This week's book...

So a few years ago, I bought "Winner of the National Book Award", a novel by Jincy Willett. It sat on a shelf in a bookcase for 5 years, until one day in ended up in my "to be traded in" pile. And away it went, onto a shelf in the store for another customer to enjoy. I haven't thought about it since. And then last week, during another meeting, I asked my go-to's for a book suggestion and Jincy Willett was it. I remembered having owned and then trading in the book just recommended to me, so I figured I'd just go back to my store and buy it again. Well, when I went to get a copy, her more current offering, "The Writing Class", jumped out at me as more interesting for the mood I was in. So, home it came with me. I have to admit it was slow going at first. A page here, five there. But after the first couple of chapters, I couldn't put it down. So last night and today was spent devouring this witty gem. The book follows a group of wannabe writers all attending the same writing workshop taught by a once critically praised author who has seen better days and hasn't published anything in ages. The mystery starts from the first class as the students start receiving curious, if not mean, critiques of their writing. Then odd things happen: a Ted Bundy mask, missing classmates, crude drawings, and whispered phone calls. Then a murder (or two) and the whodunnit is in full blown mystery mode. The characters are well written, the humor is a bit dry but I laughed out loud, and you just can't beat the tension created as the class struggles to figure out who the culprit is. A review listed on the jacket of the novel says: "The Writing Class is alternately funny, sweet, and suspenseful. It's a mystery written for book lovers, and books like this are what caused book lovers to fall in love with books in the first place." -The Buffalo News

I couldn't have said it any better!