Ove

Before I get going on Ove...a short PSA

Due to the predicted snowstorm, Heart-A-Rama auditions scheduled for Tuesday, February 2 have been rescheduled for 7:00, Monday, February 8^th at the Capitol Civic Centre.  Those unable to attend the audition can contact Bev Denor by Friday, February 5 at bdenor@lsol.net or call her at LaDeDa Books & Beans (682.7040) during regular business hours to schedule an alternative audition time. 

Book trends.   For a while, we were all reading teens in trouble books - Defending Jacob, We Need to Talk About Kevin. Generally, there's a rich kid, a doctor or lawyer parent, and some unspeakable crime that everyone tries to cover up as the world twists around them.  Sometime a surprise ending sneaks up on us as it did in the horrific final scenes of Defending Jacob.  As horrible as the ending was, it left no room for discussion.  The author led us to the exact conclusion she wanted, summing it up in one simple action taken by a desperate parent at the 11th hour.

Before that litany of titles, we had adults behaving badly in Fifty Shades of Gray and all the spin-offs. Written at an embarrassingly junior high level, these tawdry tales spawned far too many offspring for my taste.  There are just not enough synonyms for "throbbing" to keep things interesting.

After that we moved on to the red-herring, missing and or crazy wife stories.  Gone Girl begot The Farm which begot The Good Girl and then The Girl on the Train.  It appears we have grown tired of all  the begettin'   - now we wait for all the movie versions.

Someone stole my baby.  My daughter has been kidnapped/murdered/sold.  Children and the holocaust. they all had their day.  What's trending now?

Cantankerous old men.  A Man Called Ove lit up the European bestseller lists before word of mouth brought it the same notoriety in the U.S.  Written by a Swedish author, the story, the characters and the tone just scream SCANDINAVIAN.  Everything is tidy and functional.  The language is simple,unadorned yet effective.  Some might say the style is bland - others would call it elegantly understated.  Current publisher catalogues burst with the "next best seller" title about and old, cranky man."  Publicists promise we will laugh, cry, be amazed, and fall in love with the old fellows.

I'm not far enough into Ove to say if any that is true, but the number of customers requesting the title because of friend recommendations tells me this could be a satisfying read.  I have been enjoying all the pronunciations of the title character's name.  OOOOve.  Ohvie. Ave.  And my personal favorite -Oivey.  Of couse I looked up the correct pronunciation, but I'm not telling.  

I'll cut this short so you can get to the store and pick up your bad weather gear and soup makin' ingredients.

Thanks for stopping.

LaDeDa Bev