Welcome back! In this edition...
- Today's Book Beview
- Currently Reading
- On My TBR List
- Stacking the Shelves
- 52 Week Challenge Update
- Happening In Real Life
- Weekend Blog Hops
Book Review: The Judge's List by John Grisham
"About 40% into the novel and they're finally starting the investigation. Kind of repetitive so far, explaining the plot 3 or 4 times that there's a serial killer judge on the loose. I have to admit I'm a bit bored even though I like Grisham's style of writing. Hope there's a twist coming."
Here's my 60% update: "Good writing as per Grisham but not much tension. The stakes were set from the beginning and now we're just trudging along until the end, it seems."
And my final impression:
Prose is certainly Grisham-esque and typically entertaining, at times...though having read almost all of his novels, I've grown slightly weary of his snarky clip.
The central plotline, however - that there's a serial killer judge on the loose and here are his suspected victims - was repeated so often as to become monotonous. We reviewed the cases at least four times. So hardly any tension or suspense; no real build up. And disappointingly, no twist or surprise revelation was to be had. The novel was one long denouement - the climax found in the blurb itself.
+ XLZABK001 by Jon Zaremba (fantasy and sword & sorcery collection)
+ Laws and Prophecies (Sword's Edge Book 3) by L.S. King (sword and planet)
Stacking the Shelves
Normally, I don't keep track of the books I obtain (collect on my Kindle is more like it! lol). But I see other readers cop to their obsession, so I looked back on my recent acquisitions and am so embarrased! Quite a few additions since March 1st that I probably won't get to for some time, I'm sure!
- Where They Lie by Joe Hart - thriller (my Prime book of the month pick for April)
- Tower of Light by Darin Calhoun - sword/sorcery (Ashonn the Slayer Book 2)
- Concho: The Complete Series by A.W. Hart (all 6 cont. westerns for 99 cents!)
- Dragon Sim-13 by Bob Mayer - special ops (Green Berets/Dave Riley Book #2)
- Penance on the Prairies by R.L. Syme - cozy mystery (found it free someplace)
- Death in the English Countryside by Sara Rosett - mystery (free from the author)
- XLZABK001 by Jon Zaremba - fantasy/sword & sorcery (from author to review)
- Savage Tribes of Venus by Rex Mundy - old school adventure (Gavin Chappell, ed.)
- All He Has Left by Chad Zunker - police prodedural (Amazon Prime pick for March)
That's 9 books last month! Actually, 14! Yikes. (But only 3 in Febuary, so do you forgive me? ha!) Anyway, looks like I have some reading to do. Fortunately, I'm in the midst of a 52 week challenge...
(Books listed in reading order, not review order. And I'm behind, lol.)
1. Razored Land by Charles Gramlich - post-apocalypse (review TBD)
2. The Stroke of Winter by Wendy Webb - mystery (reviewed Jan 11)
3. Feast of Fools and Other Tales - S&S anthology (reviewed Jan 19)
4. Clovel Sword Saga (Vol 1&2) by Gordon Brewer - S&S (review TBD)
5. The Hike by Susi Holliday - mystery/thriller (reviewed March 7)
6. Valengetrix: Ghost of Aratania by J.R. Cason - sword & sorcery (reviewed Feb 25)
7. Swords & Heroes - Sword & Sorcery Anthology (edited by me! review TBD)
8. The Viking Gael Saga by J.T.T. Ryder - historical fiction (reviewed March 15)
9. Blackfoot Dawn by John Legg - a mountain man western (reviewed March 10)
Happening in Real Life
+ Went to a Coffee and Chocolate Expo at the San Juan Convention Center a few weeks back. Very yummy, but very crowded. My wife Julie blogs about it at our Boom Travel website.
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| Ready for some cafe y chocolate! |
+ Attended a more liturgical church for Palm Sunday last week. It was good, but a bit far to drive each week and we want to get involved and serve our local community. So we'll likely stick with the one we're attending now which is closer to our home. And whenever I feel the liturgical itch, we'll head to San Juan and maybe make a day trip of it like we did this past Sunday when we took a short ferry ride from Cataño to Viejo San Juan for only 50 cents each one way! If you visit PR, you should try it!
+ No progress on our washer and dryer. Still heading to the laundromat each Tuesday. Sigh. The other bad news is that a portion of our ceiling crashed down our upper stairwell. We have a rooftop patio and it's flat, of course, but there's drainage - the problem is it leaks and does damage inside. What a mess. We assume insurance will take care of the damages, but that whole process is long, I'm sure.
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| Plaster broke off from the ceiling and crashed down the spiral stairwell a few days ago. |
+ Finally, we've planned the week's adventures for when our two daughters and their husbands visit the first week in May. We're going ziplining, midnight kayaking (at a biobay), hiking in a rainforest, waterfall swimming, beaching it a few times, taking the ferry again to Old San Juan, and catching a cocao farm tour. Whew! We may run those youngsters ragged while they're here! Should be fun though.
Well, that's about it. Happy Easter - Blessed Resurrection Day!
I liked Grisham's earlier books but not sure about the Judge's List after your review.
ReplyDeleteTBH, I think he's hit and miss these last 10 to 15 years or so. I'll keep reading him though!
DeleteOh no. That water event looks awful. We had something similar a few years ago from a leaking toilet. After sopping up the floor and waiting for a call from SERVPro I sat on the couch downstairs and looked up. The water had pooled in the ceiling above where I sat. I got a bucket and broom stick handle. I poked the paint to open a hole and bucketful of water gushed down in a torrent. What a mess. I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteThis week my theme is HOPE. I hope you have time to visit and say hi!
Anne
Whew, I hear you. I hate household disasters. But HOPE is a good word. Thanks for dropping by.
