Don't Blink

Title: Don't Blink
Author: James Patterson and Howard Roughan
Genre: Mystery
Published: 2010

Recommendation: A quick and enjoyable mystery read.
Rating: 7/10

Summary: Nick Daniels is a journalist working for Community magazine in New York. He is contacted to do an interview with Dwayne Robinson, a baseball star who ruined his career by not showing up to a key game. During their lunch they witness a murder and Nick's recorder picks up a scene that may be key to the case.

Reactions: I have picked up this book almost accidentally. It was yet another free sample offered by iBooks store that I started reading. The free sample gives you about half the book and then of course you are too hooked not to pay for the rest of it. A pretty smart strategy vs. just giving the first chapter if you ask me.

I am not all that well-read in the mystery genre and James Patterson's name didn't mean anything to me when I picked up the book. Having finished the book I found his biography and was impressed by the long list of publications and his Guinness World Record in the number of New York Times bestsellers.

I was even more impressed with how many people on Amazon.com gave this book a one-star review. Fans of Patterson found this a big let-down apparently. Having found the book decently enjoyable, I am now rather curious to pick up another Patterson novel to see what is it he wrote that's considered so much better.

The book itself, while as I mentioned enjoyable, is not by any means brilliant or outstanding as far as mysteries go. I liked the main character and the twists and turns he encounters in the search for truth. I suspected who the villains were and at the end I was correct in my suspicions, even though I almost got dissuaded from my hunch by the author.

It's a fun beach-type read book with some gore, mafia connections, and car chases. If anything, I can easily see this being made into a Hollywood action film. The plot flowed well and I liked the characters of the novel. Overall, time well spent.

Shades of Milk and Honey

Title: Shades of Milk and Honey
Author: Mary Robinette Kowal
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2010

Recommendation: Victorian-era novel in the style of Jane Austen with an addition of magic.
Rating: 7.5/10

Summary: Jane Ellsworth starts to reconcile herself with becoming an old maid. She is talented in the way of painting, music, and glamour, but is rather plain in appearance. Her sister, Melody, is much younger and prettier social butterfly who attracts men. With the arrival of new guests to the country, the Elsworth sisters' lives become much more exciting.

Reactions: This book has been mentioned to me as similar to The Magicians and Mrs. Quent and having seen several good reviews for it, I decided to give it a try.

Overall, it was a quick and easy read for me. I enjoyed the quick prose and the Victorian atmosphere of the novel. There is banter, balls, gossip, and scandals as any might expect of such a book. The only reason this book is marked fantasy is due to its introduction of glamour: a magic used primarily by women to enhance room decor, music, lighting, and art. In all other ways, this is a Victorian romance.

I think the only reason I did not wholeheartedly enjoy the novel were some of the problems with characters. Jane is obviously accomplished and talented, but spends all her time wishing for her sister's beauty, blind to attentions of others. Her sister mostly acts as a reasonable person, but every so often turns into a complete fool without any reason. Beth is not the brightest bulb in the bouquet either. Overall, none of the characters felt satisfying to me and all of them did something completely out of character at one point or another. It felt like the novel was just a hair breadth away from being excellent, but didn't quite get there.

The ending, while satisfying, was somewhat unexpected and left some points of matter unanswered. It also came about somewhat quickly and I thought the author should have put in a better groundwork for the romance.

Nevertheless, it's a solid Victorian romance, easy to read and with good dialogue that I would recommend as light reading to fans of authors such as Austen or Bronte. It's much lighter on fantasy than The Magicians and Mrs. Quent though and the whole fantasy aspect while solidly introduced into the world could be easily digested by a non-fantasy reader

Needing Nita

Title: Needing Nita
Author: Norah Wilson
Genre: Romance
Published: 2010

Recommendation: Meh... What you see is what you get: a contemporary romance with no plot.
Rating: 5/10

Summary: Nita is an attorney who finds out that she has a brain tumor and decides to call up detective Craig Walker and fulfill some of her fantasies before its too late.

Reactions: While I enjoy romance in books I read, I rarely read the books slotted under the romance section because they tend to be rather formulaic and not particularly interesting in general. However, when I was loading up my iPad with books to read on the trip, I added this book since I figured I might want some easy reading on the plane, it was free, and it was one of the top downloads in the store.

I didn't notice that this was a novella rather than a novel at the time and even if I have, I wouldn't have thought that novella means that there's too little space to get to the actual plot. The plot is so simple that a 5-th grader could have written it. The ending is rushed and unconvincing. On the last page of the e-book they tell you that if you actually wanted plot, you should have read the other books by this author.

