1. What are you currently reading? Chasing History: A Kid in the Newsroom by Carl Bernstein. This is Carl Bernstein's memoir of the beginning of his stellar career. A rather aimless teenager, in frequent but not serious trouble, he bought a new suit and showed up at a Washington DC daily paper for a job. And he fell in love. One of the joys of this book is the obvious enthusiasm Bernstein still has for all of it: getting the story, sharing the story, hanging around with the guys (and the occasional gal) in the newsroom. It makes me glad that Carl Bernstein went on to be so successful and consequential. He's living proof that professionally you should follow your passion.
Though it did make me sad that he felt he had to explain the concept of carbon paper to new millennium readers. God, I'm old!
2. What did you recently finish reading? Careful What You Wish For by Hallie Ephron. Emily is a professional organizer who helps others declutter their homes. Her husband, Frank, is a successful lawyer who has definite hoarder tendencies. (His mother told Emily his first word was, "Mine.") Living with Frank gives her empathetic insights into the lives of her clients and their reluctance to part with their stuff. It's a neat premise. It gets more interesting by the moment when she stumbles upon stolen documents and a dead body.
I liked Emily and was sorry she found herself in the middle of all this danger and intrigue. The dimension Hallie Ephron gave her lifted this a bit above the ordinary cozy mystery. Not that Hallie asked me, but I think this could be a series.
