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April 19, 2009 Books of the Week
Harlan Coben’s Myron Bolitar mysteries have always been huge favorites of mine. In case you haven’t read them, rush out and buy one now. I never thought I’d enjoy reading books whose protagonist was a sports agent, but Myron has been one of my favorite characters for years. He’s just so darn likeable. He loves his mom and dad, he tries to do good and play fair with his clients, he’s honest . . . and he has a dark side. This becomes evident when we meet his best friend, Windsor Lockwood III, one of (if not the) original psychotic sidekicks. In Long Lost, Myron sees his relationship with a divorcee is going south, so he is more open to a desperate call from a former love. He heads to Paris to save her, which is definitely a Myron reaction, and she is in much worse trouble than he’s anticipated. Of course, Win is right behind him, and ready to save Myron from whatever trouble he can’t get out of by himself. It was great to see these characters after so many years. Harlan’s string of bestselling novels is wonderful, and I’ve enjoyed every one, but my heart belongs to Myron. Turn Coat is a wonderfully complex episode in the life and adventures of Harry Dresden, my favorite wizard. Harry and his student, Molly, get into the worst trouble they’ve ever encountered when Harry decides to give sanctuary to his bitter enemy, the wizard Morgan. Harry has long suspected there’s a dark group in the White Council, a group that’s trying to corrupt the council from within. When the White Court vampires are drawn into the plot by the abduction of Harry’s half-brother Thomas, Harry has to not only save his brother’s life, but expose the buried plot. This is a thoroughly satisfying episode in the one of the best-written series on the shelves. And now to my surprise read. PPZTCRRNWUZM! as I shall call it, is really, really a lot of fun. I am a diehard fan of the original novel, so for weeks I tried to ignore the presence of PPZTCRRNWUZM! on various bestseller lists. But finally curiosity got the better of me, and I clicked on it on Amazon. I’ve got to say, in all honesty . . . I loved it. And it’s basically just what the title says; a retelling of our favorite story, but with zombies. The addition of zombies works amazingly well. I really can’t describe it any further. I laughed out loud. BLOG Why didn’t I post one of these last week? I just didn’t have time. The publicity factory is gaining momentum with the approach of the release of DEAD AND GONE and the second season of “True Blood,” and I’ve been doing three or four interviews a week by email and by telephone. I’ve also been trying to finalize my schedule for the rest of the year, but new opportunities and requests keep popping up. In my actual work, this week I’ve: written a foreword for the reissue of a book by my friend Christopher Golden, worked on the copy-edited manuscript of GRAVE SECRET, signed 192 books for Murder by the Book, and written about thirty pages on the next Sookie. In my personal life, I’ve gone to several softball games, attended Easter service, returned the house to its more or less normal state after the departure of our oldest son, supervised the end of our bathroom renovations, taken a doggie stool sample to the vet (glamorous!), and gone to the opening of our new library. Paula and I have consulted about various requests that have come through the mail (including the wish of a very handsome young man who wanted to be on the cover of one of my books and was willing to pose nude—yes, he sent pictures), discussed possible attendance at about a dozen conventions, and tried to keep my calendar up to date. In addition, I try to keep up with my many personal emails and the website. So that’s what I’ve been doing. You’re as up to date as I am. No, I won’t post the pictures. Charlaine Harris |
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