Stepping outside of your comfort zone - part 2

I did exactly what I recommended a few weeks ago. I closed my eyes and pulled out a book at random to read. Now I will be honest, I was really really relieved that it wasn't science fiction, but who knows what will happen next time!

The book was The Virgin of Small Plains, by Nancy Pickard. I have to say, the cover was uninspiring, no hint of anything suspenseful, just a pretty, bland cover. The book is described as a novel of suspence and involves an unsolved death in a small Kansas town from 17 years ago. While you could consider it a mystery, it really tips over into a hint of Alice Hoffman, a touch of Jodi Picoult as we explore the effects of the death on a variety of townspeople. I listened to the audiobook of this and was really drawn in by the plot and the characters. As some reviewers have said, there is a little of something for everyone - a nice romance, an interesting mystery and a thread of how justice is ultimately served in unexpected ways. Is it the greatest book ever? No. Great literature? Probably not. Was it a good read? I thought so and recommend it to anyone willing to take a chance.

Another title I tried, I really tried thinking it would be an entirely different kind of book. This book was City of Masks, by Daniel Hecht. I had read briefly about it and it was referred to as a new mystery series featuring Cree Black as the investigator. I had just come off a period of reading mysteries featuring American Indian detectives. With that background I jumped to the conclusion that this was a new series to try. While I was treated to a great book that forced you to wrap your mind around some bizarre things, there was no American Indian detective - Cree being short for her real name, and she turned out to be a paranormal investigator. This is a good book if you are into ghosts, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, X-files and are prepared to take a leap into the paranormal. Not my usual area of interest, but I couldn't wait for the next in the series.

What it all comes down to is that there are so many possible new books to try - who knows what you will end up discovering. The next time you read another book by your favorite author and think that it was ok, but a little disappointing, take a risk and try something entirely new. It can lead to some great reads, and just maybe, a new author to watch for.

Books: Land of Echoes, by Daniel Hecht

Small change, by Belinda Yandell