Synopsis: A poor little rich girl heads to the NOLA after her daddy gets sent up the river for embezzling. Review: I was hoping for a trashy roman a clef and instead I got a poorly written snooze-fest. Not that I was expecting a whole lot by way of literary merit, but I was at least hoping for some insider-y gossip. Priceless just should’ve been a whole lot more fun. Many thanks to Atria for the review copy.
Synopsis: The saga of a Welsh family haunted by submerged passions and unfulfilled desire. Review: I was hooked on The Wheel of Fortune from the first pages. It’s juicy, lush, psychologically complex, and keenly observed. The story opens with Robert, scion of the Godwin family, heir to Oxmoon, lusting after his second cousin Ginevra, on the night that she elopes with an Irish rake, Connor Kinsella. When, in pure tragic form, Robert is able to consummate his desire, a chain of events unfolds that scars…
Synopsis: A sex scandal rocks a prep school. Review: I did not care for Testimony. I felt like the writing was on the nose and even lazy. I’m sure Anita Shreve can do better.
Synopsis: An episodic look at the life of a California girl living in New York. Review: I do not like to give negative reviews on this blog so I will just say that I finally gave up on Rules for Saying Goodbye with only 70 pages to go. I did not like that it was a memoir disguised as fiction. I wasn’t crazy about the arch, tinny dialogue. I never cared about the protagonist/author. It was not for me. I will say I did enjoy…
Created by Dewey, picked up at Becky’s Book Reviews: 1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not? Oh, yes–absolutely. I even have tags about it (see my tag list below). I do try to be fair, in that I like to analyze why I didn’t like a book, figure out what went wrong, instead of just ranting. I believe that I am able to discern when something just isn’t my taste versus when it’s not good,…
Synopsis: The conclusion of the epic battle against the darkness. Review: I’m sorry to announce to everyone who has been excited I’m reading Kay that I found The Darkest Road to be a slog… around page 275 I realized that I had nothing invested emotionally in any of the characters or their journeys. I just never really engaged with the story. That said, Kay is a beautiful writer and I will certainly be checking out Tigana and Last Light of the Sun, though not for…
Synopsis: Bereft and aimless, an ex-meth head signs up to test a new drug promising to cure anxiety of all kinds. Review: I picked up Sunless because it promised a Chuck Pahlaniuk-esque satirical romp through all the woes of our modern age, dressed up in off-kilter post-apocalyptic trappings and with an addictive prose style. Instead, I suffered through a lazily written, incoherently plotted, almost aggressively aimless stylistic exercise that I had to force myself to finish reading. Thankfully it’s not very long, so I could…
Synopsis: Basically Brave New World crossed with 1984. Review: There isn’t an original idea in This Perfect Day. It’s also got one of those scenes where the main character rapes his love interest to prove his mastery, and she resists then totally gets into it and it ends up being just what she needed to become fully alive. Blech. I’m already annoyed at the time I lost reading this thing, and I don’t feel like giving it any more of my life, so that’s it…
I tried really, really hard to finish this book but halfway through it got deemed “life’s too short.” Winterbirth is epic fantasy of the George RR Martin variety–lots of loyalty oaths, warring kinsmen, and creeping winter. But the emphasis is on war, not on character adventure, and I find it hard to get into war stories under the best of circumstances.
Synopsis: When her magazine is taken over by a bullheaded celebrity, editor-in-chief Magnolia Gold tries to go along to get along–until she gets handed a pink slip. Review: I am not ashamed to admit that I love a good ‘n’ dishy roman a clef. But Little Pink Slips was a HUGE disappointment. I felt like author Sally Koslow was simply recycling material from other, better books, and none of her satire was particularly fresh. Her worse sin of all? Squandering her source material.