Book Review: As The Crow Flies, Jeffrey Archer November 8, 2007
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I really enjoyed this book as it was very different to what I expected from Archer. I'd always assumed he wrote exclusively murder-mystery but this novel, set in England in the early 20th century was a refreshing change.
It follows the life of a young barrow boy caled Charlie Trumper who builds up his grocery cart business into a large super-store. The excitement builds around rivalry with a rich family who seek to cause Charlie problem, and whilst parts of the story seemed a little silly I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It's quite easy to predict that harlie will battle his obstacle so I enjoyed reading a book where I wasn't made to feel anxious and ould just relax knowing that the good guys would overcome the odds.
My Rating 7/10
Book Review: The Brethren, John Grisham November 8, 2007
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Another disappointing read really so it's another book I'm glad I've finished. The story itself was ok, it followed a group of imprisoned judges who operated a blackmail scam from prison that targeted closet homosexual professionals and also upon a man who the CIA had decided to pupeteer to become the next president - who, unsuprisingly really was also a closet homosexual.
What annoyed me about this was that the plot never really developed. It was as if Grisham was so proud of his storyline that he just gave up on closing it with any suspense or interest. The CIA director explained what he planned to do to resolve the problem of their candidate being blackmailed and then followed this plan without anything else happening. As their resolve was detailed 50 pages from the ending my only suprise from that point onward was that there was no suprises.
My rating: 4/10
Book Review: Monster, Jonathan Kellerman October 16, 2007
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It's rare that I give up on a book completely but my pleasure rfom this rubbish came from the exhileration I felt closing it for good, about 1/3 of the way through.
The book I guess tries to be a psychological thriller about a madman who mubled crypic details about current murders whilst he's locked up in an asylum but after a few hundred pages I found myself skipping sentences at a time when Kellerman just over did his descriptions of every mundane object, person or emotion. A little later I found myself skipping entire paragraphs until it dawned on me that I really wasn't enjoying the book at all.
My Rating: 2/10
I'm currently reading "As The Crow Flies" by Jeffrey Archer and am really enjoying it. When I finish I'll review it here.
Book Review: The Righteous Men, Sam Bourne September 27, 2007
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I tend to treat comparisons with "The Da Vinci Code" as a red flag when reading book reviews but I'm trying to clear out all the books people have left me.
The reviews on the back come from such credible sources as the "Sunday Express" and the book has a "Richard and Judy Recommends" sticker on the front. Regrettably I decided to give the book a chance nonetheless.
The plot starts off ok, it's pretty simplistic, no big words, no clever analogies and it's a pleasant and relaxing read. It follows a journalist who investigates a few murders, has his wife kidnapped and then enters the world of Hassidic Jews in New York in an attempt at rescuing her. All the crime is related to a reasoning within the bible that becomes apparent towards the end.
The riddles are a little dull and, unlike the Da Vinci Code, I didn't feel obligated to give them any more than a fleeting read.
The secret hidden within the bible was a huge letdown. It turned the book into a farce and once this wonderful secret was revealed, the book just plummeted.
To me a good book is one where I feel disappointed when I finish it. With The Righteous Men though it came as a relief.
My rating 3/10