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Showing posts with the label Louise Penny

The Madness of Words

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  Beware the power of words. Especially the simple words. Because they are not simple. They allow for too much misinterpretation. Fuck was once a euphemism. Then it became the worst of things to say. And not it is believed to be the sign of a creative mind. My father believed it represented an impoverished mentality. One word. Four letters. What did you mean by using that word. I worked as a freelance writer and from time to time still do. I became familiar with the phrase of " what did you mean to say here ," used it seemed to frequently by editors. I learned to ask it of myself. I am also a reader and used that phrase on books I read. So many books and so little time so I learned to speed read. Does not allow time to ask that question often enough. There are authors I speed read for pure enjoyment and admire that they deliver lessons to me. Just been through a binge of J.A. Jance books. Then a pre-purchased Louise Penny book popped up. I do not speed read her. And especiall...

More is Said in Jest

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The Path Through the Storm Or in fiction. Or at least the best of both. A Canadian friend of mine recommended the Louise Penny mystery books to me. I have begun my first, Still Life. And with every page am more and more glad she has written a lot of books about Chief Inspector Gamache's adventures. A well crafted mystery is always an escape from depressing times, and if it is cerebral, intelligent, and filled with compassion I will sign over my life to the world created in words. Reading such a mystery is not easy or fast because there are references I must look up, vocabulary I must acquaint myself to, and books I must note down for a further read. Or at least determine if they are real or just a part of the fiction. A very good mystery writer not only entangles you in the story but in the ideas put forth in its telling. One of the well crafted characters in Still Life puts forth a life concept from a book she enjoyed; Life is Loss. And she and Gamache have a discussion o...