DeleteSorry about the washer/dryer and ceiling! Sounds like you have some fun things on the horizon. Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter as well! Thanks for dropping by. Household issues will eventually resolve themselves, I'm sure.
DeleteI've heard from others that the new Grisham is just so-so. I'm sorry it's a bit of a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteThe ceiling troubles are hard. I do hope you are able to get things repaired quickly.
I think you are bold to list all the new books you have. I try to ignore how many new books come into my house each week. lol
Thanks for the well-wishes, I'm sure the household matters will resolve themselves eventually. Reading is always an adventure - never know what you'll get yourself into! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteChocolate expo? Wow!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the washer/dryer and with the collapsed ceiling! And have fun with the guests.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Yep, we love chocolate. Thanks for the well-wishes. Have a great week.
Delete14 books in an entire month isn't bad at all...And literally the only way I can make my STS posts is by checking out my digital orders on Amazon by date. LOL. I hope you enjoy your new books when you get to them and have a great weekend. - Katie
ReplyDeleteMy STS if you care to visit - https://justanothergirlandherbooks.blogspot.com/2023/03/stacking-shelves-18-march-2023.html
Thanks for dropping in. Yeah, at one point my Kindle may explode, lol.
DeleteMy brother has recently been reading Grisham -- both new and ones that he used to like. He had a similar experience to yours. On the plus side, it's motivated his own writing. After all, if Grisham can get something that bad published then maybe the flaws in his own writing aren't as bad as he thinks.
ReplyDeleteSorry for the collapsed ceiling. Yikes!
Good point. His writing is excellent (well, I enjoy it) but the plots have been a bit lackluster when it comes to his legal thriller stuff lately. I do enjoy Grisham's regular fiction though. He's written a few sports novels which I've enjoyed.
DeleteIt's been a while since I read a legal thriller. I liked the ones by Paul Levine too.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look up Paul Levine. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteIt looks like you have wonderful activities planned with your daughters!
ReplyDeleteShould be fun! We've already tested out a few of the activites ahead of time! lol
DeleteI hope the ceiling is easily fixed.
ReplyDeleteNo shame for book hoarding here :)
Wishing you a great reading week
Thanks! Yeah, at least these are digital hoards instead of physical. We downsized when we moved to PR and have no room for books hardly anymore. :(
DeleteI read Judge's List a year or two ago and was very underwhelmed. I've just about given up on Grisham. I feel like the writing quality has diminished since his The Firm days. The books feel too superficial and undeveloped - more like it's an outline for a screenplay. Reading Judge's List confirmed that, so I think I'll probably just move on to other authors. And, none of here will judge book gathering - we all can relate! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a terrific week.
ReplyDeleteTerrie @ Bookshelf Journeys
Yep, underwhelmed is a good word. I probably won't give up on Grisham, but I think I've switched my appreciation for him - he's not that solid anymore with the legal thrillers (those were great in the 90s), but his regular novels are actually quite good, focusing on the human drama of life. I like his sports novels too.
DeleteHi there Lynn! Lovely to see you on The Sunday Post! How's the writing going?
ReplyDeleteI love Grisham, I'm a few books behind, but will catch up again.
Have a great week ahead!
Elza Reads
Sadly, I haven't been writing lately. Thanks for asking. Hope all is well with you.
DeleteI used to love Grisham's books. It's been a long time since I read one. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by. Have a great week reading!
DeleteI've only ever watched Grisham film adaptations. Never read his books. Sounds like the right way to go. The chocolate convention sounds fun! Sorry to hear about the washer and dryer and plaster damage! Hope you get it all sorted. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThanks, it'll all work out I'm sure. Happy reading.
DeleteSounds like you're going to have a great trip!
ReplyDeleteShould be fun. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteHappy Easter! It's been awhile since I read a Grisham book. I saw some of the films years ago also. I'm reading lots of mystery books for the COYER Readathon the next 2 weeks. I hope all you home issues get sorted. It's an ongoing process.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart
Enjoy all those mysteries! Happy Easter as well.
DeleteI loved The Pelican Brief when I read it many years ago, but faltered on The Runaway Jury. I haven't gone back to Grisham since then I don't think. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHis legal thrillers in the 90s were pretty solid overall, but yeah, can get tiresome for some, I'm sure. I'm an addicted fan, lol.
DeleteWow! Coffee and chocolate expo and ALL the stuff planned in May sounds like major fun!!!! Sorry about the household stuff.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Household stuff never ends, does it! Fun times ahead, though. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteHappy Easter! That expo sounds fun... and so does the ferry ride.
ReplyDeleteMidnight kayaking and waterfall swimming sound fabulous. I imagine Puerto rico has so much to offer...
PR does. But then so did Kansas. Here's an article from our travel blog about daytripping in the Kansas Badlands. https://www.boomtravelandwellness.com/2022/03/day-hiking-kansas-badlands.html
DeleteIt's been years since I read much by Grisham. The repetitive nature of this one would be a turn-off. That's too bad because his early books were tight and exciting. Always kept me hooked. What a mess with the ceiling issue. I hope the insurance and repair process isn't too clunky.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming the insurance (the condo community's our ours) will take care of it eventually. In the meantime we read. Lol thanks for stopping by.
DeleteUrg! So sorry about the ceiling - and very glad that no one was underneath it at the time, as that could have been very nasty:(. And also sorry that you didn't love the latest Grisham more - it's always something of a letdown when a go-to author produces mediocre instead of amazing... I loved the pic of you and your wife and hope the coming week is a good one, Lyn.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Yeah, when I heard the crash I thought my cat had done something bad! haha but glad he wasn't there when it came down! Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteQuite a few adventures you've had, and some great ones coming up. Happy Reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks and thanks for stopping by. I need to post a new roundup!
Delete