BARR NONE

Yesterday at the Saturn customer's lounge, the lady next to me opened up a big fat can of worms when she asked me: "What are you reading?" and for the next hour we discussed books and libraries and travelling and teas.

I was reading Deep South by Nevada Barr. Dr. Maureen got me turned on to her Anna Pigeon series of books, of which there are 16. Anna is a middle-aged, independent national park ranger cop who is always, and I mean ALWAYS with a capital A, butt-deep in danger. At one time I thought it would be fun to have such a job, but after reading a good number of these mysteries I am convinced that being a national park ranger is riskier than being a nude taste-tester at a plutonium plant.

With each book Anna is assigned to a different national park, and she hasn't even unpacked before she stumbles onto some lifeless body--or her own life has been threatened at least a half-dozen times. I've lost track of how many near-death experiences she has had while on the job. She's been stabbed, shot, fallen off cliffs, attacked by a bear, nearly drowned, been caught in a firestorm, poisoned--you name it and Anna has had it happen to her. Plus, even worse, a lot of the men she works with are slobs.

Well, fortunately, the nice lady at the Saturn joint is fond of books so she tolerated my lengthy explanation of what I was reading and even took down a few notes. Next time she may think twice before asking.