Thursday, August 13, 2009

So...

...part of the reason why I haven't been updating lately is that I have been in a reading slump.
It's seriously, seriously bad.

I blame it all on these books:

The Swan Maiden by Jules Watson


and one that I have previously reviewed, Wideacre by Philippa Gregory.

I'm sorry. I really, really tried, but these two were just such total snozefests that they kicked my interest to the curb.

So then I thought, maybe I'll change it up. So I took a drastic turn from my normal retinue and went with a recommended, documentary-type book about the mafia in Boston:

Black Mass by Dick Lehr and Gerard O'Neill


Nope. Even feeling that I was reading the script for The Departed didn't do it for me.

Then, sincerely desperate, I figured I'd try to check off a book that's been on my list for quite some time:

To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker

Now, I should say that this book is geared towards the younger end of the YA spectrum, and that if I had read it all those years ago, when it first caught my eye and when I was still developing my literary tastes and critiques, I probably would have enjoyed it much more.
Now, it had a good plot idea. I liked the premise very much, and, when not reading the book, found myself wondering what the characters were up to. However, the concept wasn't carried through very well. Again, maybe this is just because the book is meant for younger audiences, but why should younger audiences have to deal with large plot holes and circumstances too conveniant for a reader to believe? Being young does not equate to being stupid.
But I digress.
I just found the quality of the writing to be lacking.
...a lot.
Its similarities to the Pirates of the Caribbean saved it, however. So, unlike the others, I actually managed to read this [short] book all the way through!

Still, I was in dire need of something truly satisfying, so I did what had to be done: I picked up the next book in a series that I love.

Thus, I am currently reading:

Empire of Ivory (Book Four in the Temeraire Series) by Naomi Novik


All I can say is THANK GOD for Naomi Novik and her beautiful, fabulous dragons!

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