August 2005 Book Reviews

I've decided that the best way to do book reviews is on a monthly basis--I just can't see myself motivating to write after finishing each one. I'm also not sure that I'm up to adding comments for every title--in my journal, I use a rating system to differentiate titles, and just comment on the books I like. I think I'll stick to this system for now, though do let me know if it would be helpful to have more information.

Rating System:**
1 Barely Readable
2 Readable, with major flaws
3 Decent
4 Recommended
5 Excellent

**I'm not pretending to be the New York Times here. I used to rate books in terms of "quality," but have since come to terms with the fact that my taste often tends to be a little low-brow (my favorite book is Steven King's The Stand). My ratings are based entirely on whether or not a book was fun or interesting to read. Therefore, if you're in the market for a new book, stick with 3.5 and above ratings.

Another note: this list is long; I apologize for future short lists. I just have a little extra time on my hands these days.

1. The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., by Sandra Gullard. Rating: 3.9
I blame Elese for getting me on this historical fiction kick. This series is a bit girly (though surprisingly chaste), and highly readable. The 3-volume set covers, with fairly well-researched details, the entire life of Napolean's first wife.
2. Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe, By Sandra Gullard. Rating: 3.9
Volume 2 of the series.
3. The Last Great Dance on Earth, By Sandra Gullard. Rating: 3.9
Volume 3.
4. Princess, By Jean Sasson, Rating: 3.7
Not very well-written, but a well-intentioned (if oddly structured) look at the life of upper class Saudi women in the 1980s.
5. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, By Alexander McCall Smith. Rating: 2.8
What's the deal with this series? It's predictable and often downright boring.
6. Away From You, By Melanie Finn, Rating: 3.2
Memoir; story of a woman that returns to her childhood home in Africa to deal with unresolved father issues. Good descriptions of Africa in the 1960s and today, otherwise skipable.
7. Or Give Me Death, Ann Rinaldi, Rating: 2.9
I realized half-way through this book that it must be written for teens. It's more historical fiction, this time about the wife of Patrick Henry. The author takes major liberties with the story.
8. The Twins of Tribeca, Rachel Pine, Rating: 3.1
Chic-lit, but of the better variety. Whiny (they all are), but has decent insights into what it's like to be a movie publicist.
9. Losing It, Alan Cumyn, Rating 3.0
I read this three weeks ago, and the plot has already skipped my mind. I guess it wasn't that good. All I wrote down was "dark, formulaic, readable."
10. Snowed In, Christina Bartolomeo, Rating: 3.8
This poor book is actually quite good, and cursed with a chic-lit cover. I grabbed it at the library thinking I'd get something really light and fluffy for the weekend, and instead got genuine literary fiction. The author isn't quite there yet, but I'll watch for her future books. The plot is somewhat complicated, but it boils down to finding out who you are.
11. Population: 485, Michael Perry, Rating: 3.0
Another library book, with yet another misleading cover. The jacket claims it's about finding entrance into a community by being a volunteer firefighter. It is about being a volunteer firefighter, but this guy never finds a community. You get the distinct feeling that he wrote this book so that people would think he has friends. It's weird.
12. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute, Rating: 4.7
I mentioned this in a previous post--please read it. Ignore everything else on this list. It's really, really good.
13. On the Beach, Nevil Shute, Rating: 4.2
Decent, but read A Town Like Alice instead.
14. The Smoke Jumper, Nicolas Evans, Rating: 4.1
I really liked this, probably because it was a book on tape. I've been painting the living room and dining room, and it passed the time well.