| Author |
Message |
Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - 12:10 pm 
I can't remember who recommended Megan Miranda's The Last House Guest to me (it wasn't anyone here thank goodness!), but when I remember I'm going to send that person a box of coal.
I slogged my way through its 341 pages and, first of all, it's got nothing to do with Big Brother, despite what the title might lead you to believe.
Next, I can't really describe what an atrocity it is, other than to say it's an atrocity. On second thought, it's two atrocities in one: the writing is atrocious and the story is atrocious.
And, finally, but much more perplexing, is the fact that Reese Witherspoon made it the August selection for her (very popular) book club! The only thing that makes sense is that Ms. Miranda must be in possession of scandalous photos of Ms. Witherspoon doing scandalous things and she's using them to blackmail Reese into promoting her ravishingly bad creation. Don't say you weren't warned! 
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - 12:21 pm
I recently came across her book club and thought it would be fun to read some of them. Thanks for the warning. 
I’m currently reading one of the worst books I’ve ever read. I’ll post a review to warn people when I’ve finished it.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - 12:51 pm
Ric, I started The Last House Guest and put it down. It was not doing anything for me. My sister said it picked up later on in the book so eventually, I will go back.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - 1:33 pm
Oh, no, no, no, please don't go back. Please believe me, it does not get better. The pace of the story improves, yes, so your sister was right about that. But I can almost guarantee that if you force yourself to finish (as I did) you will regret it. Reese Witherspoon must have been on drugs when she read it. 
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Rieann
Member
08-26-2006
| Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - 3:20 pm
Yikes! Thanks for the warning Uncle Ricky. I did see where Reese put it on her book club list. I went to either Goodreads or Amazon, at the time, and was a bit put off by a few initial reviews so I put it on the back burner. I'll scratch it off my list.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - 3:58 pm
No matter who recommends a book, I always head to Amazon and read some of the worst reviews along with the good ones to see if I really want to add it to my list. I did it with Oprah and I do it with Reese. As I get older, I'm getting more picky on what I spend my time on.
The last 3 I finished were Lady in the Lake by Laura Lippman, The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz and Something in the Water by Katherine Steadman. All three were mehhh in my opinion but I know for a fact that others loved them and they have many good reviews on Amazon.
I quit Nine Perfect Strangers last year and came back and finished it this summer. So much just depends on my mood for reading. It was okay but not one of my favorites by Moriarty. Next to Big Little Lies, What Alice Forgot is my other fave.
I'm currently reading an 'oldie' from 2001 by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I'm becoming completely engrossed in the world of these people. She does that for me with every one of her books. The story follows 3 different sets of people living in the Appalachian Mountains and the changing climate in farming, culture, etc.
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - 4:56 pm
I finished another Dean Koontz book last week--The Good Guy. It was pretty typical Koontz except for the very last part.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Saturday, September 14, 2019 - 9:19 pm
This morning finished Harriet Tyce’s debut, Blood Orange, a refreshingly perky psychological thriller. Set in present-day London, protagonist Alison has got a lot of problems going on in her life and they’re all pretty bad and they grow increasingly worse chapter after chapter. There are many disagreeable elements that make up her personality, but I found myself cheering her on even during the bleakest moments. The writing is sparklingly good and a little bit raunchy. Ms. Tyce succeeds at keeping you wondering what on earth is going to happen next to Alison. I’m really looking forward to her followup, assuming she writes one.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Saturday, September 14, 2019 - 9:49 pm
Japoy, I liked that Kingsolver book very much.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Sunday, September 22, 2019 - 6:35 pm
At some point in each (reading) year, when it comes to say “this is the best book I’ve read all year” I’m always concerned that I’ll read something better before the year is over. I will be very, very surprised if I read anything better in 2019 than Claire Lombardo’s The Most Fun We Ever Had. It’s a deeply absorbing family saga about four sisters and their uniquely active-in-their-childrens’-lives parents. The story spans the 42-year period from 1975 to 2017. This is Ms. Lombardo’s debut novel - it’s mind-boggling this is her first book!
