Reading is Good (Feb 09)

If my memory served me right, which is not saying much really there are only two novels that I started reading but never got to the end.

The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien (edited by his son Christopher Tolkien) was the first, it's just too deep and heavy. I am shallow and light I guess.

The Babes in the Wood by Ruth Rendell was the second, this I gave up because I read for leisure, and this novel is anything but leisure for me. The writing style, the storyline and pace were simply not my cup of tea. Too bad, I didn't get to see any babes.

I almost gave up on Dead Man Riding by Gillian Linscott too.

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Almost, but didn't, and I am mightily glad I persisted.

What started out (to me) as an artsy-fartsy outing of a group of Oxford students with too much flowery and linguistic stuff thrown in by the author was quickly turning me off. I am a simple man of average English standard, I like simple and easy to read stuff.

But it got excited before I quit, so I read on, and got hooked by the twists and plots the author weaved for what essentially is a murder investigation.

Big thumbs up for the misdirections the author masterfully constructed, I usually know the real killer for murder investigation stories but this one got me completely off balance.

Perhaps a normal person like me would never have guessed, due to the normal way of life and preference, I wonder if those special friends and colleagues of mine would have guessed the real killer?

The whole storyline is intriguing but just for the big twist at the end that surprised me, I am rating this as a fantastic read.

Quotes from the novel:

"You didn't say yes. You just stopped saying no."

"Either something had happened or it hadn't. If it had happened, then happenings leave evidence. They wouldn't be happenings otherwise. And if there's evidence, it's simply a question of finding it or not finding it."

Currently reading: Dragon Ball comics! 42 books for the series, probably won't be a book review for a while. =P