Gambling

I’ve been reading this book I got recently from the library.  They have a shelf, labeled “new fiction” but Darc and I have seen Lovecraft on that shelf, so we take that “new” part with a bushel of salt.  I tend to think of it as my gambling shelf.  I have my favorite authors and I return to those for the familiar comfort they are, but the stuff on the “new” shelf is uncharted territory for me.  I never know what I might find.  Sometimes I’ve struck gold, other times dust – which is why I think of it as my gambling shelf.  It’s my reading roulette. 

It’s not very large, perhaps 6′ long, 5 ‘ high, with 4 shelves bottom to top.  I circle around it like a vulture over prey, seeing if anything strikes my eye.  Often, I’ll just close my eyes and grab something and throw it in my bag without looking and pray I get lucky.  I figure I’ll probably never try anything new if I don’t just take the chance, so I try to force myself to be daring.  Now you get an idea of the level of excitement in my life – throwing unknown books into my bookbag at the library.  Don’t pity me – I make up for it in other ways.  Just ask my husband.    *cough* 

So anyway, this more recent gamble of mine is a book called “The Cruelest Month” by Louise Penny.  I guess it’s a given now that I’ll find the latest book in a series and not the first.  The book is interesting, kind of a mix of detective and supernatural genrés.  What I find interesting is that it’s set in Canada, just outside Québec.  I don’t recall ever reading a book set in Canada before.  I can’t help but think of WIGSF as I read it, even though he’s in Toronto and not Québec.  I’m stumbling a tad with the French usage – it’s been a long time since high school French class but I can get it in context usually.  Otherwise, it’s been kind of a fun book and I’m thinking of looking for the previous books in the series.  Lord knows I love my detectives! 

The supernatural element is fun too.  Is the old house haunted or not?  Is there something evil there or not?  What was it that really frightened the poor woman to death?  Enter the ace detective extraordinaire and I’m sure he’ll solve the case.  But what will he find out along the way? 

It’s been a fun read and I’m not even half-way through.  Let me know if you’ve read any others in this series or by this author, and what your thoughts are. 

~~Ness~~