Inheriting the Trade

I recently discovered BookBlips, a site “for people passionate about books, and the news and events that emerge from the world of books.” A guest blog called “Booking Through Thursday” posed a question that appealed to me: “What’s the lightest, most “fluff” kind of book you’ve read recently?”

I read some pretty heavy stuff most of the time. And I need a vacation from time to time. This summer I dove into a trio books from an author I enjoy a lot. Carl Hiaasen let me escape to Florida with three fun diversions. The first was Lucky You, about a woman wins the lottery. Unfortunately there were two winning tickets and the holders of the other one, Bodean and Chub, think they should win the whole $28 million and not just half. Second up was Tourist Season, a caper which begins with a Shriner who goes missing while swimming in the Atlantic and soon involves sports, politics, cops, and a really hungry crocodile. The third Hiassen book I read in a row–they were kind of like those old Lay’s potato chip commercials; “betcha can’t eat just one”–was Native Tongue. Two rare, blue-tongued mango voles are stolen from the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills amusement park on North Key Largo by a couple of not-too-bright thugs. And, of course, because this is Hiassen, the story gets quite tangled from there.

Have you taken any “reading vacations” recently?