Friendly Reviews

I love my friends. Honest. Truly. But... well, sometimes a book that they love and rave about is just... meh. Have you ever had that happen to you? Recently, with the whole vampire hunters genre there are two or three authors who apparently have a huge following for their series and their fans are running rabid in the streets. Now I appreciate the concept of series and fans, but every single person out there does NOT have to be a fan. See, there are enough fans to go around. And fortunately, there are enough series to go around, too.

So when a wild-eyed fan (yes, even over the internet you can sense the wild glowing red eyes) grabs you by the throat and insists that such and such is the best book ever--well, let's just say that it's time to back away from the computer and go do laundry or count the mosquitoes on the screen door.

I'm pretty loyal to the authors that I read. I'm perfectly happy to recommend my favorite stories. There are two or three of my favorite authors that one of my friends can't stand. I was dismayed when I discovered this in a casual conversation. Why? It didn't lessen my personal enjoyment of those authors' books. I think though, that I felt sad because I wanted to share the joy I'd received from reading them. Alas. My friend will miss out on that. Just as I have no idea what she sees in a couple of her favorite authors. That's how these things work.

No matter how I struggle to restrain my initial gasp of astonishment, I'm always appalled for all those regency writers who confess that they've never read a Georgette Heyer. Or the mystery writers who never read a Dorothy L. Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries). And yet we are blessed with a world full of books on every subject imaginable so I suppose everyone has to pick and choose as judiciously as possible.

The one thing I don't understand (no doubt because I would rather read than eat or sleep) is the person who brags that they haven't read a book since high school or college. With all the books at our disposal, why on earth would a person pass them by in favor of television reruns and video games. How is that possible?

The other thing I find incomprehensible are the people who never reread a book. So... if they don't intend to reread it, why is it called a "keeper"? How does that work? I have about four thousand books crammed in my overflowing bookcases. And another eight hundred e-books on my computer and digital reader. A lot of them are fiction, but I also have a collection of fascinating books on everything from calligraphy to the founding of the OSS. The thing about rereading is that you're never without something to read. Ever. No matter what your mood, you can reach out and find something to fit just right.

So I open the floor up for recommendations. I'm not promising to read them, but your favorite might be just what another reader is looking for so speak up! Tell us what your favorite is and why! If there are more than twenty comments, I'll do a random drawing and award a surprise gift.

anny