Skip to main content

2009 Book Reviews #7

The Office of Desire by Martha Moody

This is an interesting story that covers many layers and types of desire and what happens when you give into it and also when you don't. It is set in a small doctor's office that has 5 employees, each with their own desires whether for love, money, faith, happiness, etc. It is interesting how each one deals with the desire and in the end you see the right and the wrong choices. A well written story.

The Broker by John Grisham

I guess I'm taking a little step back in time reading a John Grisham novel that harkens back to the first type novels that he authored. While it was an interesting book, it was also a little confusing to me. It took me a while to understand how the broker was being set up and why. If you like Grisham though, you'll like this one. It's his standard fare, set in a foreign country with just enough suspense to make you think you know where it's going, but maybe not.


Blow Fly by Patricia Cornwell

What a disappointment this book was. It has been a while since I read a Scarpetta novel and I was looking forward to this one, especially since it had touches of Baton Rouge in it. The majority of the book was spent bringing the reader up to date with background information. In fact, as I was getting deeper into the book I started thinking that maybe the book was going to be all peripheral information and that it was setting up for the next novel that would wrap up the serial murder story. I wish I had been right as when I got to less than 25 pages left, I realized that it was going to be a shallow wrap up of the story. It is almost unbelievable that there is so much detail about some things and then basically a "they caught one of the bad guys - the end". It left the "story" open for a continuation but at this point, I really don't care.

Straight Up by Lisa Samson

I enjoyed this book but at the same time was just a little disappointed. I felt like it was too surface at times while I desired to dig a little deeper into the characters. That being said, it wil make you think about your life, the choices you've made and will make and that we need to use all of our time to the fullest.

The Ha-Ha by Dave King

As I was finishing this book, I thought that it really is a depressing story in a lot of ways, but there is so much hope and joy in it too that I didn't come away depressed. The name of the book is derived from a hidden retaining wall and the characters all seem to have this wall in their life in some shape or form. It is interesting watching as the walls fall over and a type of family unit emerges that is full of hope and love for one another. It is a very touching story.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Another Used Book Source

I've already recommended Paperbackswap.com as a great place to get and get rid of your books. I've recently signed up at another site - Bookins . This site is different from Paperbackswap in several ways. At Bookins each book is assigned a different point value where at PB each book is one credit (except audio books which are 2.) The other main difference is that with Bookins you print out the postage for any books you send out at no cost to you. You then pay $3.99 for each book you receive. UPDATE - I got the Bookins newsletter today and beginning Sept. 23 the price will increase to $4.49 per book. Not so sure if that's going to be a good deal for me or not. Other minor differences are that there is no "community" at Bookins. The books are all sent "delivery confirmation" so there is no need to log on and confirm that you received the book. Paperbackswap is my favorite of the 2 because of the simplicity of 1 credit for 1 book. Plus while I like the i...

2017 Books Read - June and July

Stan Musial: An American Story by George Vecsey Being a St Louis Cardinal fan, I really enjoyed this book.  Years ago we went to his restaurant in St Louis and he was there.   He was walking the floor and giving out photos that he was autographing for anyone who wanted them.  Such a friendly, unassuming man.  The book really shows what a great man he was - coming from nothing, a hard worker, a great man and ballplayer.  It was interesting reading about the connections that he had - not only with other ballplayers (both on and off his team) but also with the community. A $500 House in Detroit: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and an American City" by Drew Philip Ugh! This book brought many mixed reactions. It is the story told by a man who bought a house and an adjoining lot in a blighted Detroit neighborhood for $500 each and set about restoring the house. The interesting part of the book is stories about the neighborhood. The UGH part is when the ...

July Book Reviews

Twelve Years as a Slave by Solomon Northup This was a surprisingly good book. When I saw all the footnotes, appendixes, etc. I was afraid that it may read too much like a textbook, but I was wrong. This account of Mr. Northup’s life from freeman to slave and back to freeman was very interesting. It was a straight forward account depicting his slave owners as he saw them. One was a kind, Christian man, but the one he labored under for 10 years was a drunk who was fond of the whip. This book brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. 5 stars Cutting Lisa by Percival Everett This book promised to be much more than it was. In fact, reading the summary on the back is more thought provoking and entertaining than the book. The book does have it moments of wit and dialogue, but overall a big disappointment. Good premise – not carried out though. 2 1/2 stars Savannah Comes Undone by Denise Hildreth An enjoyable book, but not as enjoyable as the first one – “Savannah from Savannah.” ...