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Fiction
In reply to the discussion: What are you reading the week of Nov 30, 2014? [View all]scarletwoman
(31,893 posts)15. I've finally managed to gather a good few of my wits about me today, so here's my post.
I'm not delving into anything new this week, instead I'm re-visiting the first four books in Tana French's "Dublin Murder Squad" series. After reading the fifth book in the series, twice, a couple weeks ago, I decided I wanted to go back through the series from the beginning. I just picked up all four books from the library yesterday, and I've now got three weeks to get through them, one after another.
These are, in order:
In the Woods (2007)
The Likeness (2008)
Faithful Place (2010)
Broken Harbour (2012)
I originally read all of these in order as they became available at my local public library. One day in 2007 I happened to pick up the first book from the library's "New Books" shelf and was hooked. So I carefully tracked when another book was due to come out and placed an order for it. This means that I actually read each book in the year it was published - I'm time travelling back through 7 years.

I just started my trip back through In the Woods today, so I'm only a few pages in. Still, it only took a couple pages for me to feel myself fully back under the spell this author weaves with her exquisite use of language and her vividly portrayed characters. She pulls you along, deeper and deeper into the mystery. I'm confident that it's going to be a pure pleasure to re-read these works.
I have to mention that last week I grabbed a couple books that caught my eye from the library's paperback rack, to have something to read while I waited for the above four Tana French books to come in.
The first one I read was an entirely forgettable American murder mystery written in 1997. The title was Murder in a Mood Indigo by Francine Mathews. It happened to be #3 out of a four book series, "Nantucket Mysteries". I had the murderer pegged as soon as the character was introduced into the story. I would rate it as barely servicable as murder mysteries go, with a bit of interest due to the location, but the protagonist, Detective Meredith Folger, left me cold. Too much agonizing over her love life, for one thing, and the supporting cast were basically paper cutouts. I won't be pursuing anything else by this author.
The other book I grabbed was One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey. I saw it on the rack and the realization hit me that I had never read it. I'd seen the movie years ago - and what an incredible movie it was! - but when I saw the book sitting there, it only seemed right to actually read the source material. It was a very old paperback, published in 1973 - kind of amazing to see it on that rack, really.
It was an absolutely gut-wrenching experience to read it. It disturbed my sleep for several nights, invaded my dreams, pained me in my waking state - it was hard to shake off the emotions it invoked. What a book! I'm very glad I read it, as painful as it was. I sort of feel like, "Okay, now I know." The rebellion against Authority, against Fascism, against the destruction of the soul. For a political animal like myself, it was an unforgettable experience. I may try some of Kesey's other books, but I don't feel in any hurry about it - I've got all my Tana French books to get through for now.
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Oh dear. I'm so sorry I haven't checked in this week - didn't mean to worry anyone!
scarletwoman
Dec 2014
#11
I've finally managed to gather a good few of my wits about me today, so here's my post.
scarletwoman
Dec 2014
#15