Infectious

[altariel]

I finished the post-9/11 spy thriller Due Preparations for the Plague by Janette Turner Hospital last night, and it depressed me and gave me slight nightmares. I was really very impressed with it - particularly the pace of it and its ambitions - although I was left uncertain about the fate of two characters (intentionally ambivalent, I think), and also I thought the end was a bit artificial. But very effective despite this; I have had to read some Alexander McCall Smith No 1. Ladies' Detective Agency books to get me back out of the rather bleak mental place it put me into.

Comments

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Well, there's two books I haven't read.

*hugs* for your nightmares - I hope they don't come back tonight.

What are the McCall Smith books like? I've been slightly put off them by the fact that they're in huge piles everywhere.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

The book builds up to an incredibly depressing scenario (I won't explain in case you ever read it), which is also very claustrophobic. My subconscious needed to do some serious rearrangement of the furniture. Plus I think I'm mulching right now. Thank you for the hugs.

The McCall books are perfectly amiable pieces of entertainment. Not too much in the way of detection. Actually, they're structurally very like the Amanda Cross books (the Kate Fansler books - did you borrow them?). I can read one in a couple of hours, it would probably take you twenty minutes, and certainly not the duration of, say, a train trip between Cambridge and Edinburgh :-D You're very welcome to borrow them if you like.

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

Yes, I've read the Amanda Cross books - I read a bunch from library here, and then borrowed the ones from you that the library didn't have.

Hmm, sounds like I'd have to be in a strong frame of mind to read the Janette Turner Hospital book.

Mulch away!