"A good book has no ending." ~R.D. Cumming
As I sit on this endless airplane flight, saying goodbye to Paris, I think about how lucky I am to have had this experience. I remember studying about the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory in humanities, and to stand close enough to touch these works of art brought tears to my eyes. Standing in the very same Louvre that Dan Brown described in The Da Vinci Code, picturing the professor running down the very halls that Arthur and I were carefully exploring, definitely brought everything to life.
...And the pastry. Oh the pastry. I am not sure how the French learned their technique, but they definitely do it better than anyone else. The croissants and brioche for breakfast made breakfast an experience, and the tarts, eclairs, napoleons and macarons just filled in any spare moments in every day. I am sorry to say that I was eating pastries instead of reading during any off time that we had. That is my explanation, although admittedly a weak one, as to why two weeks have gone by with no Madderly Review additions.
We are back however, and Jodi Picoult brought me right back to earth in her interesting novel, Leaving Time. As if a young woman trying to track down her long missing mother with the help of a psychic who has fallen from grace isn't enough to capture our attention, author Picoult delves into the emotions of elephants. Although it sounds weird, it really works in this novel.
Looking for a quick read for my two nine and one half hour plane rides, I chose The Law of Second Chances by James Sheehan. After reviewing Alligator Man by him several weeks ago, I knew this was just the book to pull me in without weighing me down. I was not happy, however, when the main character's wife was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Frankly, too many of my friends and extended family have battled this disease for me to want to deal with it in my escape time. I realize that authors strive for realism, but I am not sure that is always the best choice.
Lucky for authors though, my taste in books is far from the last word. I know that some of the most popular genres ( I.e. Fantasy and Science Fiction) are not fairly represented on the madderlyreview site because I could not do them justice. That is why I ask you all to please contribute your reviews and opinions on the guest review pages. I envisioned this as a place that everyone could share his/her opinion on the books we can't put down. What was your favorite book of 2014 so far, and why?
Happy reading,
- Beverly
As I sit on this endless airplane flight, saying goodbye to Paris, I think about how lucky I am to have had this experience. I remember studying about the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory in humanities, and to stand close enough to touch these works of art brought tears to my eyes. Standing in the very same Louvre that Dan Brown described in The Da Vinci Code, picturing the professor running down the very halls that Arthur and I were carefully exploring, definitely brought everything to life.
...And the pastry. Oh the pastry. I am not sure how the French learned their technique, but they definitely do it better than anyone else. The croissants and brioche for breakfast made breakfast an experience, and the tarts, eclairs, napoleons and macarons just filled in any spare moments in every day. I am sorry to say that I was eating pastries instead of reading during any off time that we had. That is my explanation, although admittedly a weak one, as to why two weeks have gone by with no Madderly Review additions.
We are back however, and Jodi Picoult brought me right back to earth in her interesting novel, Leaving Time. As if a young woman trying to track down her long missing mother with the help of a psychic who has fallen from grace isn't enough to capture our attention, author Picoult delves into the emotions of elephants. Although it sounds weird, it really works in this novel.
Looking for a quick read for my two nine and one half hour plane rides, I chose The Law of Second Chances by James Sheehan. After reviewing Alligator Man by him several weeks ago, I knew this was just the book to pull me in without weighing me down. I was not happy, however, when the main character's wife was diagnosed with stage four cancer. Frankly, too many of my friends and extended family have battled this disease for me to want to deal with it in my escape time. I realize that authors strive for realism, but I am not sure that is always the best choice.
Lucky for authors though, my taste in books is far from the last word. I know that some of the most popular genres ( I.e. Fantasy and Science Fiction) are not fairly represented on the madderlyreview site because I could not do them justice. That is why I ask you all to please contribute your reviews and opinions on the guest review pages. I envisioned this as a place that everyone could share his/her opinion on the books we can't put down. What was your favorite book of 2014 so far, and why?
Happy reading,
- Beverly
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