July Book Review

To say I am an avid reader is kind of understatement.  Even during those first foggy months of motherhood, my mommy time usually consisted of holing myself in my room or laying on the couch and reading while the little guy slept beside me.  Its my refuge, and its something I love to do entirely for myself. 

Nothing beats opening a new book, and smelling that new book smell and passing my fingers along uncurled pages.  Even library books, as odd as it sounds, have this distinctive smell, like you know that this story has been passed onto many hands that have enjoyed (or maybe not), and revelled in the words on the page.  Obsessed much, yup that's me.

I used to be able to read a book in a few days, obviously motherhood makes that feat a little impossible sometimes, but I have found my groove, and I am reading about 3 to 4 books a month.  I like a variety of genres, historical fiction being one of my favourites, as it collaborates both my loves for history and storytelling.  So I thought I would every month give a short rundown of the books I have encountered, and all titles will be linked to the Indigo website if any of them pique your interest.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

I was drawn to this teen novel since I had seen the trailer for the upcoming movie, and I always love to read the novels beforehand.  It is a teen lit novel that for a woman in her thirties can only be construed as cheesy, and often predictably transparent.  I am a huge lover of books about supernatural beings, but this one had a hard time grabbing my attention, and even though this is actually the first in a series, I finished it without the urge to go get the rest and find out what happens to the characters.  Sadly the movie was just as disappointing.

Inferno by Dan Brown

I have been in love with Dan Brown's novels since someone suggested I read his Da Vinci Code.  This sort of conspiracy novel rooted in history is right up my alley, and I revel in how all incidents lead to a greater truth or conclusion.  I have to say that I had become a bit of a savant with his work, and was starting to be able to decode the finale of his novels before I reached the climax of the story.  This didn't take away from the story, but it did put a damper on the whole experience.  Well I'm glad to say that he finally tripped me up again, and he kept me guessing right till the last page, making this a far more enjoyable read, and completely living up to my highly anticipated feelings.  The story is set largely in Florence and Venice, and it made me want to visit Italy with a passion.  I think I need to start a vacation fund for Gianni and I to make a long European second honeymoon for our tenth anniversary, this way I have plenty of time to make that dream happen.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This was also on my list this month cause I wanted to see the movie.  I devoured the Twilight series when it first came out, but for some reason never gravitated to her other novel cause the jacket description never quite caught my attention.  When I saw the trailer for the movie I thought maybe it would be alright.  I'm happy to say that although the movie was horrible, I actually rather enjoyed the novel.  It borders on cheesy, but I kind of appreciate the underlying message, that people are often quick to judge one another, and we don't make enough of an effort or time to just get to know each other, as we are all very often guilty of grouping people by association. 

I would love to hear other reader suggestions. I'm always looking for new writers.