Tuesday, May 21, 2024

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

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Any Given Tuesday: A Political Love Story by Lis Smith. The life of a modern-day political operative. I'm following her as she bounces from place to place (NC for Edwards, NJ for Corzine, VA for McAuliffe, OH for Strickland, IL for Obama, NY for DiBlasio ...) I've worked on campaigns and met people like Smith but I never much considered who they were before Chicago or after. I'm enjoying this glimpse into how they lived.


2. What did you recently finish reading? The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout. As created by Rex Stout, Nero Wolfe is many things: lazy, fastidious, gynophobic, confident (conceited?) and brilliant. It's his superior intellect, the way he can solve even the most intricate mystery without leaving the specially-made chair in his office, that keeps us amazed. The Doorbell Rang gives us another facet of Wolfe's personality: turns out he doesn't like bullies.


It's 1965 and there's no bigger bully in the nation than J. Edgar Hoover. Presidents and Attorney Generals are stymied by him. Nero Wolfe is not.


The plot is difficult to follow as it unfolds, but when it's resolved, I found it glorious in its simplicity. The last moments of the book left me smiling. I enjoyed this entry in the series thoroughly.


PS Kwiz: No, you don't have to read them in order. But I'd definitely start with early Stout (the series originator) rather than later Goldsborough (the writer who took it over).


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


1 comment:

  1. I'm on hold for one of the first of the series.

    ReplyDelete

Please note: If you have a WordPress blog, I can't return the favor and comment on your post unless you change your settings. WordPress hates me these days.