Book of Air and Shadows

This is a novel by Michael Gruber.

I must say this is probably the first decent book I have read in a while. I came across it at Barnes & Noble while waiting for the midnight release of Breaking Dawn. (I'm a sucker for midnight releases.) As it turned out, the least populated aisle was the one with Danielewski's House of Leaves in it, so I pulled it down and settled myself in to read a few random sections while I waited. (It's a good book for that sort of thing, akin to the Bible in a way, though I'm sure saying so will get me eternally damned.) This book, Book of Air and Shadows, happened to be right on the other side of the aisle. I picked it up due to the cliché title, read the first page, noted that it was a bestseller, and made a point to remember it for future reading.

In review, I liked the style it was written in: not too complicated to make the reader confused and require rereading, not too simple that the reader ends up speed-reading through the whole thing and missing sentences. The story runs a little slowly at points, but that is far preferable to the half-put-together mish mash that a lesser author would have been content to publish.

I really think this could be a good and entertaining read for anyone.

(I guess I should note that, contrary to any suspicions resulting from the title, this is a fiction, but not a fantasy.)

Blindsighted

This is a suspense/mystery by Karin Slaughter.

Overall, I'd have to say this is a fairly mediocre book, better than Lisa Unger's works, but not even close to Dan Brown's DaVinci Code. In a list of pros and cons, Blindsighted gains from having strong characters and relationships, but loses ground in the mystery, since it is really impossible for the reader to start guessing at the villian until the protagonist also makes those same guesses.

Personally, I thought this novel should have been written from a first-person perspective. Not only would this strengthen the pros and give an excuse for the cons, but also I think it would make reading the book more comfortable.

So, who should read this? Someone who is bored, doesn't mind a few graphic descriptions of crime, and, for whatever reason, doesn't want to try their luck at picking a random book.

The Host

I know; I know; I'm getting behind.

The Host is Stephanie Meyer's attempt at a novel for a more mature audience than her Twilight series was directed at.

That said, it is not as great a leap as I expected. In terms of style, it is a fairly easy read, and in terms of content, it is perfectly suitable for all ages.

Personally, I think an apt description of the book would be Stephanie Meyer meets Stranger in a Strange Land. If you love the Twilight books, you will probably at least like The Host. If you liked Stranger in a Strange Land, you may find The Host interesting, if perhaps a little gushy.