Skim French Milk

I read this graphic 'novel' French Milk a couple of days ago. It's a diary of a 22 year old young woman cartoonist who spends a month in Paris with her mother. Waste of time, croissants and milk. Although it does serve to show how banal things can be and still get published. I'm going to Jackson Hole, Wyoming next week so expect another graphic novel soon along the lines of French Milk---potential titles under consideration: "Why-o-me?" and "What Fresh Hole is This?".

Non Fiction

There is something so satisfying about the Sudoko puzzle. It's the fact that there is only one right answer. So unlike life. I found myself scratching my head the other day about what to do with a certain management problem at work. What to do? There were so many answers, none of them easy, none of them right, none of them wrong. I longed for the clarity of Sudoko with it's black and white world and neat little columns: horizontal and vertical, only the numbers 1 through 9, no number 64's, no 12's suddenly appearing. Sigh. If only life were a Sudoku puzzle.

Enchanted April in February

Well I saw the movie a long time ago and got the book only recently at the Marblehead Booksale. It was quite pleasant with the four women somehow transformed by Italy into their better selves. In the end everyone is neatly paired off in a very un-modern way but you're happy for them. Sadly this novel has spawned so many other similar modern stories of four women getting together (it's always the four archetypes: slut, brain, priss and amalgam of other three), clutching on to each other in high heels giggling hysterically,and after drinking a couple of pitchers of Margaritas someone shagging the busboy. My worst nightmare! (Not the busboy, the women.) Enchanted April has dignity...no Meryl Streep prancing around singing Mamma Mia.

Agatha Raisin

Apparently there are mysteries that are defined as "cozy mysteries". The murder happens off stage and they are fairly bloodless. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple are prime examples. I heard Nancy Pearl rhapsodising about M.C. Beaton and found them at the library. I read two. They're probably best read with a head cold in bed, they are rather poorly written. When finished I remembered that Nancy Pearl rhapsodises about everything.

One Good Turn Deserves Another

AND I read this before the other one. They're all very intelligent mysteries centered around a very appealing main character Jackson Brodie, former police officer, former private investigator. On a podcast I listened to Kate Atkinson referred to Jackson Brodie as a woman in a manly body, she claims that's why so many women are in love with him. He has all the empathy and sensitivity of a woman, but is rather attractive and manly at the same time. He is the hugest worrywart though which would drive me crazy. He is only attractive in the abstract I'm afraid.

Some Good News

OK...so maybe I went on a bit of a bender with Kate Atkinson. But she really can tell a good story. She assembles a multitude of characters and then just throws them up in the air and spins them until they all neatly land in place and you put the book down. She has the ability to be very light and dark at the same time. I have one of her earlier novels, Human Croquet, still that I haven't read. I think though I am going to retire for a bit and save it for later. I have to leave something for my old age besides Proust and Patrick O'Brien.