Leaping Off the Page

Legendary Persephone

So, I’m reading Curses! Broiled Again! and am pulled up short when the author (who frequently credits letters from readers of his newspaper column that led him to variations on an urban legend) cited Betsy James, illustrator in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Well, the name leapt off the page and pounced.   In 1987, Betsy was certainly better known as an illustrator, but I got to know her some years later as a talented author.  Very amusing!  Made me trust his other citations more, as well.

And now for the usual reminder…  The Friday Fragments is not a book review column; it’s a list of what I’m reading and maybe a bit about my opinions.  I always read the Comments section, because I enjoy learning what other people are reading.  Oh, and I don’t usually list shorter works unless in a collection or articles.  I also don’t usually list my scattered research reading.

Completed:

The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.Audiobook, read by Stephen Fry.

Curses!  Broiled Again! by Jan Harold Brunvand.  A 1987 book on urban legends.  Fascinating to read, not only for content, but for how quickly misinformation could spread even before the Web.

In Progress:

The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle.  Audiobook, read by Stephen Fry.

Alphabet of Thorn by Patricia A. McKillip.  Ambitious plot, split between several distinct points of view.

Also:

Reading the latest Smithsonian, but took a break to read an amusing interview with rocker Rod Stewart in AARP mag.