Book Reviews

I recently realized that I’ve been totally slacking on my BBC Best Loved Books and so I went to both the C of I Library and the Caldwell Public Library to pick up a bunch of books to get back on track. With the weekend on the farm, I had a bunch of time to read and made my way through a few and am now 12 books away from being finished. So here are some of my reviews.

A Town Like Alice- Nevile Shute

I really liked this book a lot. I’m not sure how much I liked the narration from the attorney telling the story about Jean and Joe but the love story between the two Js was beautiful. The story about Jean going through WWII was a bit rough but I loved how Jean and Joe chased after each other after the war and how Jean worked really hard to make things work out. I read a review about how someone didn’t like the Aboriginal racism but it’s important to remember when this book was written and how it really encapsulates the post-war life in the Australian outback. Definitely recommend it but be warned that it’s not a story that, other than relationally, stands the test of time.

Artemis Fowl-  Eion Colfer

I really wanted to like this book. I thought that it would be along the lines of Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Kazam but I just didn’t like Artemis at all. He was portrayed as this genius, Sherlock Holmesian character but as insufferable as Holmes can be, he still has loveable side. I didn’t fell like that about Artemis at all. I didn’t care about him and I had a hard time getting into all the fairy mythology. Just an example of a book that I really thought I would like but ended up really not liking at all.

Noughts and Crosses- Marjorie Blackman

This was like reverse racism plus Romeo and Juliet plus dystopian world. I really liked it, even though I thought it maybe dragged on a bit to much. I also found out later that there are a bunch of sequels but honestly, I don’t really feel like reading any others, which is rare. The concept was not necessarily unique but it was different enough to keep me interested and I blew my was through the book, even though it was in itself a pretty easy read. I would definitely recommend it.

One Hundred Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez

 Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. This was worse than Wuthering Heights. And that is big, coming from me. Everyone had the same name. Everyone made poor light choices. Everyone slept with people they shouldn’t have slept with. It was just the worst. And that’s all I have to say about it.