Reasonable Doubt: The Fashion Writer, Cape Cod, and the Trial of Chris McCowen by Peter Manso

I like true crime books. This one was AWFUL which is such a shame because it's a really compelling story and probably a horrible case of injustice but the writing was really horrible. The author is an investigative reporter and knew many of those involved in the case. I just couldn't get past the writing style.

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

This is one of those books I picked up because ANOTHER book I was reading mentioned Chabon as an author of 'intelligent' books. WHY DO I PAY ATTENTION TO THIS? I think this was a movie as well. This book is DUMB. Nothing happens. Well, a lot of stuff happens, but it's dumb. The main character is constantly stoned, has a wife, a mistress, steals someone's prized possession, gets attacked by a dog, the dog gets shot, drives around with the body of dog in the car. Then he befriends a lying weirdo, takes him to his soon-to-be-ex wife's parents' house, kills their unwanted giant snake, drives around with the body of the snake next to the body of the dog. At one point there is a tuba and a transvestite. Oh, and the main character has been writing the same book, Wonder Boys, for 7 years and the mistress is pregnant and he may sleep with his young roomate and then he smokes another joint. I will never get why 'intellectuals' think this type of garbage is intelligent. I am sure that they would give a million examples of how this is symbolic of something stupid, how the story follows the story that the character is writing, etc. I DON'T CARE. This is a dumb, stupid book.

As Husbands Go by Susan Isaacs

Susie B Anthony Rabinowitz Gersten is married to a doctor, has 4 year old triplet boys, uninvolved parents and snobbish in-laws. One morning she realizes that her husband never made it home from work. After a week or so, his body is discovered in the apartment of a prostitute. But Susie is convinced that her husband would never have gone to a prostitute and does some sluething to figure out what happened.

I might have liked this book if I didn't HATE the main character. She is shallow and annoying and annoying. You might like this book. I skimmed to the end just to see what happened.

And Then there was One

Identical triplets go to the movies with their cousin. When the movies are over, only one comes out. Where are the other two?

Their parents are a major league baseball player and a psychologist who deals with the monsters of the world. Does one of them know the kidnapper?

The author then gives you a slew of evil, horrible monsters who may or may not have the girls. It is every boogeyman story you have ever heard...to the point that it is tedious and unbelievable. I did keep reading, just to find out what happens, but I was annoyed. Didn't like it.

Bad Mother by Ayelet Waldman

I have nothing nice to say about this book. It was self-absorbed, congratulatory, full of judgement regarding anyone with a different political take than the other and really disturbing.

Didn't like it, wouldn't recommend it and (edited for not nice-ness)

Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker

This book was okay...but the flyleaf and introduction were so bizarre that I was distracted the whole time. The first 3 pages of the books are testimonials from readers (even though the book is hard-cover so I assume it was the first run?) about how amazing the book is, the author is, etc. And there is verbage along the lines of, 'read more to see how this book is changing lives' UH What?

Basically this is a vampire story. And not a good one. Well, maybe it would have been good if there wasn't this random, odd, glowing minibook of raving testimonials.

HOWEVER, I did become interested in the author, who has the typical glowering head shoot in the back of the book. His parents are (were?) missionaries who worked with headhunting tribes in Indonesia. It seems like his real life is maybe more interesting than he stories if they are all like this one. I won't be reading his other books, but would love to read his biography/memoir (if he ever writes one).

the Law of Love by Laura Esquivel

I could not get through this book. It was just too odd. I did love Like Water for Chocolate, but saw it first in movie form. Maybe that helped?

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls

Jeanette Walls' parents shouldn't have had children.
This book is horrifying in its details of her childhood. Her parents could at best be described as mentally unstable, completely self-absorbed and immature. There were images and stories in this book that I will never forget and will never be able to get out of my head. I hated this book and wish I could erase it from my mind. It was good for discussion, but it is kind of like seeing a car crash, you can't look away but wish you hadn't seen it.

Mr and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan

I should have known I would hate this book after reading the introduction. The author starts off by saying she had never read any Jane Austen before she went to see the MOVIE Pride and Prejudice. So then she loved the movie, read the books and decided she was qualified to continue the stories of the brilliant Austen. NO THANK YOU, Ma'am.
As a person who has read every Jane Austen book a million times (starting from when I was 12) I feel a bit possessive of Miss Austen and don't think it's okay for any old movie loving person to presume to write books in her voice. I got about 10 pages into this book and did in no way find any of these characters familiar. For all that is holy in the world, at one point she refers to Darcy as WILLIAM!!!! (which is apparently what her Lizzie calls him as a shortening of Fitzwilliam). DEAR LORD WOMAN!
I had to put this down and walk away.
Oh the sacrilege.

Did I mention there are MORE of these?

Dune Road by Jane Green

I HATED every character in this book. HATED THEM.

The main character is the mother of 2 who got a divorce because she and her husband grew apart and she just didn't know who she was anymore. So she gets her life back together, moves into a smaller house and becomes the assistant to a famous writer who is some 20 years older than her. She becomes friends with a gorgeous yoga teacher but then gets really bitchy when the yoga teacher starts to date her boss. Is she interested in her boss? No. Apparently she just doesn't want her friend to date him. Then her half sister who she has no idea exists shows up and there is all kinds of drama there. She has constant run-ins with her ex-husband and always thinks, now why did we get a divorce? UGH. I hate this woman. In the end, everything works out with not a single loose thread. I know this is a book that the masses will love. So not for me. Which I can only blame myself for as I have read other books by this author and didn't like them either. (Swapping Lives)

Virgina Woolf A Writer's Diary

I thought this book was a diary of Virgina Woolf (who I have never read anything by) but it's more of a diary of HOW she wrote, her 'process'. I just couldn't get into and was so disappointed. I also picked up a couple of her novels and found that I just couldn't get into them. So sad. I still no absolutely nothing about Virginia Woolf who has been called one of America's best novelists.

Overview from Amazon: An invaluable guide to the art and mind of Virginia Woolf, drawn by her husband from the personal record she kept over a period of twenty-seven years. Included are entries that refer to her own writing, others that are clearly writing exercises; accounts of people and scenes relevant to the raw material of her work; and comments on books she was reading. Edited and with a Preface by Leonard Woolf; Indices

The Cheater by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg

Boring! This book is part of a series about a judge who has numerous horrible things happen to her. According to the flyleaf she is the author's 'most beloved charecter'. I hated her. Skip this book. You have read this story a million times in books much better than this one.

I'll give you the synopsis anyway. A woman is going around killing men who cheat on their wives. You meet the murderer, an FBI agent and the judge. They interact. It should be shocking, it's not. There is no mystery, no surprise reveal and no one that interesting.

SKIP IT!!