Tag: book review

SeinLanguage, by Jerry Seinfeld

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Book CoverFinished 10-9-08, rating 3.5/5, humor, pub. 1993

“There are many things you can point to as the proof that the human is not smart.  But my personal favorite would have to be that we needed to invent the helmet.  What was happening, apparently, was that we were involved in a lot of activities that were cracking our heads.  We chose not to avoid doing these activities but, instead, to come up with some sort of device to help us continue enjoying our head-cracking lifestyles.  The helmet.  And even that didn’t work because not enough people were wearing them so we had to come up with the helmet law.  Which is even stupider, the idea behind the helmet law being to preserve a brain whose judgement is so poor, it does not even try to stop the cracking of the head it’s in.”  -The Thing is the Thing chapter

Jerry Seinfeld makes me laugh.  I loved his tv show.  I am amazed at how many times I catch myself or my husband referencing that show.  We’ve seen every episode more than once because it’s on all the time now and when I’m aimlessly flipping through channels I’ll always stop at Seinfeld.

This is a book of full of his observations, sometimes witty, sometimes sarcastic, but usually entertaining.  If you’ve ever seen his stand up then you have heard some of these nuggets of wisdom before.  It’s been in the family room for a month now and every few days when I needed the lighten my mood I’d read a few pages and it worked.  It’s 15 years old, but still capable of being relevant.  I loved it.

American Pastoral, by Philip Roth

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Book CoverFinished 9-23-08, rating 3.5/5, fiction, pub. 1997

“Was everyone’s brain as unreliable as his?  Was he the only one unable to see what people were up to?  Did everyone slip around the way he did, in and out, in and out, a hundred different times a day go from being smart to being smart enough, to being as dumb as the next guy, to being the dumbest bastard who ever lived?  Was it stupidity deforming him, the simpleton son of a simpleton father, or was life just one big deception that everyone was on to except him?”           Chapter 8

This multigenerational story encompasses the social upheaval of the 1960’s and the issue of Jewish assimilation with authority and skill.  Nathan Zuckerman, a writer and fan of Seymour (Swede) Levov, the Jewish golden boy of New Jersey, is asked to to dinner by Swede and is excited at the prospect of helping a childhood hero.  After a disappointing dinner Zuckerman learns of Swede’s death at a class reunion and feels compelled to tell Swede’s story as he sees it.

Swede is the pride of the Jewish community, the blond, confident, athletic boy bridges the gap between cultures.  He marries a Catholic beauty queen and they have a daughter, Merry.  He takes over his father’s successful glove business and the family moves to the country and enjoy a nice house with land.  Swede’s life is good and he has everything he has ever wanted.  Then America goes into Vietnam and ignites a storm of violence and protest in the United States.  A teen-aged Merry becomes embroiled in the cause and does the unthinkable, changing not only her life, but the lives of everyone around her.

I liked the story, although heartbreaking.  It was an up close and personal view of the unraveling of a life which in turn causes destruction of everyone involved.  I cannot say that I am a fan of Roth or his convoluted writing style.  There comes a point when the self-examination and constant questioning just becomes too much to make the book truly enjoyable.  If I hadn’t been taking a class I may not have made it past page 50, but I’m glad I did.  The book was worthwhile.  I’ll find out as the class continues onto the next book whether Philip Roth is an acquired taste.

4th of July, by James Patterson

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Cover ImageFinished 9-22-08, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2006

This the the 4th installment of the Women’s Murder Club

Lindsay, Claire, and Cindy are back to work another murder case or cases as it happens.  Lindsay finds herself on trial and on administrative leave after a shooting that leaves one teen dead and the teen’s brother paralyzed.  She decides to head out of town to her sister’s empty house for some much needed relaxation.  While there she becomes embroiled in the local murders terrorizing the local beach community.

Claire and Cindy make small appearances, but this is really Lindsay’s story.  Boyfriend Joe is back and her faithful furry companion, Martha, is a welcome addition for this dog lover.  And by the end of the book a new member is admitted to the murder club.

Patterson knows how to build suspense, but the way he does it sometimes feels lazy.  I felt that this book was aimed at those who have ADD and because of it there were a lot more loose ends than in the past books.  It is a page turner and a great quick read and sometimes that is just what I need.  If you liked the first three in this series you will like the change of scenery this one offers.

