Recent Reads

100. Sex Criminals, Vol. 1: One Weird Trick (Sex Criminals #1-5)
This ain't your Mama's comics of old people!

Book blurb: Suzie’s just a regular gal with an irregular gift: when she has sex, she stops time. One day she meets Jon and it turns out he has the same ability. And sooner or later they get around to using their gifts to do what we’d ALL do: rob a couple banks. A bawdy and brazen sex comedy for comics begins here!

They rob banks for a literary reason though, so don't be judgy. I could not begin to describe this one. It has sex criminals and sex police. It is a Girl-Meets-Boy story like none you have ever read. Or even imagined! In case you did in fact imagine it, do PM me. I'll buy the drinks. A fun romp for mature readers. Rating: 3 stars.

101. The Vacationers
I've listened to a little more than 2 (out of about 6) hours of this book, and have decided to call it quits. People have raved about it as a summer/beach read, and while it is indeed light and fluffy and quite well written in parts, I found the characters one dimensional and I was bored with the story. It is simply too superficial a read for my tastes, though might be exactly what others look for in a beach read. Rating: 1 star.

102. Genesis
I listened to the audiobook, well narrated by Becky Wright, but think this one might actually work better in print/ebook form.

Book blurb: "Genesis" is a provocative novel of ideas that forces us to contemplate the very essence of what it means to be human. 

This novella is targeted for the Young Adult audience and it would have blown my head open if I had read it in my teens. A very different take on the dystopian genre, this one is a philosophical treatise of sorts. The entire story line takes place in about four hours, and that is about the amount of time you'll need to read it as well. Any more information would be a spoiler. Rating: 4 stars

103. The Descendants
This story explores themes of family, love, loss, land and legacy. Matt King has a lot going on: his 10 year old daughter is out of control, his 17 year old daughter is doing who knows what with who knows whom, his family is sitting on the largest piece of Hawaiian real estate not bulldozed into strip malls and luxury hotels and everyone wants a piece of that deal, and his wife was in a boating accident and has been in a coma for almost a month. Oh, and he learns that his wife has been having an affair. What is a guy to do?

Some parts of this story are exquisitely written, and while I liked the book, I never once dropped into the story. It all felt like it was happening at a distance. I saw the movie when it came out, and felt the same way - it was good but not memorable. While there were moments with the characters I really enjoyed, I do not feel like I lived with them, so none of them made much of an impression.

The author has a new book about to be released, and I like her writing enough to give it a try. Rating: 3 stars.