Sunday Salon: A Glimpse Of What I've Been Reading and Crime Fiction on the Brain

My Bookmarks magazine arrived in yesterday's mail, but I have yet to flip through the pages for even a cursory glimpse. It is sitting here next to me, taunting me, full of books I will no doubt want to consider for reading.

Right now I am reading Sweeping Up Glass by Carolyn Wall, which is set in the fictional county of Pope in Kentucky. I have not made much progress in the novel, but it is not for lack of interest. I am already drawn to the main character, Olivia Harker Cross, and her grandson Will'm. Olivia's mentally ill mother promises to be an interesting character as well. As Olivia puts it: "All in all, I have a crazy ma'am who owns a hundred dusty Bibles, a leggy boy with a too-soft hear, and no man to bed down with." [pg 7] Olivia's taken up where her now deceased father has left off, caring for the area grocery store. Sometimes people pay in food and animals, too poor to afford their bills. Olivia has had a difficult life. She is bitter, but there is a softness to her that she tries to cover up with wry humor and a tough attitude.

Shortly, I will be starting on a nonfiction book about the underbelly of the drug world as a journalist offers the reader a glimpse into a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) investigation. It is not my usual sort of nonfiction read, but I wanted to read the book both out of professional and personal interest. Plus, I love a good crime story.

A couple of brief book related stories of my own to share:

My husband and I were having lunch the other day, and he made the mistake of asking me how the book I had just finished turned out. I gave him the rundown, spoiler after spoiler, knowing he'll never read the book. He paused before asking, "And you liked this book?" I actually did. I liked the book quite a bit. I guess in the telling, it does sound a bit ridiculous. In the reading though, it was quite believable and was a story well told. I guess it's good I didn't write the book.

And then . . .

While we were out shopping for a new sofa set this past week, my husband kept sticking his hands under and behind the cushions. I didn't think anything of it until we got to the final store where we found one we liked enough to add to our serious consideration list. He told me that his favorite feature on the couch was the way the back cushions were positioned and sewn onto the couch. He said it would be perfect for hiding a gun. Not too obvious when you go to pull it out--no digging under the seat cushions; slip your hand in and out the gun comes. My jaw dropped, and I just stared at him for a minute. I finally asked him, "And why would we need to hide a gun in the couch?" Heck, we don't even own a gun. He replied that he's been reading a lot of mysteries recently, and they've gone to his brain.

I won't mention the direction my own mind went when we saw three police cars, sirens blaring and lights flashing, pass through the intersection in front of us on the way home that same afternoon. By the time I first saw them coming to after they'd driven out of sight, I had an entire crime scenario laid out in my head.

I had hoped to have my review of Last Night in Montreal up and ready for you tomorrow, but it looks like there will be a slight delay. Not a long one though. I am behind in writing of the review and, while I could whip one out tonight and post it before midnight, I am not sure how good it would be. And a book like that deserves more of my attention and care than that. Not to mention I just don't feel like putting the pressure on myself to rush it.

It is back to work tomorrow. I hope I can remember my gazillion passwords (or where I put the paper on which I wrote them all down).

Happy Reading!

Week in Review:
Review: A World I Never Made by James LePore & A Word from the Author
Wordless Wednesday: Riding the Highway (Part 1)
A Week of Bookish Memes on Thursday
TGIF: Mail Call and Friday Fill-Ins