Reading Log 2009

Submitted by Merlin on Sat, 06/27/2009 - 02:33
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  • Short, irregular reading log from a bookworm who has too little time to pursue his fascination for books.
  • The Associate by John Grisham (3/7/2009)
  • Rating : 3/10
  • I've always loved Grisham. Well researched, edge of the seat page turners all the way. Well, mostly. And this is a book that isn't. Boring, tedious, half hearted, repetitive, cheesy and leaves a weird aftertaste. Everything is half baked in this story : the plot, the romance, the characters, the bad guys, the lawyers, the thrill, the ending, everything. The story gets over before you can say,"What?". It is just so abrupt! The author tries to build up a crescendo and well... fails miserably. He keeps trying and trying and before anything substantial happens, poof, it's over. Truly speaking, this novel is more of a trailer rather than a full blown story. Of course since this is 2009, it is mandatory for all old school authors to let their readers know just how much they're clued in into technology (James Patterson, anyone?). So there is an attempt at a generous use of terms like "homebrew" and "FirmFone". Only, it is laughably ridiculous.
  • One thing I really don't get (and I'd appreciate some help here) is
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    why the hell was Bernie allowed to get away? Why aren't we told who he was? Why aren't we given an explanation about his employer? If this was some new gimmick by the author, I am highly disappointed and mad about it.
  • In short, skip it.
  • The Enemy by Lee Child (26/6/09)
  • Rating : 8/10
  • Classic Jack Reacher stuff. Prequel of sorts - set in 1990, when Reacher is still in the army as an MP and the Berlin wall has just fallen. The plot is intricate but Lee Child fans will see the recurrence of multiple themes -
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    a high ranking government rat
    , a female character who helps Reacher in his investigations, lots of road travel, lots of intelligent guesswork, lots of unit loyalty stuff in the army, a small and seemingly unrelated event that lines all the dominoes up in a row, and a charged up finale. As a devition of sorts, we can actually guess who's done it from the beginning but not how it was done. That makes this even more interesting. I was at my wits end trying to figure it out. As a bonus we get to see family bonding between Reacher, his brother and his (dying) mother, and also a background about her, which
    Spoiler: Highlight to view
    triggers a thought process which finally helps Reacher solve the case
    .
  • Superb stuff overall. My second favourite Reacher novel, after Gone Tomorrow.
Author Comments: 

The main purpose of this list is to record my first impressions.
If you've read any of the above, please do care to comment on what you think of the book!