Recently Read Mini-Reviews

I don’t always have the time to do a full review of all the books I read!   Still, I would like to comment on many, if only to give a whole-hearted recommendation for some, a word of caution on others, or perhaps a “don’t waste your time.”   All three featured today are “go for it.”

Personal is the new Jack Reacher novel from a long-time fave.  I’ve read every Lee Child book since the first one (The Killing Floor), and have reviewed a few (here, here, and sorta here).  Am I fan?  Yep.  I bought it in hardback at my local indie bookstore.  (To be fair, I know my husband will probably want to read it, too, so it cuts the price by 50%.  Or so I tell myself.)  The 19th book in the series stacks up pretty well, although Child doesn’t quite deliver on the foreboding promises made by the title (very little interaction with the bad guy, it’s not that personal, and it’s over pretty quickly) or on the backstory reference to Dominique Kohl (potentially pretty chilling, and I kept waiting for it).  It does have the usual strong writing, well-paced plotting, and of course, the Jack Reacher character.  Jack himself is enough to make any Reacher novel worth reading.

Burial Rites by debut novelist Hannah Kent is a based-on-real-life, moody crime novel set in Iceland in 1828.  Agnes Magnusdottir was convicted of murdering two men and is exiled to a farm in the north to await execution.  The book tells her story, but also how Agnes affects those around her, including the family who house her during her final months and the young clergyman who serves as her spiritual guide.   This bleak tragedy is warmed throughout by the characters.  Well-written and affecting, but painful- keep the hankies handy.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion just begs to be made into a movie.  Please, somebody, make it into a movie!  Cute genetics professor with Asperger’s (not that he knows it ) can’t seem to keep a girlfriend, undertakes “wife project” to accomplish goal, meets wildly unsuitable woman (Rosie) who becomes his coach.  Of course she’s perfect for him, but there are many obstacles to overcome, all pretty self-generated.  It has all the factors that make up a hit rom-com!  Of course I adored it.  Best read in bubble bath with Dove candy bar broken into small pieces and a glass of red wine.  (Ooh, Google search says there’s both a movie AND a second book in the works.  Yay.)