One Sagittarius clerk at the bookstore

I solicit input from various source for choosing reading material. Because I write so much (two weekly columns, a monthly, and various other efforts for hire) I’ve found that what I’m reading influences the tone of whatever project I’m working on. One Sagittarius clerk at the bookstore recommended a host of authors, and I must admit I was disappointed with one of the selections — a mystery/thriller with an astrology writer as the protagonist. It wasn’t that the plot was bad, and it wasn’t that the astrology was bad — the technical aspect of the astrology was solid. The problem was assuming that astrology and psychic readings are the same offended my delicate sensibilities. It’s the “apples and oranges” cliché. The other problem was the way that one author used the language itself. It was certainly grammatically correct, but it lacked poetic resonance. It didn’t flow. It’s did get up and gallop off the page in one direction or another. It wasn’t vigorous. Pedestrian, workman–like, and way too formula. Too bad, too, because I like the idea of someone in my shoes (so I’m barefoot right now), someone in my shoes writing about thrilling things which occur. “Wish I had a pencil thin mustache, and I could solve some mysteries, too.”