05 June 2009

READING FRENZY


I have been reading constantly! This week's list, in no particular order, three novels and three memoirs...

Search in the Dark by Charles Todd
Mediterranean Summer by David Shalleck and Erol Munz
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn
Dead Souls by Ian Rankin
Testimony by Anita Shreve
My French Life by Vicki Archer

Yep, that's about one a day--not an unusual pace for me when I am in reading mode. Problem is that I read so quickly that I run out of reading material, which may soon facilitate ending my procrastination and moving ahead to the many tasks and errands that have gone wanting--unless I make another trip to the library or a late night, surreptitious Amazon raid.

My book reviews...

Both Med Summer and The Sharper Your Knife are in the foody memoir genre and rate no better than a C, in my humble opinion. Having spent time this year in Paris and along the Mediterranean, I did enjoy the geographical references.

And, I think I am done for quite awhile with both Ian Rankin and Charles Todd--excellent writers, but predictable story lines.

Anita Shreve has one of the best backlists. I loved The Pilot's Wife and everything she wrote prior to that: The Weight of Water, Resistance, Where or When, Strange Fits of Passion, and Eden Close. For years I said she was my favorite author, and I keep her books on my shelves.

I also enjoyed Fortune's Rock, The Last Time They Met, and Sea Glass. When I finished Sea Glass, I turned to the first page and read it a second time. But, Testimony disappointed me. I felt like I was reading Jodi Picoult--but a shorter version. Really since Sea Glass I have been disappointed--All He Ever Wanted, Light on Snow, A Wedding in December, and Body Surfing. And, Anita Shreve's current author photo shows some serious face work and glamorizing has been happening. When Sea Glass was first released, I attended a reading at the Border's on State Street in Chicago. At that time, she was lovely and natural. Looks like she got sucked into image management.

I love Vicki Archer's blog, French Essence, and have picked up several links from her blog roll for my reading list. Her book, My French Life, is lovely and her family is beautiful...

1 comment:

vicki archer said...

Thank you so much Marielle, I so appreciate your lovely words.....enjoy the weekend, xv.