WWW.WEDNESDAY

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

1. What are you currently reading? Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by MC Beaton. Agatha Raisin is a rather surly old girl, a successful London PR exec who sells her agency and retires to a sleepy village. Bored, she decides to make friends -- or at least get involved in the community -- by entering the local baking contest. She doesn't win. Never mind that Agatha cheated by entering a store-bought quiche, she's still offended that the fix was in and the winner was predetermined, presumably by romantic shenanigans between the judge and one of the contestants. Things get even more complicated when the judge dies, poisoned by an entry. Voila! An amateur sleuth is born ... out of a mix of pique and boredom. 

I am thoroughly enjoying this book so far. I love how unlovable Agatha is. It amuses me that someone who made her fortune in public relations consistently creates the most fractious personal relations with her neighbors. I also appreciate the small English town atmosphere. I can see this being a mystery series I revisit.

2. What did you recently finish reading? The Book of Joe by Joe Maddon and Tom Verducci. I love Joe Maddon. No, really. I love him. He's the manager who guided the Cubs to their first World Series Championship in 108 years. He's dearer to me than many members of my family.

He's also a true original. In this book, he shares that his dream dinner companion would be Mark Twain and that James Michener inspired his coaching technique. He loves wine, road trips, and Springsteen.

And baseball. He views baseball with all the romance and passion of someone who has, literally, devoted his life to it. From minor league player to scout to hitting coach to manager. One of the first managers to embrace statistics, he has evolved to believing analytics have taken over the game and dehumanized it. I personally agree with him.

This book felt like a conversation with Joe -- rambling, a little over the top at times, and charming. I was in nerd heaven as I read it. Here's a photo of my signed copy ...

3. What will read next? I don't know.