The Grumpy Librarian and the Case of the Franzen Frowner
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
Loved: Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Loved: Stephen King, The Stand
Didn’t: Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections
Another month, another Franzen frowner. Guys, just because a book is successful doesn’t mean you have to read it. Trust your own tastes, every reader his book, every book his reader, etc. The Grumpy Librarian suggests more spooky mysteries, heavier on suspense than on really long realist investigations into the indignities of early middle age.
Although it’s probably already too late, the GL requests you skip the Dragon Tattoo trilogy. Sure, blame the unconvincingly stilted series on the translation — plenty of people who don’t speak Swedish still straight-faced blame the translator. Or you could read a different, better crime series: How about Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie books? Her detective novel, Case Histories, will scratch that psychological thriller itch. It’s the first of four Brodie books, which should keep you safe from bad dates with best-sellers, at least for a few weeks.
(grumpylibrarian@citypaper.net)
