Book Review Tuesday

If it's Tuesday, and I need a blog topic, then it must be Book Review Tuesday!


As I've mentioned, I've been reading Nancy Drew books to fall asleep.  Alas, I finished the last book we owned [The Secret of Pumping Out These Books for Fifty Years, or some such title] and as I have also mentioned, I am grossed out by library books.  As you may imagine, that goes double for books that germy children have had their grubby hands on, so I'm done reading the Nancy Drew books for a while.

But as I was reading, I realized that Nancy Drew is AMAZING. I mean, I knew she was a super-sleuth, and that her father, the renowned River Heights attorney Carson Drew, asked her to help him with his cases sometimes [I want to see: 1. The billable hours on that; 2. The reaction of his clients when they find out an 18 year old girl {who somehow becomes 17 in the newer books, WTF, Caroline Keene?} has been given the information on their case; and 3. The Disciplinary Board's reaction to Carson Drew sharing information about his clients.  I know, I know, suspension of disbelief.], but I had no IDEA that she was so gifted in so many areas.  For example, Nancy Drew can:

• Understand and use Morse Code
• Tap Dance [and even tap dance MORSE CODE!]
• Ice Dance [well enough to be in a show at the last minute!]
• Model
• Calm savage dogs
• Read Middle English
• Drive a motor boat
• Read and speak French
• Ski

Is there anything she can't do?

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I listened to The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon.  I actually liked this for the most part, which surprised me because not only was I meh about the whole idea of the book from the blurb on the cover [a murder in Alaska in an alternate universe and something about chess], but also because Michael Chabon and his wife Ayelet Waldman make me want to punch them repeatedly. They just rub me the wrong way. They come off super smug. 

But, I needed to listen to something and there were very few options at the library [no, I do NOT want to listen to Nicholas Sparks] because evidently all the old people checked everything out, so I got it and it was surprisingly engaging.  I think it was about 3-4 CDs too long [maybe 100 - 150 pages?] but I really liked the mix of noir and Yiddish languages and the way the book [mostly] kept moving. So, I guess if you are in a bind and need to listen to something, this would be . . . something.

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When I work out and am at physical therapy, I like to have a book to take my mind off of what I'm doing.  My physical therapist says that if you're working hard enough, you can't actually read a book.  I say, if I'm working that hard, I'd just be crying instead, so I'll take the book, thanks.

The most recent workout book I finished was Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes.  This was . . . just beyond bad. I mean, even for frothy chick lit, this was terrible.  How terrible?

• I have absolutely no idea who the main character is.  I know she's supposed to be a writer, but beyond that? Nothing. For a minute, I thought she was an omniscient narrator, and then I realized that she was the main plot and she wrote in first person. For the life of me, I have no idea what her name is.  It's not Bergdorf, because that's her best friend, who, frankly, was super self-involved and far more engaging. So, yeah, the MAIN CHARACTER is so dull you can't remember anything about her, including her name, WHILE YOU ARE READING THE BOOK.
• The main plot was how Main Character's mother kept wanting her to marry the Earl Next Door, but Main Character wasn't interested in living on an English estate, she wants to be a New York Girl, and she keeps meeting this cute movie producer who helps Main Character when she ends up in all kinds of jams and then [SPOILER ALERT] it turns out HE'S the Earl Next Door.
• I keep calling the author Plum Skies.  And then wonder who names their child Plum. Besides Gwyneth.

This book was miserably bad, but I kept forgetting to grab a different book and ended up reading the whole thing.  I should have just cried the whole time instead.

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Which just goes to show you how god-awful The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory is.  I got through 2 CDs before I returned it because instead of being about magic or intrigue or even sex, it was all lameness and boredom. I mean, it was ostensibly about all three of those more interesting things, but it moved at a glacial pace and actually made me scan through regular radio to find something else to listen to.

What are you reading?