Tag Archives: quick read

Hotel Vendôme by Danielle Steel

I need some help, I’ve been thinking about this for a few days and I can’t come up with the right word or phrase.

What is it called when an author uses dialogue to progress the story and make a point and then the omniscient narrator explains that point/progression again?

Repetitive? Annoying? Artificially stretching the length of a book? Ridiculous? Irritating?

Is there a phrase for this? Help me out?

Would I recommend it? Well, according to the back of the book she’s sold 590 million novels… but I’m not buying them. I’m not trying to be all “I only read high class literature” or anything here. I read plenty of fluffy, crap, books and thoroughly enjoy them. It’s just that while I was reading this I was afraid it was making me dumber, then I sat down to write about it and find that it may have actually broken my brain somewhat. Personally I’d trade this in for one of Janet Evanovich’s romances, they are funnier, better, yet still mindless feel good fluff.

Are you a Danielle Steel fan? Did I pick the wrong book? Why do you love them? Help me understand!

As a positive I now know how to make a Ô.  Hopefully learning about circumflex accents helps make up for any other brain damage that may have occurred!

Loitering With Intent by Muriel Spark

One day my travels on the internet brought me to Stuck in a Book.  As I browsed the site I discovered that Stuck in a Book and Harriet were hosting a Muriel Spark reading week. Who, I thought, is Muriel Spark and what is this reading week business of hers all about? Ever the intrepid internet explorer at one AM I hit Wikipedia to discover just who Muriel Spark was. Then it was onto my library loan site to get a few books of hers so that I could read them, post reviews the week of April 23-29 and thus join the Muriel Spark reading week.

And so that brings me, finally, to Loitering With Intent, the first Muriel Spark novel I have read.

There are main characters, and there are main characters. The most common ones are those who you suspect due to their large amounts of charisma, good luck, good looks, and the fact that they have a series of books named after them will, survive to have the fairy tale, good karma, feel good sort of end. Then there are the other ones, the more interesting ones.  The main characters who range from a bit off the moral high road to the down right dubious and nasty (Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris comes to mind) characters who leave you in doubt up to the end whether they’ll get their happy ending, or even if they deserve it.  These main characters are sometimes hard to love, like, or even enjoy reading about the workings of their twisted minds, but they do without a doubt make a book much more interesting.

Loitering With Intent‘s Fleur is by no means all the way to the evil end of this spectrum, but she does fall squarely into the dodgy (may I use that word- American that I am- since I’m talking about a book set in London???) portion of things and that is what makes the book so interesting.  She’s not your normal shining star of a girl. Fleur is more of an penniless, egotistical, writer, who’s not completely believable… but I sorta liked her anyway.

Would I recommend it? Yes, the book kept me guessing and you really need to meet the fabulous Lady Edwina who was the best part of the whole thing!

If your interested in more Muriel Spark don’t forget to check in with Stuck in a Book and Harriet as they alternate posting this week!

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Sometimes when everyone raves over a new book, my stubbornness emerges and I avoid reading it.

I have no good reason for this, I’m just contrary.

After approximately 45,879 people told me to read these books I was still ignoring them.

Then it was picked as our book club book last month so I gave in.

How did I like it? I’m not sure.

On the one hand:

I was completely sucked in, couldn’t put it down, dreamed about it (mostly nightmares), lost sleep over it and got the next books as soon as I could.

On the other hand:

The main character drove me nuts in the second book and was annoying in the third.  It’s got a pretty good ick factor, nightmare inducing even. By the third book I felt as though the author was sticking with her gimmick that worked instead of branching out leaving me a bit so-so on some of the plotting. And, even though this should be superfluous, the name Peeta was fine with me until I tried to say it out loud and then every time I saw it I thought of PETA and that’s just never good.

But even with all that I couldn’t put it down.

Would I recommend it? ??????

I know that since 87,902 people told me to read this some of you must be out there.  Help me out here, would you give it a broad recommendation, or do you all just like to get me to read things that are nightmare inducing??

The Weed That Strings The Hangman’s Bag by Alan Bradley

This is the second (after The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie) Flavia de Luce Mystery I have read and they are fast becoming my new favorite books.

Think precocious, english, eleven year old solves mystery’s with an ample dose of chemistry, while tormenting her sisters.

If that’s too difficult to imagine go find yourself The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.  It’s excellent, and this one is just as good!

Would I recommend it? Yes!

Painted Ladies by Robert B. Parker

I’m only including this book to say I’m no longer putting Parker’s Spencer novels on here. They are all good, I recommend them all.

Well, I’m also including it because Storm is weird. Can anyone tell me why her foot is hovering in midair over the book?

Would I recommend it? Yes.

What do you recommend? I love the super quick reading, non-gruesome murder and humor of these books. Does anyone have any other suggestions of like books?

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

Have you visited The Pioneer Woman‘s website? She makes me want to eat large amounts of food, take better pictures, laugh a lot, and add a few more kids and dogs to my life. In addition to her very active blog she also writes books, first a cookbook and now this one:

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is her and her husbands own true love story.  It’s funny, in a neurotic, cute, lovable sort of way.

Would I recommend it? Yes, although if you’ve read all her website there isn’t too much new here though it is fun to read it all at once.

Widow’s Walk by Robert B. Parker

This spring I read Robert Parker’s westerns;  Appaloosa, Resolution, Brimstone and Blue Eyed Devil and very much enjoyed them but I didn’t see what else he had written until just now.
While I usually avoid murder mystery type books I was feeling brave at the library the other day and picked this up. Same sparse wording, quick reading, dry humor, manly men with brawn and guns defending dumb beautiful women, different setting- same feel.

Note this is not  a good choice for anyone looking for a great female characters!

Would I recommend it? I’m thinking he’s looking like a good overall author but I’d recommend Appaloosa before this one.

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

I sat down with a piece of left over Christmas chocolate (alright two pieces) and a Diet Coke (so it was really four pieces)  to read a chapter of the new Janet Evanovich book (but one was a coconut one so you can’t count that) and before I knew it I was immersed in rude monkeys, cupcake obsessions and supernatural events.

Next thing I knew the book was done and Clara was awake.

So much for a productive nap time.

Would I recommend it? Only if you like laughing.

Million Little Mistakes by Heather McElhatton

“You win $22 Million. Now What?”

Did you know there were choose your own adventure books written for adults?

I had no idea until this was chosen for our book club this month.

The writing is not great.

The story lines are random and totally wacky.

The book was a blast to read and completely addictive.

I’d say this would be a perfect book for traveling, in just a few minutes you’ll probably be dead and be ready to try again.

I had no idea the lottery was so hazardous to your health but between, money grubbing men, pirates, drug runners, malaria, Clydesdales and the undead it’s a treacherous journey!

Would I recommend it? Yes I really would.  It’s quick, it’s fun, it’s totally crazy (rancher, stripper, voodoo priestess, violin maker, the book is under 500 pages but the options in careers seem endless!) but careful it’s hard to put down. When your remote lodge on Lake Superior doesn’t turn out you just might need to know what would have happened if you had you taken the trip to Sex Island instead!

FYI choosing good moral choices will in no way increase your chances of survival or happiness.