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Archive for July 2nd, 2008

Wowzer

My amazon Kindle has been a constant companion for the last six days.  In airports, on airplanes, in my hotel room, at home, at a couple of restaurants when I ate alone, and in the doctor’s waiting room yesterday. I’ve read three books on it – all mysteries, my favorite kind of escape from reality.

I’m still mainly using the Kindle to read books. I still haven’t figured out using it to read my email although it’s supposed to be possible, but I have used it for a little web browsing.  

As an e-book reader it’s a winner. After a little use it really has seemed to “disappear” and I’m just focused on the words on the page. Yes, the page. Not the screen. It seems that natural now.

The “wowzer” is not only about the Kindle. It’s about the book I just finished reading on it: I Shall Not Want, by Julia Spencer-Fleming. It’s the sixth in her police procedural series with soap opera overtones (it’s also been called “strongly character-driven”) featuring rugged Russ Van Alstyne (police chief in small Millers Kill, NY), the unconventional Rev. Clare Fergusson (local Episcopal priest and military helicopter pilot), and the elephant in the living room which is their deep attraction to each other. This book rocked and rolled. I forgive a few too-convenient plot twists, because besides some fast and furious scenes of violent confrontations, it had me literally laughing out loud toward the end, and finally sniffing with a few sentimental tears.

There’s an afterword in which the author briefly describes her evolution as a writer. Starting with science fiction, then moving into romance, then finally realizing what she was really doing (whodunits with strong characters). She writes:

I’ve come to believe that the work chooses the writer, and not the other way around. We’re not creators so much as we are dowsers, wandering over the literary landscape until our forked twigs twitch. We dig, and in the digging discover if our wells are sweet or bitter, rock or clay. I thought I was going to be a science fiction writer. I would have liked to write romance. But it turns out that what I’m really good at? Is killing people and hiding the bodies.

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