Writing Mini-Reviews

I won a copy of Sheila Lowe's POISON PEN: A CLAUDIA ROSE MYSTERY (Capital Crime Press). It is surprisingly polished for a first novel, although the author has penned nonfiction books in the past. Great book for women, mystery lovers, aficionados of the southwest. Some crude language handled well. The protagonist is a graphologist, as is the author, and if she included true tidbits about handwriting analysis -- I'm up shit creek! This is not a book for timid readers.
I'd been wondering about Paulo Coelho novels since reading his praise in Orkut groups, mostly by younger people in countries other than the U.S. They especially like THE ALCHEMIST (HarperCollins), so when a copy fell off a truck and into my hands, I read. *shrugs* I guess it is to this generation what Gibran's THE PROPHET was to mine in the 60s: a simple-minded, gentle, easy read on basic spiritual matters. Somewhat reminded me of a less complicated version of THE CELESTINE PROPHECY by James Redfield.
And then come the truckload of new releases from Simon & Schuster. I find a book almost daily thrown over the fence into my backyard. I add them to an impressive stack on my bedside table. But I go through them like a bag of M&Ms. They are so small and mostly sweet and tasteless. In that category, I'd place:
THE NARCISSIST'S DAUGHTER by Craig Holden
LATER, AT THE BAR by Rebecca Barry
THE BEST PLACE TO BE by Lesley Dormen
THE GOD OF WAR by Marisa Silver
and LOVE TODAY by Maxim Biller was more like a serving of sauerkraut. Bleh!
Exceptions: THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON by Kate Morton is a substantial meal with a juicy, tender roast at the center. This Australian writer is one to watch.
THE BOOK OF CHAMELEONS by Jose Eduardo Agualusa, was exquisitely translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn. We don't get enough foreign literature in this country, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to read a story set in Africa by an author who credits his style to Latin American writers. Who knew they speak Portuguese in Angola? And this is 'magical realism'? I'm intrigued. I've set up an internal BOLO for similar writings.













Fragrances are what I think I'll miss most when I'm dead. I know that's an illogical statement, especially for an agnostic. Nonetheless, it's true. How my own home smells is comforting, and I don't want to lose that. And birdsong. I love living where singing birds surround my house, even in the winter.
Wouldn't it be lovely if there were a Genre Court of Last Resort that issues clear definitions of genres? Of course, then there would have to be a Genre Court of Appeals for all those indignant litigants to follow. Alas, no such authority exists, not even the venerable
Self-designated struggling writer,
This year the bookish people who run the Man Booker prize will celebrate the award's 40th anniversary with a 
Envision a picket line with Scarlett O'Hara, Sherlock Holmes, and Lazarus Long carrying signs, "Characters are People too!" Fictional depictions demand an emotional life that is similar to what you and I experience. People in the grip of strong emotions do not always behave in ways that makes logical sense. But they do make emotional sense. For that to happen in fiction writing, it helps to understand the psychology of humans.
I know that at least once previously I have pointed readers to a resource for charting the characteristics of novel players, but the people at Epi.com have the most comprehensive one I've yet seen. Take a look at the
Sarah Bird claims to be an attorney (I think--if that's what being a "former litigator" means). At the SEOmoz.org website, she offers a lengthy article on 

Although my tastes usually ran to "Little Lulu" and "Mickey Mouse" comics, I had one horror comic book with images that I retain more than a half-century later. Sadly, my comics disappeared as adolescence surged. I can't remember the name, but the theme was a combination of "The Blob", "War of the Worlds" and "Frankenstein's Monster".