My First Reviews from PaperBackSwap

These are reviews that I wrote on the books that I have read since joining PaperBackSwap (PBS). They are fairly brief and don't offer a lot of information, but my reviews following these will be more detailed and thought out from here on out, but I thought I'd post these anyway to get the ball rolling.


Title: My Sister's Keeper
Author: Jodi Picoult
Publishing Date: 2005
Genre: Chick Lit
Rating: B+

I have read a couple of Jodi Picoult's books prior to this one and I have always like them. This one is no exception. I like her style of writing, telling the story from several different points of view and from different time periods. Some might find it difficult to follow, but I feel like it just adds to the mystery and suspense of the story. I will definitely be reading more of her books in the future.


Title: The Other Boleyn Girl
Author: Philippa Gregory
Publication Date: 2003
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: A+

I have wanted to read this one for a while, after hearing friends discuss it. PBS gave me the opportunity when it became available and I snagged it before it acquired a long waiting list. I have always been fascinated by the history behind the six wives of Henry VIII and this book puts a dramatic spin on the factual history. The author, Philippa Gregory, tells the story of "the other Boleyn girl," Anne's sister Mary. While Anne's story is well known throughout the world, Mary's is one that has been shoved to the back burner so to speak. Mary was the beautiful younger sister of Anne Boleyn, whom we all know was Henry VIII's ill-fated second wife. Mary was the first Boleyn girl to capture the handsome king's wandering eye and while much of their relationship is speculated on in the history books, Ms. Gregory takes what few facts are known and spins a wonderfully fanciful tale of love, betrayal and the bonds of sisterhood. While the book is over 600 pages, I found it to be a fast read because you get locked in, wanting to know what happens next (even thought you already know the fate of Anne Boleyn).

Title: The Bluest Eye
Author: Toni Morrison
Publication Date: 2000
Genre: African American Literature
Rating: B+

I bought this one for a class in college and ended up dropping the class before I could read it, so it sat on my bookshelf until I joined PBS. I figured that I should read it before I posted it to be swapped. It is a short book, little more than 200 pages, making it a fairly fast read. However, with the way that author Toni Morrison writes, I often found myself going back several times to reread certain passages. Ms. Morrison tends to get a bit wordy in her writing and while it does flow beautifully, I sometimes lose the train of thought and have to go back to remind myself of what she is describing. In this book, she tells the story from a few different perspectives and voices, making it a very interesting read. The story itself is the heartbreaking tale of Pecola Breedlove and how she wishes for the beauty that is associated with blue eyes, but receives a horrifying blow to her innocence instead. I would recommend this book to someone with the caution to read it slowly and deliberately. This is definitely not one to fly through on a plane or beach.

Title: Call of the Wild/White Fang (2 novels in 1)
Author: Jack London
Publication Date: 1991
Genre: Classics
Rating: C+

Call of the Wild (1903): While this book was somewhat predictable and a bit graphic in places, it was very beautifully told. I can see why it is [considered] a classic. Jack London paints a beautiful and realistic picture of Alaska and the trials of dog sledding during the gold rush of the late 1800s from the dog's point of view.

White Fang (1906): I had a really hard time getting into this one. It ended up being very good, but it was very slow getting started and I had to force myself to keep reading several times. Jack London tends to be very wordy, often describing something several times before continuing and [repeats his description] several times during the story. I felt that some parts could have been left out as they did nothing to further the story or provide any kind of a back story. They were simply there. Other than that, the overall story was very good and heartwarming. I am glad that I stuck with it until the end.

Title: The Virgin's Lover
Author: Philippa Gregory
Publication Date: 2005
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: A-

