Someone, by Alice McDermott

I have been reading relatively light "popular fiction" recently (as my stress at work increases the "weight" of my reading selections decreases).  I listened to this audio book because I was between titles and decided it was time for a break (and it was available).

Now I am going to have to reread parts of it (and probably obtain a paper copy). 

This is a complex tale told in a non-linear style.  In ways it makes the story even more engrossing.  You aren't completely anxious about the well being of the characters and can really appreciate the nuances of character, plot and setting.  The time frame spans the early Twentieth Century.  The main character, Marie, and Irish Catholic girl living in Brooklyn in many ways resonates with my own families.  She is of an age with my mother.  I married into a large Irish Catholic family (with some Germans thrown in).  I have not ties to Brooklyn but I certainly appreciate the great changes that have come into women's lives in the 20th and 21st centuries. 

A well told tale! 

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

I want to rush right out and buy this for my my friends, a couple--one a musician and the other a poet.  It inspired and moved me.  Louise Penny has quickly become one of my favorite authors.  In fact, I keep telling folks that my first retirement trip is going to include a literary tour of Quebec following the Inspector Gamache books.  I just hope I can find Three Pines (or something like it!).

Finally Three Pines is spared a murder!  This mystery takes place at monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups.  A monastery hidden from view for centuries and recently come to public attention through the making of a CD of Gregorian Chants.  But, success breeds dissent and hence Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir go together to investigate the murder of one of the monks.

The secondary plots of the series are nicely developed as well.

Take a day or two to savor this one (and maybe put some Gregorian Chants on as you read)!

Deadline and Field of Prey by John Sandford

Yes--a two-for!  I enjoy John Sandford's books.  I'm a midwestern gal--born and raised in Iowa, just a bit south of the settings of his books.  It may be that I "get" some of the regional quirks and references that others might miss.  Every book takes me back to what is wonderful, and odd about Iowa/Minnesota.

These two books particularly appeal to me.  They unfold in a concurrent time frame.  Lucas (Field of Prey) and Virgil (Deadline) are talking with each other throughout both books.  Sandford does a masterful job of flirting with the reader without creating any road-blocks to understanding or appreciating both books.

Of the two I probably enjoyed Deadline a bit more, but I read it most recently so it may just be a matter of immediate recall.  Virgil is called by his friends in southeastern Minnesota (close to my last location in Iowa!).  He gets pulled into a triple--dognapping, meth manufacturing/distribution, and school board malfeasance.  It is this last that really got me.  As I near the end of my career in education I am more and more aware of the roll of greed and opportunism in our schools.  I don't know if it has always been this way--but I am very aware that public education is at the center of some very unpleasant financial dealings.  Hopefully Sandford has created a fiction way beyond the realities of any real situation. 

Meanwhile, I get a laugh out of the characters and relish the appreciation Sandford has for the finer qualities of many small town midwesterners.  With a few exceptions they are wonderful people who really should be the "heart" of our American values.  Sandford's characters are as flawed and as wonderful as my neighbors and friends. 

If you're looking for great entertainment spend some wonderful hours with Virgil and his collection of interesting characters in Deadline.

Field of Prey  is the stronger thrilling sort of read on which Sandford originally built his writing career. It is a well crafted detective story continuing the tale of Lucas Davenport, his family, and team.  In the last several books in this series he has also been adding a bit about politics.  I appreciate his perspectives and insight on the political process.  He does a good job of avoiding flat characters and helps me think about the effects that politics is having on our national life. 

Both are good reads and compliment each other quite nicely.