zone.

Unread books on my shelf at home:
Sleep, Pale Sister, Joanne Harris
The Fan, Peter Abrahams
The Memory of Whiteness, Kim Stanley Robinson
Site Unseen, Dana Cameron
One Grave Too Many, Beverly Connor
His Majesty's Dragon, Naomi Novik
Even Vampires Get the Blues, Katie MacAlister
Predator, Patricia Cornwell
Gone, Jonathan Kellerman

Books on hold at the library:
Virgin Earth, Philippa Gregory (due 7/18)
Micah, Laurell K. Hamilton (in transit!)
Darcy & Elizabeth, Linda Berdoll (2 of 7 holds)
Danse Macabre, Laurell K. Hamilton (5 of 19 holds)
The Art of Detection, Laurie R. King (10 of 17 holds)
Dark Tort, Diane Mott Davidson (33 of 33 holds)
Miss Zukas and the Library Murders, Jo Dereske (1 of 1 holds)
Miss Zukas and the Island Murders, Jo Dereske (ready for pickup)
Don of the Dead, Casey Daniels (ready for pickup)
If You Could See Me Now, Cecelia Ahern (ready for pickup)

Well, it's been a rather unsatisfactory second half of the week. I'm hoping my choices will get better. We'll see next time on Books I've Read This Week.