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Monday, September 23, 2019 - 9:05 am
♡ family sagas!
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, September 23, 2019 - 9:23 am
I enjoyed The Most Fun but didn't love it like Ric did. It is definitely a family saga!
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Monday, September 23, 2019 - 9:44 am
I don't comment on a lot of books that I read (though I enjoy reading other's reviews and comments) but I thought I'd review this one, more as a warning than anything. The Didymus Contingency by Jeremy Robinson. I hadn’t read any books by him but the premise sounded fascinating and the book has a 3.99 rating on Goodreads so I thought it would be a good one. Plus he has written numerous best selling books.
Two scientists are the chief inventors of a time travel device. One of the scientists who has had some bad breaks in life and who is extremely skeptical of Christianity decides to test the device by traveling back in time and witnessing the events leading up to the crucifixion. The other scientist (who is a Christian believer) follows him to try to keep him out of trouble. Well I figured that has the potential to be fascinating, entertaining, insightful, etc.
Unfortunately, the writing is terrible. About at the level of a 12 year old kid making his first attempt at writing a novel. The character descriptions and dialogue are cringe worthy. The plot holes are staggering. For example, they get into their time travel facility by driving into a nondescript old shed in the desert which then turns into an elevator and lowers their vehicle to a "football stadium sized parking lot" containing cars for "thousands of employees". Hopefully they don’t all show up for work at the shed at the same time as there would be quite a lineup. 
Even the parking attendants look like Bill Gates (per the author’s description). And the woman running the organization? Here are the thoughts of one of the scientists.
quote:David thought Sally was beautiful in a power-suit kind of way. She stood six inches taller than him and her taut calf muscles hinted that a fit body hid beneath her masculine suits. He was often tempted to compliment the woman on her bunned black hair that hung straight when freed from the bun, or how the shade of maroon lipstick accentuated her full lips and softened the stern look of her frequently furrowed brow line, but he held his tongue for fear she might have him executed.
The author should be executed for writing that. 
So they travel back in time to precisely the right year and date because apparently they knew the exact date to pick. Oh but they do insert some stuff about concerns about continental drift. Who cares that the earth is rotating and the entire solar system is moving through space and no one knows exactly when Jesus had his ministry. It's those darn fast moving continents we have to worry about!
Spoiler
Click below to view spoiler | | So they proceed to hang out and travel around with and become best buddies with Jesus and his disciples for a couple of years. The author literally plagiarizes the Bible! Which, not surprisingly, makes the story quite predictable. Except that the characters are one dimensional and their thought processes are juvenile. |
Anyway, I could go on but this is a definite NOT recommended. I can't believe this guy has sold as many books as he has.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Tuesday, September 24, 2019 - 1:55 am
Love the review! Will avoid that book for sure.
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Thursday, September 26, 2019 - 1:12 pm
LOL I'm happy you enjoyed that, Sea.
I'm not usually that harsh a critic but this book just didn't work for me. Has anyone else read anything by this author? I'm curious because he has written many books and they sell well.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, September 26, 2019 - 6:26 pm
Jim, I'm so, so sorry you had to endure all of that misery - you have my deepest sympathies. I ached for your vicariously.
Mamie, I'm guessing it was either too long or the characters were too disagreeable - both of which I totally get if that's what it was. I know I keep harping on being an only child, but when books focus on kids who had tough childhoods because of missing parental figures (and are well-written), I can't help but feel an extra closeness to those types of characters - that was certainly the case with TMFWEH.
