brilliant critique once again

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim: This book began delightful and ended just the same. It had a very simple plot about four women who go abroad and stay in a big house. The lovely thing about it are the changes that come to each woman while she is away. I recommend it.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: This is j the m's favorite book. It is so beautiful and tragic though, it broke my heart. Before reading this book I imagined it would be about the wife of the time traveler written about by H.G. Wells in the Time Machine. Not so..it's an entirely new concept of time traveling. It is a great read, one I'll remember a long time.

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer: This book was loaned to me by the lovely kt, who said I should love it. And I do! It's a silly sort of vague romance (where you have no idea it's a romance until the last page, unless you were told so initially) written 60 years ago, and the writing style is so comical it won my heart.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: I have nothing very good to say about this book. In fact..it's all bad. I had high hopes of this book. It was recommended by many people--especially because it was written by a BYU grad. But it was very dull and tiring. The thing that kept me reading was the hope that it was about to get good, but it never did. It was about very little--basically lust and staring. There was minimal plot as well--aside from the lust and staring, the only plot was a tiny skirmish at the end which was also overly dramatic. I am very disappointed, especially after all the hype. I will not waste my time reading anymore of the series.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: A friend told me to read this book long ago. I have finally managed it. It is different than the film, but I liked it very much. It was an exceptionally light read.

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory: I am delighted with this book. Gregory really brought to life the women portrayed in the book, wives 4 and 5 of Henry VIII. I am going to read the entire series. History portrayed in this way is at its most interesting.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides: I liked this book quite a bit. It is not depressing--even with 5 suicides. It is written in a very light manner, from the perspective of a spying group of boys. It is a bit sad though, but mostly just interesting.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder: This book has a very interesting premise. A girl becomes the food taster to an important man, and she learns all about detecting poisons. I think the writing is so-so, and the story is carried out well enough. I am planning to read the next book in the series. It's an action-adventure genre.

General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn: I liked Sharon Shinn before I read this book. Now I'm having second thoughts. I must concede the point that I may be the one to have changed--perhaps my taste in books is evolving and I am becoming a snob.

Girl with a Pearl Earing by Tracy Chevalier: This is an interesting peek into the life of a dutch maid in the home of a great painter. I enjoyed it. I suspect the movie deviates greatly from the plot, however. We shall see.