I've prided myself for years on being what I call a "picky" reader. I don't like the very popular books that end up on most best seller lists (with exceptions) and I don't like trendy books (with rare exceptions). I don't like many; mysteries that have immense followings and popularity. It's all - or it's mostly - simply a matter of taste. But granted, I'm a snob when it comes to books, I guess. I love books and because of that, I respect them and I respect writing.

There are moments lately however, when I wonder. Have I gotten less tolerant? Is it me? Or are the books being offered really not as good? I hate being the sort of "back in my day..." critic. I've not been reviewing all that long but damn, I am having problems finding books to read that really thrill me. Every December, I struggle to come up with 10 books that I loved in the last 365 days.My "10 best" lists tend to be more like 4 or 5 books. If I'm lucky. And it's got to be me to some great extent, doesn't it?

Every year for years, i've spotted trends in mystery that dismay me. . I could/can spot some of the popular sub-genres at times. Sometimes it came from conversations, or nomination lists. Sometimes it was just educated guesswork. Most of these trends aren't to my taste, I admit.

I dislike trendiness. Trendiness means that you end up wearing clothes that don't suit you because you look like hell in pastel or plaid, or peplums. Trendiness means waiting until your stuff cycles around again on the guitar, so that eventually you won't feel like most of your time has been spent listening to old CDs, reading old books, wearing old clothes. I don't trust trends. Trends are artificial concoctions. Designers decide green is in (don't watch those home design shows if you don't like green paint) or that plaid shawls are big, or leg warmers or bra straps that show, or some decade's asinine styles are back. You know this one. And trendiness in books means that at times I am stuck without a good book because try though I might, I cannot get into a certain thing.

I've been finding it hard going recently. I'm not a fan of Scandinavian dour detectives who are depressed and lonely, divorced and dealing with seasonal affective disorder. Or so it seemed to me after trying four or five mysteries at one point. I'm not a fan of hobby or craft mysteries. I don't like golf or competitive poker playing or games and even as someone who spent many hours doing needlepoint and crocheting in my life, I don't get reading about it. While I adore crosswords, mysteries with word or number games don't grab me. I don't get mysteries with recipes (though I'm a good cook and Stu and I have lots of cookbooks). I like my mysteries full of mystery and little else. I don't like quaint, and I seldom like cute.

I don't like "let's all write like Dan Brown" mysteries. I didn't like Dan Brown's own books, so imitations don't attract me to any degree. Replace "Dan Brown" with "John Grisham" and you'll see where I'm going.

Lastly, I'm noting with dismay that several books - this is not a trend, at least I hope not - simply aren't written in a way I can read them. The hard line between first and third person should, I believe, be noticeable in a novel. You can blur it but only if you are skilled. You can alternate chapters, or make your voice really clear and distinctive. But when I read a mystery where, for the most part, the narrative comes from your protagonist, then you MUST be clear that she cannot know what she does not know. Simple, huh? If she's going along with you, or rather you with her, she can't know what others are thinking. If however, you're writing third person, then there are different rules. You see what everyone sees but you don't know, you aren't privy to private thoughts. This afternoon, alas, I gave up on yet another book that did not have that clear. If she believes this and she knows that, then it's from the protagonist's perspective and that means she cannot know what the villain knows, nor what the others in the household know. If the story is from the other point of view, then we cannot keep getting HER inner thoughts. It's muddled.

I know, I know, I have no idea how hard it is to write a book. I'm a reader but I'm a hugely well-informed reader, a lifelong reader who reads dozens or hundreds of books a year and I know what works. I get to have an opinion as a reader. Either you know the inner thoughts of a protagonist or you don't, but this fudging, this cheating to express it when it suits you strikes me as bad writing and alas, bad editing and try though I might, there goes another book I can't finish. I can't believe what the author is giving me - you either know stuff or you don't. Write in alternating voices if you must; chapter one "I saw the murder" alternating with chapter two "Detective Jones interviewed the suspect" if need be but alas, you cannot have it both ways.

i don't know what would be worse, to realize that it's me or that it's the way things are. I want to find new authors and I'm having a hell of a time doing so. My "best of" lists are made up almost entirely of old favorites. What's wrong here?