Authors F-J

Michel Faber

The Crimson Petal and the White - I read the synopsis and first chapter of this book and thought, "I've got to have this book!" Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations. First of all, it's about 900 pages long and weighs about 10 pounds!! (Ok, that may be a slight exaggeration of the weight, but it is 900 pages.) It wasn't the worst book I ever read, but I did lose interest somewhere in the middle. The beginning 200 pages and the last 200 pages were pretty good, but all that stuff in between could have been trimmed down by a good editor! *Borrow it from the library*


Jasper Fforde

Thursday Next Series
The Eyre Affair - This is the first of the series, and I was hooked from the very beginning! The alternate reality setting is fun, and there were lots of silly references that made me laugh (and I know that I probably only got about a fourth of them!) If you really enjoy reading fiction, you'll definitely be a fan of Fforde's. *Buy it*

Lost in a Good Book - The second book of this series was just as good as the first (and I don't say things like that unless I mean it!) I'm constantly amazed by Fforde's creativity, and I have no idea how he can keep coming up with such entertaining adventures for the main character. I'll always be on the lookout for his next book! *Buy it*

The Well of Lost Plots - This one was as good or better than the other two. I adore all the references to other literary works, especially the Anna Karenina "gossip" - absolutely wonderful! *Buy it*

Something Rotten - These books are just so great! Really, I know I keep saying it, but it's because it's so true! *Buy it!*

Arthur Golden

Memoirs of a Geisha - I liked this book so much, I read it through twice in one week! It was incredibly interesting to follow the main character's life from peasant girl to sucessful geisha. (Of course, who knows just how much of it was based on fact?) I loved the writing. It seemed exactly as if she were telling you the story in person. This is one of my favorite books. *Buy it*


Carol Goodman

The Lake of Dead Languages - Usually I don't care for books that are completely predictable (probably explains why I'm not a romance novel fan), but although the mystery unraveled for me less than halfway through the book, I wasn't turned off by it. This was her first novel, so that might explain the predicability of it. Goodman's style of writing was easy and enjoyable to read. But if you want to be held in suspense until the very last chapter, this book isn't for you! *Borrow it from the library*

The Seduction of Water - Goodman's second novel isn't as transparent as The Lake of Dead Languages. In fact, she might have gone a little too far the other way! It's a good book, and I like the fairytale framework of it. In parts, though, a little more explanation would have been helpful. But I got much more out of it during the second read-through, and I'm looking forward to her next book. *Borrow it from the library*


Jane Green

Bookends - This is so far the only book I've read by this author. I really liked her description of the friends and the relationships they have with each other. This was an easy read, and yes, it was a somewhat predictable romance. But it deals with some tough friendship issues too. Put it on your summer reading list. *Buy it*

Mr. Maybe - I thought that I would enjoy this book because I liked Bookends. Now I'm so glad that I didn't read this one first! I feel sure that I will never read this book again. The characters just didn't have the right personalities to keep me hooked. *Borrow it from the library*

Philippa Gregory

The Other Boleyn Girl - This is a wonderful book! (It's one of those that says "Make me a movie!") I did not want to put this one down. Gregory does a great job of capturing the sibling rivalry between the sisters (and given what happens to Anne, it makes fights with my sister seem very unimportant!) If you're interested in historical fiction at all, you'll love this story. One warning, though. If you don't usually read books repeatedly, get this one from the library. Even though I enjoyed it, it was not the easiest book to reread. *Buy it or borrow it from the library*

The Queen's Fool - I was so impressed with The Other Boleyn Girl that I was excited to read this book. This one was ok, but the story was not nearly as captivating. If you really like historical fiction, though, I think you'll enjoy this one too. *Borrow it from the library*

Wideacre Trilogy
Wideacre, The Favored Child, Meridon - After reading The Other Boleyn Girl, I got these 3 books from the local library. Big mistake!!! These books were absolutely terrible! They reminded me of every V.C. Andrews book every published. If you like V.C. Andrews, knock yourself out. Because of Gregory's success with her last two books, the Wideacre trilogy is enjoying a reprinting. But if Flowers in the Attic wasn't your style, don't waste your time with these. *Don't bother*


Alice Hoffman
Blue Diary

Drowning Season

Local Girls - I really liked this collection of short stories. Because they were all about the same characters, it felt more like a novel than disconnected stories. Very enjoyable, quick read. *Buy it or borrow it from the library*

Practical Magic - This is probably my favorite Hoffman book. Oddly enough, I very much enjoyed the movie and the book, although they are very, very different. (Usually, I don't care much for one or the other after a comparison.) So if you've seen the movie, expect a very different book. *Buy it or borrow it from the library*

The Probable Future

The River King

Second Nature


Diane Johnson
Le Divorce - I was thinking that since this book was made into a movie it would be pretty good. Yeah, too bad for me. I really struggled to get through this one! Whoever wrote the synopsis claimed this book was about a murder, a crime of passion. Well! I'll just go ahead and tell you - the murder happens about 7/8 of the way through the book! I mean, the book isn't really about the murder at all, the murder just happens as a side note. I figure the editor said, "This book is never gonna sell unless you put in something exciting. People like murder mysteries...can't you kill someone off so we can claim it's about a crime of passion?" (I just realized that I sound really bitter about this book, but it was a complete waste of time...and of course now I want to see the movie to see if it's any better!! lol) *Don't bother*