Four in a Long Stretch of Jeffrey Archers

Sons of Fortune, Jeffrey Archer, 2003, St. Martin's Press, Genre: Fiction. 503 pages. Finished 10/1/12.

False Impression, Jeffrey Archer, 2006, St. Martin's Press, Genre: Fiction. 373 pages. Finished 10/7/12.

The Eleventh Commandment, Jeffrey Archer, 1998, HarperCollins. Genre: Spy Thriller. 359 pages. Finished 10/13/12.

As the Crow Flies, Jeffrey Archer, 1991, HarperCollins, Genre: Fiction. 619 pages. Finished 10/25/12.

LesOpinion: Jeffrey Archer's books are often about financial gamesmanship, epic grudges, or legal wrangling. He is at his most tedious when documenting a hostile takeover by majority shareholders (most assuredly those with epic grudges). He is at his best when he keeps the pace of the book moving briskly along with not completely unbelievable plot twists.

We're only about four novels in to a ten-novel Archer slog, but experience tells me I'm in for more of the same. These four already gone? Pass on the first, read the second or third if you have nothing else going on, and make plenty of time for the weighty fifth.

Good Things I Wish You

Good Things I Wish You, A. Manette Ansay, 2009, HarperCollins. Genre: Fiction. 252 pages. Finished 9/25/12.

LesOpinion: A poetic novel about men, women, love and friendship, Good Things I Wish You alternates between present day suburban south Florida ("...billboards and strip malls, asphalt and road trash, terrible traffic and the sort of heat that begins to feel something like rage.") and mid-19th century Germany where Johannes Brahms is falling in love with Robert Schumann's wife, Clara. Or is he? Can men and women ever just be friends? Ansay lays it all out, speculates, and ultimately lets you be the judge.

Blue Christmas

Blue Christmas, Mary Kay Andrews, 2006, HarperCollins. Genre: Chick Lit. 194 pages (212 with recipes). Finished 9/21/12.

LesOpinion: This is the most forgettable book I've read in years.

Circumstances under which I recommend this book: What book?

Eight for the Birds

Murder with Peacocks, Donna Andrews, 1999, St. Martin’s Press. Genre: Mystery. 332 pages. Finished 8/26/2012.

Murder with Puffins, Donna Andrews, 2000, St. Martin’s Press. Genre: Mystery. 281 pages. Finished 8/31/2012. 

Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos, Donna Andrews, 2001, St. Martin’s Minotaur.Genre: Mystery. 293 pages. Finished 9/2/2012. 

Owls Well that Ends Well, Donna Andrews, 2005, St. Martin’s Minotaur. 293 pages. Finished 9/4/12. 

The Penguin Who Knew Too Much, Donna Andrews, 2007, St. Martin’s Minotaur. Genre: Mystery. 262 pages. Finished 9/8/12. 

Cockatiels at Seven, Donna Andrews, 2008, St. Martin’s Minotaur. Genre: Mystery. 296 pages. Finished 9/9/12.

Six Geese A-Slaying, Donna Andrews, 2008, St. Martin’s Minotaur. Genre: Mystery. 279 pages. Finished 9/14/12. 

Swan for the Money, Donna Andrews,  2009, Minotaur Books. Genre: Mystery. 306 pages. Finished 9/19/12. 

LesOpinion: Donna Andrews's reluctant sleuth, Meg Langslow, is a tall, voluptuous, sarcastic artisanal blacksmith plagued with a large and eccentric family in coastal Virginia. Despite the silly bird-themed titles, this series of comedic mysteries won me over with its slapstick style and animal-loving themes. More along the lines of Susan Wittig Albert than Jeffrey Deaver, Andrews's mysteries manage to be smart page-turners without being bloody and terrifying. If you enjoy a lite mystery, these books are for you.