Books report

Speaking of books, I’ve read a number of them in the last few months and haven’t commented on any of them! So, here goes:

Mr. Paradise – Elmore Leonard

This was a sub-standard Leonard book, definitely not recommended. The story was uninteresting, the bad guy was too dumb and unsympathetic, and the romance was a shell of what it could have been. It had most of the pieces of a good Leonard book, but missed the magic.

A Coyote’s in the House – Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard’s first kid’s book, I read it out loud to Kalin. It’s about a coyote that lives in the Hollywood hills that befriends a couple of rich dogs and sees what the ‘good life’ is like. This one was cute but sadly the story didn’t really go anywhere. It starts off good, and you think you know where it’s going to go, but then it gets bogged down with the Hollywood scene... I enjoyed reading it to Kalin, but I wouldn’t really recommend it to kids or adults.

A Walk in the Woods – Bill Bryson

A great nonfiction book about an out of shape writer who decides to hike the Appalachian Trail with an old high school buddy. No small feat, since the trail runs nearly 2200 miles from Georgia to Maine! The situations these two guys get into are hilarious and Bryson has real skill at making you feel like you’re right there with them. The second part of the book is a bit of the disappointment, but only because the first half so absolutely great! Chris recommended this excellent book to me, and now I’m recommending it to you!

In a Sunburned Country – Bill Bryson

Same author as the last one, this time he’s traveling through Australia. Not nearly as inspired as A Walk in the Woods, but still a lot of fun. As he describes his journey through the Outback, he also mixes in observations of the history, culture and nature of the regions. Let me tell you, Australia has a pretty crazy history, so reading up on that is alone worth picking up this book.

Startide Rising – David Brin

The second book in the Uplift series, recommended to me by Peter. This one is WAY better than the first (Sundiver) but it still didn’t capture my imagination like I thought it would. The story involves a space crew of dolphins, humans, and one chimp stranded on a mysterious planet while being sought after by malevolent aliens. The slow revelation of the planet’s secrets was intriguing, the plans to get out of the sticky situation were interesting and intense, but the dolphin characters were definitely the highlight of the story. This was a very good book, I definitely recommend it, but I wonder why it didn’t suck me in like Hyperion or Dune did...