sped-read

I have another wine-and-books program coming up, so I did a little speed-reading, just a bit at the front and in the middle of each.

Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes.  This was requested by a patron whose tastes are eclectic but always good.  I was... not quite worried, but maybe worried, since first person voice is a bold choice for such a major character.  But the voice seemed realistic, believable, to me; I don't say it seemed "authentic" because I'm not a WWII buff so I don't feel qualified to evaluate the authenticity in this case.  Should be a great read.

The Love Book by Nina Solomon.  The writing starts out very passive, I think so as not to make any one character stick out.  But it doesn't work to have five main characters-- all the women are equally shallow, unimportant, and interchangeable, indistinct from each other.

Your Face in Mine by Jess Row.  The lack of quotation marks makes the reader think more, reevaluate, interpret, re-read.  I thought it would hurt the writing but instead it adds a layer of depth.  I can't say if it works in a sustainable way through the entire book. 

Juan de Fuca's Strait: Voyage in the Waterway of Forgotten Dreams by Barry Gough.  I gave this one a stab, as it was suggested by one of the winery staff (they have a wine named after the Strait).  This one would be of real interest to readers interested in an academic examination of the history of the area but is not right for this program--it seems quite a bit more dense than necessary, nearly inaccessible, and requires far too much concentration in ratio to content. 

Past the Shallows by Favel Parrett.  This had a Jim Lynch/Highest Tide sort of feel.  It has the necessary depth for this program and might be a good book club book, but for some reason not quite what I'm looking for for this.