Bogormen

Title: Snow in April
Author: Rosamunde Pilcher
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 152
Date read: January, 2012

Caroline travels to Scotland, hoping to make contact with a brother she hasn't seen for years, and return in time for her wedding to the man her strong-willed stepmother thought so suitable. Then a sudden snow strands her in an isolated house with a young man recovering from tragedy. Both are on the brink of terrible mistakes, but perhaps they can save each other.

More of a novella than an actual novel, and unfortunately - like most of Rosamunde Pilcher's novellas - neither very realistic nor very engaging. I think Rosamunde Pilcher meant for this to be a quick, feel-good read, but while she definitely succeeded with the former, it was less so with the latter. The only relationship that felt real was the one between Jody and Caroline - I never really came to believe any of the romantic entanglements.

I tend to love Rosamunde Pilcher's novels, but her novellas are more often miss than hit.

Title: The Book of the Dead
Author: Douglas Preston / Lincoln Child
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 436
Date read: January, 2012

A brilliant FBI agent, rotting away in a high security prison for a murder he did not commit. His brilliant, psychotic brother, about to perpetrate a horrific crime.

A young woman with an extraordinary past, on the edge of a violent breakdown. An ancient Egyptian tomb about to be unveiled at a celebrity-studded New York gala, an enigmatic curse released.

I bought this book not knowing that it was the third (or seventh) in a series - I only discovered this when registering it on Goodreads, so it was with some trepidation that I started the book - would I miss too many references, lack too much backstory?

Thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case. Certainly there were references to previous books, but they all seemed nicely explained, so while I may have missed some nuances, it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the plot itself.

The Book of the Dead reads more as a screenplay than as a novel. I caught myself thinking about "that movie I had been watching about the Egyptian grave... oh wait! That's a book!". It employs a lot of cheap tricks and certainly isn't "high literature" in any sense of the word, but it's a quick read and good entertainment.

Title: Certain Girls
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 406
Date read: January, 2012

After Cannie's debut novel - a fictionalized (and highly sexualized) version of her life - became an overnight bestseller, she dropped out of the public eye and turned to writing science fiction under a pseudonym. She's happily married to the tall, charming diet doctor Peter Krushelevansky and has settled into a life that she finds wonderfully predictable - knitting in the front row of her daughter Joy's drama rehearsals, volunteering at the library, and taking over-forty yoga classes with her best friend Samantha.

As preparations for Joy's bat mitzvah begin, everything seems right in Cannie's world. Then Joy discovers the novel Cannie wrote years before and suddenly finds herself faced with what she thinks is the truth about her own conception - the story her mother hid from her all her life. When Peter surprises his wife by saying he wants to have a baby, the family is forced to reconsider its history, its future, and what it means to be truly happy.

I was just thinking the other day that I seldom recognized emotional manipulation in books or even really knew what it consisted of. Well, now I do. It was so blatantly obvious here that it would be impossible not to realize it for what it was.

And unfortunately it made me rather disappointed by the book. Most of it was good enough, but because of the emotional manipulation I ended up not enjoying it nearly as much as "Good in Bed" or "In Her Shoes".

I did appreciate the follow up to "Good in Bed" though, and learning what happened to Cannie and Peter after the birth of Joy.

Title: Down Under (aka "In a Sunburned Country")
Author: Bill Bryson
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 394
Date read: January, 2012

Australia, the country that doubles as a continent, and a place with the friendliest inhabitants, the hottest, driest weather, and the most peculiar and lethal wildlife to be found on the planet. The result is a deliciously funny, fact-filled, and adventurous performance by a writer who combines humor, wonder, and unflagging curiousity.

Despite the fact that Australia harbors more things that can kill you in extremely nasty ways than anywhere else, including sharks, crocodiles, snakes, even riptides and deserts, Bill Bryson adores the place, and he takes his readers on a rollicking ride far beyond that beaten tourist path. Wherever he goes he finds Australians who are cheerful, extroverted, and unfailingly obliging, and these beaming products of land with clean, safe cities, cold beer, and constant sunshine fill the pages of this wonderful book. Australia is an immense and fortunate land, and it has found in Bill Bryson its perfect guide.

Some authors have an amazing way with words, and Bill Bryson is definitely one of them. After a single false start, he proceeded to make me utterly homesick for a country I've in large part never visited at all (three weeks total in Cairns, Brisbane and Sydney is nowhere near enough). I learned a bunch of new things about Australia and new places I want to visit. Bill Bryson's love for the country is unmistakable, and makes this not only a fascinating memoir and travel-account, but also an adoring ode to a soul country.

Interesting things I learned from "Down Under":
- The concept of "Tomorrow, When the War Began" (John Marsden) wasn't actually as farfetched as I originally thought, but could have been based on a very real threat during WW2.
- Racism is alive and well in Australia - the Aboriginals don't seem to be very accepted at all, and as late as 1970 their children was still considered wards of the state rather than of their parents and could be removed at will.
- As of the time of writing, there was still a single territory that had declined becoming a state of Australia... meaning that though they could vote for elections, their votes didn't actually count for anything.
- Australia is unique both from a geological and a botanical viewpoint and HUGE parts of it haven't been properly surveyed... if surveyed at all. Also, it has the coolest names for places, plants and animals :D
- I WANT TO GO!!!

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 375
Date read: January, 2012

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he's not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade... a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they've closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up... the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind

After reading a number of negative reviews about "The Maze Runner", I approached it with some trepidation. Would I end up giving up half way through?

Thankfully that wasn't the case at all. Quite the contrary, I had severe difficulties putting it down. In style and atmosphere it reminded me a lot of "The House of Stairs" by William Sleator. A group of kids are kept captive in an enclosed environment without knowing neither why nor how to get out. It's in many ways a chilling read, but also very captivating... no pun intended.

It's very obviously the first book in a series, but the cliff-hanger isn't too bad and thus didn't annoy me. I do want to read the next book though, in the hopes that it can live up to this one.