In the High Peaks
















Monday, March 3, 2014

Nicola Upson Temporary Disappointment, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, & Progress

Oh, drat!
I don't know what's wrong with me, but, for the time being, I have had to set aside Nicola Upson's Fear in the Sunlight, after reading all the way to page 75! How discouraging! For some unknown reason, I'm not able or my brain is simply not willing to deal with the complexities of all the characters that populate what I'm sure is an excellent murder mystery. I have no doubt it's exemplary; I'm just very disappointed that the huge cast, each member with his or her accompanying emotional baggage, was driving me to distraction. I hope I feel in the mood again soon! This was to be another TBR read. I bought the book last spring when it was first published. To be continued...I hope!

So, I've started reading another TBR, Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn, which is to be my crime novel/murder mystery read of the moment. This novel, published years before Gone Girl, seems to be rather grim, with young girls being slaughtered in a southern Missouri backwater town by a serial killer. I'm continuing reading because fortunately there are far fewer characters and I can keep a grip on the plot. The young female journalist is a steadying presence, although she has mental health issues that date from way back. Intriguing.

I'm continuing to be fascinated by The Secret Rooms and I'm nearly finished with the exquisite The Wind is Not a River, which has been a rewarding read. More on this later. Please do consider Nicola Upson, I do think she is a great writer.



Posted by Judith at 7:42 PM

4 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 5, 2014 at 4:24 AM

    I do not know anything about Nicola Upson. I do know that I read Sharp Objects, and I'll reserve comments until after you finish it and write a post.
    I'll check out Upson, but I know that with CFS it's hard for me to read a book with a lot of characters that I have to keep track of. I have given up reading a few books because of this, and others I don't start.
    I blame the CFS. I just confused something out of exhaustion that has kept me laughing. I only told one friend, and if I told others, I'd be embarrassed.
    Well, maybe other people get that tired, too!

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    Replies
    1. JudithMarch 6, 2014 at 7:44 PM

      Kathy,
      I do know that reading is one of the best curative rests I know when dealing with that terrible exhaustion!
      Judith

      Delete
  2. KatrinaMarch 6, 2014 at 7:10 PM

    I know that I enjoyed a book by Nicola Upson a few years ago but obviously not enough to track down any more - so far. I object to loads of characters being thrown at me at once too, so confusing.

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  3. JudithMarch 7, 2014 at 6:44 PM

    You know, I can manage a deluge of characters if I'm in the right frame of mind. But I guess I wasn't. Nicola Upson has written 3 or 4 "Josephine Tey" novels. This one includes Alfred Hitchcock, in preparation for his film Rear Window, undoubtedly my favorite Hitchcock film. So unbelievably imaginative, clever--well, downright ingenious. A tour de force, to my mind.
    Judith

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