Chanin

Hi! I'm the "new addition" to The Family Addiction, Chanin. Am I a sister? Well... I'm an only child in real life. But Carrie has always been the sister of my heart. And if she's my sister, surely Sarah is my honorary baby sister, no? And though Amy & I met in college, with our connections to Carrie & Sarah, surely we, too, are family, right? :)

It's funny - reading this blog over the last few years, I've noticed a trend. Carrie and I read a lot of the same books, holding mostly the same opinion of said books, though she reads more fantasy than I do, and I read more pure mystery. Amy & I end up reading a lot of the same books, though our opinions don't always mesh. Sarah reads "real" books, which I tend to avoid, so I can't compare opinions, but I'm always interested to hear what she has to say... :)

As for me, my passion is mystery. Mostly, oddly, English mystery. I've only been to England once, but I do love Scotland Yard. I particularly love history, always, so most of my favorites are set in the World Wars. However, I love current mysteries too. I particularly love series stories. The development of characters for me will sometimes trump the single-mystery story that is taking place.

I also have a slightly guilty passion for (well-written only) romance. I'm not usually a huge fan of what I'd call "book club books" or memoirs, most of which serve only to depress me. I like a solid, just ending to books. I'm coming around to non-fiction that either informs or entertains.

Anyway - I hope I can contribute a separate, yet interesting voice to the blog!


Five Favorite Books
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
What can I say? Classic romance, funny, not too full of itself...

Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh
A wonderful, classic example of English mystery. While I love all of Ngaio Marsh, this is my absolute favorite.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
The second of the Bridget Jones books, cannot read without crying tears of laughter and never want to be without it.

(cheating here) The Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books by Laurie R. King
I can't pick just one. The whole series is fantastic and insightful and has real mysteries and character development and is set around WWI. Usually the first books I recommend if anyone asks me for something to read.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Taught me not to take myself so seriously, made me laugh, made me think, can't imagine having a house without this book on a shelf...

Two Not-So-Favorites
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
While maybe superficially related to Pride and Prejudice, it's overblown and takes itself WAY too seriously.

(cheating again) Anything by Dickens
I know he's a master, but he was paid by the word. He used too many. He enjoyed melodrama. I don't.