Book reviews from an unqualified source. Me!
ARCHIVED ENTRIES
ARCHIVED ENTRIES
Thursday, February 22, 2001
Shattered, by Dick Francis. I've never met anyone who has only read a few of Dick Francis's 40 books. The champion jockey who retired decades ago and took up writing has a massive following in England and a smaller but devoted fan base abroad. I think I've read them all. They've become rather formulaic in recent years, but it's an easy formula to sink in to for a few hours. Shattered is vintage Francis, and this time stars a glassblower who becomes the target for some racecourse thugs when his friend dies after passing him a mysterious video tape. 3 out of 5.
Tuesday, February 20, 2001
Ralph's Party, by Lisa Jewell. Having read Thirtynothing I thought I'd check out Jewell's first book, which is a lightweight and easy-on-the-eyes glimpse into the lives of a group of people who all live in the same building, and who have very confusing love lives. Fun, but not quite as solid as Thirtynothing. 3 out of 5.
Thursday, February 15, 2001
Some books I've finished recently:
Shadow of the Hegemon, by Orson Scott Card. Newest book in the Bean series, a follow-on to Card's earlier success Ender's Game and its sequels. Good fun sci-fi, not too heavy. An entertaining way to waste some quality time. 3 out of 5.
Thirtynothing, by Lisa Jewell. A fun, romantic book about a couple of old friends who should have been together years ago but somehow haven't figured it out yet. Funny, poignant, up to date and very well written. 4 out of 5.
e: A Novel, by Matt Beaumont. A modern epistolary novel about the internal machinations within a London advertising agency going after the Holy Grail: the Coca Cola account. The entire book is a series of emails between the employees that track their disastrous progress, petty squabbles, and dirty little scandals. Wonderful fun. 5 out of 5.
Look to Windward
, by Iain M. Banks. The master of science fiction takes another look at the Culture, with a sprawling story of an assassin sent to take revenge by destroying an Orbital and the billions of people who inhabit it. Not his best book, but worth your time nonetheless. 4 out of 5.
Shadow of the Hegemon, by Orson Scott Card. Newest book in the Bean series, a follow-on to Card's earlier success Ender's Game and its sequels. Good fun sci-fi, not too heavy. An entertaining way to waste some quality time. 3 out of 5.
Thirtynothing, by Lisa Jewell. A fun, romantic book about a couple of old friends who should have been together years ago but somehow haven't figured it out yet. Funny, poignant, up to date and very well written. 4 out of 5.
e: A Novel, by Matt Beaumont. A modern epistolary novel about the internal machinations within a London advertising agency going after the Holy Grail: the Coca Cola account. The entire book is a series of emails between the employees that track their disastrous progress, petty squabbles, and dirty little scandals. Wonderful fun. 5 out of 5.
Look to Windward
, by Iain M. Banks. The master of science fiction takes another look at the Culture, with a sprawling story of an assassin sent to take revenge by destroying an Orbital and the billions of people who inhabit it. Not his best book, but worth your time nonetheless. 4 out of 5.