While this one was very good, I had a hard time trying to get through it. I'm not sure what it was, maybe personal conflicts, maybe the language was starting to get to me, maybe the extent of the content, maybe I was just tired of reading all together. I did enjoy the book however, so it stumps me. The last 200 pages or so were very good and kept me going until the end. I really liked Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl and this one wasn't far off from that, though it did have a lot more information about the political turmoil that Elizabeth had to deal with at the beginning of her reign, whereas The Other Boleyn Girl seemed to be based more on the scandals that Anne Boleyn caused, leaving out a lot of the other political deals that were going on at that time. The characterization of the three main characters leaves a little to be desired. Elizabeth is painted as a flighty woman who has a hard time making decisions on her own. Not at all the way history portrays her. Amy Dudley come across as very whiny and annoying and completely oblivious to her husband's feelings and attitudes. I would think that after 9+ years of marriage, Amy would have figured out what her husband likes, doesn't like, how he feels about certain situations, and so on. Gregory has her play the simple-minded woman part a lot. Robert Dudley is not a good person throughout the whole book and I find it hard to believe that both of these women would be so infatuated with such a person. I might have to try to read this one again when I [am] more motivated. Until then, I think I will hold off on giving it a rating, just so I give it a fare assessment.

Title: P.S. I Love You
Author: Cecelia Ahern
Publication Date: 2004
Genre: Chick Lit
Rating: A

I really loved this one. Holly is a young, grieving widow and the book takes us though her grieving and recovery process. This process is unique though, because her husband, Gerry, who knew he was going to die due to a brain tumor, guides her with little notes that he left for her instructing her what to do. It had its moments where it was entirely predictable, but in the end, it surprised me. Throughout though, there were times when I laughed out loud or was brought to tears. I love books that have that effect on me. I will definitely be reading this one again and am adding it to my personal library.

The Savannah Reader

For as long as I can remember, I have always been a reader. I love to get lost in another world, another reality. With that in mind, however, it is very sad that until now I have never felt the need to branch out beyond books and authors that I have known for years. I mean, sure, I did venture out on occasion and expanded my limited library, but those trips were always short lived. I always returned to my comfortable little well-read haven. I honestly don't know what it was that kept me so reserved when it came to reading. Maybe a fear of the unknown, maybe comfort in the familiar, maybe simply that I did not have the time to devote to new books or authors, being that I was in school while working full time and needed to focus my energies and most of my spare time on school work. Whatever the reason though, I am ashamed to admit that I have been alive for 27 years and still have not read many of the tried and true classics or touched upon many an author's hard works.

Why didn't I read many of them in high school? you might be wondering. Well, the answer is simple. I did not go to a school that was interested in the classics the way nearly every other school in the United States is. I went to a public school in a suburb of Atlanta, and while they did choose interesting books for their high school students to read, Tom Sawyer and Moby Dick were not on the lists. What classics I did read were usually brief anthologized snipits taken from our textbooks. In college, I simply had too much on my plate to revisit the works of the greats unless they were on my course syllabi, so I reserved any free time I had to give myself a "brain break" and reread those in my personal library.

I recently found (with the help of some online friends) a nifty little website called PaperBackSwap.com (Click here for site homepage). This site not only allows me access to an entire country's worth of home libraries, containing thousands upon thousands of titles, many of which I never would have found otherwise, but it has happily awakened the hardcore reader within me. Now that I am out of school and not forced to read for grades, I have found a renewed interest in the books that I should have read a long time ago, books that I hope my children will read early in life so that they can use the wisdom held in their pages for their own experiences and studies. I currently have a list of 20 titles in my To Be Read (TBR) pile and 155 titles in my Reminder List (RL) pile. There are many, many more that I want to add, but after my stack at home reached an alarming height, I decided to put book hunting on hold and begin the long, luxurious process of reading. The books in my TBR and RL piles are a combination of classics and contemporary titles in many different genres that have either interested me for a very long time, or that have recently piqued my interest due to a good review or a friend's recommendation.

And so, in order to document the books that I have read and my interpretations on them I decided to start this blog. I am also hoping (as any literary blogger does) that anyone who reads these reviews will find a new (or renewed) interest in books and perhaps pick up one that I have recommended.

Keep in mind though, that opinions will differ and my take on a book will not necessarily be the same as yours. I do welcome comments on any and all reviews that I post, as these will help other avid readers choose books to add to their own TBR piles. However, please remember to be courteous and constructive when posting comments. Any criticisms of either the book or my reviews must have a literary foundation and documentation to back up your points. I reserve the right to delete any comments that are negative just for the sake of being negative.

With that said, I begin my journey into the world of literature! I hope that you will join me and enjoy it as much as I will! Happy Reading!!!