just a little unbalanced

Steal Across the Sky by Nancy Kress

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: science fiction

Review: Good science fiction is more about the characters than the science. And this is good science fiction. Unfortunately, Kress goes a little overboard in weighting the book toward the characters (sometimes less human drama is more), but this is still a very interesting story. Kress presents a familiar question (what comes after death) and answers it in a unique way, without taking any of the various moralistic routes a less skilled author might have.

the river and the people

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: Great story with great, believable characters. The language occasionally faltered into too-modern speech, but overall the setting is well-constructed. The conflicts are realistic, as are the resolutions. The black and white period photos are a great addition. A very enjoyable read.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

reptition repitition

The Gate House by Nelson DeMille

Rating: 2 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: This is the most repetitive book I've ever read. Not only does it repeat the entire plot of The Gold Coast, but every single point is made over and over again. And over and over and over. To top it all off, the writing is beyond trite. I'm sure it's very difficult to edit a book by such a prominent author, but if ever a book needed a rigorous editing, this book is it. And unfortunately, no matter how interested I might have been in finding out what happened to the characters of The Gold Coast (admittedly, not very much), the lack of editing, not to mention the ridiculously convenient ending, made me care even less.

nothing new

Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Genre: mystery

Review: If you like police dramas, you will like this book. If you're looking for something new and exciting in the genre, you won't find it here, nor is this book destined to be a classic. But the writing is strong, and the drama fairly compelling, so it's enjoyable for what it is.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

too mean to be fun

Playing with Fire: Whining & Dining on the Gold Coast by Thomas G. Schaudel

Rating: 2.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: non-fiction

Review: It's always fun to read about the bizarre things people do and say in public, because people really can be crazy. And certainly Schaudel's dry telling of some of the stories had me laughing out loud. Unfortunately, his snarky voice becomes downright mean in too many of the stories for me to really enjoy the book as a whole.

agenda-driven

Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir From an Atomic Town by Kelly McMasters

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Genre: memoir

Review: Told in the form of a personal narrative, this book contains a lot of interesting information about Long Island local history, especially the East End. There's also a lot of interesting information about nuclear pollution, which might make anyone question the water they drink. Unfortunately, much of this book also reads as an indictment of Brookhaven National Laboratory, which may or may not be justified. To be fair, McMasters credits BNL for having improved their practices in recent years, but the book still comes across as being agenda-driven and biased, which undercuts the message more than a little bit.

running away to join the circus

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: I spent most of this book wondering why Gruen chose to intersperse her primary story of a young man who found himself thrust into the circus life in 1931 with the musings of that same man at the age of 93. The story of how Jacob came to be in the circus and what happened to him there seemed like enough to me, and Jacob's aged voice seemed unnecessary. At the end of the book, though, I realized why she gave us both perspectives, and could hardly argue with her narrative device, as the closure it provides works so well.