Well, somehow I was up about an hour and a half past my bedtime reading the end of this one, and I think that tells you what you need to know about it.
As usual with sequels I’m not going to get into a lot of details on the plot of Storm of Swords, but this one keeps with the pattern of those previous. Multiple view points, battles, blood, love, romance, honor, kings, houses, and supernatural gods. It was just fantastic. With this one even more than the other two, I am astounded with Martin’s ability to write characters. How do you take someone like Jamie Lannister, Kingslayer, someone that you’ve grown to dislike throughout two books and make him sympathetic? It happened. I am shocked to report that I now actually LIKE the person that was set up to be the biggest villain in the first two books. it is truly impressive.
I still have some trouble keeping characters straight in these books, and of course the 1000 page length with multiple characters telling the story through multiple settings and countless events doesn’t help with that. I think that’s the only thing keeping this book from a five. But at the same time, I’m not sure I would like these books as much if it was just one narrator in third person explaining everything, or told from just one character’s point of view. I think my sudden turnaround on Jamie is proof enough of that. Sometimes I think I could be one of those people that read the books over again in anticipation of a new one coming out, but other times it seems completely overwhelming when I remember that I’ve already read nearly 3000 pages about Westros, with probably around 4000 to go. (seven books in the series, I think)
Regardless, aside from that small complaint, I am loving these books, and I put the fourth on hold at the library within five minutes of finishing the third one. This is somewhere between a 4 and a 5, my favorite one so far.
I went back and forth several times about whether or not I would have enjoyed this book more if I was reading it instead of listening to it. I think it certainly lost some humor due to footnotes and text messages being read to me instead of reading them myself.
Possibly the bigger problem is that I was irritated with the main character though. Because that is by far my main issue with any given Sophie Kinsella book… her main characters that we are supposed to sympathize with are inherently unlikable. As with the Shopaholic books, I was constantly wondering whether it was worth it to keep reading, because I was disgusted with the main character, Poppy Wyatt, who loses her engagement ring at the beginning of the book. Then has her phone stolen, then finds another phone in a trash can, which is how she meets Sam, the owner of the phone, whose life she immediately becomes entrenched in.
The entire engagement ring debacle was horrible. The weakest part of the book, by far. But once that was resolved, about halfway through, I found that the main character was less insufferable, the problems were more realistic, and when the book focuses more on Sam and his issues, it is far more entertaining.
All in all this is a 3. I think if the whole book would’ve been like the second half it would’ve been up there with Remember Me, but as it is, this is comparable to the Shopaholic books (although I have to admit, I think I like it a little better… let’s face it, I really don’t like Becky Bloomwood and half the time don’t know why I read those books). Worth the read in the end, but difficult to get through the first part.
June’s book club selection, Baking Cakes in Kigali, is essentially a collection of short stories about a baker, Angel Tungaraza, in Rwanda, Africa, in the wake of the horrifying genocide. Through several celebrations, momentous occasions, and trials and tribulations, we get to know Angel, her family, and the people living near and with her in the compound where she lives.
Angel has had a difficult life, marred by disease and tragedy, but it’s really quite touching to see the way that the character lives despite all of that. She has a hand in most of the things that happen around her, and steers other people to live their lives to the fullest, to be content. She keeps an open mind, is kind, and believes in balance.
Honestly there’s not a lot to say about this book, it was a cute one about life and making your way past tragedy to see the good in things, but also had its occasional dark side. It was a good book club pick for discussion, and overall I’m definitely glad that I read it, and I would read it again. Solid 4.
When I read a cheap thriller, or a legal thriller, as this one is marketed, I expect to be entertained, ultimately pleased with the book and the plot, but know that it’s not great literature. My expectations for thrillers and chick books are the same: Entertain me. The Appeal started out well, but by the end had completely tanked, and I am not very pleased that I spent my time listening to it.
First of all, the book has too many characters and too many cases. Way too many. Most of the book centers around one case, but in a way that allows it to meander about, going through elections, political corruption, small cases that affect none of the book's events, etc. All of the characters that I cared about got very little time focused on them, and there were too many corrupt jerks to keep track of. And isn’t this called the appeal? Shouldn’t the main focus be on, I don’t know, an appeal? Not the corruption of big business and buying a supreme court seat. I mean don’t get me wrong, it was interesting enough, but not at all what I was expecting, and could have and should have been better.
Second of all, worst ending ever. WORST
Third of all, if this is how our justice system works I am concerned for the state of America. The entire thing was disheartening.
All in all, I was really unhappy with this one. The only thing that saves it from being a 1 (or a zero) is that the beginning was decent. I didn’t get disgusted with it until halfway to three quarters of the way through, but the end just ruined it so thoroughly that I can’t justify giving it anything better than a 2. Honestly this is probably a 1.5.