Full Cleveland, by Les Roberts

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Cover ImageFinished 9-18-08, rating 3/5, mystery, pub. 1989

“Cleveland is a great city.  When the people who live here start believing it and stop heeding the knocks in the press and the bad jokes on television, things are going to be all right.”   -Chapter 7

Private detective and ex-cop Milan Jacovich is back in his second Cleveland mystery.  A few of his friends are back to help him in his latest case and his girlfriend, Mary, is there to add comfort.  Milan is hired to track down a man who has swindled local businesses and with this new job comes a sidekick appointed by the mob.  Sidekick Buddy provides extra muscle and some comic relief while the two of them track down suspects.  Milan is shot at and kills and drinks way too much.

This mystery series brings the neighborhoods of Cleveland, Ohio to life and anyone who enjoys reading and lives in the Cleveland area should really check this series out.  The first chapter took Milan and Mary to Johnny’s downtown, which is a favorite of mine and the neighborhoods are described with ethnic flavor and pride.  Actually, I think this series would be a perfect gift for anyone moving to the area.

I enjoyed the first book a little more than this one, but would still recommend this one.  Who knew Cleveland could be so exciting?

Play Dirty, by Sandra Brown

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Cover ImageFinished audio 9-5-08, rating 2.5/5, fiction, pub. 2007

Millionaire and wheelchair bound Foster Speakman hires disgraced, fresh out of prison, ex-NFL star, Griff Burkett to ‘make his wife wife pregnant the old fashioned way’.  Laura, the wife, goes along with the plan and meets Griff monthly at a rented house to do the deed.  Laura loves her husband and her job at the Speakman’s airline.  Griff wastes no time in falling in love with Laura.  Griff also has a detective following him around trying to put him back in prison. 

This is the first Sandra Brown book that I have not liked.  None of the three main characters were appealing, even if she tried to make it so by the end, and the weak plot was very predictable.  I was listening to this in the car and in the time it took me to drive from one block to the next Griff and Laura were in love.  I thought I’d missed a cd or something, but no, it happened just as quick as that. 

If this had been the first Sandra Brown book I’d read I would not read another, but since I usually love her books I will put this in the miss column and consider it an anomaly.  Don’t bother with this one, choose another Brown book if you are a fan.

Shameless, by Tori Carrington

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Book CoverFinished 9-5-08, rating 1/5, romance?,  pub. 2008

“In this day and age, is it bad for a woman to yearn for some good, hot, anonymous sex?”  –opening line of the book

Um…I picked this Harlequin Blaze #377 up because I love the Sophie Metropolis series by this husband/wife writing team and was curious about their romances, they’ve written over 35.  So, as you can see from the opening line, the plot is thin.  Nina has two hot partners who also happen to be friends.  Nina has a problem confusing sex with love, so one of the guys suggests a night of anonymous sex with one of them.  She won’t know which because she will be blindfolded.

I’ve already given this more time than it deserves.  I’m sure people read the Harlequin Blaze series because they want sex, but I felt gross reading it.  But I do recommend the Sophie Metropolis series, it’s quite good.

Inside Out Girl, by Tish Cohen

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Cover ImageFinished 8-31-08, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2008

“Wasn’t that one of the cardinal rules of the road?  If someone needed help and you weren’t prepared to offer any, glance away and feign ignorance.”      Chapter 4

Rachel Berman is head of a Perfect Parentmagazine and single mother of a 12 year old boy and a 14 year old girl.  Len Bean is a widower and father to a ten year old daughter, Olivia, who suffers from NLD, nonverbal learning disorder.  Rachel and Len meet and suddenly their lives and the lives of their children are blending into a family, if not a dysfunctional one.  Olivia is a joke at school and Rachel’s kids, Janie and Dustin, are not  inclined to make her life any easier.  Janie is dealing with her own hormonal and sexual issues that take center stage.

There are a few surprises here and there, but I don’t want to give any away.  This was a very enjoyable book about issues that most families are dealing with.  I loved her writing style and the story moved at a fast pace.  I think you will enjoy getting to know Olivia, as I did, and becoming a little more informed about a disorder that is closely linked to autism (but not the same).  And Janie’s story will bring back the early teen years when whatever someone said about you at school one day had the ability to ruin your whole life.  My only complaint is that some things were a little too convenient.  As readers, we are agreeing to suspend our disbelief, but that only goes so far. 

