What are you reading the week of April 7, 2013?

[getting old in mke]

8. _Death and the Running Patterer_ by Robin Adair

Interesting premise--former Bow Street Runner (Scotland Yard) transported to Australia in the early 19th century takes up a new profession, running patterer, which is basically a news-teller. He reads the papers and is paid to recite/summarize the information by both the time challenged and illiterate. This brings him into contact with a large array of folk in the Sydney colony and that with his background make him the go-to choice when mysterious murders start happening.

Unfortunately, Adair has WAY too much exposition going on. The details of colony life and history are interesting, but would seem to belong more in a "Life in the Day of..." type book than a mystery. I like some and will file away most to entertain and astonish later, but it's bogging down the plotline right now. Perhaps the sequel is tighter, if he's gotten all the educational bits out of the way, but at this point I'm not inclined to do more than finish this volume.

Listening: _The Name of the Wind_ by Patrick Rothfuss. Reader: meh. Story: pretty good so far.

2013: 31 and counting.