Book Reviews
Before you can decide whether or not my book reviews will have any value for you, you should find out first which books move me or inspire me, and which ones I consume like candy or read more than once.
That list of books can be found in the favorites page under biography, or by clicking here.
Relevant links can be found in the egress.
authors: Steven E. Brenner & Edwin Aoki
Comments: Non-fiction, obviously. Either the authors of this book are really good at teaching geek to the neophytes, or PERL is easier to learn than I thought it would be. The copyright on this book is from 1996, so I don't know how useful this will be for me in creating my own CGI scripts, but I would still recommend it.
Grade: A
author: Sheri S. Tepper
Comments: Tepper is my absolute top favorite author and has been since I first read her work. Her books read like genre, but they all take a serious look at humanity. She appeals to the side of me that enjoys the commercial kind of writing, but everything in me tells me that her work will live on in the company of science fiction classics long after she's gone. The really neat thing about Tepper is that she doesn't tell you everything about the world of which she's writing in the first chapter; she lures you in bit by bit so that it seems almost fantastical and mysterious, until in the end, you discover the science behind it. This book is no different. How she manages to write about completely different worlds each time, though, will always be a mystery to me.
Grade: A
author: Madeleine L'Engle
Comments: Somewhere between science fiction and fantasy, but definitely for young readers. I remember loving L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, but after reading this one, I realize that I can't really take her fiction seriously any more. Good science fiction and fantasy can be credible despite all the bizarre things going on in the story, but Many Waters simply didn't do that for me. It was still nice, though... but I think I would have enjoyed it far more as a child.
Grade: B
author: Nancy Kress
Comments: Science fiction. I bought Nancy Kress's Beggars in Spain as a hardcover a few years ago because I used to regularly read the author's articles in The Writer's Digest and liked the advice she gave; I simply wondered if she followed her own advice or if she was qualified to give it at all. Well, I don't think Beggars in Spain made any bestselling lists, but I liked it anyway. So when I saw An Alien Light on a library bookshelf, I picked it right up and checked it out. I'm glad I did; I liked it a lot, and it reminds me of Sherri S. Tepper's work in that you get lost in the world that the author creates and you learn something new about human nature and the human endeavor in the process.
Grade: A
author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Comments: When I went to the library to borrow the last book I read (review below), I checked this one out, too... just in case I ended up liking the author and wanting to read more of her. Well, I do like her; she has intriguing plots to go with all of the boy meets girl basics--this book is no different. I read on the back of this book that she has another pseudonym, Jayne Castle, for futuristic novels. Now I'm curious to read how she writes under that name.
Grade: A-
author: Jayne Ann Krentz
Comments: I read the back of the last book I read and found out that Amanda Quick is actually a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, and I was curious to find out if she kept her style consistent between both names. I found out that Quick is for historical romance, and Krentz is for contemporary romance... and yes, the style is slightly different; she writes basically with the idiomatic lines and vocabulary of the time about which she writes, and that tells me she's versatile. Not bad! I'm even more impressed that she can manage being a bestselling author using either name! The book, by the way, is very cute--a romance author finding her own romance; I think it's a bit of wishful thinking on her part.
Grade: B+
author: Amanda Quick
Comments: Better than her last one, this book strays a little bit from the formula but is still predictable. I wonder why American authors of historical romance always choose 19th century England as their setting.
Grade: B+
author: Catherine Coulter
Comments: I shouldn't even post a review for this book, since I was never able to get past the first few chapters, but the writing is so horrible, I thought I'd warn everyone. The only reason I started reading it at all was because I'd never read her before, and I thought I'd give her a try... she's described as a bestselling author on the cover--how misleading can that be?*
Grade: F
author: Amanda Quick
Comments: Another bestselling author. I know that my taste in genres leaves much to be desired, but let's face it... the genres I read generate a lot of money for the authors; let's just call it research toward my own success, eh? I'd say this book was pretty average for its type, though.
