A Bad Day for Sorry: a crime novel by Sophie Littlefield

A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield Find this book in our catalog

Stella Hardesty lives in rural Missouri, has issues with her chunky, fifty-something figure and an unusual attitude to life. Having married young, and given birth to a delightful daughter, she spent years pretending that her husband did not verbally abuse her in public and regularly physically abuse her at home, blacking her eyes and bruising her ribs but never actually sending her to the emergency room. Then, just shy of her fiftieth birthday, she surprised herself by dispatching her abuser with a wrench.

The community turned a blind eye, and now Stella has a fearsome reputation, not only as an unrepentant murderess but as an inexorable avenger of abused women throughout Missouri - even as far as Branson. Stella runs a side business helping battered women who come to her and pay her what they can. She barely has time to run the sewing machine repair and quilting notions shop she inherited from her deceased husband. She works outside the law persuading errant husbands and boyfriends to change their behaviour with a little old-fashioned intimidation and torture. When Chrissy Shaw asks Stella for help, it seems like a straightforward case: Chrissy's husband, Roy Dean disappears with her two-year-old son and Stella is asked to find and recover the boy.

However, Stella is soon confirmed in her suspicions that things are not as straightforward as they seem. Roy Dean has already had to be corrected once for abusing the ditsy and passive Chrissy, and once again for his overbearing treatment of his new girlfriend, with whom he was seen at the drag strip. It looks like he is a thoroughly despicable shred of humanity and may well have kidnapped Chrissy's child for reasons more dire than simply gaining custody in a marital split. Will Stella be able to prevail against the Kansas City mobsters with whom Roy Dean is involved in some way? And will Chrissy be able to pull herself together enough to help her?

This book seemed to me to be a good one to recommend to fans of Janet Evanovich, particularly if they enjoy her dark humor. For both authors evil is just as banal and yet rears its head everywhere. Their characters are captivating, complex and very flawed and are struggling to make a living in some of the seemier parts of city or country. The humor comes from the characters and their distressingly human frailties. To me, the Janet Evanovich novels have become more violent over the years. A Bad Day for Sorry is also violent. The characters also don't seem to have any compunction in using bad language, often as a form of aggression. Still, we admire Stephanie Plum as we admire Stella: each is vulnerable in some way and yet each faces challenges that no one should be forced to face.

If you like the rural backwater setting of A Bad Day for Sorry, you might like the Maggody mystery series by Joan Hess featuring female Arkansas sheriff, Arly Hanks. This series has a conflicted but ultimately strong female lead, downhome, sometimes comic characters and darkish humor.

If you like the revenge element, partnered again with definitely dark humor, you might like the Dexter series by Jeff Lindsay, now made into a TV series.

Shortlist for Thurber Prize for American Humor

The finalists for the $5,000 Thurber Prize for American Humor are:

Lamentations of the Father by Ian Frazier Find this book in our catalog
"Frazier’s work is funny and elegant and poetic and of the highest literary aspiration, all at the same time. More serious than a “gag” writer, funnier than most essayists of equal accomplishment, Frazier is of a classical originality." (catalog notes)

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley Find this book in our catalog
"Wry, hilarious, and profoundly genuine, this debut collection of literary essays is a celebration of fallibility and haplessness in all their glory. From despoiling an exhibit at the Natural History Museum to provoking the ire of her first boss to siccing the cops on her mysterious neighbor, Crosley can do no right despite the best of intentions-or perhaps because of them. Together, these essays create a startlingly funny and revealing portrait of a complex and utterly recognizable character that's aiming for the stars but hits the ceiling, and the inimitable city that has helped shape who she is. I Was Told There'd Be Cake introduces a strikingly original voice, chronicling the struggles and unexpected beauty of modern urban life." (catalog notes)

Wrack and Ruin by Don Lee Find this book in our catalog
"The trick to reading Don Lee's wonderfully silly second novel... is to take nothing seriously, even when you should. The book concerns the eccentric sculptor-turned-brussels sprout farmer, Lyndon Song, and his estranged brother, Woody, an uptight Hollywood producer. Lyndon's refusal to sell his farmland to a golf course developer results in an unwelcome visit from his brother, who has been secretly hired by the developer." (extract from PW review in catalog)

The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death : reflections on revenge, germophobia, and laser hair removal by Laurie Notaro Find this book in our catalog
"The "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club" returns with her first collection of all new essays and personal observations in three years--and her funniest yet." (catalog notes)



The winner will be announced October 1


See Readers Place for my suggestion list of more recent American humor, called "Generation Gap."

Whale Season by N.M. Kelby

Whale Season: A Really Good Book by N.M. Kelby
If you want something funny, light, a little bizarre, but also with characters you can believe in this may be the book for you. Kelby brings together some eccentric characters and some odd happenings at Whale Harbor, Florida. ("There are no whales in Whale Harbor, Florida. Never have been.") Her book is entertaining, yet it has wisdom, pathos and human feeling. Kelby has been compared to author Carl Hiaasen, and you can see similarities in her Florida setting and her quirky characters. This is a good summer read (even though it is Christmas in the book).

As the residents of Whale Harbor get ready to celebrate Christmas, a serial killer, who is dressed as Jesus, comes to town. The essence of this book concerns the way in which his appearance and the events that he initiates affect the characters.

The Abingdon Book Group enjoyed the book. We found the characters to be unusual, but generally likeable, and almost all had a tender side. One reader in the group had not liked it too much, but during the discussion, said how much she was starting to like it now that we had discussed it and she had seen it in the light of other readers' observations. This is why book groups are so good, we get to see hear many differing views and opinions, and then we may discover something about the book we had overlooked. We also enjoyed iced tea & chocolate chip cookies! Then shared other books we are reading.

Ms. Kelby is the author of Murder at the Bad Girl's Bar and Grill (forthcoming book), In the Company of Angels, and Theater of the Stars. She also has written short stories. Information about the author may be found at http://www.nmkeby.com/

Our August title is Family Tree, by Barabara Delinsky.