The Gardner Heist by Ulrich Boser

Do you every read a book, and the whole time you're saying to yourself in your head, "Uggghhhhhhhh I hate reading this ahhhhhhh", but then finish it anyway? This book is an example of how not to write nonfiction. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more if Boser had just taken a step back and not framed the whole book around the idea that he, personally, was conducting an investigation and uncovering new information.

So, in 1990 thieves stole a bunch of art from the Gardner Museum in Boston. This case has not yet been solved, and despite Boser "investigating" the crime further, he has absolutely nothing to add to the case. He keeps referring to a big clue that he discovered, but I never figured out what he was talking about. He claims to be investigating the case, but it seemed like all he did was read the case files others had already prepared, and rehashed theories that ultimately went nowhere. At one point he decided to search for a gangster currently on the FBI's Most Wanted list; he does this by sitting on a bench in Ireland and looking at random old guys.

I guess if you are really interested in failed police theories or gangsters in Boston, read this book. Otherwise, it didn't add much to my understanding of the case.

Also, Boser rated his own book 5 stars on Goodreads! That's not cool, dude.

Changes

UPDATE, 5/20/2011: I will be cross-posting my Goodreads reviews on this blog.

I started this blog at the beginning of the year, hoping that I'd be able to organize all my reads and write little reviews of each book. My original goal was to document the whole of 2007, but to be honest, its not as fun as I thought it would be. Some book bloggers can't wait to get to their computer and publish their thoughts - I'm not that way. Somehow it seems too much like homework, and after 6 years of school, I'm ready for a break! Since this blog isn't too much fun for me, I've decided to change things up.

I've had two blogs before, and it didn't work out, so I'm going back to one. My intention is to write a monthly wrap-up of all the books I've read that month, with only a one-line review, if any. You can see me at: RangerSarah.

I hope these reviews have been helpful, or at least moderately entertaining. Make sure to visit me over at my original site!

24. Crewel World (Monica Ferris)

This is the first in the Needlework mystery series. Betsy Devonshire, in the midst of a midlife crisis, moves to a small town in Minnesota to live with her sister, Margot. Margot owns a needlework store, and is very passionate about her craft. When Margot is murdered in what looks like a botched robbery, Betsy devotes herself to uncovering her murderer.

Other than the fact that I figured this one out about halfway through, I liked all of the descriptions of needlework, obviously. Another aspect of this book that was different was that many of the characters don't like Betsy at first. In contrast to some other books where everyone is perfect, happy, and gets along, this one was a lot more real.

23. Death By Darjeeling (Laura Childs)

After discovering my hidden love of mysteries, I found this series, Laura Child's Tea Shop Mysteries. The main character, Theodosia, owns a tea shop in Charleston, South Carolina. When a man drops dead after drinking some of her tea, she must investigate the crime in order to clear her's and her shop employees' names.

The weirdest thing about this book was that it ended the exact same way as The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder. Somehow, after not reading any mysteries in years, I found the two with the same ending. Even so, I really liked this book, mostly because of all the mention of tea. (I'm obsessed with tea as well.)

I'll definitely read more of these.

Rating: 4 of 6

22. Burning Bright (Tracy Chevalier)

I've read all of Chevalier's past books (including Girl With a Pearl Earring, which she is most famous for) and enjoyed them, so I didn't even bother to read the jacket description when I picked this up. Since I liked all of her previous books, I assumed this one would be good as well.

Wrong. It took me a long time to get through this, mostly because the book had no plot. It's marketed as a book about William Blake, set in the late 18th C. in London. Blake is actually a very minor character. The book is centered on a country family who moves to London, and the city is shown through the eyes of their children, around 13-15 years old.

Basically the children just go around the city, having various experiences, but there really is no overlying plot. Usually I want to finish a book to find out what happens in the end, but in this case I didn't have any motivation do to that - because nothing happens. Chevalier's character's didn't seem interesting in themselves, either. They were basically stock - the street girl, the country boy in the big city, the innocent girl who gets taken advantage of.

I didn't hate this enough to not finish it, but I didn't really care for it at all.

Rating: 2 of 6

21. The Ladies' No. 1 Detective Agency (Alexander McCall Smith)

After On Chesil Beach, I needed something light and fun to read. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency definitely fit the bill. The setting is quite vivid, and the stories are fun and full of humor. Mme. Ramostwe, Botswana's only lady detective, solves all sorts of mysteries, from missing husbands to the activities of wild teenage daughters.

There are 7 more books in this series, and I can't wait to read them all.

Rating: 5 of 6

18, 19, & 20: Catch-Up

I'm sort of behind on my book blogging, so here's the catch up:

18. Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder - Joanne Fluke
19. Candy for Christmas - Joanne Fluke
20. On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan

Joanne Fluke's Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder was brilliant! I hadn't heard of it before, but apparently this book is classified as a "Cozy Mystery." (I gather its a sort of light-hearted mystery, without all the blood and guts.) I'm not a mystery reader, so I'm sure I'm probably late to the game with this genre. Her sleuth, Hannah Swenson, is a smart, funny bakery owner who makes delicious cookies. And the best part? The cookie recipes are included in the book! I can't wait to start baking. (Rating: 5 of 6) Candy for Christmas is a novella included in the back of my copy of Chocolate Chip which doesn't involve a murder. I just wanted more of the characters!

On Chesil Beach - Blegh. I read this in two days since it was only 200 pages (and small pages at that.) The book centers around the wedding night of two young people who are both apprehensive, in different ways, about their impending consummation. Almost the entire book is without dialogue. I didn't really care about the characters or what happened to them. I skimmed most of the end, but found this book pretty unremarkable. It is nominated for this year's Booker Prize, but I never agree with award nominees anyway. (Rating: 2 of 6)