I recently read Wild Penance by Sandi Ault. I've read a few of her books and the stories are always good, always set in New Mexico, always a mystery that takes in a bit of the New Mexico landscape, culture and folklore. Wild Penance, while good was missing something. The book dragged in parts, some subplots and characters could have been expanded upon, and the end was a "hurry up and finish" plus it was obvious who the villain was early on. If I had to rate this book on a 1 ~ 5 scale, I'd give it a 2.5.
Now that won't stop me from reading this author, she does have a style that is engaging and her subjects are always interesting.
I also read Agony of the Leaves by a favorite author Laura Childs. I adore her Tea Shop Mystery books, have read every single one, all set in Charleston SC, and the beautiful Lowcountry, an area of which I am very familiar. Loved the story! The protagonist of the Tea Shop Mystery books always surrounds herself with interesting characters, my favorite is Drayton, and generally places herself in gracious social situations. There is a cast of potential villains that you would least suspect and a typical mystery cozy climax. However, I was thrown for a loop with the twist at the end of this book which was very abrupt ... so unlike the authors usual style. However, I highly recommend this author and in particular this series. On a 1 ~ 5 scale, I'd give it a 4.75.
Not batting a hundred here ... haven't hit any "love, love, love this book" fuzzy feelings but I don't give up on authors easily.
Just finished Dancing Naked in Dixie by Lauren Clark, a new author for me. I picked it up because how can you not love the title of the book. I liked the story, it was easy and fun, a fast, cozy read. The characters were engaging though not deep and the main characters traits were a bit overdone but overall, a good southern chick-lit read. I don't think you can truly judge an author by one book so I'll probably read more from this author. It's a 4 on my scale.
In my hands now is Sea Change by Karen White. I truly enjoy her books and am always engaged by her style of writing. Her characters are always deeply defined, always working something out, which makes it so easy to identify with the individual characters in some way. The stories are nicely climactic and thus far, I've never been let down. I've met the author several times at book signings and she is a very delightful person, incredibly interesting and engaging. I've only just started the book so I'll have to report later but I expect it will be as good as all her others and I might just get the "love, love, love fuzzy feelings!
On my TBR (to be read) list, I have:
Unbroke Horses by D.B Jackson
Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank
Unbridled Cowboy by Joseph B. Fussell
And ... Hard Country by Michael McGarrity
Leave a comment and let us know what you are reading so we can all add to our TBR list!
* All photos are from Amazon.com
~Maria
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Hi Maria, I found you on the Blog Hop. I haven't read your selections, but I enjoyed looking over them. I need a new book to read. I actually just wrote about Fifty Shades of Grey on my blog. I'd love your opinion, if you read it. Here's the link if you get a chance, http://gwenmossblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/50-shades-of-grey-and-one-womans-secret.html
ReplyDeleteThanks, Leslie (Gwen Moss blog)
Thanks for dropping by! I just left you a comment on your blog ...
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Thanks for stopping by. I looked at your website ... very interesting concept. Good luck! ~M
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