Word Nerd

For lack of any fun stories or exciting news, I thought I'd write my "To Read" list. I'm always looking for a few good books. I've requested a couple of them already, but I'd welcome any suggestions.

* My Sister From the Black Lagoon, by Laurie Fox
* Boy Still Missing, by John Searles
* The Known World, by Edward P. Jones
* Will They Ever Trust Us Again, by Michael Moore
* The Drowning Tree, by Carol Goodman
* A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
* The Crimes and Punishments of Miss Payne, by Barry Jansberg
* Shoot the Moon, by Billie Letts
* The Ice Queen, by Alice Hoffman (LOVE her books!!)
* Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

Yesterday at the CH library, I was trying to suggest some books for a patron to read. She said she only reads mysteries, and they can't be spooky or gory. Also, they couldn't take place in England. "What?" I asked. "Why not?" She goes, "Because they're all like, 'Oh, you know, uh, I'm English. Oh, looky. I'm in England.'" I was startled into laughter. It was so ridiculously funny. Then as I was suggesting Haunted Ground, by Erin Hart, she worried that it was spooky. I assured her it wasn't. "It takes place in Scotland, I think," I said. "Or maybe it's Ireland." "Well," she said. "That rules that one out." It's an excellent book! What the heck is the problem? Because someone may be named Cormac or Ringo* instead of John or Billy? Give me a break.
*I've never actually read a book with a character named Ringo. I just couldn't think of anything English-y.