Confession: I can’t stand it when people say “I’ll lend you a book! You’ll love it!” The thing is I don’t like books thrust upon me. I hate feeling like I ‘have’ to read something and I really hate the pressure of having to read it immediately so that it can then be returned quickly. And what if I hate it? I actually only borrow books (or listen to recommendations) from a very, very small group of people. Very small. Boy… I sound like such a brat.

So, can you see where this is going? Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen. It was ‘thrust upon me’ by a newish friend after I mentioned that I was partial to all things South Beach, Miami. Now I have to say that I would never have picked this book myself. From the blurb, it seemed to have a light crime element that is simply not my cup of tea. But this is why sometimes (just sometimes), it’s good to read out of your genre-comfort-zone. I enjoyed Nature Girl. It was light and fun but not in a chick-lit or lad-lit kind of way – both of which can stray into morose, navel-gazing territory. Continue reading →