Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Victoria Houston

Victoria Houston is the author of the Loon Lake Mysteries, which are set in the Northwoods of Wisconsin against a background of fishing – fly fishing as well as fishing for muskie, bass, bluegill and walleyes. The latest book in the series is Dead Loudmouth.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Houston's reply:
I was reading “By the Book” in the Sunday New York Times Book Review section this winter when a British author mentioned one of his favorites was Evelyn Waugh’s A Handful of Dust. Years ago I read Scoop and loved it — so I ordered this one and settled in. Talk about terrific. I is not a long book but it took me a while to read it because it’s one of those rare novels you sink into. The characters are really well done. No cliches but people you recognize and either like or dislike with enthusiasm. The writing is realistic, straightforward and fresh. The ending stays with you…permanently. I’d rank it one of my top ten. (FYI among my top ten is Evan Connell’s Mrs. Bridge, which gives you an idea of my taste.)

I’m currently deep into Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan. I don’t surf and I dislike the ocean but this book is drawing me in with its charm and honesty. Actually, I have windsurfed for years on lakes and having grown up in “lake country” I have to say water is in my bones — its beauty and its terrors. But this book is about more than just surfing.
Learn more about the book and author at Victoria Houston's website.

The Page 69 Test: Dead Insider.

My Book, The Movie: Dead Insider.

--Marshal Zeringue