I've done quite a bit of reading this summer and since I'm a slacker, its about time I start reviewing these crap-tastic beach reads I decide to melt my brain away with this summer. Enjoy!
Fifty Shades Darker: And the sex continues. The story line gets even stupider and less realistic. The plot development is even less fascinating. But gotta keep going for those juicy parts...
Fifty Shades Freed: Come on, murder? Lets get real here people. The sexiness severely decreased, and so did my interest. Don't get me wrong, I still read with the same ferocity that I started the book series with, but my interest severely tapered off as the story line got even more ridiculous. And the way it ended? Get real. No way, no how would the real world work like that.
Chasing Harry Winston: A dumb beach read to say the least. I like the authors writing style, but I can't say the plot really drew me in. It revolves around three girls and a pact they make when one is at a crossroad in their life. One vows to sleep with more men. The other, a beautiful, rich, serial dater, to stay in a monogamous relationship (and end a year later with a ring on her finger). And the third, the one with the perfect life, makes her own vow to end her "perfect" relationship. Since it was an easy, mindless read, I finished it quickly, but I can't say I would recommend it to a friend. There is no real character development and the plot is simple and cliche.
Girls in White Dresses: This book is dumb. I can't say I really enjoyed it. The book is described as revolving around a group of girls and their lives full of weddings, bridal showers and marriage; events that they resent. In actuality, its the narrative of a bunch of girls and their love lives with some smatterings of weddings, etc. It details the girls in their twenties and the types of relationships they find themselves in and the men they end up with. Since its a compilation of a bunch of girls stories, their lives weaving together, there isn't much development. You don't get to really know each of the characters and in the beginning its hard to keep track of how they all know each other and who's who. And since the story itself was weak, there wasn't much keeping me reading, except for the fact that I always need to finish a book I start and its due back to the library this week. Oh, and the fact that it takes half a brain to read so I finished it in a couple days.
I'll Walk Alone: I've always been a fan of Mary Higgins Clark, but this isn't one of my favorite books. Its about a mom, Zan, who's son was kidnapped two years previously. Now, she thinks someone is trying to impersonate her, but no one believes her and she is being blamed for her sons kidnapping. Out to find the truth, its an amateur sleuth novel with little to no complexity. I can't say I guessed who did it from the beginning, but the reasons why they did it were just plain stupid. And why did all of this take two years to play out? Two years her son is missing and then bam! four days after the anniversary of his disappearance, the story concludes. Really?
How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls: This is another quick and easy beach read. It about a girl who tutors two very rich and very bitchy teenagers in Florida in exchange for her student loan payment in full. While trying to teach these girls, she is met with resiliance and as a way to justify her very mediocre life decision, she starts collecting research to write a very juicy expose on the girls. Well, OBVIOUSLY she comes to befriend the girls and can't publish the piece. Who would have guessed that right? Again, another mindless read for lunch breaks and days at the beach.
Bed of Roses: I got this book when I finished Easy Money in the New Orleans airport and needed something to read on the flight home. The book selection in the airport sucked ass, and since I wasn't paying $20 for a hardback book I had moderate interest in reading, I was stuck with this one. While I didn't hate it, I can't say I'd go around broadcasting that everyone should buy it immediately. Its part of a "bride quartlet", and each girl has their own book. This particular one revolves around Emma, who is the florist in the group, and her search for romance and "Mr. Right". Apparently she's beautiful, a great dater and she's fallen for her best friend, a serial dater and one with a fear of commitment. Obviously she wins him over and they fall madly in love, blah, blah, blah. You know the story. Its the usual, never going to happen like this. No ones this successful in such a perfect way. Yes it held my attention, but since it only took me two days to finish, you and I both know there was no character development and it was yet another stupid beach read. And the worst part? I'll probably read the other three books. Just so I get the full story. Because I'm dumb like that.
Easy Money: My mom gave me this book to read when I handed her the 50 Shades series and she realized she'd checked out library books she wouldn't get to for awhile. Critics compare Jens Lapidus's writting to Stieg Larssons and I can easily see why. This book is a compilation of three main characters narration. One is high up in the cocaine business in Sweden, the second is a young boy trying to fit in with the high rollers in Sweden without the funds to back him and the third is a lowly drug dealer or busted out of prison and is looking to get back in the business. It starts out slow, with ample character development and motivation, similar to Larsoon's writing, but then each of the characters narration slowly starts to intersect and finally ending with a big drug deal involving all of the characters. When I started reading this novel, I didn't think I enjoyed it, but as I pushed through, it held my interest and I ended up finishing most of it to/from New Orleans on the plane and in the airports. I'd say this is probably one of the better books I've read this summer and I'd recommend it.
I never said summer was full of literary classics now did I? What can I say, I like to zone out and read filth during the warmer months. Its how I get my fix when the t.v. lineup in on summer sucktastic reruns. Hopefully the books I pick up for the second half of the summer with have a little more depth.
What are your summer reads? Any recommendations?
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