The President is Missing, But Not For Long

Well, I finished The President is Missing, just shy of deadline.

Our local library offers the most popular new titles as "Lucky Day" books, available for a non-renewable 7 day loan.

Have you read it?

James Patterson Book #1

This was the first of James Patterson's books that I've read. Go figure. 

According to the most reliable source I have (the book jacket) Patterson holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 NYT best sellers. 

Clearly, I was feeling optimistic on that trip to the library:  in addition to The President is Missing I snagged 5 other books, including Zoo and The Store, also by Patterson. 

Having digested the very engaging but somewhat formulaic Missing, I'm willing to crack open those other two novels, but I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed. Based on Patterson's reputation and obvious success, I'd hoped to find him a suitable replacement for Michael Creighton. Alas, he is not.

James Patterson Book # 2

Stay tuned... and as always, I welcome guest posts on this blog. If you'd like to review your favorite James Patterson book, or argue that he really is equal to or better than Michael Creighton, reach out here in the comments or connect with me through my Dumb Facebook Page devoted to dogs and books and other things I can't live without. 

Here's to Happy Endings! 

 

Finally, Hungry no More

Yep, that's right - I'm done. Am I the last person here to read The Hunger Games? Or does a review of the first in Suzanne Collins' super-popular series still require a spoiler alert?

Let me know ... I'm crafting my summary now. With help from my 10yo, who will probably get the byline ;)

Is A Higher Call overrated?

A Higher Call made The Diane Rehm Show and CNN, among many, many other (flattering) reviews. Can it possibly live up to its hype?


If you've read it, please weigh in with a comment or squawk at me. 

Why Book Reviews Matter

I like to get confessions out of the way first, so here goes: I loved book reports when I was in school. When I found out people got paid to review books, I was all over that. I could read, and write book reviews, all day!

I could also read book reviews all day. 

Do they matter? Oh, please. I've had shouting matches with people who say reading is a waste of time; we're not going to start that about reviews, are we? Ask Amazon, Goodreads, The NYT, Christian Science Monitor, your local paper, or check out the crowd at almost any library.

Obviously, book reviews matter a great deal to authors and publishers. So why do book reviews matter to the rest of us? Because we all need to feed our brains, and books do that. And just like food preferences and allergies vary from person to person, our tastes in reading material run the gamut, too.

(As I'm writing this, Duck Commander Family and Proof of Heaven are both on The New York Times non-fiction bestsellers list.)

Online book reviews are like a buffet - you can go grab a sample of anything. It's a great way to find out if you'd like more of a particular author's cooking. On the other end of the spectrum, discerning book review editors are like master chefs who study the freshest ingredients, take note of new tools, skillful preparation, unusual  treatments, and offer up only the most delicious, tantalizing combinations of all of those.

Book reviews matter because that classic t-shirt was right: So many books, so little time. The most avid reader will never, ever, ever be able to read all that he or she wants to. Book reviews help us discover books we "must" read that we might have missed, and they help us whittle down our (embarrassingly long) to-read lists.

They also provide countless conversation starters. You don't even have to read the book to use them, just the review! Try these, for example:

Have you read the new book on Scientology?
What do you think about that female author who rewrote one of Hemingway's books?
Forget The Good Wife;  have you heard about The Good Nurse?! 

Toss one of those out at your next cocktail party or agonizingly long elevator ride, and let me know what happens.

Several Shades of Sad: on Swimming and SM

 

I can't claim that I've got a handle on Live Tweeting yet, but I have started playing with short-form reviews on Twitter.

Today's experiment with Swimming Home by Deborah Levy seemed appropriate - the paperback version is just about 160 pages long. And it's sad, so I didn't want to delve too deeply into its meaning. (If you know me, you know I like movies and books that make me laugh, not cry.) It's clearly got something to say about sadness, and marriage, and mental health. Not necessarily in that order.

You're welcome to follow me and see what I read next (hint: I hope it makes me laugh!) Or, better yet, let me know what you're reading. Then I'll follow you.