Breaking the Rules

Have you ever started reading a book, only to discover about halfway through that it's the second book in a trilogy (if you read Nora Roberts, I'm sure this sounds familiar)? It's a major pet peeve for a lot of library patrons, so what I'm about to say might sound a little strange. I recently read In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson, and absolutely loved it. The caveat? It's the 10th book in the author's long-running Inspector Banks series (out of a staggering 19). Having not read any of the previous nine titles, I half-expected to be a bit lost. Not so! In a Dry Season begins with the mystery writer's cliché of the discovery of a body -- only this particular body is found in the mud of a depleted reservoir, which in turn was constructed on top of a village decades ago. Robinson expertly weaves Inspector Banks' modern day murder investigation with flashbacks and memories of the people who lived in the village during World War II. Along the way, the reader picks up tidbits about Banks' troubled background (including a failed marriage and his demotion to the backwaters of Yorkshire), filling in the blanks presumably detailed in the earlier books in the series. So go ahead, be brave! Read a series out of order --after all, sometimes it feels good to be bad. HM

Romance and a bit of intrigue in a vintage clothing store

A Vintage Affair is a bittersweet story of friendship and love with a touch of history thrown in. It takes place, and was originally published, in Great Britain. The story is centered in and around Village Vintage clothing store. Phoebe, the store owner, visits older people who have clothes to sell and stories to tell. Purchasing the vintage dresses sometimes changes the way customers feel about themselves and therefore changes their lives. Phoebe has several male admirers and her life and schedule can be quite complex. The book is entertaining and pleasant to read.