AOL's Book Maven

Those of us here (whether as blogger or -- what? bloggees?) know that reading has many pleasures, and it's my intention to highlight them in different ways. Hence this first entry in 'The Joy of Text,' hardly a stunningly original title, but one that amuses me.

This week's Joy is that of discovering a new author -- not just any new author, or a first-time author, but an author whose work you have not read before and who happens to have already published quite a few wonderful books. For some people this might be Jane Austen; for others, Robert Ludlum; for others, Trollope; and so on. My latest find is Ian Rankin, whose Inspector Rebus police procedurals (the latest being 'Fleshmarket Alley') will head this week's list (to be posted on Friday) of great new detective books.

I'll be posting a Q&A with Rankin on Friday along with the list, and so I figured I'd best start reading his work. I brought home two over the weekend: 'Resurrection Men' and 'A Question of Blood.' I started with the former, and am not sure if I'm reading in the correct chronological order -- but I soon couldn't have cared less. I was completely caught up in Rebus's stubborn, moral world. Reading these tough yet lovingly detailed novels of Scottish law enforcement was the perfect antidote to the two very feminine books I'd been reading for review beforehand.

Now I've got lots of Rankin books to look forward to -- both his new one (quickly, before our interview!) and his old ones. (I remember so well as a bibliophilic adolescent worrying that I'd finish all of the Agatha Christies and never have anything left to read... of course, I didn't realize then that re-reading Agatha Christies would become a favorite adult escape!)

Which author (or authors) have you recently discovered? You can post here, or email bookmaven2005 at aol dot com and let me know.

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