When I'm not "running" with the people of God in my church, I am reading.  Five or six books every week.  And yes, I am a speed reader.  My favorite genre is crime mysteries with a legal gist.  I know, for a person like me that seems to be an oxymoron.  But I like to read about good triumphing over evil.  Truth winning out.  The underdog overcoming adverse circumstances.  The book I just finished has it all.  It even has forgiveness between a son and his father.

It's hard to find a great mystery writer after you have read all of John Grisham's books.  So I asked the OK City Metro Library to send me samples of work in the legal, mystery and crime category.  Authors that I hadn't read.  They have a program for seniors where they mail you books in a purple waterproof zipper bag and you return them postage paid in the same zipper pouch.  It's free.  It's a great service.  I get six books every week.  And I read them.  (I admit that I skim over the descriptions of what a person is wearing, what color the flowers are and most adjectives.)

So many of these writers have sunk to a new low on lurid language, sexual filler, and filth.  Each week for the last month I have rejected most authors.  I call the library, explain why I don't want to read any more of that author's books--and they send me different publications.

Yesterday, I got a book by Todd M. Johnson: "The Deposit Slip."  It was one of the best mysteries that I have read in ages and ages.  I think it is his first book.  He was able to keep my attention for six hours.  I couldn't put it down.  And believe it or not, not a single bad word.  The closest it came was when the bad guy "uttered an expletive."  Without telling me what the expletive was.  Thank you Todd Johnson--I'm tired of the expletives that are now so commonplace in the world.  I'm sick of them.  His plot involved a bank and a wounded veteran.  It was unique.

I've always thought that when you can't speak without cursing, you have a very poor command of the English language.  Mr. Johnson commands the English language.  I called the library, and found that he has a new book out this year--they are mailing it to me.

I had John pull up the rest of the tomatoes and okra--they had quit bearing so I don't have to go pick anything outside.  It has been really cold lately.  I'm going to curl up this afternoon with a book.