Grade: B
author: J. K. Rowling
Comments: First book in a series of Harry Potter books. I wanted to read this because the Harry Potter books have been on the top ten bestselling list for weeks and weeks, and I have to agree with everyone. It's wonderful. I won't say much on it, except that you should read it.
Grade: A+
author: Barry Hughart
Comments: Sequel to The Story of the Stone. This third book in the series involving Master Li and Number Ten Ox actually kind of bored me. I found myself skipping certain parts toward the end, tired of reading descriptions of events that seemed irrelevant. What started to lose me in the book was the poetry and playwrighting. It was almost like Hughart wanted to try out other genres in the book or something. And even though the narrator, Number Ten Ox, is supposed to be out of the loop because he's just the brawn of the investigative team and not the brains, I hated not knowing what was supposed to be going on. I was really disappointed by the book.
Grade: C
author: Barry Hughart
Comments: Sequel to Bridge of Birds, which I love and recommend; it's like an Asian version of William Goldman's The Princess Bride (the book -- yes, there's a book), which I also love. Master Li and Number Ten Ox return in the sequel, and there's fantasy, action, adventure, humor, and all kinds of weird things. It's not as good as the first one, but it's still a great read.
Grade: A-
author: Michael Kanaly
Comments: Nothing exciting here. No action. No humor. This is strictly serious science fiction that addresses evolution and the idea that the viruses change us, moving us up the evolutionary ladder. I actually like the style of writing and the idea behind it, but there's always a part of me that likes to be entertained.
Grade: B-
« back to the reviews
That list of books can be found in the favorites page under biography, or by clicking here.
Relevant links can be found in the egress.
Introduction to CGI/PERL
authors: Steven E. Brenner & Edwin Aoki
published by M&T Books
151 pages
Comments: Non-fiction, obviously. Either the authors of this book are really good at teaching geek to the neophytes, or PERL is easier to learn than I thought it would be. The copyright on this book is from 1996, so I don't know how useful this will be for me in creating my own CGI scripts, but I would still recommend it.
Grade: A
Singer from the Sea
author: Sheri S. Tepper
published by Avon Books
426 pages
Comments: Tepper is my absolute top favorite author and has been since I first read her work. Her books read like genre, but they all take a serious look at humanity. She appeals to the side of me that enjoys the commercial kind of writing, but everything in me tells me that her work will live on in the company of science fiction classics long after she's gone. The really neat thing about Tepper is that she doesn't tell you everything about the world of which she's writing in the first chapter; she lures you in bit by bit so that it seems almost fantastical and mysterious, until in the end, you discover the science behind it. This book is no different. How she manages to write about completely different worlds each time, though, will always be a mystery to me.
Grade: A
Many Waters
author: Madeleine L'Engle
published by Bantam Doubleday Dell Books
310 pages
Comments: Somewhere between science fiction and fantasy, but definitely for young readers. I remember loving L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, but after reading this one, I realize that I can't really take her fiction seriously any more. Good science fiction and fantasy can be credible despite all the bizarre things going on in the story, but Many Waters simply didn't do that for me. It was still nice, though... but I think I would have enjoyed it far more as a child.
Grade: B
An Alien Light
author: Nancy Kress
published by Arbor House
370 pages
Comments: Science fiction. I bought Nancy Kress's Beggars in Spain as a hardcover a few years ago because I used to regularly read the author's articles in The Writer's Digest and liked the advice she gave; I simply wondered if she followed her own advice or if she was qualified to give it at all. Well, I don't think Beggars in Spain made any bestselling lists, but I liked it anyway. So when I saw An Alien Light on a library bookshelf, I picked it right up and checked it out. I'm glad I did; I liked it a lot, and it reminds me of Sherri S. Tepper's work in that you get lost in the world that the author creates and you learn something new about human nature and the human endeavor in the process.
