Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Presumption of Death

What book are you currently reading?

Presumption of Death, by Perri O’Shaughnessy.”

Tell me about the book.

“It is a legal thriller. It is about an arson in Carmel Valley. Two boys went into the hills. I think they meant to catch the arsonist in order to get the reward money [but] it went badly and one was found dead and burned. The other is alive and is accused of being the arsonist [but] they were just after the arsonist, actually.”

Were you prompted to read the book because of the fires here last October?

“No, not at all. A friend just gave me the book a few weeks ago and I really liked it.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Is this the sort of book you usually read?

“I read a lot of different things. I like a lot of thrillers, but I do read literature as well.”

Do you have any favorite characters?

“I like the protagonist, the lawyer. She is a woman on her own with a teenage son who’s had a kind of rocky life: a single mom, then remarried, and then her husband died. She’s very strong, very smart, a little bit of a risk taker. I like her.”

How would you describe the author’s writing style?

“It’s good. I think it is well-written, easy to read, fast.”

How does this book compare to other thrillers that you’ve read?

“One writer I really like is Elizabeth George [BBC’s Inspector Lynley author]. She’s from England. Her books are of the same genre, but are a little bit deeper in the analysis of character. Nevada Barr is one writer that I’ve read because she is a park ranger and so each of her stories takes place in a different national park, which is kind of nice. I like reading about the parks.”

Who is your favorite author?

“As far as thrillers are concerned, Elizabeth George, because she is more in-depth compared to a lot of others in terms of developing the characters.”

What magazines or newspapers do you read?

“Okay. Very unusual. Get ready: The Economist, National Geographic Adventure, Backpacker. We get other magazines like U.S. News, but I just glance at them. Fortune I don’t like. Business Week we also get: I just glance at it. I get most daily news from the radio, from NPR.”

Are you the kind of person who reads articles to the end or just the first couple paragraphs?

“To the end. Yes.”

Do you talk to your friends about reading?

“Yes, quite a lot. I have a lot of friends who are good readers and we share, we trade books.”

What are your conversations like? Do you focus on the plot or on character?

“No, I think we mostly focus on whether it’s an interesting subject, whether you would like it, whether it’s well-written. For example, with me, I like the outdoors. It’s not so much about the characters, more about the genre, or ‘this is very good, you would like it.’”

Name: Veronique Kaplinsky | Occupation: Stay-at-home mom
Neighborhood: Rancho Peñasquitos | Where interviewed: Starbucks, Poway

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob

What book are you currently reading?

Presumption of Death, by Perri O’Shaughnessy.”

Tell me about the book.

“It is a legal thriller. It is about an arson in Carmel Valley. Two boys went into the hills. I think they meant to catch the arsonist in order to get the reward money [but] it went badly and one was found dead and burned. The other is alive and is accused of being the arsonist [but] they were just after the arsonist, actually.”

Were you prompted to read the book because of the fires here last October?

“No, not at all. A friend just gave me the book a few weeks ago and I really liked it.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Is this the sort of book you usually read?

“I read a lot of different things. I like a lot of thrillers, but I do read literature as well.”

Do you have any favorite characters?

“I like the protagonist, the lawyer. She is a woman on her own with a teenage son who’s had a kind of rocky life: a single mom, then remarried, and then her husband died. She’s very strong, very smart, a little bit of a risk taker. I like her.”

How would you describe the author’s writing style?

“It’s good. I think it is well-written, easy to read, fast.”

How does this book compare to other thrillers that you’ve read?

“One writer I really like is Elizabeth George [BBC’s Inspector Lynley author]. She’s from England. Her books are of the same genre, but are a little bit deeper in the analysis of character. Nevada Barr is one writer that I’ve read because she is a park ranger and so each of her stories takes place in a different national park, which is kind of nice. I like reading about the parks.”

Who is your favorite author?

“As far as thrillers are concerned, Elizabeth George, because she is more in-depth compared to a lot of others in terms of developing the characters.”

What magazines or newspapers do you read?

“Okay. Very unusual. Get ready: The Economist, National Geographic Adventure, Backpacker. We get other magazines like U.S. News, but I just glance at them. Fortune I don’t like. Business Week we also get: I just glance at it. I get most daily news from the radio, from NPR.”

Are you the kind of person who reads articles to the end or just the first couple paragraphs?

“To the end. Yes.”

Do you talk to your friends about reading?

“Yes, quite a lot. I have a lot of friends who are good readers and we share, we trade books.”

What are your conversations like? Do you focus on the plot or on character?

“No, I think we mostly focus on whether it’s an interesting subject, whether you would like it, whether it’s well-written. For example, with me, I like the outdoors. It’s not so much about the characters, more about the genre, or ‘this is very good, you would like it.’”

Name: Veronique Kaplinsky | Occupation: Stay-at-home mom
Neighborhood: Rancho Peñasquitos | Where interviewed: Starbucks, Poway

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Next Article

20 Best Online Casinos USA For Real Money (2024 List)

USA Online Casinos: Top 20 Online Casino Sites of 2024
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.