P.J. Skinner's Blog, page 9

Disappointing

Holy Island by L.J. Ross

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I couldn't get into this. The violence was so graphic and the leading lady such a wimp. I know this is the most popular series on kindle but I couldn't fathom why from this book. First books often struggle for rythm until the author hits their straps. Perhaps I will read the second and see if it gets into its stride. Just not sure I have the patience...



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Archaelogical Romance Thriller?

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Hovered between 3 and four stars for this. I loved the story and the setting was well done. Who doesn't love an archaeological adventure? But the heroine disappointed me by falling into the predictable arms of the obvious candidate and her sidekick did the same. I am a bit bored with strong female protagonists collapsing in a heap and getting married at the end of books. But I may try the next book, maybe.



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Adieu Sam Harris

Concrete Jungle by P.J. Skinner

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I'm giving myself five stars for finishing my first series against all the odds, a bit like Sam and her fight for survival in a man's world. I hope that you have enjoyed reading the series as much as I have thinking of ways to surprise and entertain you. Thank you so much for leaving me reviews and taking time to let me know how you felt about the series. I feel privileged, honestly. Watch this space for new books in the pipeline but we are saying Adieu to Sam and I hope you feel she goes out with a bang.



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Fantasy tale

The Last Child of Leif by Chris Pridmore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Epic story of a young boys fight to survive
4 and a bit stars. I don't usually read this genre and I am not used to the level of detail it entails but I found the viewpoint authentic and the writing fluent and descriptive. The young boy's bewielderment at the disappearance of his comfortable world is very well handled. The multitude of characters were infinite in variety and unique in their ways but I sometimes found it hard to follow because of the number of them. This again is probably me, I am a very fast reader and I kept having to go back to work out who someone was. The only downside to the book is that the initial conundrum was not solved at the end which left me hanging and a bit confused as I had fully expected the book to run the full arc to that scene (no spoilers). As I said, it's not my genre, but well written and haunting and I can see why it has such high ratings among people who do



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Apology

Happy New Year!
Just a note to apologise as my career has interfered with my writing and I have had to pospone the publishing of the last in the Sam Harris Series, Concrete Jungle, for 4 weeks to the 1st of March. This is beyond my control so I am sorry to keep you waiting. Happy Reading.

Dive in

Fallen Out: A Jesse McDermitt Novel by Wayne Stinnett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I felt it was lacking in plot and the characters were a bit cliched for my liking, but the author created some great vignettes and I understand that this was written as a reader magnet rather than a stand alone book. It's a pity the women characters are so disposable when he starts them out with great potential. No real story, plenty of fights, good descriptions of place and diving. May try another.



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Latin Spirit

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One of my favourites in the field of magical realism. My introduction to Isabel Allende happened while I was living in Quito and confirmed my love of Latin American culture. I had an Ecuadorian friend who travelled to Chile during the Pinochet dictatorship to look for the father of her son and was thrown in jail making the book all the more real for me (she was let go). I was so affected by this story that I felt entwined the epic tale of two turbulent families, one ruled by a ruthless patriach, but all held together by strong, brave women tolerating the intolerable. I need to reread this one.



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Tedious drivel

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


If you like Henry James this may be for you. I found it overlong, lacking narrative and tedious in the extreme. Absolutely nothing happens from beginning to end and the characters are passive shadows. I have no idea why or how I struggled to the end. I suppose I hoped it might have a point or a discernable ending, but no. It doesn't. Anyway, as I said, if you like Henry James, this may be your type of book, if not, steer well clear.



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Vindictive diatribe of point-scoring pettyness

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I'm not sure why I stretched to two stars. As someone who was brought up in Ireland in the 1960s and onwards, this read like a vindictive diatribe of point-scoring pettyness and badly manufactured coincidences. I kept reading it despite my face screwing up in annoyance, and my eyebrows nearly flying off my face with disbelief. Sad that a writer like Boyne lowered himself to this tripe. People with a severe chip on their shoulder about being gay in Ireland may like it.



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The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts

The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernières

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is the book that introduced me to the world of Latin American Magical Realism and is one of my all time favourite books. Sharp, funny, tragic chaotic with a huge cast of characters as eccentric as the story itself. Emotional and rich in pathos, the writing changed the way I thought about books and took me to Isabel Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Jorge Amado. For me, this trilogy of South American books knocks his later works, including Captain Corelli's Mandolin, into a cocked hat. Fantastic.



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