Christopher Moore - Bloodsucking Fiends

Hmmm... I'm not quite sure what to make of this one. I thought I would absolutely love this one as I really enjoyed reading Moore's Practical Demonkeeping. Bloodsucking Fiends started really abruptly for me and from there, I felt it never quite fell into a groove. The plot came across sudden and choppy with no real natural flow. There was no proper explanation why the vampire decided to turn Jody, or why Jody was able to survive when others before her hadn't. Tommy and his motley crew were a really odd bunch, which normally I would find quirky and endearing but they were just plain strange. I kept waiting for the story to settle but it never did for me. The ending is just as abrupt as its beginning, which made for a fairly unsatisfactory conclusion. The book wasn't without its moments with some funny dialogue and great one-liners, but ultimately, quite disappointing.

Michael Crichton - A Case of Need

I am a fan of medical thrillers but A Case of Need by Michael Crichton isn't very good. Firstly, the medical footnotes annoyed the hell out of me. I get that they are useful in explaining the medical jargon, but I think it was used way too much in the book that it lost its effectiveness. Even then, it wasn't consistent! He explained some obvious terms but then did not for 'D & C', which was used regularly throughout the book. It felt like Crichton was trying too hard to impress -- hey, look at me, I know all these fancy medical terms -- and just peppered everything with all the medical jargon he had ever picked up. This was overkill, a subtle touch would have been better. Secondly, I don't think the suspense of the plot was built well at all. Discoveries that I deemed as major plot developments just vanished or turned out to be inconsequential. A prime example was the possibility that Karen Randall might not have been pregnant at all. It felt like the protagonist was pursuing this truth relentlessly but when a certain point in the book was reached, it was completely unimportant. To a reader, this was a huge letdown and ruined the tension. I guess considering that this was Crichton's debut effort I shouldn't be so critical, but I think if this was the first time we were introduced to Michael Crichton, this book would not have done well at all. I think for future medical thriller fixes, I will stick to Tess Gerritsen's novels!

Jodi Picoult - Change of Heart

Jodi Picoult is like a machine, churning out book after book. While there have been some misses, her books are always high-quality reads, even those that don't quite make the mark. With Change of Heart, Picoult has produced yet another gripping read. I started reading this on my flight back to Melbourne from Hobart and I simply couldn't put it down until I finished it. That said, the book is not without its flaws.

The part about Shay as the miracle healer is too similar to The Green Mile for my liking. At least Picoult makes reference to it with one of the inmates calling him that in the book, but there still isn't enough variation from the original. Maggie is a bit of a cliché as an insecure plus-sized woman who has a difficult relationship with her exacting mother, down to the relationship she develops with the gorgeous British doctor who loves her the way she is: good appetite, curves and all. Surprisingly, the chapters on June and Claire are fairly slim, and as a reader, I would have liked more on them. The twist about Kurt was predictable right from the very beginning so it wasn't really a huge shock. The way Picoult ended the book also annoyed me a little. The items that Shay passed to Michael appeared to debunk the notion of Shay possessing any supernatural abilities, but in the epilogue with Claire, it was then suggested otherwise. Only a slight issue, but I'm the type of reader that likes things definite and I'm usually not a fan of the maybe-maybe not situations.

Even with these shortcomings, I still think this is a remarkable read and Picoult is truly a brilliant storyteller, weaving together a tale from the different viewpoints of all the characters. She covers difficult issues in this book, from religion to capital punishment, and while she may not have pulled it off perfectly, I think she handled them with a delicate touch and was successful in the end. Picoult has certainly provided food for thought with these challenging issues, and I'm sure there will be healthy discussions among readers at book club gatherings out there. It may not be the best that Picoult has ever written (My Sister's Keeper still retains that honour for me) but it's still an impressive effort and sits among my favourites by Jodi Picoult.

Agatha Christie - And Then There Were None

Strangely enough, I have never read any novels by Agatha Christie despite my mother being a fan of her work and myself an avid reader of the mystery genre. I sought out this book to read as a video game based on this particular novel was recently released and I wanted to read it before playing the game. Unfortunately, in trying to find out more about the video game, the cat was let out of the bag and I stumbled upon the true identity of the killer. This dampened my reading experience slightly since there was no guessing on my part to try to figure out who the killer was, but still, the suspense and tension that Agatha Christie built is remarkable, and I can see how a reader without any prior knowledge would find this book very exciting to read and extremely difficult to pick the killer. I did find the old-fashioned writing a little odd at times but this was truly a great mystery novel, and I'm glad I made the decision to get a copy of this book to read. I do have another Agatha Christie novel in my possession; let's see if that one will be just as good!

Khaled Hosseini - A Thousand Splendid Suns

Just one day into my holiday in Tasmania and I turned into a sobbing mess. Nope, nothing to do with Tasmania -- which had been very lovely -- but this heart-wrenching read that affected me so much. I finished this while resting in our hotel room before heading out for dinner, which wasn't such a great idea since I went out with a puffy face! Anyway, back to the book, this was beautifully written and really struck a chord with me, even though I could never begin to comprehend such a nightmarish world. My heart went out to the two courageous women in this book and I wept for them for all the horrors that they had to endure, especially towards the end when Mariam had to make a terrible choice and sacrifice. This is a great account of the changing landscape of Afghanistan in the last 20 or so years, and despite all the hardships, how Laila still holds hope for the future and wants to contribute to a better life for all in Kabul. A really fantastic read that I highly recommend to all.

Sudhir Venkatesh - Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets

What a fascinating read! Although I enjoy reading non-fiction, I sometimes find the writing can be dreary and tedious when authors just rattle off facts and plod through their life experiences without really pulling their readers into their world. Sudhir captured my attention right from the very first sentence and I was immediately drawn into the book, which was every bit as engaging as any other great novel that I had read. I am full of admiration for Sudhir's tenacity and courage for stepping into Chicago's gang world -- I wonder in hindsight if the author had any fear at all? From the book, it felt like apart from certain moments, he never had any inhibitions about heading into the projects to do his research. Sudhir paints a riveting portrait of day-to-day life in a poor community dictated by violence and drugs and the struggles faced by its residents that most people will not even be able to comprehend. His interactions with the various characters made the reading experience so much richer and as a reader, you cannot help but care for these people. This is a brilliant book and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

Sue Walker - The Reunion

I actually finished reading this a while ago but didn't feel compelled to write down what I thought about the book -- I guess that's pretty indicative what I felt about it. It's a decent attempt for a first novel, but in most parts, it gets rather draggy and moves too slowly to truly engage readers. The flashbacks were fairly interesting but I didn't think those sections flowed well with the present moments. I also found it hard to care about most of the characters, especially after learning about the big secret towards the end. I think better editing could have helped to produce a more tightly-knit story, which would be more effective in leading up to the truly shocking climax at the end. Overall, an okay read but not one that I will choose to read again.