A Double Book Review

I've been meaning to review the books I've read/listened to lately and just haven't had time.  Its been a crazy few weeks but hey, what's life with out change right?  So, here go you...a double installment today of two really good books.

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult

First, I like Jodi Picoult novels.  She wrote My Sister's Keeper and I still will not see the movie because it just can't live up to the book.  There's just no way, no matter how good Cameron Diaz is as the mother.  Second, her novels never leave you with a clear ending as to right or wrong.  You have to decide on your own, which makes you think a lot about "what would I do in that situation".  Vanishing Acts is no different.

Delia Hopkins moved to New Hampshire at the age of 4.  She's now 32 and makes her living working search-and-rescue with her bloodhound, Greta.  She's planning a wedding, living a normal life, when she has a memory flash of a lemon tree that is so disturbingly real, she mentions it to her best friend, who also happens to be a reporter.  Life is not the same for Delia, or her father, after that.  She learns she is a missing person, abducted by her father on a routine custody visit.  Picoult takes you on a journey that makes you question what would drive you to abduct your own child, tell her that her mother was dead and construct a whole new life for yourselves based on years of lies.  Its told though the eyes of Anthony (the father), Delia, Eric (the fiance & lawyer) and Fitz (reporter & best friend to both Delia and Eric).


Overall, I'd rate this novel a solid B+.  Its a little predictable for a Jodi Picoult novel, where the last page is usually the one that makes you want to read the book all over again because it reveals a key character issue or flaw that paints the story in a whole new light.  If you're looking for a good solid read on the beach this summer though, pick this up.  You won't be disappointed!

A

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni


As a whole, I liked this book.  I wanted to like it a lot more though.  If you've ever read certain parts of the Old Testament (see Genesis chapter 6), you might have found a few obscure references to the Nephilim, the fallen angels God cast from Heaven.  They were described as giants and intermingled with human women, creating a race of half-human, half-angel beings.  It is a fascinating topic that seems more fantasy than reality and would be unbelievable if it weren't actually true (assuming of course that you believe the Holy Bible to be the divine Word of God and are open minded enough to read a few books that used to be in the Bible, but have been removed over time for various reasons).  I'm nothing close to a theologian so I won't begin to debate this topic but, as Trussoni illustrates, it makes for a great setting for a good vs. evil quest novel.

If you liked The Da Vinci Code and that general genre of religious/fiction/quest type of novel, you'll probably like this one.  There are a few dry parts, which serve the purpose of educating you very well, but nonetheless, are a bit dry.  Its got romance, suspense, danger and ends perfectly set up for a second installment.  If the simple idea of the novel hasn't gotten your attention yet, then its probably not for you.  If, however, you can suspend disbelief long enough to get into the first few chapters, then I bet you'll like it.  If nothing else, it will make you wonder what's real and what's imagination.

Happy reading everyone!