June 2017 Wrap-Up

Hello again, my friends. This month I've read 5 books. Not too good, but still better than last month. I'm not holding my hopes high for July since it's the second of the two Camp NaNoWriMo months and I do plan to participate. 

Let's get on with the reads!

Book #1: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock's genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar. From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.

I loved it. Absolutely. I am a big fan of Holmes & Watson (its something my dad and I can bond over) and I couldn't resist when this was on sale on Amazon I have to say, I was impressed by how the author captured the spirit of Sherlock in Charlotte. People miss that she was not supposed to be just his descendant, but a near carbon copy of the great detective. I really liked how Jamie and Charlotte learned to get around their personal problems and work together. I did have a minor issue with the inclusion of the Moriarty family as Prof. Moriarty was only actually in two of the stories (there are a total of about 60). I put The Last of August on my list to pick up if there is a price drop (I'm poor!). Well done, Ms. Cavallaro. I am a a fan.

Book #2: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed, Edmond Dantès is confined to the grim fortress of If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration.

I finally finished the stupid thing! I'd been reading it for three years! One of the most complicated revenge stories...ever. He gets millions in gold and jewels and instead of just going off to make his life elsewhere, away from a country that spurned him, he uses the new fortune to embark on a journey to ruin everyone who had a hand in his incarceration. What is that? Why? Talk about petty. We find out what happened and his goals in the first 300 pages. Then there are about 800 pages of absolute nonsense that only sometimes relate to the original plot of the story or have nothing at all to do with it whatsoever. Then we get 100 pages of conclusion at the very end in this edition. Why? All I can ask is, why? I definitely won't be re-reading this ever again. It took me 38 months the first time, and I'm not really into self-torture to read it again. I'm glad I did, I wanted to read it for a long time...but now I kind of regret that. Oh well. Here's hoping Dumas's other books are better to me.

Book #3: Copyright by Lori Lesko 

Amber Tyler is living every author’s dream: her books are all best sellers and she writes full time. She has worked hard and is well-accomplished in her career, and she has the support and love of her beautiful children and girlfriend. But the dream soon turns into a terrible nightmare when her latest manuscript is stolen. She decides to fight for what is rightfully hers, only to find that the harder she tries, the easier it all slips through her fingers, putting her career, her family, and her life in jeopardy.

It was okay. Not really what I was expecting, though I have no idea what that was. I thought it would be more about novel writing, and less drunken spiral? Either way it was a quick read and a bit of a life lesson when it comes to who to trust. (That would be no one). Eh, I don't really know what else to say about it. 

Book #4: Dear Mr. M by Herman Koch

Once a celebrated writer, M had his greatest success with a suspense novel based on a real-life disappearance. It told the story of a history teacher who went missing one winter after having a brief affair with a beautiful student of his. The teacher was never found. Upon publication, M's novel was a runaway bestseller, one that marked his international breakthrough. That was years ago, and now M's career is fading. But not when it comes to his bizarre, seemingly timid neighbor who keeps a close eye on him and his wife. Why? From alternating points of view, where no one is to be trusted, Herman Koch weaves together an intricate tale of a writer in decline, a teenage couple in love, a missing teacher, and a single book that entwines all of their fates. Thanks to M's novel, supposedly a work of fiction, everyone seems to be linked forever, until something unexpected spins the "story" off its rails. 

This was something. I didn't like it at all. Some parts of it were entirely irrelevant to the plot. We don't even really learn the meaning of the title until the last twenty pages. Not really something I would read again. Even now I'm not sure I will keep it. See my review for the rest.


Book #5: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

"Brilliant....Each story is a fascinating vignette, and together they they weave the reader through a world where the Moon Lady can grant any wish, where a child, promised in marriage at two and delivered at 12, can, with cunning, free herself; where a rich man's concubine secures her daughter's future by killing herself, and where a woman can live on, knowing she has lost her entire life." WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD. A stunning literary achievement, THE JOY LUCK CLUB explores the tender and tenacious bond between four daughters and their mothers. The daughters know one side of their mothers, but they don't know about their earlier never-spoken of lives in China. The mothers want love and obedience from their daughters, but they don't know the gifts that the daughters keep to themselves. Heartwarming and bittersweet, this is a novel for mother, daughters, and those that love them.

I'm giving this four stars because it's interesting to learn at least a little about Chinese culture from the 80s. I read this book as one of the challenges I found earlier in the year. Not bad. I'll have to look for more by Amy Tan in the future.