Read this week

Well this week was better book wise. From at least two of the books I read, I got exactly what I expected.

The good.

Dear John, by Nicholas Sparks.

This is what I was looking for from a Sparks book when I took a few of them out of the library last week. I was interested in a tale of everlasting love from a man’s perspective. And that’s exactly what I got.

The Sex Quotient, by Jamie Sobrato

Ok, maybe my reading life is like a trip to McDonald’s. I want my Big Mac, and I’m happy when I get it. This was formula romance done well. The writing was great and the characters had depth. I often think the endings and HEAs are resolved too quickly, but I know that page limitations often make this very difficult for authors.

The not so good.

Intern, by Sandeep Jauhar.

I’ve periodically read this author’s essays in the New York Times. A skeptic of the medical profession, I picked up the book looking to see what an doctor had to say about the grueling process of internship and residency. For me the book was a little too self indulgent, masturbatory self-reflection, and egotistical - (yes, I’m aware I write a blog which could be called the same). If I wanted descriptions of the beauty of Manhattan, I’d read something else. If I was looking for acceptance of a flawed system, then I’d talk to the dozens of lawyers I know who celebrate a system that doesn’t help them or their clients, oftentimes. I’ve read a better book on this topic years ago, but can’t quite remember the title.

The Big Heat, by Jennifer Labrecque

How do I know when category romance is going to fail me? When a book by a prolific author has large type and big margins. That always screams book on deadline needed to fill monthly line up. This did not disappoint. The big-bad-bounty-hunter hero was too stoic for me. All that I want to boink your brains out, oh and marry you, but I refuse to declare my love. A bit of a ho hum. At least it was free.

~ by foleydog on March 21, 2008.