Review: Love, Rosie

Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I usually like the books better than the movies based on said books. In this case, I actually prefer the movie. The book wouldn't let me put it down; it's true. However, there are a few reasons why I can't rate it higher.
1) The narrative of the story told entirely in the form of letters/emails/written communication was well done but still left me feeling like I was "left out" of the key moments. We read about these key moments after the fact but don't get to experience them with "all" our senses.
2) The two besties, Alex and Rosie, took way too long to figure out that they should be together and to confess their love. From the first hint of "something more than friends" at age 16, it took them to age 50 and several marriages/kids/divorces later. That's just way too long. They wasted the golden years they could have spent together and it was anticlimactic when he finally showed up at her door. Ahern's theme of "mistakes are doors to discovery" is all fine and good, but it took them 30+ years to learn from mistakes that they kept making over and over again.
All that said, the characters were all extremely well-written, it was a well-told story, and I couldn't put it down until I finally knew they were going to be together at last.

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Review: Starclimber

Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay, I just love these books. SUCH a great trilogy. Each novel an engaging read in its own right. Adventurous, creative, original, funny, romantic, and utterly likable. For the 3rd book, you must suspend your disbelief about what you know about outer space and enjoy Oppel's imagination and how he compares sailing the ocean to flying the skies. I still recommend reading books 1-3 in order.

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Review: Wyrms

Wyrms by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I can see why this book is polarizing. I fall on the side of those who think it's just weird. Card used a few intriguing story-telling ideas to decorate his soapbox on the subject of religion. I AM impressed at how he can disguise overt shallowness (characters named Patience, Will, and Ruin) as grand, philosophical, sci-fi lit. I didn't think the characters were compelling.

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Review: Monsters

Monsters by Ilsa J. Bick
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A well-written YA series with plenty of drama and violence as a sort of "zombie" genre (though the author avoids that word). A good warm-up for my favorite season! I was satisfied with the ending but felt it could have delivered even more of a punch. As it was, Bick left one aspect of the plot as sort of a cliffhanger even though it's obvious how that particular plotline should resolve itself. Not that it wasn't a good ending - it was - but a really GREAT ending would have made a huge impression and possibly a 4th star.

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Review: The Fill-In Boyfriend

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Yep. Brilliant. This story has everything. Romance, friendship, family dysfunction, funny dialogue, depth. And it is refreshingly clean. If it was a movie, PG. Maybe even G. The romantic chase was so genuine and juicy I couldn't put it down. Wonderful. I just barely finished this book and I wish I could pick up another of her books to start reading right this instant.

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