january reading

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: a memoir of going home by Rhoda Janzen - I had issues with this book. At first I found the writing and scenarios hilarious but that didn't last long. The refrain of "my husband left me for a man named Bob whom he met on gay.com" became irritating, especially when my response to this was "well, lucky you" considering the descriptions that she gives of her husband, their relationship and his behaviour. Was the relationship breakdown and her subsequent retreat to her Mennonite family an opportunity to write about its idiosyncrasies, or was writing about her trip home an excuse to go on about her failed marriage? I'm not sure. I don't think that the book is sure. Overall I found the narrative incoherent and it was strange that no context or explanation of the Mennonite movement was given until some random notes in an appendix.

The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell - Brand loyalty, I have read every one of the Scarpetta books since I first picked one up from a second-hand bookseller when I was at university. I wish that she would stop writing them - this one was pretty stupid, ludicrous characters, unlikely scenarios. I've already started the next one, Port Mortuary.