I am so frustrated right now. Reading response journals of some of my students who just totally don't get The House on Mango Street is so hard. Accusing Cisneros of being a poor writer who has no talent, etc. I know that this shouldn't bother me, but it so does.

Sigh.

I don't expect them all to like every book, but I've tried so hard to instill in them the understanding that liking a book is not the same thing all the time as appreciating its unique style and writing.

Hi hun e! There are a bunch of King fans around here. I love the Russell/Holmes ones, but some folks find them too Mary Sueish to enjoy.

I love the Russell/Holmes ones too, despite the fact that the most recent was a bit of a let down. Jesse, did you read The Game ? (Is that the title?) If so, what did you think?

hun_e - I really like the San Fran ones as well. I also really enjoyed (wrong word -- more like appreciated, was caught up in) Folly, Keeping Watch and A Darker Place.

I think the last one I read was with the two brothers?

t back from Amazon Oooh, no, I didn't know about The Game. Will have to check it out.

Oh, and I looooved the first Martinelli book, but have been more 'eh' on them as time has gone by.

Jesse - would happily mail you my copy if you don't feel like purchasing or library-questing. It's based on Kipling's book Kim this time around. I still love Holmes and Russell, but...really short book. Just seemed like it lacked the complexity and fun of ones like A Letter of Mary , though I still enjoyed it very much.

Anyone read Ian Rankin? His Inspector Rebus novels, set in Edinburgh are dark, droll and have the character development many have mentioned. He did an author breakfast for our store with Robert B Parker (The Spenser series) and Linda Fairstein (who writes about a female sex crimes prosecutor in NYC.) He was quite wicked about the joys of getting up at 6 am to take the train for weak coffee and soggy croissants but all was forgiven when we offered him an Irn Bru for his troubles.

Other authors I love: Reginald Hill (Dalziel and Pascoe procedurals set in Yorkshire.) The earlier ones are more concise and funny and the series must be read in order to make sense. Deborah Crombie, Caroline Graham, Jill McGown, some of Val McDermid's books: all set in the UK. Peter Robinson, Canadian writer with another Yorkshire Inspector. And the late, much lamented Sarah Caudwell: Thus Was Adonis Murdered never fails to make me laugh.

There are more and this is why my house was always too messy for company.

The romance readers may be interested to learn that The Washington Post will publish its first Romance Roundup review tomorrow in its Sunday book supplement, according to a writing list I'm on. It's written by Pamela Regis, professor of English, McDaniel College, author of A Natural History of the Romance Novel. The Book World editors have apparently said they're interested in readers' response to the idea of reviewing romance novels.

Thanks, Kristin, but I'll get it from the library.

I love Rankin too, and saw him speak a bit ago. He was hysterically funny.

Rankin totally rocks.

I've got addicted to the Alfred Hitchcock and Ellery Queen Mystery magaines. You get a superb scattering of short stories, and it's a brilliant way to discover new writers.