January Reading Reflections

One of the main things I want to keep track of on this blog is the books that I've read. I can't wait to look back in 6 months or 6 years and reflect on them.

So, starting in 2008 - so far I have read:
Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg
(Grade: C) It was alright, the beginning was sort of interesting describing World War I-era South Boston and a girl trying to make her way out of her poor neighborhood. But the second half just got so boring - the book is billed as exploring the influenza epidemic in the US during WWI, but it ends up being completely inconclusive and gets sidetracked with a tepid love story that I just didn't care about. Kind of disappointing considering she also wrote Bee Season, which was really interesting (although also had a weak ending).

Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
(Grade: B+) I loved the scenes from the Gold Rush in 1849 and there were definitely some historical facts thrown in, but I think I wanted a bit more understanding of how the phenomenon fit into global events - probably a bit too ambitious for a book about a girl running away from her home in Chile. Actually one of the coolest parts was the side story about her friend Ta'Chin while he was living in China in the mid-1800s. I think I need to find more books about that era.

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
(Grade: B) I still love these books - I read all of her Tudor series now and they totally entertain me and I can barely put them down, but realistically they are not super well-written. There is a ton of repetition and pseudo-Harlequin novel prose. But I love the court scenes and the political discussions - it's kind of fascinating to see European history played out in the inner workings of the palace. I think I'm going to try her Wideacre series which takes place in Edwardian England - could be good!

Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
(Grade: B-) Lots of action, lots of repetition - this is the third in a series of books about an actual wizard living in Chicago in the present time. It is kind of interesting because it explores the supernatural as if it were fact - so there is a lot of history and background about, in the case of this book, ghosts and vampires. (Book One was wizards, natch, and Book Two was werewolves). This book just went on a little long - I mean every chapter had about three cliffhangers. I do like it because everything doesn't work out perfectly in the end and the main character is definitely flawed.

Maybe as I post more while I'm reading I'll have more interesting things to say, but I just wanted to catch up to where I'm at.