Sometimes books and I just don’t click. Like a dud first date, it usually isn’t personal. There are different wavelengths and sometimes I am not on the same one with others.
It gets worse when you slog through a tedious book only to log on to your favorite review site to find enraptured praise from most readers. I finally understood the term cognitive dissonance after experiencing this a few times. Reasonable minds can disagree, but when it’s about twenty-to-one, I opt out.
So, with some trepidation, I offer this list of popular titles I could have happily skipped.
1.
Years ago I read The Iliad for a college class. It was my first introduction to ancient times. Still coming off the Victorian period, many Americans don’t realize that homosexuality was very much a part of that world, including its literary works. Madeline Miller has taken this topic on in The Song of Achilles. She is a good stylist and there were some scenes I liked. Overall, though, I was not compelled.
My rating: 2.0
Goodreads score: 4.4
2.
I have yet to be wooed by the Dublin Murder Squad. In The Woods was decent, but I really disliked the second. The premise is that a woman is found murdered who bears a striking resemblance to Detective Cassie Maddox. Even stranger, she has an ID with the same name Cassie used when she was undercover. Cassie decides to pose as the dead woman to try to solve the murder. This involves moving into a cooperative house with Lexie’s old friends.
I also lived communally in college. I am certain that I would not be fooled by a lookalike to any of my closest friends from that time. When it comes to recognition, looks aren’t everything. There are vocal inflections, quirks, and inside jokes that would be hard to replicate if you had never known someone.
In addition to the far-fetched plot, I was not compelled by all the dynamics amongst Lexie’s housemates. I thought the male characters were flat and I didn’t find Cassie interesting, either.
This will remain one of those phenoms I just don’t get.
My score: 1.0
Goodreads score: 4.0
3.
There were many things to like about this book, including the way the author incorporated the art world, indigenous Canadians, and Caesar’s puzzle into the plot.
As someone with mild claustrophobia, though, the setting gave me the literary equivalent of cabin fever. I felt like I was being held hostage by some cultural arts program on NPR. I think it was after reading this that I began to rethink book binges. Everything in moderation.
My grade: 2.0
Goodreads score: 4.2
4.
Grace is a lonely singleton devoted to her special-needs sister, Millie. When she meets charming and handsome Jack, she is especially touched when he bonds easily with her sister. Jack and Grace marry quickly (the first warning sign) and Grace slowly descends into an abusive hellhole. Jack is a sadistic asshole and Millie is his bargaining chip.
I enjoyed the first half, which was compelling and fast-paced. The problem started when the author ran out of plot at about the two-thirds mark. Publishers want to reach a certain price point, so they encourage manuscripts be 90,000 words. This one easily could have been 20K shorter. There is an extended, frantic escape sequence that I found boring. Everyone knows the heroine will survive, so either be creative with the escape plan or tighten it up. You don’t want to bore people, but this one did.
My rating: 2.0
Goodreads score: 3.96
5.
I enjoy this series for the most part. Odelia Grey is an original character and the plots are inventive and entertaining. What wears me down is the overly idealistic Greg, Odelia’s paraplegic husband. Everything about their romance is ersatz, from the hot sex to his singular devotion. When Odelia comes home stressed from a case, Greg says things like, “Is this a Ben & Jerry’s problem or a thin mint problem?” before proffering her favorite sweet. Readers love Greg, but I find him cloying as hell.
My rating: 2.0
Goodreads score: 4.0
Books Smitten 