Grade: A
Sharp Edges
author: Jayne Ann Krentz
published by Pocket Star Books
368 pages
Comments: When I went to the library to borrow the last book I read (review below), I checked this one out, too... just in case I ended up liking the author and wanting to read more of her. Well, I do like her; she has intriguing plots to go with all of the boy meets girl basics--this book is no different. I read on the back of this book that she has another pseudonym, Jayne Castle, for futuristic novels. Now I'm curious to read how she writes under that name.
Grade: A-
The Pirate
author: Jayne Ann Krentz
published by Mira Books
248 pages
Comments: I read the back of the last book I read and found out that Amanda Quick is actually a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, and I was curious to find out if she kept her style consistent between both names. I found out that Quick is for historical romance, and Krentz is for contemporary romance... and yes, the style is slightly different; she writes basically with the idiomatic lines and vocabulary of the time about which she writes, and that tells me she's versatile. Not bad! I'm even more impressed that she can manage being a bestselling author using either name! The book, by the way, is very cute--a romance author finding her own romance; I think it's a bit of wishful thinking on her part.
Grade: B+
I Thee Wed
author: Amanda Quick
published by Bantam Books
341 pages
Comments: Better than her last one, this book strays a little bit from the formula but is still predictable. I wonder why American authors of historical romance always choose 19th century England as their setting.
Grade: B+
The Maze
author: Catherine Coulter
published by G. P. Putnam's Sons
373 pages
Comments: I shouldn't even post a review for this book, since I was never able to get past the first few chapters, but the writing is so horrible, I thought I'd warn everyone. The only reason I started reading it at all was because I'd never read her before, and I thought I'd give her a try... she's described as a bestselling author on the cover--how misleading can that be?*
Grade: F
With This Ring
author: Amanda Quick
published by Bantam Books
346 pages
Comments: Another bestselling author. I know that my taste in genres leaves much to be desired, but let's face it... the genres I read generate a lot of money for the authors; let's just call it research toward my own success, eh? I'd say this book was pretty average for its type, though.
Grade: B
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
author: J. K. Rowling
published by Scholastic
309 pages
Comments: First book in a series of Harry Potter books. I wanted to read this because the Harry Potter books have been on the top ten bestselling list for weeks and weeks, and I have to agree with everyone. It's wonderful. I won't say much on it, except that you should read it.
Grade: A+
Eight Skilled Gentlemen
author: Barry Hughart
published by Doubleday
255 pages
Comments: Sequel to The Story of the Stone. This third book in the series involving Master Li and Number Ten Ox actually kind of bored me. I found myself skipping certain parts toward the end, tired of reading descriptions of events that seemed irrelevant. What started to lose me in the book was the poetry and playwrighting. It was almost like Hughart wanted to try out other genres in the book or something. And even though the narrator, Number Ten Ox, is supposed to be out of the loop because he's just the brawn of the investigative team and not the brains, I hated not knowing what was supposed to be going on. I was really disappointed by the book.
Grade: C
The Story of the Stone
author: Barry Hughart
published by Doubleday
236 pages
Comments: Sequel to Bridge of Birds, which I love and recommend; it's like an Asian version of William Goldman's The Princess Bride (the book -- yes, there's a book), which I also love. Master Li and Number Ten Ox return in the sequel, and there's fantasy, action, adventure, humor, and all kinds of weird things. It's not as good as the first one, but it's still a great read.
Grade: A-
Virus Clans
author: Michael Kanaly
published by Ace books
264 pages
Comments: Nothing exciting here. No action. No humor. This is strictly serious science fiction that addresses evolution and the idea that the viruses change us, moving us up the evolutionary ladder. I actually like the style of writing and the idea behind it, but there's always a part of me that likes to be entertained.
Grade: B-
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Copyright © 1999-2000 by April Martinez - All rights reserved.
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Any reuse, reproduction, or retransmission of this protected material is prohibited.
