Book Review Thursday - 6/9

Surprisingly, I got 2 books finished this week! I may not be sewing, but I'm still reading! And I'm hoping to put the bathroom back together tomorrow and get pictures then.

I actually finished listening to Portobello by Ruth Rendell while I was painting the bathroom walls on Saturday. I'm not really sure how easily I can summarize this book. It's about several people who live around the Portobello Road in London. Or just in England in general. And their lives intersect. Eugene inherited a gallery and money from his father and in the course of the book gets addicted to a sugar free candy. Lance reads an advertisement for money that was found and he pretends that it's his money and ends up robbing several houses in the neighborhood where the money was found. Joel actually lost the money when he collapsed on the street and went to hospital. Eugene's girlfriend becomes Joel's personal physician.

Usually, Rendell's books are very twisted and dark. I usually really enjoy the books and seeing how the plot will develop. I have to say that I was more relieved when this book was finished. It's not that it was an awful book, but I spent most of it just waiting for something to happen. Also, Tim Curry was the narrator and I couldn't help but picture every character as him in the drug addict role that he played in Criminal Minds last year. It was a little creepy and off putting.

Just yesterday, I finished Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter de Jonge. (Does anyone know why James Patterson can't write a book by himself???) I got this as a cheapie book from Audible and it was a very short book - great for a summer reading program that I joined through my local library.

Tom Dunleavy is a middle aged lawyer in East Hampton who has been doing the bare minimum to squeak by. When a local kid is accused of 4 homicides, he goes to Tom for his defense. Tom realizes that he is over his head and recruits ex-girlfriend Kate Costello to aid in the fight for justice.

This had all the typical murder mystery twists in it - witnesses are gunned down just as Tom or Kate are about to question them, witness give the lawyers the slip when they are finally located for questioning, police officers on the take, and the main characters lost love for each other. Nothing too intense, although the twists at the end did surprise me a little. That could be because I am only familiar with Patterson's Women's Murder Club books. This was definitely not as gory as some of the Women's Murder Club book. But if you want a pretty fast read, this is for you.

So, what's everyone else reading?