On the redeeming side, the book is good at being what it's supposed to be. It's easy to read. It has attractive characters with lots of chemistry and at least half of the book is dedicated to them having sex. Despite that it keeps pretty well to the romance line rather than moving to erotica land and everyone lives happily ever after.

Anne of the Island

Title: Anne of the Island
Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery
Series: Anne of Green Gables, book 3
Genre: Children lit
Published: 1915

Recommendation: A great companion to Anne of Avonlea.
Rating: 8/10

Summary: Anne Shirley goes to Redmond to study for her BA. She goes there knowing no one except for Gilbert and Charlie Sloane from Avonlea but soon she makes new exciting friends there.

Reactions: The ending of the previous book in the series just left me wanting more of Anne's story, so I began this book immediately after finishing the last page of the previous one. The story continues where the previous one left off without any interruption though there's quite a bit of time between the actual publication dates of these books.

Anne goes off to live and study in Redmond and we meet a new character whom I enjoy very much, named Philippa Gordon. It's a terrible name, but the girl is amusing, confident to the point of conceit, likes to party and has a head for mathematics. I enjoyed reading about her and she makes the story quite lively.

In this book we also finally get to witness Anne's and Gilbert's romantic relationships and there are both surprises and frustrations there. I find Anne surprisingly daft when it comes to listening to her heart, but there is a good resolution at the end of the book, so I finished the book satisfied with the ending.

There are more books in the series, but I am not yet sure whether I'll be re-reading the rest this year. However, I do have a feeling this is not the last time that I am re-reading the beginning of this series.

November Recap

November was actually quite a good reading month. I didn't quite get to publishing all the reviews yet, but I did finish 4 books within one week November that I spent on vacation away from the Internet, but armed with my iPad. I am now completely sold on an iPad being the traveler's best friend. Switching between reading and mindless games is all I can ask for during a long flight. My only reservation is that it cannot be used during take-off and landing.

I would have gotten more reading done during the Thanksgiving, but instead I found a new show to watch. Two seasons of Lie to Me through Netflix streaming went pretty fast. I need to find some more books that I am excited about to continue the reading streak in December. Guess we'll see how it goes.

Reading

Books Read: 4

1. Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold
2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
3. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
4. Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Favorite book: Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne of Avonlea

Title: Anne of Avonlea
Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery
Series: Anne of Green Gables, book 2
Genre: Children
Published: 1909

Recommendation: A decent series continuation for those who want to find out about Anne's further adventures.
Rating: 8/10

Summary: Anne takes a teaching position in Avonlea and goes through ups and downs of practical teaching. Marilla brings home twins, Dora and Davy, whose parents died and adopts them. Anne makes some new friendships.

Reactions: I picked up the second Anne book immediately after finishing re-reading the first one. I have also read this one before, but its events were less clear in my memory than those of the first book.

To me, the sequel doesn't quite measure up to the original story. There's something about boisterous, naive Anne that is so charming in the first book that's no longer present here. Nevertheless, it's fun to continue following Anne's life in Avonlea after college.

These are still children books despite the now grown protagonists, so the language and the plot remain uncomplicated and charming. Anne goes through some difficulties, but she also makes new friends, tests some of her theories on teaching, and earns respect of her students.

I felt the conclusion of the book, while wrapping up a chapter of Anne's life didn't give me any particular feeling of closure. More books were being written and many of Anne's adventures were just starting.

Anne of Green Gables

Title: Anne of Green Gables
Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery
Series: Anne of Green Gables, book 1
Genre: Children Lit
Published: 1908

Recommendation: An excellent nostalgic read for children or adults.
Rating: 9/10

Summary: Anne Shirley is a red-headed orphan who comes to live on Prince Edward Island, adopted by a brother and a sister Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. The book tells the story of Anne's childhood, her life in quiet Avonlea and her endless endearing mischief.

Reactions: This is not my first time reading this book. I have read it as a teen and enjoyed the adventures of Anne Shirley very much. Despite knowing the plot of the book quite well, I found this re-read to be touching and highly enjoyable as well.

In the center of the book is Anne who is a smart, funny, compelling character that one can't help but fall In love with. She is sassy, full of imagination, and is getting into scrapes all the time, but at the same time she is good-natured and touching in her affection for others.

The beginning of century rural Canada is a compelling setting with beautiful and peaceful scenery, small-town politics, and simple views. The descriptions of the place make me want to book my vacation there. The book is sappy in places and is clearly missing people with malice or bad intentions. The worst people get up to is telling gossip; but this dream world weaves a net and it's fun to get caught in it.

This is as fun as it gets. Absolutely recommended.