Friday, July 26, 2013

Holiday book reviews...

I can't promise my book reviews will be well thought through or fantastically written, but when I'm looking for reviews I like reading the honest ones! So I thought I'd share my thoughts on the ones I've read while sitting by a pool! I normally read about 1 a day when I'm away but my first one took a while...

First up is The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory. I am really enjoying the White Queen tv show on BBC1 but was quite ashamed that I didn't know all the characters and the history behind it. I know it probably is fairly tweaked with a certain dash of artistic license, but it's still my history and I didn't know it! 

So I read the White Queen first but not on holiday, so I won't review it (I liked it!). 

The RedQueen was hard going. I just didn't like her - she was not likeable. I really liked the White Queen and I felt like I wanted her to succeed. Even when reading this book, I wanted the white queen to ride in and trample the Red Queen, I was so against everything she did. I have to have some Ffinity with the characters in books, or at least like them, or want to know more about them. She was unbearable. 

Or maybe I just shouldn't read about historical characters, because they're all despicable. 

Score: 5/10, purely for helping me learn some historical facts! 

The Kill Room, Jeffery Deaver

I really like Jeffery Deaver. A disclaimer here would be that I have read all his books, I really like them, and so I think you'll know how this review will go. I am a sucker for a thriller, so was thrilled when I found these! 

This one focuses on a man killed in Hawaii, supposedly by the US government, although they're covering it up. There's a rogue assassin on the loose and it's up to Lincoln Rhyme to catch him! 

Lincoln Rhyme is a wheelchair bound forensic scientist, but that's ok because his power is his mind! Yes it's as corny as it sounds, but I loved it. There are however only so many twists and turns that you can take and this book pushes the limit on what is realistic... 

Anyway, the twists and turns are crazy, but the science is fairly real (not that I'd know) and I read it in a day. 

Score: 4/5

The Bone Bed, Patricia Cornwell
I think I'm losing my way with the Scarpetta books. I've read all of them, and I used to love Kay Scarpetta, the Chief Medical Examiner for Richmond and all her following roles. But I'm now so confused over what's happened, her current job, her messed up family, all of it.

I'm also getting more annoyed by Cornwell's style of writing. Scarpetta is now the most paranoid character ever (and in fact I don't blame her for everything she's been through in a gazillion books) but it does feel like the world is out to get her. It would be great to read about an exciting case she has to deal with, not all the crap about rogue FBI agents out to get her. It's all about her. The reason I like a lot of the other thrillers is that I like the character AND the cases. It feels like nothing is given any time at all, and as a result... I just don't care. It genuinely feels like she's just churning them out.

Score: 1/5 - this'll be the last Scarpetta I read

Wedding Night, Sophie Kinsella
A cheesy girl fest - loved it. I am not ashamed of needing some classic chick-lit and having read the Shopaholic series then I looked forward to this.
Perfect pool-side reading, I loved that the two main women had great jobs. So many books feature women who have shitty jobs that they don't really like, but it's ok because a man will come along and fix it! These lovely ladies had jobs I could relate to, so you believed it when they were trying to balance their lives!

Score: 4/5

 
About a Girl, Lindsey Kelk
Bloody marvellous. I love Kelk's style, it was funny, it had great characters, I loved Tess and I wanted to fly off with her! I wanted to find out what happened... and I can't bloody wait for the next book.

Score: 5/5

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