Books...

I've done my share of reading lately. I almost finished one book before heading off on vacation and like a moron, forgot to bring it, so I'll finish that up in the next couple of days. Then I read 2 books in their entirety while at the beach, and have just started another.

John Grisham's The Broker is the book I haven't quite finished yet. This is his most recent novel. Though I'm not done with it, I'd still recommend it. If you like his others, you'd like this one. Unless the ending is horrible, I doubt I'll be disappointed.

The first book I read on vacation was Dorothea Benton Frank's Shem Creek. All of her books are based in South Carolina, which is one reason I'm such a fan. What was really cool was that we actually drove over Shem Creek while I was reading this book in the car - COOL. Anyway, like her others, I really enjoyed this book. Most of her stories have a similar premise - a woman (usually divorced) returns home to the South with at least one teenaged daughter. However, the stories above and beyond that are all very different and enjoyable. They usually make you laugh and cry. She has a great sense of humor. And there is usually a good romantic storyline as well.

The 2nd book I read on vacation was James Patterson's Roses Are Red, a novel in the Alex Cross series. I have read many of these, though out of order. If I could do it over again, I'd probably try to read them in order, but they are still quite enjoyable. I have one tiny complaint (don't read if you don't a tad bit of detail revealed). It seems like EVERY time Alex has a love interest, she is murdered, kidnapped, etc. I don't care if you're a super cop, FBI, whatever - what are the chances that happens to woman, after woman, after woman??? Anyway, that is my one and only complaint about the series! Other than that, I love them all (and I can always see Morgan Freeman as Alex in my head as I read).