Book Review #1

Well, I'm quite bored at work, having finished all my jobs.... And I feel like blogging, but what about? So, I figure I'll do a book review type of post on the books I've read lately. I'll warn you, I'm pretty bad at articulating  my thoughts beyond "it was really good" or "it was really bad" but I'll do my best.

First up, Shutter Island by Dennis LeHane.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a really good psychological thriller that has a definitely twist at the end. 

A movie version of it came out last year staring Leonardo DiCaprio, but I didn't see it because it was rated R. But I had heard it wasn't a "bad" rated R, so I took a chance on the book. And I definitely enjoyed. 

If you don't mind a some questionable language, but enjoy thrillers, I would recommend it.

"It's 1954, and up-and-coming U.S. marshal Teddy Daniels is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a patient from Shutter Island's Ashecliffe Hospital. He'd been gunning for an assignment on the island for reasons of his own -- but before long he wonders whether he hasn't been brought there as part of a twisted plot by hospital doctors whose radical treatments range from unethical to illegal to downright sinister. Teddy's code-breaking skills soon provide a promising lead, but the hospital refuses him access to records he suspects would break the case wide open. As a hurricane cuts off communication with the mainland, more dangerous criminals "escape" in the confusion, and the puzzling, improbable clues proliferate, Teddy begins to doubt everything -- his memory, his partner, even his own sanity." (from goodreads.com)

Second, The Talented Mr. Ripley, by Patricia Highsmith.

Again with a movie adaptation being rated R.This was another sort of thriller, and I also enjoyed it although not as much as Shutter Island. I would recommend it as it is quite a different concept than most novels.

"Tom Ripley is chosen by the wealthy Herbert Greenleaf to retrieve Greenleaf's son, Dickie, from his overlong sojourn in Italy. Dickie, it seems, is held captive both by the Mediterranean climate and the attractions of his female companion, but Mr. Greenleaf needs him back in New York to help with the family business. With an allowance and a new purpose, Tom leaves behind his dismal city apartment to begin his career as a return escort. But Tom, too, is captivated by Italy. He is also taken with the life and looks of Dickie Greenleaf. He insinuates himself into Dickie's world and soon finds that his passion for a lifestyle of wealth and sophistication transcends all moral compunction. Tom will become Dickie Greenleaf--at all costs." (from goodreads)

Third book, Red Hook Road, by Ayelet Waldman.

I liked this book. 

Like I said... Not too good at expanding on that. It has a similar feel to a Nicholas Sparks book, although not as romantic, and (I think) better written. Read the summary below and check it out.

"A marriage collapses under the strain of a daughter’s death; two bereaved siblings find comfort in one another; and an adopted young girl breathes new life into her family with her prodigious talent for the violin. As she writes with obvious affection for these unforgettable characters, Ayelet Waldman skillfully interweaves life’s finer pleasures—music and literature—with the more mundane joys of living. Within these resonant pages, a vase filled with wildflowers or a cold beer on a hot summer day serve as constant reminders that it’s often the little things that make life so precious." (goodreads.com)

Fourth and fifth books, 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley.

Both books are about a "Utopian" type future world, and about those who fight against it.

I'm not big into searching deep into books for deeper meanings, so I can't give you a lecture on about how or why the books were masterpieces and how they are connected to our world today.... 

But I did enjoy them, and I was horrified at how these authors portrayed how they thought the world might become if society keeps going downhill.

So there you have my reviews.

Maybe you enjoyed them at least a little bit? :)