BookPikks

Die-hard Orson Scott Card sci-fi fans will be disappointed with Invasive Procedures.  The character development is underwhelming, and the plot seems rather flat.  However, if you are looking for a medical sci-fi thriller along the lines of Robin Cook, then Invasive Procedures is your book.  In fact, I enjoyed it much more than most of Cook’s more recent books, which have become quite formulaic.  Card and Johnston have teamed up to write a fast-paced look at gene therapy gone wrong.  It’s not a book that will stay with you, but it is an entertaining read.

I first discovered Baldacci when I read his novel Wish You Well. Since then, I have read several of his popular thrillers. I don’t feel the need to blog individually about each book, as they are very similar in style and substance. However, if you are looking for an easy, entertaining, suspenseful mystery, Baldacci has many to choose from. I particularly enjoy his books because they are mostly set in the DC/Virginia area, which is familiar to me. Baldacci lives in Virginia, and writes very knowledgeably about the area.

Books of his that I’ve read:

Saving Faith: Lee Adams, PI and Faith Lockhart, lobbyist are on the run from powerful Washington leaders.

Split Second: Former Secret Service agent Sean King, and disgraced agent Michelle Maxwell realize that there’s a connection between the crimes both have witnessed. They join forces to clear their names.

Hour Game: King and Maxwell have now formed a PI firm. They must investigate a series of murders in their own hometown. This one was my favorite by far–much more suspenseful, easy to read, yet not as predictable as previous books.

I’m so glad that I stumbled onto Anne Tyler. I’m really enjoying her books–this one, about an uncle who becomes a father to his nieces and nephew, is my favorite to date. Some things I enjoy about Tyler’s writing:
-She begins by telling the story from one character’s perspective. Just when you’ve gotten comfortable with that character, she starts telling the story from another character’s point of view. It’s hard to get used to at first, but now I really like it.
-She writes about ordinary people and ordinary events, but makes it interesting. There are no big mysteries, no crimes to solve, no major plot twists, no big surprises. But somehow, once I’ve started one of her books, I can’t put it down.
-At the end of her books, there are no big changes or dramatic endings. But somehow, you feel that her characters have learned and grown, and are better off than they were at the beginning.

Having read everything that Hayden has published, I’m still not tired of reading about heroic special education teachers. I searched around and found this book by MacCracken. It’s written in a similar format to Hayden’s books, chronicling one school year in MacCracken’s life. There are several big differences though. First, MacCracken has fictionalized her account, rather than just changing names and places like Hayden does. (In spite of this, the book is still categorized as non-fiction by the library.) Second, MacCracken writes with much more of a political agenda. Where Hayden will comment on laws and policies that make her teaching difficult, MacCracken tends to complain and rant, which is annoying and distracting from the story. A third difference is that MacCracken does describe her teaching methods in more detail, which for me as a teacher, is interesting and helpful.

Another good book by Clements, focusing on the teacher/student relationship. Not as good as Frindle, but still very entertaining. Mark and his teacher, Mr. Maxwell, get off to the wrong start in school, and it only gets worse once they arrive at the annual 5th grade “Week in the Woods” trip.

The characteristic of Clements’ writing that I most enjoy is the way he explains what both the students and the teacher are thinking. As a reader, I really understand both points of view, and so understand why all the characters are acting the way they do.