Week Two: Annotations

Assignment 1

Read "Appeal Factors" by Neal Wyatt: Check!

Assignment 2

Book 1

I just finished Kate Atkinson's One Good Turn, which is the second book in her Jackson Brodie mystery series.

Like other books of hers I have read, this one has a somewhat dark and cynical tone, and she takes her time letting the story develop, letting the reader get to know the characters' personalities. It is very realistic and much in tune to our modern world. The story takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, which becomes an interesting and endearing character in itself. While having a dark tone, Atkinson is also a master at making you laugh out loud in surprising places throughout the book.

Jackson Brodie, the main character of the series, is an ex-cop, ex-military, ex-private investigator, ex-husband, and all-around helpful, though irreverent guy who keeps ending up being in the wrong place at the wrong time (or is it the right place at the right time?) and always looks like he's been caught red-handed in something nefarious. He often finds he is defending himself throughout the story. He is not perfect--he makes plenty of mistakes, but he also has many endearing qualities, like listening to the most heart-breaking country music he can find. But, he really does try to do the right thing.

I find all the characters in this book so interesting because they are complicated. They are not black and white, good or bad, but every-day people who struggle getting through life, and sometimes fall victim to the circumstances they've been thrust into, finding themselves unable to act. Ambiguity is evident in every character, except probably "Honda-man," but I won't share any tidbits about him! There were many crimes committed in this story, but I wonder if indifference, self righteousness, and other character flaws were also crimes, in a sense. Having questions like that to contemplate after reading a book is what makes me appreciate it.

While this book is classified as a mystery (although BCPL has it in fiction), Kate Atkinson is able to dip into the classic tragedy seamlessly, and that is how all of her books read for me. One of the many reasons I love them!

_______________________________________________

Book 2

I am such a fan of Laura Lippman that I managed to become her Facebook friend. So long as I keep my stalking to a minimum, I think I’m OK; she doesn’t seem to mind my frequent “likes.” :-)

Laura Lippman is known for her Tess Monahan private detective series. Every Secret Thing is her first “stand alone” novel and probably my favorite, so I was pretty thrilled when she spilled the beans a few months ago and revealed that it was being being made into a movie, due to be released in the spring of 2014.

Every Secret Thing draws on my very favorite appeal factors.  

As far as the story line goes, it is a crime novel that has elements of psychological suspense, childhood darkness, and tragedy.

The setting is Baltimore, and the details are very particular. As a fan of Baltimore, and all its neighborhoods, I especially enjoy this factor. She includes details that native Baltimoreans will recognize and appreciate, like 11-year-old children being told not to cross Edmonson Avenue alone.

The characters are not so easy to define at first glance and your sympathies for them evolve as the story develops. The story involves two 11-year-old girls who find an unsupervised baby, and things go terribly, terribly wrong.  At first it is assumed they are the “good girl/bad girl” thing, but as the story unfolds, you realize there is so much more to both of their characters than that. The exploration of Cynthia Barnes's feelings, the character whose baby was stolen and a woman from a prominent black family in Baltimore, feels so spot-on. With a subtle pen, Laura Lippman is skilled at portraying how complicated, and sometimes uncomfortable, race relations are in a city like Baltimore.

The tone is dark and tragic. This is not a cozy and comforting read, but bringing in familiar details, and childhood memories that I can relate to brings a certain amount of comfort to the read.

______________________________________________

Assignment 3

I commented on Jaime Bink's blog.

___________________________________________________