Good and Not-So-Good Books

Books I’ve Read

Someone (so long ago I can’t remember who) gave me a large bag of books I’m just getting around to. Mostly over twenty years old—can you believe the early nineties were twenty years ago?—it’s interesting to remember how books used to be. Some would have a hard time getting published in today’s market.

Queenie—Michael Korda

Nephew to actress, Merle Oberon, Mr. Korda wrote a story about early movie-making in Britain and America. The lead character was a mixed British and Indian woman who hid her Indian heritage because of the prejudices of the time. I sure hope his aunt wasn’t burdened with such sadness. It was not an upbeat book but kept my attention through 700+ pages and gave a fascinating look at Hollywood in the thirties.

The Second Time Around—Mary Higgins Clark

Afraid I didn’t get through this one. Skipped to the epilogue and read the whole story in a few paragraphs. Not too many years ago I would have made myself read through the end. Time goes by much too quickly as you get older. I don’t want to waste it.

Acacia—David Anthony Durham

This book was published in 2007. He was one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Write Angles Conference and an interesting guy with a great imagination. The book is part one of a trilogy, and I hope to find the other two books. I love sci-fy/fantasy anyway and this book is set in a made-up world full of different peoples, social structures, creatures, and the fight to right the wrongs of ancestors who built their wealth and power on the misery of the populace.

Current Books

Festive In Death—J. D. Robb

For anyone unfamiliar, J. D. Robb, pseudonym for Nora Roberts, writes a futuristic series about a female New York police lieutenant that usually includes the ongoing story of a cast of characters while solving a murder mystery. Honestly, the plots and villains are so-so. I like the main characters. This book gave the reader a nice stroll through their lives but introduced nothing new in character development. I would think that might be a wake-up to either introduce some element of tension or end the series.

Sycamore Row—John Grisham

A second look at characters introduced in A Time to Kill. I like his writing style though maybe his way of foreshadowing events could be more subtle to lend greater suspense. Didn’t read the first book but saw the movie. This one stands alone fine.