Thought I'd report back on my beach reading last week in Mexico. Here's what kept me busy during those long, hot days on the beach:
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson: The third book in the Lisbeth Salander trilogy. Like the other two, I really enjoyed this one and was entirely engrossed at the end. Also like the other two, however, it took me about 200 pages to get into the book and I thought the cast of characters was too big to keep track of. I know it sounds like a lukewarm review, but I really did enjoy it and was curious to see how all of the various story lines would come together.
A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White: The story of two sisters who are torn apart when their parents die suddenly in a plane crash. I really enjoyed this one but thought the ending was a little abrupt. Since finishing the book, I've thought a lot about the relationship between the personalities of the two sisters and their living arrangements, and how those two factors affected the course of their lives. I don't usually analyze books so carefully, so I think that's a testament to how provactive this one was.
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick: The tale of a lonely man who places an ad for a reliable wife. The women he gets is not what he expected, but neither is he what she expected. I thought it was a good beach read but nothing more.
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline: What would you do if you realized the child you thought you legally adopted actually belongs to someone else? Another really thought-provoking book. I thought the ending was clever, though perhaps a bit too neat.
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese: I'm not quite finished with this one, but I got far enough to call it a beach read. It's the story of twin brothers born to a nun and a surgeon in Ethiopia and their coming of age. I can't tell you how many good things I've heard about this book (and how many people stopped me on the beach to tell me how much they loved it), but I confess that I'm not loving it myself. I think the story is interesting, but I find the pace somewhat slow. Now that I'm back, we'll see if I actually finish it. I'm so disappointed, because I want to enjoy it as much as everyone else, but to each her own, I guess!
Look Again by Lisa Scottoline: What would you do if you realized the child you thought you legally adopted actually belongs to someone else? Another really thought-provoking book. I thought the ending was clever, though perhaps a bit too neat.
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese: I'm not quite finished with this one, but I got far enough to call it a beach read. It's the story of twin brothers born to a nun and a surgeon in Ethiopia and their coming of age. I can't tell you how many good things I've heard about this book (and how many people stopped me on the beach to tell me how much they loved it), but I confess that I'm not loving it myself. I think the story is interesting, but I find the pace somewhat slow. Now that I'm back, we'll see if I actually finish it. I'm so disappointed, because I want to enjoy it as much as everyone else, but to each her own, I guess!
Wow, you sure got a lot of reading done on your trip. I know what you mean about reading a book that everyone else has raved about and not liking it. That has happened to me before! I guess now you will be back to knitting and won't have as much time for reading. Have a great week. Love & blessings from NC!
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