All the Ms: MacMillan to Mad Scientists

Gilly MacMillan: There’s a suspense/mystery genre in which women–mothers, daughters, sister, lovers—either end up in dangerous circumstances or go out of their way to save loved ones from dangerous circumstances. I don’t really get it, but then I don’t really get survivor memoirs either. What She Knew, about a son’s abduction told mostly from a mother’s point of view, is quite well-written. Not my cup of tea. (I would be more interested in the boy looking back on the event years later.)  

Robert MacNeil: And then there are all those famous people who turn around and write books because, I guess, that’s what famous people do. Robert MacNeil wrote Breaking News amongst others. News reporters getting excited about themselves interests me almost as much as actors getting excited about themselves. (Not at all.) On the other hand, the book begins by comparing reporters to Gadarene swine, who rush off the cliff to pursue unsubstantiated stories. I have to say: fantastic analogy! And to MacNeil's credit, he seems to have been open to a range of popular culture.

Elizabeth Macneal: Circus of Wonders is told by several characters about the circus life–including the internal competition–in the 1860s. 

Debbie Macomber: Debbie Macomber’s books fill over a shelf in the library. I chose a Christmas book, Christmas Letters. And I was reminded why I don’t read Debbie Macomber. I like romances. I like romances between everyday ordinary people. But I don’t care for her stuff. It’s not dissimilar to how I like fantasy and sci-fi yet can’t get into Andre Norton. I’m not sure what the reason is but I suspect, with Macomber, that the issue is tone. The book is supposed to be, I think, cute and warm-hearted and whimsical. I found the characters rather tiresome. Like I was supposed to be admiring how cute and warm-hearted and whimsical they were on every page.

Molly MacRae: Plaid and Plagiarism is the first book in a mystery series set in Scotland. So many mysteries! I have to get more and more selective.

The Mad Scientist’s Guide of World Domination gave me a chance to read a short story by Harry Turtledove, a sci-fi writer I know about but have never read. I don’t know if all his stories are written in the same style as “Father of the Groom”--a mad scientists turns his daughter-in-law-to-be into a literal bridezilla–but it’s an engaging style for a short piece: conversational and funny, rather like reading a comedian’s take on contemporary America.