The 6th Target

Title: The 6th Target
Author: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Favorite Quotation: None - James Patterson is my guilty pleasure writer because I read him only for his slight trashiness, and not for his writing ability.

Summary: Lindsey Boxer and the Women's Murder Club must first hunt down and prosecute the shooter of their friend and WMC member, Claire, while struggling with (a) the kidnapping of several small, talented children and (b) a series of murders and attacks in Jill's new apartment building. Meanwhile, is Lindsey and Joe's (the super-sexy Homeland security agent's) relationship over?

Review: If this plotline sounds ridiculous, it is. James Patterson is way over the top, which is why he is my guilty pleasure. It's like a daytime soap, except for books! It has murder, intrigue, death threats, love, kidnapping, and even, Starbucks! This book is not one of the better ones, and I define better ones as ones where I am momentarily genuinely afraid that the main character might die. But, that might have been mediated by the fact that the 7th book in the series just came out (which is why I had to finish this one).

Recommendation: I probably wouldn't recommend this book to my worst enemy, unless they really like day-time soaps, then I would send it along with joy!

A Dirty Job

Title: A Dirty Job
Author: Christopher Moore

Favorite Quotation: "As an experiment, he made an extra piece of toast and tossed it to one of the hounds. It snapped it out of the air and licked its chops once, eyes now locked on Charlie and the loaf of bread... 'So you're hellish beasts from another dimension, and you like toast. Okay.' Then, as Charles started to toast four more slices, he stopped, feeling stupid. 'You don't really care if its toasted, do you?'... Charlie fed them the remainder of the loaf of bread. He spread a few slices with a thick coat of peanut butter, which did nothing whatsoever, then a half dozen more he spread with lemon dishwasher gel, which appeared to have no ill effect except that it made them burp neat, aquamarine-colored bubbles.'

Summary: Starting with the untimely death of his wife, Charlie Asher begins to experience weird things: a 7 foot tall, African American man, in a mint-green suit no one else can see; odd red glowing from inanimate objects; and names that randomly appear in his datebook. Charlie has been tasked as a "Death Merchant" a man who collects the soul objects of others on their deathbeds and sells them to their new owners. Unfortunately, he, and other death merchants, begin to miss soul objects, letting the forces of darkness grow. O, and did I mention that his daughter can kill with the mere utterance of the word 'kitty'?

Review: I'm a little skeptical of books by Christopher Moore. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Jesus's Best Friend was actually phenomenal, but Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story was awful. This was actually fairly good. By this point in his career (2006-ish?) He appears to have become more masterful at dialog, which is often hilarious in this book. You will be using ursine analogies in no time. The plot-line is also cute enough and the main character is perfectly portrayed.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to any friend who reads more for dialog than plot.

The Year of Living Biblically

Title: The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
Author: A.J. "Jacob" Jacobs

Favorite Quotation:"As I enter my third month, Ezekiel and his fellow prophets have become my heroes. They were fearless. They literalized metaphors. They turned their lives into protest pieces. They proved that, in the name of truth, sometimes you can't be afraid to take a left turn from polite society and look absurd" (89).

Summary: A.J. Jacobs spent a year trying to live the Bible as literally as possible. His Biblical alter ego "Jacob" followed the laws of the Bible, even the absurd ones, in a quest to get to the heart of Biblical fundamentalism. He consulted numerous spiritual advisors of different faiths and visited numerous spiritual places and churches, from the wailing wall in Israel to the Creationist Museum.

Review: I actually loved this book. While he barely mentions Catholicism, for which I hold a fond place in my heart, to watch the spiritual quest of a man reluctant to embark on one in the first place. It's witty and fun and interesting to read. Some of my favorite passages include one where, in his quest to not lie, his wife begins to ask him, "what are you thinking" at random moments in the day, and he must tell the truth. He concludes this portion with, "it's possible that God is monitoring my thoughts, but it's certain that Julie is" (292). This book interplays his everyday life, such as writing for Esquire and having twin boys, with his alter ego "Jacob" in a delightful way.

Recommendation: I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.

Book a Month Update!

So, its almost the end of the month, and I clearly haven't posted my book a month entry. I started with a book, and then decided that The Noonday Demon, which is an excellent book, was a little too depressing for 400 pages. So, I changed to a play, which I hate reading, because plays aren't really meant to be read; they're meant to be performed.

So, I'm 2/3rds of the way through my choice for the month: The Year of Living Biblically. It's actually a great book, and I will, God willing, be finished with it before the end of the month. So, look forward to it!

BAM!

So, I've created this blog to post book reviews. I've joined the Book a Month club, and I need a place to post book reviews.

I've named the blog "Healthy Reading", which is not just a fun play on words (though, it is fun, isn't it?). Healthy Reading was created by the Glasgow STEPS team (South-East Psychosocial Services). They provide specialized self-help materials to Glasgow libraries to help people with mild mental health problems.

Because I work at the Friends Depression Education Resource Center at the UM Depression Center, I hope to review a few books for them as well (maybe I can even fit them into the Book a Month Challenge). So...

Healthy Reading, everyone!