Books I'm Reading

Books I’m Reading

Science Fiction/Fantasy

I read the second book in George R. R. Martin’s ice and fire series, The Clash of Kings, and liked it better than Game of Thrones—not so much about paranormal creatures whose descriptions I found implausible in the first book.

I seem to be reading a lot of series lately. The final book in a series about a character called Odd Thomas, Saint Odd by Dean Koontz, left me unsatisfied. When I read the book before, I said I thought it had run out of steam. Unfortunately, some of the ongoing story lines when tied up seemed trite. I mostly kept reading for the main character’s sweetness, determination to do the right thing, and willingness to sacrifice himself.

Action/Adventure

James Patterson’s Hope to Die is the latest in his Alex Cross series. I haven’t read the others and didn’t feel disadvantaged. Have to admit I bought the book as a Christmas present and read it first. I generally don’t get into crime stories. I found the beginning slow going, then it hummed along. The take on the villain—Alex Cross says he’d never understand what motivated the villain to act as he did—was sloppy writing. If the character doesn’t understand the villain’s motivation, the reader should. Made the villain less believable.

I’ve heard a lot about Harold Robbins and always wanted to read one of his books. Someone gave me The Pirate. Written in the seventies, it held up pretty well. Sex scenes were definitely written from a male perspective and tended to be violent. The characters’ actions continually hurt themselves and those sharing their lives. Kind of sad and depressing and the pat ending didn’t ring true. The history and cultures of the time were interesting.

The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell is also part of a series about a medical examiner. This one comes somewhere in the middle and I was lost. I’m not sure if all the medical jargon I skimmed over made me miss parts of the story or if you had to read the others in the series first. Either way, don’t think I’ll bother.