Skinny Dip - Carl Hiaasen

The Basics: Skinny Dip, Carl Hiaasen, 2004, 496 pages, paperback

How I found it: Greg gave it to me for Christmas after hearing about the author on one of the tech blogs he visits.

What's it about?: A pulpy revenge story in the vein of The Count of Monte Cristo, except set in crazy South Florida. Chaz throws his wife Joey off a cruise ship in an attempt to murder her. When she survives, she vows vengeance. Wackiness ensues.

Did I like it?: If you know me, you know I'm not a fan of pulp novels. However, this is pulp done right; this is pulp at its best. Apparently Hiaasen is known for his 'environmental thillers' so that aspect of the storyline sucked me right in. Tied up in all the murder, revenge and romance is the endangered ecosystem of the Florida everglades. The author raises awareness of the problems the everglades face while making it part of his plot. And it's a good plot. I couldn't see what was coming a mile away, and the characters, although caricatures at times, were fairly entertaining. Plus, having read The Count of Monte Cristo at age 8, I am always up for a good vengeance novel.

Will you like it?: If you need a lighter read, Carl Hiaasen is your go-to guy for well written pulp. I found this book a quick, easy and entertaining read and you probably will too.

But don't take my word for it: Reviews and info from Amazon.ca, mostly positive reader reviews, one from reviewsofbooks.com, a review from Rambles.net (which actually specializes in Celtic stuff, not South Florida), a roundup of reviews from metacritic, and a link to FAQ for the book on the author's website.

Little White Lies: A Novel of Love and Good Intentions - Gemma Townley

The Basics: Little White Lies: A Novel of Love and Good Intentions, Gemma Townley, 2005, 320 pages

How I found it: The first night I stayed at the my parents house for the holidays this book was left lying on the night table of the guest room. Since I was too lazy to root through my luggage to find something better to read, I ended up reading it.

What's it about?: Country girl Natalie moves to the city (London) and lives a boring and lonely month by herself. Then she decides to open the previous tenants mail and pretend to be her. This extends to her love life, her job and her friends.

Did I like it?: Like an episode of Full House this book creates all kinds of little problems and misunderstandings and then ties them all up nicely at the end. Natalie starts out in a not too bad situation and ends up all fluffy clouds, kittens and rainbows (Yay!). Like the other similar books in this genre, it revolves around a series of oh-so-predictable misunderstandings. On occaision I don't mind this sort of book (even though they rot your brain) and I got sucked in here too. But I find that the longer it takes me to read these sorts of books the worse I feel about reading them. In this case I had a lovely Jane Urquhart waiting for me so I felt very guilty. So in summary, I liked it a tiny bit, but I also hated myself for liking it even a little since it was such crappy drivel.

Will you like it?: Need a beach book? Have a free afternoon? Enjoy the Shopaholic series? Then read this book. If not stay away or you will be facing your own guilt.

But don't take my word for it: Readers at Amazon.ca like drivel too, a review from another book review blogger, and a summary review from allreaders.com.

Nighttime is My Time - Mary Higgins Clark

The Basics: Nighttime is My Time, Mary Higgins Clark, 2004, 434 pages, paperback

How I found it: Remember how I got How to Win Friends and Influence People from a cereal box giveaway? Well that's where I got this one too.

What's it about?: At a 20th high school reunion Jean discovers that 5 of the 7 girls who used to sit at her lunch table are mysteriously dead. During the course of the reunion weekend the sixth girl goes missing. Jean and a likeable local cop have to solve the mystery of which reunion guest is behind the murders before it is too late for Jean (dum-de-dum-dum DUMMMM!). Surprisingly, it takes over 400 pages to catch the guy even though they only have a few suspects.

Did I like it?: This was pure crap. At first I couldn't believe I was actually going to read the whole thing, but I kept going in the end because I wanted to know who did it. Throughout the book Higgins Clark (the "Queen of Suspense" by the way) throws out little clues about which one of the suspects it might be, but then 50 pages later that clue is proven to be false. I won't tell you whodunnit, obviously, but it was a "shocker"! This book was not well-written, but then again, I didn't expect it to be since it is one of those books where the author's name is larger than the title of the book on the front cover and the author has a reputation as one of those people that churn out the same plot in different forms for years. In the end, it turned out to be one of those books that you read at the beach or at the cabin in a rain storm. Definitely not worthy of bedtime reading during exam period! I'm quite glad it was free!

Will you like it?: If you like suspense/mystery/crime novels, Sugarmilk Falls, which I read recently, was 100 times better than this one. If like me, you manage to get this book for free, are looking for something mindless to read, and are sick of the vapid Bridgit Jones knockoff books (Shopaholic anyone?) this might not be too bad. Otherwise, stay away, far far away.

But don't take my word for it: A mixed bag of reviews on Amazon.ca (although I would have to say the one-star reviewers are the only ones who got it right), one from Bookreporter.com, and another from Woodsontheweb.com.