Fiction

OK maybe I’m not done with Irish authors but I think I need to be a bit more selective. Then again, even Irish authors I’m supposed to like because everyone likes them are just not my thing. The Third Policeman appeared on my reserve pick up list and I have no idea how it got there. Or maybe it was something that TW just picked up off the shelf? However it happened, I wish it hadn’t.

For awhile I thought I might like it, that lasted for the first chapter. For the next three chapters I was just puzzled. Almost in the same way I was puzzled about Gravity’s Rainbow. At that point, I flipped to the back of the book and saw some author’s notes – ah ha, that clears things up a bit. (No I’m not going to tell you what is in there – just remember if you are reading this and you’re just not getting it, flip to the back and the author’s notes might help – and I just peeked at Amazon and they suggest the author’s note as well. Darn, I wish I had seen that earlier!). From there, it was better. It almost made sense, almost. In that madcap, this is just too weird sort of way. I think I liked the last chapter the best – too bad I had to read the first 190 pages.

I really enjoyed The Painted Drum but the first section was a little slow. Up until she found the drum. I could have done without the storyline with the artist and his daughter, it just didn’t do anything for me. The stories about how the drum was created, and the backstory to that, and then again how the drum was used later – now those were good.

Maps for Lost Lovers started really slowly. So slowly that TW gave up on it early and never finished it. I, on the otherhand, stuck with it and I did finally find myself enjoying it.

It’s a little long. The relationships are muddled. But it was interesting and I did find myself caring about many of the characters and interested in what they were thinking. The end, tying up the loose ends of the “murders” and all of the “minor characters” felt out of place and unnecessary. Sometimes it is better to leave some loose ends, this was one of those times I think.

Well, I found the Zombie Survival Guide just as amusing and helpful as the Worst Case Scenario Survival Guides. I think we could easily survive a Class 1 or Class 2 Zombie outbreak. Class 3 and 4… ummm no, I think we’re dead meat, so to speak. Ah well, ya gotta go sometime.