Last night I finished Waiting for Wednesday, the third in the Frieda Klein series by Nicci French. It was very good despite the plot being a tiny bit on the far-fetched side. The Frieda character is mega quirky and her surrounding sidekicks provide a nice (and fun) counterpoint to her relentless seriousness.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Sunday, September 29, 2019 - 7:35 pm
I spent the day reading The Chain by Adrian McKinty, my first time reading this Irish author (now based in New York). It was a hugely entertaining experience. Thrilling the reader is hard to do and this attempt is a big success. It's already been optioned as a film and if it's done correctly, I predict it'll be a cinematic hit, too.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, September 30, 2019 - 11:28 am
Ric, wasn't it crazy that it was based on an actual group in Mexico? That blew my mind.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Wednesday, October 02, 2019 - 11:41 pm
I know, right? The whole time I was reading it I kept thinking "this could REALLY happen!" -- McKinty has been sitting on the story for quite a while. The (real-life) story of the Mexico "chain" stayed with him for years (going back to the '70s) - he knew he'd write a novel about it one day. It just took a really long time for him to put together a full-length book (it had started out as a short story).
Tonight I finished Cold Storage by David Koepp. I read it based solely on Linwood Barclay's recommendation. He raved about it on Twitter, proclaiming it terrifying and wickedly funny. He was 100% right! Mr. Koepp wrote the screenplay for "Jurassic Park" and other big films, but this is his first published novel. I'm sure it'll be turned into a film and it'll probably be directed by Ron Howard, who also raved about the book on his Twitter feed.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Saturday, October 05, 2019 - 5:13 pm
I continue to love Lisa Jewell’s novels - she’s just marvelous. This afternoon I finished Roommates Wanted, from 2007. That’s the U.S. title, which is way different from the original (U.K.) title, 31 Dream Street. It’s precious and heartwarming under either title. I can’t wait to get to her thrillers!
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Heckagirl631
Member
09-08-2010
| Saturday, October 05, 2019 - 7:14 pm
I read what I guess you would call a compilation. It's called Winter Wishes. The authors are Fern Michaels (which caught my eye and why I got it in the first place), Susan Fox, Jules Bennett, and Leah Marie Brown. It was one of the better romances.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Tuesday, October 08, 2019 - 11:34 pm
Ahhhh, another year, another Linwood Barclay novel. The new one is Elevator Pitch and it is wild, wild, wild. It's a little long, but the thrills are plentiful and major characters get bumped off to a very surprising extent. If being in a high-rise elevator makes you nervous, that feeling will intensify after you read this mayhem-filled and action-packed crime adventure!
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Jimmer
Board Administrator
08-29-2000
| Wednesday, October 09, 2019 - 1:37 pm
That one looks very intriguing. I’m trying to read his novels in the order that he wrote them but I’m tempted to skip ahead.
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Kappy
Member
06-28-2002
| Wednesday, October 09, 2019 - 3:01 pm
I love Linwood Barclay but I felt Elevator Pitch was not up to his usual standards. I still enjoyed it but felt like it was a quick write. And yes, I thought twice before taking the elevators this weekend, lol.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Sunday, October 13, 2019 - 11:05 am
Kappy! I'm so sorry you thought EP wasn't up to scratch, but I totally understand (though your comment made me think, "how does anyone write a 464-page book quickly?") - but that's just me. There were a couple of sections I thought were a tiny bit inelegant. And I thought one of the plot points had a sloppy aspect to the writing. He's Linwood Barlcay, though - he's earned enough "points" over the years to slack off (but just a little).
Jim, you can definitely keep going through his collection in order. By the time you get to EP, you'll see that it's a good, exciting story, but that it doesn't pack quite as strong a punch as most of his others.
Speaking of collections, this morning I finished the 7th of Lisa Jewell's 17 novels, The Truth About Melody Browne. It was an interesting departure from the 6 that preceded it. It's about a young woman who goes out on a date and her date takes her to see a nightclub act featuring a hypnotist. The latter hypnotizes her in such a way that it triggers her memory to recall the events of her life as young child. It's kind of an involved story, but it definitely held my interest. I think Jewell was experimenting with something she'd not tried before and it was mostly a success. I continue to love her writing.
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