Reading Roundup: October 2012
Afterwards by Rosamund Lupton
Lupton is one of my new favorite writers; I like how she not only creates a good, complicated plot, but she also writes elegantly and in a more descriptive style than most mystery writers. In this book she made a fairly different narrative choice. It bothered me at first, but after a while I liked it and I really enjoyed the book.
Miracle by Elizabeth Scott
This book was generally pretty good except that I felt like it was too short. I know that it is YA but it still felt like it ended before the plot got going. I thought the writer's descriptions of PTSD and how people react to a tragedy were well-done, but I had a hard time relating to the protagonist and it seemed like the book ended without a good resolution.
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
I read The Forgotten Garden several years ago and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately I was really disappointed by Morton's other two books and I spent some time debating reading this one. Thankfully I got over my reluctance and now I have once again changed my opinion of Morton as a writer because I think this book is just as good as The Forgotten Garden. It has many of the same elements--family secrets, a dying matriarch, intrigue in the past (this time set in the London Blitz), and so one. I thought the characters were much more realistic, and even though the plot is somewhat far-fetched, it was still a good book to escape into for an afternoon. There was one point in the middle where I realized that the author had been leading us in one direction when really the secret lay in another; I love those little moments as a reader and I think that was part of what made this book so enjoyable for me.
Beautiful Lies by Clare Clark
First of all, I think this book has one my favorite covers of all the books I've read this year. I generally enjoyed it, though I did find myself putting it down and picking it back up a few times because it wasn't the kind of book that sucked me in like some other books have. I still liked it and it was a fun read, but it didn't stand out in any way.
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
I think my reading of this book suffered from the problem of too high of expectations. I've been looking forward to it for nearly two years since finishing The Passage. However, once I started reading it I realized that some of my memories of the people and events in the first book were a little fuzzy and I found it hard to get my bearings. This book also introduces a lot of new people and places and at first I had a hard time getting myself into the story again. However, by halfway through the book I felt like I had my bearings and so I just was able to relax and enjoy it. I think that before the last book comes out I might want to re-read The Passage and this one just to get a better sense of the story in a coherent manner.
Lupton is one of my new favorite writers; I like how she not only creates a good, complicated plot, but she also writes elegantly and in a more descriptive style than most mystery writers. In this book she made a fairly different narrative choice. It bothered me at first, but after a while I liked it and I really enjoyed the book.
Miracle by Elizabeth Scott
This book was generally pretty good except that I felt like it was too short. I know that it is YA but it still felt like it ended before the plot got going. I thought the writer's descriptions of PTSD and how people react to a tragedy were well-done, but I had a hard time relating to the protagonist and it seemed like the book ended without a good resolution.
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
I read The Forgotten Garden several years ago and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately I was really disappointed by Morton's other two books and I spent some time debating reading this one. Thankfully I got over my reluctance and now I have once again changed my opinion of Morton as a writer because I think this book is just as good as The Forgotten Garden. It has many of the same elements--family secrets, a dying matriarch, intrigue in the past (this time set in the London Blitz), and so one. I thought the characters were much more realistic, and even though the plot is somewhat far-fetched, it was still a good book to escape into for an afternoon. There was one point in the middle where I realized that the author had been leading us in one direction when really the secret lay in another; I love those little moments as a reader and I think that was part of what made this book so enjoyable for me.
Beautiful Lies by Clare Clark
First of all, I think this book has one my favorite covers of all the books I've read this year. I generally enjoyed it, though I did find myself putting it down and picking it back up a few times because it wasn't the kind of book that sucked me in like some other books have. I still liked it and it was a fun read, but it didn't stand out in any way.
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
I think my reading of this book suffered from the problem of too high of expectations. I've been looking forward to it for nearly two years since finishing The Passage. However, once I started reading it I realized that some of my memories of the people and events in the first book were a little fuzzy and I found it hard to get my bearings. This book also introduces a lot of new people and places and at first I had a hard time getting myself into the story again. However, by halfway through the book I felt like I had my bearings and so I just was able to relax and enjoy it. I think that before the last book comes out I might want to re-read The Passage and this one just to get a better sense of the story in a coherent manner.
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