Friday, August 16, 2013

What I Read on My Summer Vacation....and Beyond... (Part 2)

*** 3 stars
Better Than Chocolate by Sheila Roberts

This was a cute and gentle romance in a charming setting.  No real surprises, just a fun read.  A good choice for a vacation read.

**** 4 stars
The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

A perfect choice to read in Hawaii.  I had seen the movie; this has to be one of the most faithful novel to movie adaptations I've ever seen.  A good read; family drama in an unusual setting.

**** 4 stars
Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalian

Four stars might be a bit generous but what the heck.  I liked this intriguing book.  I have since added more Bohjalian titles to my reading plan; I've picked up his books here and there. He's a pretty interesting writer.  Diverse books but always pretty interesting. This is the last of my vacation reads.

** 2 stars
Inferno by Dan Brown

Rather disappointing.  I had to read this in a bit of rush to return it to the library as it came in just before I left on vacation and I did not want to drag a big hardcover on my trip.  I'm glad I didn't bother; I had much better things to read on the trip itself.  This was just okay; seemed like a lot of running and chasing and little in the way of mystery or puzzles (which is what I lived about Brown's other books).   The motivations behind some characters' actions were a bit hard to swallow. 

***3 stars
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Started out quite strong with a lot of powerful emotion but became a little jumbled and disjointed.  Lovely writing, though, and I enjoyed it for the most part.

** 2 stars
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberley McCreight

Not so good; I think I've seen this compared to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and I hardly see the comparison.  I found this to be very readable but the resolution was pretty hokey and hard to buy.  Basically, the book just tried too hard to be all twisty-turn-y and it just didn't really work.

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