My Last 5

Here is an updated My Last 5. It's been a while, but I had gone probably 2 months without reading a book. Lots of articles and magazines, but no books. So, I've made up for it in the last week or so. In fact, I have 7 books to review. Here goes.

I am grateful to a long-time SF Giants Fan and fellow bibliophile for some Readers Digest Select Editions. It's nice to have 4 books in one. They still are paper, which I appreciate much more than trying to read extended pages on the screen. That's why I'll probably never get an e-reader or try to read books on my I-touch.

1. Maximum Security by Rose Connors. Although I'm not sure what the title had to do with the actual book, this is an interesting novel written by a lawyer. John Grisham she is not, but law is always interesting to me. This particular novel involves a beautiful (aren't they always) heiress who is accused of the murder of her deceased husband. While rather short, a lot of action is covered in the span of the 150 or so pages. If you like Mr. Grisham, Mrs. Connors would be a good addition to your list of authors.

2. Blood is the Sky by Steve Hamilton. I don't believe I've had the privilege of reading Mr. Hamilton's work before, but if this 300+ page novel is typical of his work, I have a new mystery/detective favorite. This story takes place in Northern Michigan and Ontario and involves a setting I am personally familiar with, hunting camps. The pace is fast, the characters are flawed, and thus entirely believable. The mistakes they make, and the motivations for doing so provide as much interest as the actual action itself. Another book that I would recommend.

3. Nighttime is my Time by Mary Higgins Clark. Mrs. Clark has never been one of my favorite authors. Reading this book reminded me why. I found the plot tedious, often bogged down in introspective musings of the characters. They flow was disjointed, the characters poorly developed, seeming like character cut-outs. If you like Mrs. Clark's work, more power to you. We are all entitled to our opinions, and mine is that her writing is sub-par and insipid.

4. The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. I have become a huge fan of Monsieur Sparks efforts. He writes very believable stories, based on entirely human characters and the struggles, conflicts and motivations of folks from all walks of life. This novel was written from the perspective of a gentleman who is succesful as a businessman, but a failure at his marriage. I could easily identify with his workaholic attitude, and hopefully learned some lessons from his efforts to save his marriage. I almost hope Mrs. Penguin doesn't read this, as some of his efforts are inspiring and a touch awe-inspiring. If you liked the movie FIREPROOF, you'll probably enjoy this book.

5. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. This was an interesting novel, made easier to relate to because it involved a military character. I'm not sure if this was written before or after Dear John. While Mr. Sparks occasionally slips in his portrayal of military life, or so it seems to me, he strives very hard to stay authentic. Again, his characterization and motivations are well done. I did find the story a little harder to believe than some of his other works. I realize that reading fiction requires a suspension of belief, but I've come to expect such great things from him that this book was a bit of a let-down. Perhaps that is because this book actually upset me quite a bit. Why? This was the first book I ever remember reading where I identified with the antagonist more strongly than the protagonist. The poor parenting, impatience, and jealousy displayed by the ex-husband/father character seemed much more understandable and relatable than the perfectly patient, seemingly selfless lead.

6. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters. Having never read the original, I can't compare this revised work, so I have to take the book on its own merits. I'm still not sure that I actually liked the book. It was an interesting premise, but the meshing of two different worlds is less than seamless. Thanks to my bibliophile friend, I have a copy of Northanger Abbey to read. Perhaps after I read that I will be better able to distinguish between Ms. Austen's work and Mr. Winters "additions." Perhaps Ms. Austen is really a poor writer and this is better than the original, or perhaps not. Overall, I was less than impressed and will be reluctant to read anything else this duo might publish.

7. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. I had already seen the movie, thanks to Mrs. Penguin, so I had a pretty good idea of the story. I found the book to be better than the movie, as is usually the case. I much prefer the ending of the book. It seems more in keeping with the character's portrayed. I am always disappointed that this author's books contain pre-marital sex, since he professes to be a Christian (Catholic, I think). Maybe that's what it takes to get a book published these days. I doubt it, but then again, what do I know?

I hope you enjoyed My Last 5, or in this case, My Last 7. Stay tuned fellow penguins. The wanderings and wonderings continue.