キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか? しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか? 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな?』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう?もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
This is going to sound weird, but if you’re a Reader, you’ll totally understand where I’m coming from.
When you read a good book, that book becomes your friend.
It’s totally strange and maybe even a bit psychologically deviant but it’s true. That book becomes like your closest friend, someone you’re spending time with and loving the conversation.
I will admit, I have sometimes loved a book so much I will hug it like I’m hugging a person. There, I have confessed my mental disturbance to all the blogosphere.
But those of you who are Readers will completely get me.
You devour books by favorite authors because you became good friends with one of her titles, and you hope to find new friends in her other titles. Your chances are good since you already loved one of her stories.
You’re always on the lookout for a new friend. Some books disappoint, but then suddenly you’ll stumble on a book (which might not even have that great a cover or back cover blurb) and you’re caught in an amazing story with amazing characters and you know you’ve found a friend.
Some of my books are book-friends, but some are book-best-friends. They’re the ones I’ll keep because I could see myself rereading them, they were that good.
I was thinking today about why some books are book-friends and why some are book-best-friends. My book-friends are still highly entertaining, enthralling reads. I just finished one yesterday. But it wasn’t a book-best-friend.
I think that for my book-best-friends, there is something about the characters that I especially love. I relate to them on a deeper level, or perhaps I admire them greatly. Their stories move me deep in my gut rather than just being an entertaining read.
I love my book-friends, but I am also constantly on the lookout for a new book-best-friend. I also do not limit the number of book-best-friends that I have, the more the merrier, in my opinion. But since my shelves are overflowing, I have gotten some book-best-friends as ebooks and given away my print copies so that my book-best-friends take up less real estate in my house.
So my blog friends, do you feel me? I know some of you non-Readers are going to tell me to hie to a psychologist, but you Readers know what I’m talking about. What are some book-best-friends you’ve got?
When you read a good book, that book becomes your friend.
It’s totally strange and maybe even a bit psychologically deviant but it’s true. That book becomes like your closest friend, someone you’re spending time with and loving the conversation.
I will admit, I have sometimes loved a book so much I will hug it like I’m hugging a person. There, I have confessed my mental disturbance to all the blogosphere.
But those of you who are Readers will completely get me.
You devour books by favorite authors because you became good friends with one of her titles, and you hope to find new friends in her other titles. Your chances are good since you already loved one of her stories.
You’re always on the lookout for a new friend. Some books disappoint, but then suddenly you’ll stumble on a book (which might not even have that great a cover or back cover blurb) and you’re caught in an amazing story with amazing characters and you know you’ve found a friend.
Some of my books are book-friends, but some are book-best-friends. They’re the ones I’ll keep because I could see myself rereading them, they were that good.
I was thinking today about why some books are book-friends and why some are book-best-friends. My book-friends are still highly entertaining, enthralling reads. I just finished one yesterday. But it wasn’t a book-best-friend.
I think that for my book-best-friends, there is something about the characters that I especially love. I relate to them on a deeper level, or perhaps I admire them greatly. Their stories move me deep in my gut rather than just being an entertaining read.
I love my book-friends, but I am also constantly on the lookout for a new book-best-friend. I also do not limit the number of book-best-friends that I have, the more the merrier, in my opinion. But since my shelves are overflowing, I have gotten some book-best-friends as ebooks and given away my print copies so that my book-best-friends take up less real estate in my house.
So my blog friends, do you feel me? I know some of you non-Readers are going to tell me to hie to a psychologist, but you Readers know what I’m talking about. What are some book-best-friends you’ve got?
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