I received this book for free to review and it exceeded my expectations.  I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good family-oriented story, or someone interested in reading about a child with special needs.  Olivia is a wonderful character and you will fall in love with her.  Tish Cohen’s first book, Town House, is being made into a movie.   www.tishcohen.com

How Not To Write A Novel, by Mittelmark & Newman

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How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them--A Misstep-by-Misstep GuideHow Not to Write a Novel. Finished 8-26-08, rating 4.5/5, how-to/writing, pub. 2008

“As a writer you have only one job:to make the reader turn the page.”    page 1

If there is one thing this How-Not-To book does it is to make you turn the page.  You won’t want to stop, really.  This hilarious book focuses on the 200 most common mistakes that unpublished authors make and offers solutions.  It provides examples of the bad writing that it is offering up for ridicule, followed by an explanation and how to fix it (if you want to be published).  Let me provide a couple of examples…

“While it is your job to know a great deal about your characters, it is seldom necessary to share it all with the reader, and by ‘seldom,’ we mean ‘never.’ ”      page 10

“…you should think twice before using an exclamation mark.  If you have thought twice and the exclamation mark is still there, think about it three times, or however many times it takes until you delete it.”      page 111

The book covers all points of your novel from plot and style to dealing with the publishing world.  This is a must have for anyone writing, or even just thinking about writing, a novel.  Every fiction writer will gain insight from this book and be completely entertained along the way.  I found myself laughing out loud more than once, shaking my head at the poor writer being scorned until I came to the next mistake and realized that the poor writer was me.  Highly recommended for all writers of fiction.

“However, if you have perversely refused to use the lessons offered in this book as we intended, and instead avoided each of the mistakes we describe, perhaps you now find yourself a published author.  In that case, our follow-up book, How Not to Make a Living Wage, will be indispensable.”    -the last page

The Coffin Dancer, by Jeffery Deaver

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Cover ImageFinished 8-23-08, rating 4.5/5, fiction, pub. 1998

I am surprised after I loved the first in this series, The Bone Collector, so much that I like the sequel even better.  Quadriplegic forensic specialist, Lincoln Rhymes, is back with his protege crime scene specialist, Amelia Sachs, in an all new and more personal race against the clock to catch a killer.  There is no down time.  From the opening pages where a federal witness is blown to bits while landing his plane to the shocking conclusion I was riveted.

The Coffin Dancer is a hired assassin that has fooled Lincoln before.  A few years earlier the Coffin Dancer, named that because of a tatoo on his arm, had killed two of Lincoln’s techs and Lincoln was still incensed that he had gotten away.  One of the two witnesses that Lincoln must protect is Percey, a woman pilot who has a lot in common with Lincoln.  This closeness sparks Amelia’s jealousy and there is tension between Lincoln and Amelia as they race to catch a killer.

Lincoln is such a great character because he shows his strength through his intellect and not physical power.  In this second book Lincoln has more electrical gadgets and is able to do more with what he has than he did in the first book.  This is a top rate page turner that does not disappoint.  The twists and turns are many and the writing is taut.  I think this is a don’t miss for thriller fans.  My only recommendation…don’t read this on a plane 🙂

Devil in a Blue Dress, by Walter Mosley

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Finished audio 8-18-08, rating 3.5/5, mystery, pub. 1990

Easy Rawlings lives in 1948 Los Angeles and is a black man who is proud of owning his home and the little bit of land that surrounds it.  He has just lost his job at the plant and he is in his friend’s bar nursing the sting of being fired.  Mr. Albright walks in and is hoping to hire Easy to find a white girl, Daphne, who frequents black jazz clubs.  As soon as he takes the job Easy is thrust into the middle of a web  of lies, threats, and lust. 

I listened to this on cd and the reader, GC Simms, was wonderful.  His rich voice drew me in immediately and I’m pretty sure that he could have been reading anything and I’d have been entertained.  This book addresses the racial reality of the 1948, yet it feels completely current.  I’d recommend it.  I’ve got the movie waiting on my dvr, I’ll let you know what I think later.