It's a mystery

Each night before sleep I read a bit to clear my head. Most of my reading comes from a local library, one of my favorite places on earth. The world and everything in it seems accessible and interesting at a good library. The trouble with libraries, however, is that it's a tough place to find something you'll enjoy at random. So in my dedicated library bag I keep a running list of books I've heard about elsewhere, authors I've liked in the past, and topics I want to explore further. Then I hit the stacks. How much better can an hour be spent than perusing books, I ask you. Okay, don't answer that.

My point is, I make my way through one novel at a time, one chapter (or two) a day, and it adds up. When asked recently if I'd read anything good lately, I had a bevy of replies. A few I've mentioned here previously (my reading posts), but not enough. I'm here today partly to remind myself years later of books I already read before I check them out again (I'm talking to you, Girl's Guide), and partly to share my recommendations in hopes of spreading some reading joy.

I recommend (and loan out) Kathryn Stockett's Jim Crow-South novel The Help to everyone, though I've discovered it's too intense a subject for a few people. The three narrators (two black maids and a younger white woman who delves into her hometown's segregationist practices) take a bit of getting used to, but stick with it and you'll be rewarded with wonderfully authentic voices, moving stories, and a vivid history lesson no American should forget. I especially loved the Afterword by the author, in which she describes her own relationship history with her family's black maid. Touching, sad, important, personal.

It seems like I've always got one or two "serious" books on my bedside table, waiting for me to be in a contemplative mood. Don't worry, I won't dig out the titles at the moment, if for no other reason than that I don't have a good track record of recommending such books to others. (Avoid religion and politics, isn't that rule one of chitchat?)

Switching to the frivolous side of reading, I do enjoy a bit of good chick lit from time to time, but recognize that chick lit is not to everyone's tastes. Sophie Kinsella's Twenties Girl is cute, but not very memorable. I've not even requested Emily Giffin's latest, Heart of the Matter, from the library, because it looks to confirm my apathetic feelings towards her books since reading her stellar debut novel, Something Borrowed.

By far the bulk of my casual reading this past year has been mysteries. I wrote previously about the international phenomenon, the Millenium trilogy, which isn't so much a mystery series as one very long novel of intrigue and character studies. Replete with violence and minutiae, that is not for everyone. But I've got a few other more classic mysteries that I can recommend to any reader.

Mistress of the Art of Death is the first in a series of medieval forensics novels by Ariana Franklin. Adelia, the central character, is the modern day equivalent of a medical examiner, brought to England to help King Henry II solve a sensitive crime and thereby calm the local populace. The mystery aspect of the story is well done, with a wide cast of suspicious characters. The crimes are a bit gruesome, but I skim those descriptions and feel I miss nothing of the story development. There's something of a love interest for Adelia, though this enters the plot late and is not dwelled upon. What's most interesting about this story, I thought, is the incorporation of what seems to be well researched historical detail. All aspects of everyday life are touched upon, as are customs and language. I love that kind of thing. Right now I'm reading the second book, The Serpent's Tale, which is keeping my attention. After that, there are three more books featuring Adelia. Hopefully the plots remain appealing and the mysteries intriguing. I'll let you know.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first of a very promising new series of mystery novels by Alan Bradley. It centers on an adolescent girl in post-War England who is obsessed with poisons and extremely well versed in chemistry. Alas Flavia de Luce has no one to temper her eccentricities. Her father is a stoic widower, and her two older sisters focus on relationships and music, far outside Flavia's realm. When Flavia becomes involved in a murder investigation, she gets in over her head, but of course ends up solving the crime before the police do. The story is told from Flavia's perspective, demonstrating her blend of sophisticated insight and childish views. It's a charming book, and one I recommend to mystery fans and historical fiction fans alike. The next book, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, came out recently and I've not read it, but again, I am hopeful that the quality is maintained.

A cute book I'd recommend to any reader is another unusual-perspective mystery novel, Dog On It. This is the first in yet another new series, the Chet and Bernie mysteries. In this case, the narrator is...wait for it...a dog. I can't tell you exactly why it works so well, but I can simply tell you it does. The author has done a great job of viewing a private detective's work through a dog's eyes. A rather insightful and well behaved dog, but a dog nonetheless. The mystery part of the story is secondary to the interactions of dog and human.

Speaking of mystery series, and the potential for storylines to get iffy after a while, I will recommend--with qualifications--the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich. I read the first one years ago, but I think I'd still recommend it to vacation readers. Stephanie is a bounty hunter, a profession she took on as last resort when she lost her job. She's also an accident-prone Jersey girl involved with two different guys, cop Joe Morelli, and mysterious fellow bounty hunter, Ranger. The first book, One for the Money, shows Stephanie as she learns her job and becomes reaquainted with Joe; it's fast paced, filled with oddball characters, and plain old lighthearted (adult) fun. A few of the other books, especially early on, are similarly amusing. But lately the stretching out of Stephanie's perpetual dilemma choosing between Joe and Ranger, and the repetitiveness of cases and improbable problems she encounters have grown tiresome. Still, I do hold out hope, like so many other readers who've been sucked into this series, that Stephanie will one day move on. At last count there were 15 published novels in the regular series, plus three supplementary stories, and the 16th book comes out next month. There's also reportedly a movie in the works. I'm sure I'll have an opinion when that arrives. Til then, happy reading.