The Penultimate Reviews

The summer is winding down and so are the number of reviews submitted.  We only had sixteen books reviewed this week by five readers.  There is one title below that is a “classic” that is apparently still a good read, a book about the classic Fahrenheit 451, a retelling of a classic mythological tale, some classic reviews of a few romances (one reported as steamy) and there is also the first truly bad review of the summer.  I wonder if people just don’t finish the really bad ones and so they don’t submit a review.  Do you feel compelled to complete a book that you have started (like I seem to feel) or how bad does the book have to be to abandon it before you reach the end?  The books reviewed this week, in no particular order, were:

The Bridges of Madison County – Robert Waller (5¯) “A brief encounter between a world-travelling photographer and a rural farmer’s wife, whether by chance or destiny, profoundly impacts both their lives.  While a departure from my usual reading - no mystery, murder or forensics – I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this compelling novel.  Highly recommended.”  This is the 1992 bestseller that was made into a movie and a Tony Award winning musical.  If you didn’t read this when it was first published, read it now – or if you did, read it again.  It was not a bestseller for nothing!

A Body to Die For – Kate White (5¯) “A freelance crime reporter goes to a spa weekend for some much needed relaxation only to stumble upon a dead body.  As she investigates, to the annoyance of the police, she uncovers secrets someone wants to keep hidden and soon becomes a target.  Highly recommended.”

The Murderers – W.E.B. Griffin (3¯) “Murder, conspiracy, drugs and dirty cops abound in this police procedural.  Several seemingly unrelated story-lines converge as Philadelphia’s elite Special Operations Squad investigate to unravel these mysteries.”

Diet Land – Sarah Walker (5¯) “This book was a very visceral reading experience.  Despite the outlandish premise, the action [that] opens with Alicia “Plum” is highly empathetic.  The characters have such different goals and the way they play off each other makes this more of a social commentary and character study than the chick-lit inspired cover would suggest, which, in the end, is in keeping with the book’s themes.  There is some highly graphic content, though, so be forewarned.”

Clockwork Dynasty – Daniel Wilson (4¯) “This was a different take on robots and the question of sentient robots than any book I have read.  It switches between Russia, England, China and Oregon, of all places, but never loses it flow.  A wonderful historical sci-fi thriller with a bit of steampunk and a lot of magic.”

The Season - Sarah MacLean (5¯) “This is such a sweet, wonderful YA novel.  It was the first Regency novel I ever read and holds its charm even after eight years.  The story follows three girls and one boy in Regency England during the Napoleonic wars.  It has Egyptology, magic, intrigue, spies and a really cute romance tempered by wonderful friendship.”

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover – Sarah MacLean (5¯) “I decided to read this when I realized that the author of The Season (which I was rereading this week) also wrote adult romances.  It has a very determined bluestocking as the female protagonist and a casino owner who tries a bit too hard to be a cad or scoundrel as the male protagonist.  For a romance novel, there is much more focus given to world-building and characterization.  Also, it was really humorous and had me in stitches.” This is the second in the series “The Rules of Scoundrels.”

Circe – Madeline Miller (5¯) “One of the best books I have read this year, if not the best.  The prose is amazing and I had to pause while reading to take it in.  Each of the characters is nuanced and the descriptions are very evocative.  I am an absolute sucker for mythology retelling and this one was beautifully done.”

Dear Fahrenheit 451 – Annie Spence (5¯) “This is basically a very informal, very entertaining collection of book reviews interspersed with anecdotal commentary.  I found three new books to read and a lot of laughs.  Less ‘ha-ha’ funny and more ‘that is so on point it is priceless’ types of laughs, though.”

Assume the Worst – Carl Hiaasen (4¯) “This is a short, tongue-in-cheek, college commencement speech pastiche.”  The reviewer worried that the book was too small and short to “count” toward summer reading, but any reading counts particularly by popular authors!  Carl Hiaasen is known of his tongue-in-cheek humor.

 

Everything Everything – Nicola Yoon (3¯) “This is a very dramatic – life or death – story of first love.  It made for pleasant and interesting reading.  However, many details of the main character’s family situation and the background were glossed over.  The plot strained credibility in so many different ways and that detracted from the reading experience.”

My Old Faithful Stories – Yang Huang (2¯) “I did not like this book very much.” 

These books got star ratings but there was no written review given:  DC Comic: Bombshells #1 – Marguerite Bennett (5¯); Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death – Amy Chu (5¯); The Wife – Meg Wolitzer (4¯) and The Strawberry Hearts Diner – Carolyn Brown (3¯).

There is one more week in the 2018 Adult Summer Reading program “Libraries Rock.”  Get your reviews written!  Any reviews submitted this week into one of the collection boxes will be removed on Saturday, August 25 and then the boxes will be put away for the summer.  We hope you have enjoyed reading this summer – we have enjoyed reading your reviews!  The End-of-Summer Adult event (by invitation only) has been rescheduled to Saturday, August 25 at 2:30 in Meeting Room A/B.  An invitation will be sent to anyone who participated in reading, joined one of the summer reading programs or worked on the mural. 

There will be light refreshments, the unveiling of this summer’s mural, conversation about what we read and a few door prizes.  We can answer the question about whether you read to the end everything you start and discuss other topics about genres and writing styles.  Bring the names of your favorite authors and be prepared to explain why you like them. 

Next summer, the theme will be “A Universe of Stories” all about space!  Look for more information in the May/June 2019 Compass.  And don’t forget the Awesome Box in the lobby where you can return books that you thought were “awesome.”  They will be made available for others to read.