So yesterday I took the day - the whole and entire day - off. From all things. I was up late Friday night (after falling asleep on the couch for a couple of hours), and other than waking to feed the cats, I slept in until 1:30. Then, I went to the mall (needed a pair of jeans, and also bought two tops at 70% off), to the pet store for litter and food, to Borders for two totally frivolous books (Tana French's novels In the Woods and The Likeness) to Panera for dinner, and then I returned home and read In the Woods in one great gulp. It was a day almost entirely free from the computer (I checked in with email and bloglines for a couple of minutes a couple of times, but otherwise - I was powered down). Today my plan is to do lots of things around the house, and in theory I should attempt to get some grading done, but if that waits until tomorrow, that's fine.
A side note: I'm really intrigued by the fact that I seem to have become a reader of crime fiction, although there is nothing obvious in my reading past to indicate that this would be something that I enjoy. Somewhere in the last 6 months to a year, though, this seems to have become my favorite pleasure-reading genre (though I'm pretty specific about the books that catch my attention in this genre). It's an interesting new development in my life as a reader, and I think that it does connect to a turn that's happening in my research, too. Hmmm. Not really much more to say about that, but it is something that's captured my attention and that's causing me to reflect on my development as a reader. I think I'd believed that my taste in books was pretty much determined. This new path is a surprise, and a pleasant one.
12 years ago
4 comments:
Oh, what a lovely day. I need about four of those. What kind of crime stuff are you reading? Mysteries? True crime? Have you tried Laurie King's Mary Russell stuff?
I've been reading some versions of crime fiction for a while.. my favorite in the funny version is Janet Evonovitch -- they've been out a while, so look for them in used book stores.
If you've ever wanted to go to Venice, you should read Donna Leon -- they're set there and have good characters and interesting details.
I love days like that! If you are interested in true crime books, I recently read a really excellent one about the Tankleff murders. It makes an extremely convincing case for Marty Tankleff's total innocence.
A Criminal Injustice: A True Crime, a False Confession, and the Fight to Free Marty Tankleff by Richard Firstman and Jay Salpeter
Salpeter is the private detective who cracked the case and got Tankleff freed from prison.
I have become a complete nut about crime fiction in the last few years. In the past, I always gravitated toward historical fiction and the classics; now, I can't get enough of detectives solving mysteries. I'm not sure what motivated the switch - decreased attention span, perhaps? I'm enjoying it, though!
Curious: What did you think of French's In the Woods? I read it months ago...not sure what I thought about it.
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