When two good friends meet after being out of touch for a while, they may ask, “What have you been doing?” If both are enthusiastic readers, they’ll be more likely to ask, “What are you reading these days?” With that in mind, I plan to ask people I encounter what they’ve recently read and recommend and report back in later columns. But for now it’s me you’re stuck with, so this will be some brief descriptions of my own recent experiences.
The newest offering by Tana French – The Witch Elm – put me into a reading coma for three days. French is known for her Dublin Murder Squad series, which should be read in order beginning with In the Woods. French has a unique trick where she takes a secondary character from one book and gives that person his or her own case in the next book, so with each successive installment you learn more about that character. However The Witch Elm is not connected to her earlier stories. It’s narrated by Toby, who, after a traumatic injury to both his body and his psyche, goes to recuperate at an old family estate with an ailing uncle. In true gothic style he stumbles upon a family mystery that leads to his becoming a suspect in an old murder. More psychological suspense in that straight-up murder mystery, it kept me guessing up to the end. If you’re okay with nuanced characters (no straight-up black and white types), then French is worth your time.
For those who like mysteries of the cozy variety, there are two lighter series by Miranda James. These are the Southern Ladies series and the Charlie Harris series. Both take place in the genteel fictional town of Athena, Mississippi. One of the things I like best about Miranda James’ stories is that only awful characters who really deserve it get murdered! Another nice feature is that characters’ cats and dogs are prominent in the storyline -not talking or sleuthing – just being their wonderful selves. I read these books in between the heavier stuff. By the way, Miranda James is actually a man whose real name is Dean James.
Anne Tyler has been around for a long time presenting us with family relationship stories about crises large and small that could happen in anyone’s life. Her newest is called Clock Dance, which covers most of the life of its main character Willa from adolescence to her sixties. It shows how we all evolve, mostly by learning more and more about ourselves as we age and adjust to whatever life throws at us. If you like the novels of Elizabeth Berg, you will like Anne Tyler.
Jodi Picoult writes novels about timely issues that are topics for serious debate, and they almost always go to the top of bestseller lists. A Spark of Light looks at doctors, patients, and activists whose lives intersect when a gunman holds them hostage at a women’s health clinic. What I normally admire about Picoult is that she shows us there can be two legitimate viewpoints to many social issues and there are no easy answers, but civilized communication on both sides is vital. In these days of very UNcivilized exchanges, this is important to keep in mind.
There’s a much-anticipated work by the marvelous Barbara Kingsolver (author of The Poisonwood Bible; her name is never mentioned without adding that) called Unsheltered. This is her ninth novel. It chronicles the lives of two families – one in present time and one in the past – who share an address in Vineland, New Jersey. Each family faces its own impending crisis. The prominent theme is learning to adapt to a world about to change dramatically. Like Picoult, Kingsolver never lets us off with easy answers, but seems to emphasize that we have to keep asking the questions.
Probably you will see these authors mentioned again in future columns, so watch this space.
By the way, what are you reading these days?
